Honor Trip
by American Vigor
Summary: Cell becomes one of the Earth's greatest heroes in this epic twist of Dragon Ball reality! Experience the impact of this dramatic and empowering change! Dragon Ball Honor Trip includes awesome additions by Genescritor, Roketto, and Ruga-Rell!
1. I: Divergence

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction - **

**Chapter One: Divergence**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_**A path of life, in all its glory, need not be predetermined …**_

* * *

Sparks of lightning filled the air as the two strongest warriors on Earth dueled to their maximum.

Mr. Satan stared with a dumbfounded look on his face, amazed at the strength of the boy who was fighting the monster responsible for the Cell Games.

The tyrannical android growled with fury in his fruitless attempts to defeat the Saiyan whom he had pushed over the emotional edge.

"How can this possibly be happening?" Cell asked aloud, with a bitter rage that echoed throughout the vicinity. "I am perfect! I am the perfect being!"

The noble warrior, with his golden hair pointing straight upward and bolts of energy cascading about his shimmering aura, had blocked each punch and kick that his opponent had released in their most recent clash of abilities. The android suddenly moved backward many meters, in an attempt to refocus his energy and acquire an advantage.

The Saiyan briefly looked first toward his friends and then to his father, whose own blue eyes gazed upon his son with the brightest of admiration.

He then shifted his gaze toward the malevolent fighter, whose anger was seething through his efforts to raise his power.

"Cell, you monster, I will not let you harm anyone else!" Gohan trumpeted as the glowing tinges of his aura flickered in the sunlight. "You will pay for what you have done!"

Gohan then moved directly in front of the android and sent a searing fist of wrath into the gut of his foe, who couldn't block the attack in time and was now clenching his stomach in redoubled pain.

"Gohan! Keep it up!" Goku shouted, as he continued to watch the battle from his position atop a nearby rock formation.

"It's amazing how fast he's become," Piccolo said. "Goku, did you know that Gohan would have this much speed as a result of his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"

"I sensed that Gohan would be able to reach a level that Vegeta, Trunks and I were farther from attaining," Goku said, as his son kicked Cell right in the face. "His speed is awesome, Piccolo. I knew he'd be fast, but this is way beyond my expectations."

"His new transformation is absolutely amazing," Trunks said, as he briefly looked toward his father, whose face revealed his frustration that it had not been he whom had reached the newfound level first. "I was having so much trouble catching up with Cell the last time I fought him. Gohan's speed now outshines Cell's with ease!"

Krillin looked on as his friends commented on the battle, his fists clenching out of a particular disheartening truth. Even though Eighteen was gone, as she had been absorbed by that freak, he reassured himself that she would be avenged by the son of his best friend, a boy who through their adventures on Namek and in defeating other villains had also become a close friend.

Cell had never thought he would experience the degree of panic he was enduring now.

If he was truly as perfect as he believed himself to be, he knew this situation would be inconceivable. But he was, in fact, a perfect being … wasn't he …?

As Gohan walked toward him steadily, in the bold and courageous manner of a glorious champion, the nervousness and sweating that Cell was trying so hard to conceal were becoming increasingly apparent to all who could see him.

Cell clenched his fists, infuriated that his fervent quest to achieve ultimate superiority was becoming demolished by an upstart Saiyan.

"Boy, I shall kill you and everyone else on this miserable planet if it's the last thing I do!" Cell shouted with even greater rage, as the golden specks of his own aura danced about him.

He charged with all his might toward the boy, jumped up quickly into the air, and began to gather energy at the fronts of his palms.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the transcendent Super Saiyan moved forward and punched Cell with all his might on the top of the android's head.

And that's when it happened.

Gohan followed up the punch by kicking the android up toward the sky.

After a few moments, Cell's body rocketed downward, smashing into the Earth and creating a whirlwind of dust.

Cell was lying motionless in the crater, his eyes closed and his breathing short.

Gohan landed near the crash site, took a moment of pause, and then started to walk in Cell's direction.

As Gohan approached, Cell opened his eyes, with the world all around him seeming somewhat hazy and somewhat fresh.

His vision restored itself to its proper workings at the moment Gohan came within five meters of him, all the while staring coldly into the android's eyes.

Cell was feeling a strange way that he had never quite felt before. As he perched to one knee, images and memories flashed before him. The way his emotions caressed and interacted with these visions seemed quite alien to him.

But the exact thing that was new about all this was a thing he knew had purposely been kept dormant within him. Cell knew that Dr. Gero had done everything he could to suppress certain personality traits during Cell's development, and that to serve his purposes, the scientist had crafted Cell with the hatred of Frieza, the megalomania of King Cold, and the stubborn motivation of Vegeta. Of course, these three traits did not make up the entirety of Cell's intended personality, but these three dominated that intended personality nonetheless.

Now, there was a difference.

And it wasn't just a small one.

'That move from Gohan, the one that struck me right on the head, what else could be responsible for this sudden change?' Cell thought to himself. 'I've heard of this before, people getting hit in the head and then changing dramatically. It is certainly sad, any case in which one loses his or her memories, but I should be fortunate that mine are still intact. But what of these feelings? These feelings are quite different, and yet … I welcome them! How did I live before? How did I feel ease in cherishing the horror and pain that I loved so dearly, or the darkness I spread with joy? But now …'

"Cell!" Gohan yelled, interrupting the android in the midst of his thoughts. "It's time for this to end! I'm tired of your games! I'm going to finish you once and for all!"

"Wait one moment, Gohan! Let me, … well, let me explain!" Cell said in panic, truly fearful but for so many different reasons, and with a nervous stuttering indicative of true apprehension.

"Can it!" the Saiyan shouted as he kicked the android, who streamed across the wasteland's floor and became a jumbled mess some distance away.

If Vegeta had closely seen Cell's face after the android fell yet again to the ground, he would have laughed arrogantly because of the tears that were streaming down it. The android was feeling the anguish of an indescribable remorse that comes with a great awakening which few, if any, have ever experienced at the magnitude he was enduring.

Gohan fired a round of energy blasts at Cell, and the android became even more decimated than he had been before, with even more physical pain added to the emotional.

Goku couldn't help but sense that there were very different vibes emanating from the situation as a whole. He didn't know exactly what had changed, or if his senses were merely playing tricks on him.

Cell watched as Gohan came even closer to him, just three meters away now. Cell saw that Gohan's face had the determined expression characteristic of Saiyans whose rage kindles strongly in their hearts.

Gohan was, at first, quite shocked at the fact Cell was crying. This was a most unexpected development. Cell's eyes were barely open, and so Gohan did not think Cell would have necessarily noticed the temporary, but barely recognizable, change in his scowl at the shock of seeing the android's tears.

But what shocked Gohan even more, what also shocked all who were watching the fight with keen interest, was that when Gohan raised his fists, Cell closed his eyes and moved his arms in front of his face, in a purely defensive fashion, but a sloppy one that was quite uncharacteristic of his normal tactics. Cell also began to shake, whether out of nervousness or other factors Gohan could not readily discern.

Gohan thought Cell was either merely scared of his power or that Cell was playing another trick.

"So, are you going to fight me or not?" Gohan asked him.

Cell continued to shake, and now Goku could hear the much more audible sounds of crying.

"Um, ... Goku?" Piccolo asked with a flicker of bafflement in his voice.

"Yeah, Piccolo?" Goku responded in a similarly uncertain tone.

"What is going on with Cell?" he asked.

"I'm not sure Piccolo, but look at him," Goku said. "It's not just the crying that I'm finding to be really strange. There's just something that's … that's so different about him."

"Different, Goku?" Tien asked.

"What do you mean, 'different'?" Yamcha chimed in.

"Well, what I mean to say is, first of all, it's completely unlike Cell to be so outwardly showing … well, fear," Goku said. "What he's doing right now, it's … it's just so unlike him. I think you'd all agree with me that it looks like he's crying, as strange as that is. And on top of that, and I can't quite put my finger on this one, he just seems so … I used the term before but I can't think of a better one, … 'different.' I don't really know how to explain it."

Vegeta chuckled.

"Maybe Cell has finally gone off the deep end out of the fear that his so-called 'perfection' is no match for the power of your kid, Kakarot," he said.

"I really don't know, Vegeta," Goku said.

All of the Z-fighters then turned their attention again toward Gohan and Cell, waiting to see what would happen next.

Gohan's impatience became even more apparent than it had been before.

"Well Cell, are you going to fight me or not?" he asked, with his anger causing a few rocks to rise from the ground and become crushed in midair.

Cell, who had finally mustered enough courage within himself to speak more clearly, then made a comment that bedazzled Gohan.

"Gohan, stop! I don't want to fight you anymore!" he yelled aloud, for all to hear.

Gohan could have sworn that Cell's plea sounded as though it had been made with a tone marked by both concern and regret. This was, however, too implausible for Gohan to consider as truly genuine, although there was no denying that something felt amiss.

"Excuse me?" Gohan asked, as his eyes began to reflect the boy's overall quizzical attitude at this juncture. "You don't want to fight anymore? How could you say that?"

The other Z-Fighters were pondering these questions as well, trying to discern exactly what was transpiring.

"That coward!" Vegeta said. "Even though he's down for the count and throwing the white flag, he's probably just trying to take advantage of Gohan and trick him! Cell probably wants Gohan to turn around and begin to back off so that he can make a last-ditch effort!"

Goku continued to look at the scene, still unsure of what would happen, or of what to do next.

Gohan's seemingly added complacency from being puzzled at Cell's most recent statements then shifted to forcefulness, and he began to scream at Cell while powering up.

"You've hurt too many people, Cell!" Gohan said. "I will not let you live, not for all the innocent lives you've taken!"

"Gohan, you don't know what I'm going through right now!" Cell said, as new tears formed in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're going through? How dare you!" Gohan said, right before landing an especially powerful punch directly into Cell's stomach.

Cell gasped in pain, with blood coming forth from his mouth as he hacked in agony.

"You're a monster, Cell!" Gohan said. "You've tried to kill my friends and family, and you have killed without remorse! So many innocent people have died because of you, and their blood is on your hands!"

"I know, Gohan," Cell said not with pride, but with a tone of sadness that made Goku wonder whether he was really seeing and hearing what he thought he was. "I have been a horrible, wretched monster. I am a disgrace for what I've done. I am so sorry."

"Sorry?" Gohan asked, repeating the word in a surprised fashion. "Do you honestly believe that saying you're sorry can enable you to be forgiven for all the lives you've destroyed? Do you truly expect me to offer you my sympathy and compassion after all the times you laughed as children died? Being sorry doesn't bring innocent people back from the dead!"

Cell maintained a solemn expression, then looked down at the ground, feeling that his own death at the Saiyan's hands would come soon, and that it might just be for the best.

Gohan powered up again, shaking the ground with the physical manifestation of his fury.

"Do you consider me to be a fool?" Gohan asked, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"No, Gohan. No, I don't," Cell said, with a greater inflection of sadness in his voice. "You're not a fool. You are a defender of life and peace. You did everything you could to become stronger so you could defeat me and save the world. How could you possibly be a fool?"

Gohan stopped powering up. He was awed by the awkwardness of Cell's most recent comment, and stunned by the implications of what Cell had just said.

"That cretin is trying to play tricks on you to make you soft and forgiving! Don't let him beat you, boy!" Vegeta said as Gohan briefly looked toward him. "Don't let down your Saiyan ancestors. Finish off this scum and glorify our race in battle. He would kill you for defending what you stand for, and he is a traitor to everyone else who was born on your planet. Kill him while you have the chance!"

"I don't normally agree with Vegeta, but he's right, you know," Gohan said to Cell, whose attention he had fully given to the Saiyan boy. "I don't trust you. You'd kill me if you had the chance. You were so eager to kill me and everyone else when you were stronger than us. Now, your abilities are nothing compared to mine, and I can make you pay for your crimes. So, without further ado ..."

Gohan brought his wrists together and deepened his stance, beginning the steps for the Kamehameha wave.

"Gohan, please, listen to me!" Cell said, while standing up again. "I beg you to listen to me! I'm sorry! I'll somehow make it up to all of you! Please don't do this!"

"I will not listen to your lies anymore, Cell!" Gohan said. "I shall avenge all who have suffered because of you!

Cell felt the horror swell within. However, he realized that Gohan and the others would continue to defend the Earth even if he, himself did not live to see it.

"KA-"

How said it was, to have finally gained feelings of true compassion, feelings that he had intentionally been denied, and to not have the chance to truly live those feelings out.

"ME-"

If he had to die, then he had to die, if that would help enable this noble Saiyan warrior to become even stronger and to continue to defend the Earth.

"HA-"

But did he have to die? Was there something truly worth living for when he knew he would live forever with the pain of having killed so many? Was there anything he could do to truly make sure that he would be able to act on his newfound feelings in a positive way?

He came to a sudden realization, and he now knew that there might just be a way...

"ME-"

"Don't do this!" Cell yelled in fright. "I don't want to be evil anymore!"

While Gohan commenced with the last phase, Cell maintained his ground without flinching.

Goku knew what would come next would either be a good deed or an unforgivable mistake.

"HA!"

As the beam erupted from Gohan's hands, Goku disappeared from where he had been standing and reappeared between Gohan and Cell, with the blinding light of the attack he had learned so long ago now only seconds from impact.

While Gohan became fraught with terror, Goku quickly placed his right hand on Cell, and the two disappeared from Gohan's view. The blast collided with a mountainside many meters behind where Cell had been, and it obliterated most of the earthen protrusion. As the dust cleared and Gohan formed tears of his own, he saw his father and the villain his father had for some inexplicable reason risked his life to save both looking at him as they reappeared.

No one moved a muscle for many moments. The shock and confusion in the air, with the rage many felt over the events that had transpired, all had led to such an utter silence that the one sound anyone in the vicinity heard for many moments was the sound of sands rustling with the wind.

Vegeta then broke the silence.

"You imbecile! What have you done?" he asked. "Are you mad? Did you just help out a raging lunatic that wants to kill us all and would do anything to do so? This is the most disgraceful thing I have ever seen!"

"Dad, Vegeta's right. This is beyond ridiculous," Gohan said, with vibrant disgust becoming all the more apparent in his voice. "Why in the world, after all the people he's killed, did you decide to save him?"

"Gohan, … I can explain," Goku said.

"What do you mean you can explain? You almost got yourself killed, Dad! Think of all the people he's killed! Think of how many more people we need to protect from him!"

Goku looked at his son in the eyes, the person who he knew would have the most difficult time understanding the reason for his father's actions, and perceived an angst of unforgiving resentment growing within him.

Cell was absolutely bewildered at the entire chain of events that had transpired, and was completely uncertain of what would happen next.

"Gohan, you need to listen to me ..."

"There is nothing to listen to, Dad!" Gohan yelled with rage. "You must be out of your mind to save that monster after what he's done!"

"Gohan, haven't you been paying attention to what he's been saying?" Goku asked. "I know it sounds strange, but you're going to have to trust me on this one. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think he really means it when he says he wants to stop his evil ways."

"How could you possibly believe that?" a furious Gohan asked, unsure of how this horrible predicament could be happening.

"Listen, we've always given those who have threatened us, our loved ones, the Earth or other planets a chance to change for the better and to promise to never hurt anyone again," Goku said. "Unfortunately, with the hopeful exception of Vegeta, no one has yet taken us up on this offer. There's something about the way that Cell has been expressing himself which leads me to believe that he's earnest about wanting to change. I think Cell just might be telling the truth about this."

Gohan was angered to an extremity.

"I can't believe you, Dad," Gohan said in a tone of ultimate frustration. "You actually believed all of that nonsense this freak was spewing out! Whatever happened to your common sense; where is your judgment? Let me end what I was about to finish!"

Goku was growing increasingly concerned about his son's surmounting belligerence.

"Gohan, I've been facing you this entire time with little worry that Cell would attack me from behind or try to run away. I think he might really be sincere …"

"Sincere! Oh please, give me a break!" Gohan said. "How stupid could you be, Dad? You let your naivety get in the way of common sense all too often. This maniac, even if he somehow convinced himself at the last second that he's being sincere, could lift the veil of this facade at any moment and choose to try and kill us. You've gone too far this time, Dad."

"But Gohan …"

"But nothing! Leave me alone!"

With that, Gohan flew off to join the rest of the Z-fighters, many of whom were emotionally broken at the current state of affairs.

Piccolo saw Gohan, still in his transcendent Super Saiyan form, land right in front of him and look him in the eyes. In Gohan's eyes, Piccolo saw a tormented spirit who wanted to remove indecisiveness from his life once and for all.

Goku, with his back still to Cell, looked down and clenched a fist. After his face showed signs that he was visibly struggling with his decision, he stopped clenching his teeth, lowered his arms, closed his eyes, and relaxed his face.

'That was one of the hardest decisions you've ever made,' Goku thought to himself. 'The repercussions will be felt for a long time. A lot of Gohan's anger might be because of the rage which comes with his transformation, but so much would have occurred even if his mind was totally clear.'

Goku then turned his head slightly to the left, looked at Cell from the corner of his eye, and then looked straight toward the rest of the Z-fighters.

'I will defend this world and my family no matter what,' Goku thought.

Then, after loosening his fists, adjusting his posture and standing more firmly straight, Goku began to speak, while still looking ahead.

"Cell, I risked an awful lot in making that decision," Goku said. "You said you wanted to do something good for this world. I don't know if you truly meant it. You may have, but I could be completely wrong. You know Gohan could have killed you right there and allowed you to become consumed by the dust. But you've been given another chance at life here, Cell. You actually have the chance to make good on your word, if your word has any value to you at all. I'm tired of risking my life for people who don't care about others, and I'm especially tired of people who don't care if other people live or die. I expect you to change, Cell, whether you truly meant all that crap you just said or not. I am confident that I will be much stronger after fully recovering from today's battles, and it's quite possible that I'll become stronger than you. Trust me, Cell, because I do keep true to my word, if you even as much attempt to hurt a member of my family, or anyone else on this planet, I will hunt you down and kill you."

Goku began to walk forward, unsure of how he would associate with the rest of the Z-fighters after this ordeal, and what the next step toward helping the world would be. The Dragon Balls, perhaps? But maybe it was best to wait ...

Cell looked ahead, pondering all that had transpired today.

He understood so much now that he had not understood before. And he had come to know a fundamental truth that encouraged a slight smirk to appear on his face.

'There is no way I could have possibly been perfect before,' he thought to himself. 'The dark path I lived on was so flawed that even if my body was so proficient, which it was not, I still, even in my wildest dreams, would never have been spiritually perfect.'

Cell also knew that he wanted to do all he could to make sure these blessed feelings wouldn't disappear.

But what was there to do? How could he make these feelings last forever? Could the Dragon Balls possibly help him? There was no time to wait to find out.

Cell took his first step forward.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading the first chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it!_

_Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip continues next, in Chapter Two!_

_Also, if you've written any fanfics you'd like me to take a look at, let me know and I'd be happy to do so! I'm always eager to read the works of folks who have taken an interest in reading mine. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Chapter One: (Completed 12/27/2008)_; _(Revised 7/22/2009)_; _(Revision II: 10/19/2009); (Revision III: 12/23/2010); Fourth Edition (11/11/2011)_

_[Note: All updates to Honor Trip Chapters One to Thirty-Two made from November 1, 2011 to November 1, 2012 are Fourth Edition updates.]_

* * *

_Author's note from 1/22/11: I've decided that each of Honor Trip's seasons shall have a "season theme song." This means that I'm going to retroactively add a theme song to Honor Trip's first and second seasons, (which will be indicated in each of their first chapters), and that seasons three and forward will introduce the theme song in the first chapter of their release. _

_Why have a theme song for each season? For the additional fun of it! And in the ending chapter of each season, I'm going to reproduce the lyrics of that season's theme song in a special author's note at the end of the chapter, signifying why I thought this was an appropriate theme song for the season by analyzing how the song's lyrics symbolically portray many of the themes and events of that season. For Season Two and forward, I've been planning out the basic plot structure of the events and themes I've wanted to cover in the season before beginning to write that particular season, and so Season Three's theme song will be released with the season's first chapter as a symbolic herald of what is to come throughout the season._

_And now, I'm proud to announce that the symbolic theme song for Season One is "Eagleheart," by Stratovarius. You can listen to this song by typing "Eagleheart" into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video._

_This song, while extremely awesome, (and hence why I chose it as a theme song for this season), is not in any way a property I control. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. Stratovarius is awesome, and I feel the group's music compliments the awesomeness of the Dragon Ball universe._

_For those of you reading Honor Trip for the first time, I hope you're excited for Season One's second chapter, up next!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	2. II: Consideration

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Two: Consideration**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

The fighters standing on the nearby hill gazed in awe at Goku and Cell.

The greatest villain the world had ever faced was following the world's greatest hero, and both were approaching the group without any sign or movement of attack.

Less than an hour beforehand, Goku had been doing everything he could to stop that mutant android freak. Goku's fellow warriors had been just as eager as he had been to defeat Cell and restore peace.

Most of them had spent the majority of the last three years both training and praying in preparation for combat with the androids. After Cell had unexpectedly entered the picture and absorbed Seventeen and Eighteen, they had spent the past 10 days expanding their capabilities beyond their previous limits.

But now, after such a long period of training, numerous sleepless nights of anguish, and all the fury and frequent feelings of helplessness they had endured, could they have been expected to truly believe that the archenemy of the world had simply given up?

What kind of preposterous joke on their lives was this? How could all of this be possible? Was this freak just trying to catch them off guard? Why had Goku actually listened to this monster?

"Well, if it isn't the disgrace himself,'" Vegeta said to Goku, as the father of the boy who had just been fighting Cell made his way toward the group. "Oh yes, he had a plan. Risk his son's life by throwing him into the ring without truly knowing if he could win, then crush his honor by taking away his victory and caving in to the foolish deceit of the enemy. You're not just low-class trash, Kakarot, you're a downright ignoble fool! How could you do this to your son?"

After Vegeta said his words, Gohan, still in his transcendent Super Saiyan form and still ready to pounce on Cell and destroy him, quickly looked towards his father, then looked away, in no direction in particular.

"Vegeta, you and Gohan both know Cell isn't innocent, but you and Gohan also wouldn't want to kill someone who wishes to kill no more," Goku said.

"That's ridiculous, Kakarot," Vegeta said to Goku. "If he has killed through his own free will before, then he certainly has the capacity to kill again. He deserves to be killed before he kills anyone else."

"Well, um, Vegeta," Yamcha began, "I hate to interrupt, but the same could be said about you."

Vegeta was furious.

"See here you half-wit, you weren't brainwashed by a tyrannical fiend when you were but a small child, were you? Your race of people wasn't destroyed by such a monstrous abomination like mine was, was it? Those things can make a man have quite a temper and be ready and willing to kill others, as I was, once upon the stars," Vegeta said. "But I've stopped killing because your former woman has helped convince me that killing merely for sport is wrong. However, of course, we must defeat to the fullest extent by any means necessary those who wish to take our lives. In the past three years, I have trained harder than ever before to become stronger so I would not just have the fortunate pleasure of defeating the androids myself, but the knowledge that anyone on this planet who could actually be considered 'innocent' wouldn't have to suffer and die because of the androids. This worthless piece of garbage that Kakarot insists wishes us no further harm is the epitome of a liar. He is the worst of all the androids, fused with the hatred of Frieza and his father, and a thousand times worse than I could have ever been. He was purposely created to kill us. He would choose to do so even now if he knew he could get away with it. He cannot change. He wouldn't change. Kakarot, you imprudent clown, if it wasn't for you getting in the way of your son while he had the chance to finish Cell off once and for all, then we could have truly made sure that we would all still be alive tomorrow!"

"If you're going to talk about me and make accusations about how much I want to kill you all, then why don't you let me have at least some sort of opportunity to explain myself?" Cell asked as he came closer to the group, while Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha backed up, Goku and Gohan stood motionlessly, and Vegeta, Trunks, and Piccolo tightened their stances.

Trunks had seen enough bloodshed and horror in his life to never trust any android, and so he justifiably assumed that Cell could not possibly have had anything righteous in mind.

"Cell, if you take one more step towards us, this is going to have to be the first time that I will truly disagree with Goku," Trunks said. "We're going to help Gohan finish what he almost did and bring you down for good!"

"Yeah!" Yamcha shouted.

"That's right," Tien concurred.

"Oh, will you all just calm down for once?" Cell asked in frustration as Piccolo regarded the apparently dishonorable comment with great distaste. "I am going to try to gain your trust and understanding even if it seems hard for you to believe that any of you would ever honor me with either of these. Vegeta, let me begin by saying that you and I are more alike than you're willing to admit, and that because of this, you especially should consider my words."

"I have nothing in common with you, android, except for the genetic material your bastard of a father cowardly stole from me in my absence of awareness," Vegeta said.

"That is where you're wrong," Cell said, as all ears, even Gohan's, perked up out of scorn or legitimate interest. "You shared with everyone here just a few moments ago your opinion that you should not be held completely accountable for your crimes in taking lives because of the conditions of your upbringing. Normally, I think you'd actually agree with my newfound belief that a killer who kills with no remorse, a killer who has a clear choice in his destiny and has relatively free will over his decision to kill, should be put to death. But what of a killer who was horribly misguided by intense evil and malice during his upbringing so as to make him a murderer, such that he never truly had the opportunity to develop the will or desire to think and act otherwise? In your case, I must agree with you that your history limited your free will and hampered your ability to escape a life of causing suffering to others, at least until much later in your life. I also think you would agree with my perspective that even in the case of a person who does not kill entirely out of his own free will but because of predetermination, there should still be some sort of punishment, maybe not quite as severe as death depending on the society passing judgment on the killings, but a punishment nonetheless."

"Your words are superfluous and pointless; of course I agree with those sentiments," Vegeta said. "However, while the scenario of becoming a murderer against one's will because of one's upbringing does apply to me, it does not truly apply to you. You are a killer, and you always will be. The malevolent blood of Frieza courses through your veins!"

"You know, it's funny, Vegeta, I thought you would have remembered your own words from a few minutes ago and that you would have been more sympathetic to my case," Cell said.

Vegeta, enraged with his enemy's seemingly arrogant backtalk, decided to directly test Cell's commitment to peace. He then lunged at Cell and kicked him in the face, a maneuver that Cell made no effort to block.

"Android! Answer me! Why didn't you deflect my attack?" Vegeta asked.

"You know full well that at your level of strength you shouldn't have expected your attack to do all that much against me," Cell said as Vegeta snarled furiously. "And that's besides the point. Have more patience, Vegeta. I no longer have any desire to attack you and wish no more harm upon you."

Vegeta then spat on Cell's foot, and as he walked back to the group and turned his head to look at Cell, he was both perturbed and maddened by the fact that Cell's sullen expression had not changed after his foot had been covered with Vegeta's saliva.

This was hardly the reaction that the Saiyan prince had expected from a person whom he believed shared so much of his arrogance and distaste of dishonor.

"As I was saying, Vegeta, there is an important bond that we share, one that is much more prevalent than the bonds which hold our common genetic material together," Cell said. "You were brought up in an environment where malice was all the rage, where killing was glorified, and where you were preconditioned to think that killing others to further your own goals was an acceptable enterprise. So was I. Dr. Gero designed me to have very specific feelings and engineered my psyche so that I would not have considerable variation from those feelings. I was never given the choice to truly resist evil temptations if I wanted to. Indeed, I wasn't even given a true chance to develop my own personality. My feelings and preferences were imposed upon me. I couldn't shape them. I had no ability to. I was an artist without a pallet whose painting was already done. Gero cultured me in a culture of death, and he made sure that killing others was an integral part of my self-preservation and advancement. He gave me profoundly wicked incentives and made sure my attention would be focused on them, as in order to reach the ideal of perfection and become as strong as possible, I was guided into feeling justified in killing countless individuals through absorbing them for my own power. I even felt justified, as per Gero's design, in killing my own siblings to make myself even stronger."

Cell closed his eyes for a moment, reflecting upon many memories he now considered to be intensely unpleasant.

"Vegeta, do you know what it's like to wake up one day and realize that your entire life has been a lie?" Cell asked. "Do you know what it's like to feel remorse for so many things you've done when you never felt remorse for those things before? There is somewhat of a difference between you and me regarding our experiences, since your thoughts were not completely engineered the way mine were. After many years, you were able to gain the ability to become somewhat capable of questioning the morals of your deeds. I never had such a luxury. I was never able to contemplate if what I was doing was wrong because I was built to assume that it was impossible for my motivations to be imperfect. I had not been allowed to have the potential to feel remorse for my actions, which could have enabled me to question the legitimacy of my previous deeds, as you have done. And you, Vegeta, have had the ability to gradually reform yourself over many years. Enlightenment almost literally hit me a little while ago, shattering the darkness with light in an instant. It's been quite a psychological shock, to say the least. But please believe me, despite your misgivings. I am sincere in all of this. I don't want to commit acts of evil anymore. I deserve to be punished for the horrors I have caused, and I want to atone for everything I've done. I'm extremely eager to start helping the world as soon as possible."

"That's the lousiest excuse for cowardice I have ever had the displeasure of listening to," Vegeta said. "No matter what commonalities you might think we share, you should have enough intelligence to know that there are so many more variables that should be taken into consideration than those you just described in determining how feelings can be changed. Furthermore, Cell, while to the untrained mind your argument may be convincing on face value, let me ask you this question: 'How is it that all this just happened to have coincidentally occurred at a moment when you were on the brink of defeat?' You must admit, it seems rather improbable, and close to impossible. People don't just have epiphanies on the spot, certainly not like the one you're clamming to have experienced. You wanted to ravage the world just an hour ago, and now you're saying you wish to go out of your way to do good things for the people you eagerly wanted to kill? Do you really take us all to be fools? Maybe you were counting on how much of an idiot Kakarot truly is, deciding that taking advantage of his softness in battle would be an option even now. After all, you might even have the truly unique ability to profoundly understand his unadulterated magnitude of stupidity based on the fact that you share some of his genetics. Maybe you thought you could fool him and prolong your life temporarily, but you can't fool me."

After Vegeta's comments, Goku looked down toward the ground. He closed his eyes and began to feel a sense of shame for the idiocy that he felt Vegeta might have been correct in ascribing to him for this entire situation. Had he really been that gullible? Maybe he should have listened to Vegeta's advice from all those years ago when Vegeta had said that his propensity for naivety should be constrained because of its potential to advantage his enemies and threaten his loved ones.

"You're nothing but a trickster," Vegeta said, while Cell continued to intently listen. "I swear, even if you think you've somehow won some time, you're not leaving here. And you know why you're not leaving here? It's because Gohan's about to kill you. Isn't that right, boy?"

Goku suddenly looked in Vegeta's direction out of nervousness for what might come next. Vegeta was tempting the emotions of not only a Saiyan who had reached a level of power vastly above that of a basic Super Saiyan, but of a boy who was going through profound emotional turmoil.

There was no telling what sort of actions Gohan might make in the midst of his internal strife, and no way of knowing if he could truly be stopped from committing deeds that he would later regret.

"Vegeta, calm down," Goku said.

The warrior's anger intensified.

"You know something, Kakarot? I think you're right," Vegeta said, sarcastically. "Maybe I should just let Cell go and kill my wife and my child. I mean, he's certainly such a nice guy."

Cell didn't know what to say, and began to look down at the ground as Goku had done some moments ago out of shame.

"Your idiocy, Kakarot, is appalling," Vegeta said. "In fact, I think I've lost any tinge of respect I might have ever had for you. Your son, … now there's a warrior who truly reflects the spirit of Saiyan pride. He might be the offspring of a twit like you, but he's not one to let his honor go to shame. Gohan, why don't you show your father what it's like to be a real Saiyan and kill Cell right now?"

Gohan, at this moment, was on the edge of a great emotional divide. Should he respect the wishes of his father, however misguided they appeared to be? Or should he go with his true feelings and listen to Vegeta, despite the arrogance and darkened fervor the Saiyan prince seemed to be inflecting? Vegeta had called his father rather unsavory names, but didn't he deserve those minor verbal attacks? He did, didn't he?

Trunks also did not know what to do. Cell was an android, after all, and from everything Trunks had experienced throughout the course of his life across timelines, he knew that the androids had been born to be murderers and should never be trusted. Out of logic and reason, he acknowledged that Sixteen had demonstrated the capacity for change, but was that even a realistic possibility for Cell? Cell had seemed to have been enjoying the prospect of annihilating the Earth, and his claim that this had suddenly become no longer the case seemed outrageous. Cell had almost killed his father in battle, and Trunks' memories of the dark day in which Cell had gained his so-called "perfection" remained fresh and poignant in his mind. Cell's words seemed far too good to be true, and Trunks felt as though he had no personal desire to believe Cell at all. But his father was tempting Gohan, who seemed emotionally confused and psychologically exhausted. Vegeta was taking advantage of his rage in a way that had the potential to make Gohan possibly bend to killing without thinking things through the way he might have under other circumstances.

And what if Cell actually was not lying? What if Goku actually was right about all this? If Cell really had changed, would it be an unthinkable atrocity to kill him now without enabling him to have the opportunity to redeem himself and help the world? It seemed almost impossible to Trunks that Cell could have suddenly and genuinely reformed, especially under the circumstances in which he had claimed his sudden enlightenment had occurred, although Trunks knew very well that impossibility was not the same thing as mere improbability, which enables even very unlikely circumstances to have the potential of being true.

Was it his moral duty to step in and stop his father from succeeding in making Gohan kill Cell, or would the Earth and the universe be better served if he just let Cell's life come to and end to make absolutely sure that any further threat he might pose would be extinguished? Would enabling Gohan to make the choice be the best option?

Gohan began to walk toward Cell, and Trunks stood still.

Goku did not move either.

Cell observed Gohan's approach, and he then sat on the ground, anticipating what was to come.

Gohan decided, after the events which had transpired, that it might be best for him to kill Cell without using a Kamehameha, and that he would instead use a Masenko, a signature attack of his other, symbolic father.

Trunks, for Gohan's benefit, decided that he should not remain entirely silent while the upcoming events unfolded.

"Gohan, at the very least, you need to give some thought to this," Trunks said.

Gohan momentarily stopped walking, and turned to face his fellow warrior.

After a moment of pause, and without verbally responding, he then turned his attention back toward Cell, continuing his approach. Within a few seconds, Gohan came within one meter of Cell, then raised his hands above his head and brought them together. But then, he halted his movements, as he was interested in what, if anything, Cell, who was staring into Gohan's eyes, would do next.

After a minute of inactivity, Gohan asked Cell a simple question.

"Well?"

Cell then closed his eyes.

"I am about to kill you, you know that?" Gohan asked.

"I can see that my words from before meant nothing to you and that your mind was made up, justifiably so, even before I spoke a word in my defense," Cell said.

Gohan began to collect energy near his hands, and Cell remained calm.

As the glowing ball of energy glistened, illuminating Cell's face with the fiery power of destruction, the android spoke again.

"I want you to know before you kill me that when you punched me in the head during our fight, you profoundly changed my mind and opened up a new world that allowed me to finally experience at least a hint of what it's like to be a real person," Cell said. "I have to thank you for that, and I truly do hope that you grow up to be a strong leader and a kind father who will always defend this world and protect his children."

Gohan kept his gazed fixed on Cell while the energy glowed near his hands. Both fighters were stationary now, with the energy near Gohan's hands constituting the only sign of movement among them.

Then, Gohan made a decision.

The visible energy faded, Gohan lowered his hands, and he brought his fists to rest positions. He still remained in his transcendent form of Super Saiyan, however, as a tactic of precaution.

"I must be crazy for doing this," Gohan said.

Vegeta realized what was happening and became furious.

"What do you think you're doing?" he screamed. "Are you really going to let that android get away with what he's done? Are you really going to let him have the opportunity to kill everyone you love? Tell me! Tell me what sudden wave of irrational ignorance is making you do all this. It's emanating from your father, isn't it?"

"Stop making fun of my father, Vegeta," Gohan said.

The psychological impacts of Gohan's form beyond Super Saiyan then prompted him to say some things he otherwise would not have been likely to so openly express.

"He may be ignorant at times, Vegeta, but so are you," Gohan said. "So am I if I truly am falling for the greatest façade I've ever encountered while letting this charlatan get away with murder. You know what, though? I'm going to respect my father's wishes. If he's so confident that Cell won't hurt anyone else, let's see what happens. If he's wrong, I think he'll feel sorry after this monster right here kills countless more, but we can always wish them back. It will still prove a point and, after all, the pain so many will feel will be merely temporary. They'll be able to come back after a wish and, depending on how we play our cards, they may not even remember what had happened. It's a valid way to test Cell's intentions, and I really don't care how we do it so long as no one is actually permanently out of commission. Let the horror come if it's destined to come. It would prove my father wrong for the grandiose idiocy he's exhibited today."

When Trunks had asked Gohan to consider the situation before taking action, he had not imagined that Gohan would make the vicious considerations he had so evidently made. Trunks didn't believe his former master's counterpart was quite right in the head at the moment.

"Gohan, do realize what you're saying?" Trunks asked. "From what you've said, it sounds like you think Cell's still going to be a killer after we let him go, but that you'll let him get away with further murder just to prove a point to your father. There are many parts of this that lack common sense and are very unlike things the Gohan I know would normally say or believe. I remember when I reached a level beyond Super Saiyan for the first time and how my thoughts and emotions were thrown off from what they would normally have been. I also expect this might be even more so the case with you because you've reached a higher level than any of us. Please, Gohan, don't just throw your morals and good sense away."

Goku felt he had to speak, despite the emotional pain he knew he had already caused.

"Son, you need to calm down. Trunks is right," Goku said. "You're not acting like yourself right now. If you really think that Cell is still going to kill people, then maybe my intuition was wrong and yours is right. But don't let him escape and murder many more people just to prove a point. That's foolish, Gohan. You're much smarter than that."

Gohan considered his father's words for a moment, then responded.

"I am the one who will ultimately decide what happens next, as none of you have the power to stop Cell while the reigns of that capability rest in my hands alone," Gohan said. "Whether he lives or dies is entirely up to me. I have the power to kill him as well as the power to permit him to live. The idea that Cell might actually have gained some sense of positive morals is intriguing, to say the least. His most recent actions, both emotional and physical, are so different from what they had been an hour ago that I really do wonder if he is telling the truth. I did punch him in the head with a great deal of force, and come to think of it, the readings on biology that my mother assigned me when I was younger taught me that the area where I punched Cell is an important area regarding memory and personality. That piece of evidence makes Cell's claim more plausible than if that piece of evidence was not there. However, we all know the type of monster Cell has shown himself to be more than capable of being, and this could all be a dire attempt at deception. If Cell is lying, he knows I'll kill him. He has every incentive to refrain from killing anymore because he knows I will be even stronger after I recover from this battle and that I will kill him without restraint. In fact, I'd even go to Hell with him just to smash him vigorously for all of eternity if he's even thinking about betraying our confidence now. I hope Cell can tell that after I transformed earlier today, I had merely been toying with him."

Gohan then addressed Cell directly.

"That's right, Cell. I could have killed you at any time," Gohan said. "If you betray my trust and harm anyone, you will have no chance to survive. Regardless of whether my father is right in all this, if you harm anyone, you will die. The ball's now in your court, Cell. What will you do?"

While Cell pondered Gohan's words, Vegeta decided that he would no longer tolerate the apparent pacifism his so-called "allies" were showing in dealing with this murderer.

"That's it. If no one's going to kill Cell right here and right now, then I'll do it myself!" he yelled, while his power level began to rapidly increase.

As Vegeta's aura vibrantly flickered, he lunged forward to strike the android. Before his fist made contact with Cell's head, Gohan moved between Vegeta and Cell, blocking Vegeta's fist and then grabbing both of his arms.

"What in the name of the Saiyan race do you think you're doing?" Vegeta asked with intensified fury.

"You were about to punch him in the same area that I did," Gohan said. "On the chance that Cell is telling the truth, it would be a shame to deprive him of the opportunity to mend his ways, just like the opportunity you've had, wouldn't you agree?"

Vegeta, who had become even more enraged, turned to face the others.

"Kakarot, I know I can't rely on you to help defend the honor of our race; Trunks, come over here and help me kill one of the androids that has haunted your nightmares."

Hesitantly, Trunks responded.

"I … I don't know if I can, father," he said. "After hearing what Gohan said, I just don't know what to do, even if Cell is an android."

"Then to Hell with you; you're no son of mine," Vegeta said. "I'll be sure to raise my real son to not be a fool like his counterpart."

That comment hurt Trunks like a blast through the heart.

The proud Saiyan from the future looked down at the ground, with solemn sorrow building within him.

"Well, aren't any of you going to stop just standing there and choose to help me vanquish this threat before he escapes?" Vegeta asked. "Aren't any of you going to defend your honor as warriors and help me save your planet from further harm?"

Not one of the Z-Fighters budged.

"Namek, surely you have more sense than this!"

But Piccolo kept his eyes affixed to the situation, and did nothing else.

"Damn you all to Hell!" Vegeta yelled. "You're all useless! Every last one of you!"

With that, Vegeta kicked Gohan quickly in the stomach to break free of Gohan's restraint, and out of shock and surprise, Gohan let go of his arms.

Cell watched as Vegeta came racing forward, and did not stop Vegeta from firing a Galick Gun straight toward him.

The blast collided with the android, and when the dust settled, Cell was still there, seemingly unaffected by Vegeta's attack. His android body was, after all, quite durable.

The scowl on Vegeta's face became more severe.

"It is my destiny to be the best and it is your destiny to die!" he yelled.

"If I had actually still wanted to kill you, Vegeta, I would have done it by now," Cell said. "Please, we don't need to fight anymore."

"You're a fool if you still think that I would ever believe you!" Vegeta yelled.

Vegeta began to unleash a barrage of punches at Cell and then kicked him many times. Although the android was too strong for Vegeta to deal any real damage, the Saiyan prince kept up his attack.

Then, Gohan shoved Vegeta away from Cell, pushing Vegeta from his right side and removing the Saiyan from the combat he desired.

Gohan then floated between Vegeta and Cell, prompting the Saiyan prince to view the boy with substantial derision.

"You …you're a greater imbecile than your father," Vegeta said. "You are acting irresponsibly in trying to stop me from defeating this threat once and for all. I swear that when that android goes ballistic and kills your mother, you will have only yourself to blame. I can't stand this stupidity any longer."

With that, Vegeta flew off, with his golden aura echoing in the trail that it was leaving behind.

Cell, after a long time of remaining silent, decided to chime in.

"Does this mean that you will give me a chance?" he asked.

"Be quiet, you insufferable cretin," Gohan said. "I still don't fully believe you, but for some reason I can't quite explain, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt because of what my father has said and done today. Maybe the biological evidence I put forward before is relevant. I don't know. One thing is certain, though. I'm not going to just let you fly off and do as you please. You're under my watch now, you freak. And you'd better feel sorry for all the pain you've caused, because believe me, all the hideous acts of terror and malevolence you have committed will never be truly forgivable. And don't believe for one moment that you will not face some sort of judgment for what you've done. After the proper determinations are made, you will be punished for your misdeeds, whether that punishment comes through me beating the crap out of you, or from your freedom being restricted in some other fashion. Do you understand that?"

"I understand completely," Cell said. "I will accept the terms of my salvation."

"Good," Gohan said.

The transcendent Super Saiyan turned around and walked toward his father, who watched him approach.

"Gohan, do you now understand why I spared him?" Goku asked.

"No, I do not understand, father. I don't think I will ever truly understand," Gohan said in a sullen tone, with a hint of intonation that Goku took to mean that his son felt both his father's actions and his own in the last hour had been somewhat pathetic.

Gohan looked up at the sky for a moment while everyone else stared at him, except for Krillin, who was staring at Cell and wondering what horror Eighteen must be going through as a part of that beast.

As the news crew from ZTV that had been providing coverage of the Cell Games began to rush toward them for commentary on the recent developments, Cell decided to speak.

"Gohan, you will not regret this," Cell said.

"It will be your life if I do," Gohan said.

A few moments passed, and the news crew arrived at the scene. The cameraman had managed to fix his camera's visual and audio inputs in the interim between Cell's change in persona and Vegeta's departure. The reporter wiped a rag across his black hair to remove some of the sweat that had been caused both by his running and his anxiety, and he then stuck out his microphone to Gohan after adjusting his glasses.

"Young man, why has the fighting stopped?" the reporter asked.

Gohan would have been coarse in his mannerisms on the air because of his roguish persona at the moment, and wanted to say, "Because this loser over here decided to chicken-out," but he thought of what his mother would say if she heard him sound nasty and mean-spirited on worldwide television.

Her predicted actions were enough to temporarily calm the rage of the transcendent Super Saiyan.

"Cell has decided to back down from his challenge," Gohan said. "I fought him just as my father did, and to me, Cell conceded defeat."

Hercule Satan and his band of devotees had followed the television crew in their procession to the Z-Fighters, and now Mr. Satan, who was standing live at the scene, felt it was his time to chime in.

This was especially so if he was to maximize his potential gains in glory form this situation. He in no way wanted a person who from his perspective was no more than a random teenager to take all the glory and make him appear weak.

"That's ridiculous, my dear boy," he said as he put a hand on one of Gohan's shoulders, and act which the Saiyan found to be quite demeaning. "As I said before, you and your light shows, and the invisible wires and mirror reflections that made it appear like you were flying around, these are all cheap tricks done by amateurs. You might have scared Cell a little with your hocus pocus, but certainly I'm to get credit for striking fear into him with my ferocious power! I'm the one who's most responsible for Cell's defeat!"

The world watched as the exchange between Mr. Satan and Gohan took a fateful turn.

"My friend, the world deserves truth for so important an event as this," Gohan said. "Are you really willing to stick by your story? After all you've seen today, are you really going to take as much credit as you are for defeating Cell?"

Mr. Satan hesitated for a few moments with a partially perplexed look on his face; the boy indeed seemed to be a clever one and was putting him into an uncomfortable position. He weighed his options, and went for what he felt would be most likely to deliver the maximum.

"Y-yes. Yes I will," Mr. Satan said. "You know it. They know it. And Cell knows it."

Hours ago, Cell would have likely pounded Mr. Satan into the ground for making such outrageous comments that tarnished his reputation, but now, Cell did not say a word or flinch as inch as he was curious as to what Gohan was trying to do and did not wish to spoil whatever Gohan had in mind.

"Very well, then," Gohan said. He then turned from the camera and shifted his gaze toward the sky. "Everyone, I believe it would be best for us to go to the Lookout now."

With that, he lifted off slowly in the direction of the guardian's Lookout, and eventually, Yamcha, then Krillin, then Trunks, then Piccolo, and then Tien rose into the air and followed him. Goku lingered for a moment, the camera caught him looking briefly at Cell, and then he rose into the air and followed his son as well.

As the camera crew approached Cell, the android stayed still, unsure of what to do.

High above, Gohan stopped mid-flight and waited for the others to do so as well. He had continued to observe Cell from above, making sure that Cell would not do anything unscrupulous, and was waiting for Cell to fly toward them.

After a few moments, during which Cell had remained on the ground, Gohan then yelled to his former teacher, "Piccolo, send that idiot a telepathic message asking him to fly toward us."

Back below, the reporter placed his microphone in front of Cell and asked the combatant a question.

"So, how does it feel to have lost in your own tournament against the champion of the world, Mr. Satan?" he asked.

"Well, I …," Cell began to say, while pausing to think of a tactful way to respond to the rather confounding question.

Then, he received Piccolo's message.

With that, Cell darted off into the sky, with the downward thrust of his energy knocking the reporter back a few feet.

Hercule Satan looked upward as the camera captured the scene.

* * *

_Thank you for reading Chapter Two! _

_Up next in Chapter Three: As our heroes call forth the Eternal Dragon of Earth, tensions on the Lookout are sky-high. Will Cell try to make a wish of his own? Stay tuned! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Two: (Completed 03/07/2009); (Revised 05/11/2010); Fourth Edition (11/11/2011)_


	3. III: Declaration

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Three: Declaration**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Cell soared through the air, with clouds passing by his sides as he flew toward Gohan.

He recollected the events that had brought him from the arena and into the brightness.

'Gohan. That Saiyan. A boy whose friends' and father's genetics helped make me who I am. Their emotions had always been dormant within me, locked away by Dr. Gero. And with Gohan punching me in the head, what wondrous feelings he allowed me to feel in all their glory for the truly first time. Somehow, he managed to damage the tissue that had been so intricately designed by Gero to never allow me to feel the kindness of Goku's smile. Somehow, I was never able to feel the true and genuine desire to help others that Krillin has felt so many times. Somehow, I was never able to feel the benevolent sense of friendship shared by Chaoitzu and Tien. And now, after that boy punched me in the head, I am free. Free from a deeper tyranny Frieza never knew he had imposed. Free from the real hatred that had bound Vegeta for so long, not his disdainful but well-meaning arrogance that lingers. Free from the gleeful malice that marked King Cold's wicked smile as he conquered dominions and ravaged the worlds of all too many innocents.'

He quickly took a breath of crisp, fresh air, then continued in his musings.

'Now, I can look back on the dark and distant day that I killed the champion of this world's future after he had destroyed the other androids of his timeline. I prevented him from having his true chance to stop me and, alas, ended his holy mission. I can feel free to feel deep shame for my actions. That is as any sensible being should feel. No longer am I a monster, despite this wretched and eclectic appearance. I can fight for good. I just hope the others will understand that. Even more so, I hope I'll stay this way forever. There is no guarantee right now that I either can or will, although soon, … very soon … yes, it would be excellent if my hopes turned out to be realizable.'

As he deeply pondered the circumstances of his new and broader vision of reality, Cell caught up to the Z-Fighters. They had stopped in their path, with cold, hardened expressions on their faces. Cell decelerated, and came to a halt in front of Gohan.

"What took you so long?" Gohan asked.

"I had short notice," Cell said. "And now that I'm here, I'll embrace what you have planned for me. Tell me, what is it that you want me to do?"

"I want you to shut up and fly between Trunks and my father, with myself behind and everyone else in front," Gohan said, as his aura sparkled with anger. "We're going to the Lookout. I'm keeping an eye on you, so don't think of doing anything conspicuous. Normally, I would never think of bringing you there, but if I let you go now and someone dies because of my mistake, that would mean that I failed yet again. As you can of course understand, watching you is therefore preferable. If you even think about interfering with my plans or threatening anyone, you will be saying hello to Frieza in Hell. Got it?"

"I do."

"Then get moving."

The eight warriors began their collective procession toward the Lookout. Tien, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Krillin guarded the front, Goku and Trunks flanked Cell's right and left sides, and Gohan watched all ahead from the rear.

Never before had Gohan experienced a flight of such foreboding. The air usually felt calm, even soothing, as he flew fast through the sky. Right now, it felt as though it was making cuts upon his features, as would a broken razorblade. He would have to make the wishes quick, and if Cell did not cooperate and instead attempted to threaten the peace, it would mean his father had been wrong. Truth be told, he would have rather not let Cell anywhere near the Lookout, but he planned on using this situation as a test of Cell's intentions. Even though it was risky, he felt it was worth seeing what Cell would do with the Dragon Balls readily accessible….

Goku was flying to the left of Cell. As he turned his head to the right, he saw that Trunks was keeping his gaze fixed to the android, and never once letting the gaze go. It seemed quite clear to Goku that Trunks' ardent observation over Cell was being carried out as per his anticipation that the peace that the android had promised was nothing but a farce. Again, and not for the last time, Goku wondered if he had made a terrible mistake in all this.

At last, the spiritual region came into clear vision ahead.

The eight fighters approached Korin's Tower, and the mystic cat, who had sensed disturbances from the norm all afternoon, looked ahead with caution.

"Yajirobe, it would be good for us to have Senzu beans at the ready," Korin said.

"Korin, I wish you would have at least given me some sort of clue about what's going on down there," he said. "Please, tell me how Goku's doing. Did he beat Cell, or has the real battle just begun?"

"It seems that our friends are having a hard time of judging the current circumstances," Korin said.

"I still don't understa – hey wait, I can sense them getting closer!" Yajirobe said. "Isn't that them in the distance?"

"Yes, it is they," Korin said.

"Oh boy! That means they defeated Cell! Yeah, all right!" he bellowed, while jumping in ecstasy.

Korin was deep in thought, and did not respond to his friend's jubilation.

Yajirobe then saw the four fighters at the front of the brigade pass by.

"Hey guys, good job!" he yelled to them.

Yajirobe was startled when he saw that their facial expressions were in no way reflective of anything close to celebration. Instead, he observed that they seemed to be inundated by solemnity, as if danger still deeply loomed.

"Korin, what's going on here my fr– ," and he stopped midsentence when he saw Cell, with his arms folded, flying between Goku and Trunks.

"What the …?"

He then saw Gohan pass by, although the boy stopped momentarily, gave Korin and Yajirobe a quick glance that marked his pain, and then flew forward.

"Alright Korin, now you really have to tell me what's going on," Yajirobe said.

"If I actually knew, I would tell you," Korin said. "This was not an outcome that was readily predictable. It's almost as if … no, but the last time that happened was a quite long while ago. I hope they know what they're doing."

"Korin, I feel like going up to the Lookout," Yajirobe said. "Did that freak brainwash them or something? Why are they just escorting Cell up to the holiest of holy places, where the Dragon Balls are at?"

"I didn't sense any confusion or manipulated intent in Gohan's eyes when I saw him," Korin said. "Our friends must be planning something. We're going to have to put our faith in Goku and his son."

Farther up in the atmosphere, the fighters landed.

Dende and Mr. Popo, who had sensed with greater clarity than Korin what had been happening below, jumped back in startled fashion when they saw Cell land with the rest of the fighters.

"No, this is sacred ground. I will not let this horror spend one more second on it!" Mr. Popo said.

"Gohan, what are you thinking?" Dende asked. "He's got the same look on his face as the tyrants who killed my people back on Namek!"

"My father thinks this worthless bastard is worth something. Don't ask me," he said as he folded his arms and looked toward Cell.

"This is not a place for such language, Gohan, even under these circumstances," Popo said. "Goku, my friend, why is Cell here?"

"I honestly believe he wants to change his ways and be one of the good guys," Goku said somewhat wearily, as if he was exhausted and didn't half believe it anymore, for all the strife he had faced because of it.

"I'm surprised you feel you can earnestly say that," Dende said. "I might have been honored with my guardianship only a few days ago, but I think I have enough sense to know when a cretin like this one is lying."

"Guardian," Cell began, "I am now a humble servant of your domain who wishes to mend his ways. Honor my honor and befriend my friendship. I hope now that you will accept my servitude to the causes of righteousness and positive peace."

"Those are nice words, but I have no reason to believe them," Dende said as he began to walk toward Cell. "Touching words are not truly so if they have no true backing to them. And I believe I know what truly does have more realistic backing with regards to you. You want to get on our good side so you can more easily acquire to the Dragon Balls, isn't that right? I experienced the malice of Frieza and his henchmen back on Namek. and I can see through your deception. You're not going to get away with murder here."

"I beg for your mercy," Cell said. "That which you have described is not my intention at all."

"All of you be quiet," Gohan yelled. "I'm the one who has the power to decide who lives and who dies around here, and I say be quiet!"

"Gohan," Piccolo began, "your new transformation is messing with your head! That's Dende you're talking to with those extreme threats, not Frieza! You've been in your transformation way too long for the first time you've ever done it. Don't let your power compel you to have blinding and ignorant rage! Power down if you know what's good for you so you can actually help us and not turn out like Cell!"

Cell felt a cold shiver down his spine.

At the compelling logic of his former teacher's words, Gohan powered down.

He staggered back a bit, then regained his composure and looked up. He wiped back his black locks to see that everyone, including Cell, was looking at him with what appeared to be concern.

"I'm sorry, my friends, for the words I just spoke and the aggression I just showed," Gohan said. "I guess the pinnacle of my life's frustration didn't mix well with my first time reaching that advanced level. I think I'm going to call it 'Super Saiyan 2', by the way. But the basis of my thoughts from when I had been in that state of Super Saiyan is as clear as day now. Cell, you're still not going anywhere where I can't see you. I'm still keeping my eyes on you, and you're still not to interfere with what I'm about to do next."

"Agreed," Cell said.

Goku suddenly realized that if Cell had, in fact, been lying about his supposed newfound intentions, Gohan's return to his normal state would have provided Cell with the perfect opportunity to end his life and extinguish the threat of the one person on Earth who clearly had the capability of defeating him. However, Cell had not acted upon the opportunity, and Goku was relatively sure, based on Cell's previous demonstrations of astute observation, that Cell had at least recognized Gohan's increased vulnerability.

But even though Cell had not swiftly acted to end Gohan's existence right then and there, Goku still wondered whether this absolutely indicated his sincerity. The Dragon Balls had not been used yet, after all, and it was possible that Cell was, as Dende had suggested, intending to use them for nefarious purposes when the opportunity presented itself.

Goku wondered if either Gohan or Piccolo had properly considered the wisdom of Gohan returning to his normal state, but it seemed that no negative repercussions had resulted from this, at least not yet. Goku looked toward Cell, and while he found Cell's present facial expression to be rather difficult to interpret, he decided to power down, enabling his hair to return to its normal black coloration after having been gold in his Full-Power Super Saiyan state for a prolonged period.

"Alright, then. Dende, where are the Dragon Balls?" Gohan asked. "There are very important wishes that we have to make."

"Sure thing, Gohan, I'll go get them right now," the guardian said.

"Don't worry about it, Dende, I'll get them," Trunks said. "Getting them from wherever they are within the Lookout is the least I could do for failing to stop Cell myself and needing to rely upon Gohan to win the day."

Cell didn't know whether Trunks' comment, due to the way in which it had been phrased, was meant to be overtly critical of him, although with knowing all the horror Trunks had faced throughout his life, Cell was quite cognizant that Trunks was still very much enraged at him.

"The Dragon Balls are right by the entrance to the sanctuary stairwell," Dende said.

Trunks briefly left the group, then returned two minutes later with all seven of the Earth's reformatted Dragon Balls.

He placed them onto the surface of the Lookout, near its center.

"Thanks Trunks," Gohan said. "Now then, for the first wish. Dende, please awaken Shenron."

"It will be my pleasure, Gohan," Dende said as he prepared himself for the summoning ritual, placing both of his hands over the Dragon Balls, but not directly touching them. "Eternal dragon, by your name, I summon you forth, Shenron!"

The seven balls glowed with a shimmering light that had similarly been revered by Nameks of ancient days. Their combined light twinkled and then erupted to form a single pillar of golden energy. Up from the depths of eternity rose the reborn Shenron, evanescent but miraculous in its splendor.

"CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY AS YOU SPEAK," the dragon boomed from far above.

All below were overcome with wonder.

"I WILL ENABLE TWO OF YOUR WISHES TO BECOME TRUE."

"Alright! I almost forgot that we had two wishes now!" Yamcha said. "We could use one to revive the people of Earth, and then the other one to become filthy rich!"

"Yamcha, that's quite inappropriate," Trunks said.

"Relax Trunks, you know I was just joking," he said. "I probably would have made that joke even under different circumstances. But right now, with Cell standing right over there, I just think some humor adds to the celebration of this situation."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a threat to you anymore?" Cell asked Yamcha, unintentionally sounding malicious when he was instead trying to inflect sentiments of mere annoyance.

"I don't believe your claims of goodness at all, and you know I have no reason to," Yamcha said.

"I DO NOT HAVE ALL THE TIME IN EXISTANCE TO DAWDLE AROUND," Shenron said. "WHAT IS YOUR FIRST WISH?"

"Shenron! For our first wish, we want all the people who were killed by Cell to come back to life!" Gohan said.

Krillin thought to himself what a joy it would be to have Eighteen back, and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Stop!" Cell yelled to the demigod. "Don't do it dragon, not yet!"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS INSOLENCE?"

"Cell!" Gohan began to say, "I'm not going to let you get away with whatever you're trying to pull!"

Gohan briefly powered up to his basic form of Super Saiyan and kicked Cell in the stomach. Especially since Gohan had become overall stronger as a result of his previous fight, and because Cell was emotionally drained, Cell fell and skidded back a few feet.

"Gohan, I apologize, but you don't understand," Cell said, as he stood up again. "The wish you were about to make would have been incomplete."

"Incomplete?" Gohan asked with suspicious curiosity.

"MORTAL, YOU DARE QUESTION THE FOUNDATIONS OF MY POWER?" Shenron asked in response to Cell's apparent challenge. "I HAVE SEEN INCALCULABLE NUMBERS OF WORLDS RISE FROM THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE AND DISAPPEAR IN THE ENTHRALLMENT OF THE VOID. I HAVE WITNESSED COUNTLESS STARS TWINKLE INTO LIFE AND THEN WHITHER FROM ENDLESS MEMORY. AND YOU CHALLENGE MY ABILITIES?"

"Noble and benevolent dragon, please do not mistake my words for a challenge of your power," Cell said. "I merely wanted to inform my friends that in this particular instance, the wish they wanted to make would possibly not have come to pass to the maximum of their intentions with the way they had phrased it to you."

"We're not your friends," Yamcha said.

Cell continued, ignoring him.

"Look, you said that you wanted to revive everyone. Well, there's a small chance that their revival might not have happened to the maximum of your liking," Cell said. "First of all, many people who I unfortunately killed had been on islands that I blew up, in buildings that I destroyed, or in the air when planes tried to attack me. As revival wishes bring people back to life in the relative spots where they died if their bodies had been completely destroyed, we need to be careful about how we wish them back. While the wishes an eternal dragon grants usually reflect the intentions of the wisher, despite the way the wish is phrased, it would be best in this case, if you are truly concerned with the well-being of everyone you want to bring back, to make absolutely sure they will be safe once they return. The probability is that there would have been no problem at all with the wish as it had been phrased and that they would have reappeared on safe ground, but as you could imagine, we shouldn't want to take any chances that the wish would lead to some people falling from the sky and either onto solid ground or into the ocean. We can't change the exact location of where they will be brought back, but we can modify the wish to make anyone who ends up being revived in a dangerous spot 'float' to a location in which they will safely touch the ground."

"This sort of reminds me of how we wouldn't have been able to wish Goku and Krillin back to life had we actually been able to after the destruction of Namek, since they would have been revived where the planet had been destroyed and there was no oxygen for them to breathe," Piccolo said.

"Exactly right," Cell said. "Also, your unadjusted version of the wish would not have revived Android Seventeen and Android Eighteen, who were once two children whom Dr. Gero stole from their parents to turn them into the maniacal terrors they had been. That is because they are in a transient state between life and death. They are at once a part of me, integrated into my very being and through this alive, and are also in a state of falling, such that they are also on the fringe of the realm of death, as it is only through me that they are right now still partially in this plane. Had I died, their souls would have been set free, but such was not the case. If you want Seventeen and Eighteen to return, you need to ask the dragon specifically for that. Also, your wish would not have revived Sixteen because of his mechanical origin. If you want the dragon to make a special recognition for him, this would not only bring him back, but would cause his body to become inhabited with a pseudo-soul that would make him much more a part of the fabric of life than he had been before. You can ask the guardian; what I'm saying is true."

All turned to Dende, anticipating what the guardian would say.

"I'm not entirely certain if Cell's assertions are correct, but I have to admit that there's a good chance that they might be," Dende said. "Based on what I learned on New Namek, what Cell is saying might actually help us bring people back without complications."

Gohan stared at him, wide-eyed, and a small smile appeared on Goku's face.

"What, you mean Cell was telling the truth about all that, and that's why he asked the dragon to hold up?" Tien asked.

"It would appear so," Dende said. "I'm curious, Cell, how did you come to know of this?"

"When Piccolo's cells and memories are a part of your body, it comes as an extra benefit," Cell said. "He was once a part of a being who had possessed intimate knowledge of the sacred mechanics of the Dragon Balls. Piccolo did not inherent some of that knowledge after the Nameless Namek split into Piccolo and Kami, and I don't possess a comprehensive understanding of how the Dragon Balls work either. However, with the superior intellect Dr. Gero gave me, I was able to deduce the discrepancies in your words from the maximum of your intentions, and then, with the superior friendship which I hope to share with you all one day, coupled with the superior change of heart and soul Gohan has provided me, and with the addition of the prospect that I might somehow be able to make up for the horror I put those three through, I thought it best to inform you of these things."

"Most interesting," Piccolo muttered.

"Wait one moment here! Why would we ever want to bring those horrors back?" Trunks asked, yelling in disgruntled earnest. "They're gone now! Let's keep it that way! This may not apply as much to Sixteen as to the others, but why should we even consider this? Let's not forget that Seventeen and Eighteen, if we allow them to return, have the potential to become the same maniacs that are continuing to bring untold levels of torment to my timeline. I came back to the past because I didn't want to let that happen here! I refuse to let it happen!"

"You shouldn't worry, Trunks," Cell said. "All of you are much stronger than you were before. If they try anything, you'll be able to stop them. They're not true threats to this planet anymore. Besides, through their being a part of me, I know that the only person they actually intentionally killed was Dr. Gero. So in this timeline, the androids you're worried about bringing back never purposely killed anyone who was innocent. They should be given the chance to show that they are good, just as you are allowing for me. You'll be able to search for them immediately after they are brought back, and you will see for yourself that they can be good."

"I trust you even less than Gohan does!" Trunks yelled at Cell. "Why are we even listening to you about bringing them back? Where's the common sense and logic here?"

"If they kill even one person out of maliciousness, I will let Gohan be the judge of not only my fate, but of theirs, and I will not stop Gohan from his retribution," Cell said. "Besides, I hope you will come to see that I'm offering my addendums to this wish because of how truly sincere I am about helping."

"Helping who, yourself?" Trunks asked.

"No, the Earth," Cell said. "And besides, I have one more addendum to the wish which will be quite important."

"What?" Tien asked.

"With the way in which Dende had phrased the wish, none of the victims of Dr. Gero or Android 19 would have been brought back to life," Cell said. "He only asked for everyone who unfortunately died because of me to be brought back, without including anything about Gero or 19. It's my understanding, based on the knowledge I gained from Seventeen and Eighteen after absorbing them, that Gero and 19 debuted the android assault in this timeline, and it seems they killed many people during their rampage. The wish would not have revived them. We obviously should want to include a provision regarding Dr. Gero and 19's victims."

"That's … a valid point," Trunks said, somewhat begrudgingly. "However, I still have a question. Dende, do you mean to tell me that you're absolutely sure Cell's suggestion regarding the locations in which people will reappear doesn't have some sort of trickery behind it?" Trunks asked.

"It does appear that Cell's method will work to the Earth's advantage, and I don't see how this wish could go wrong if we phrase it properly," Dende said. "Well, my friends, should I incorporate the part about the androids into the wish too?"

There was a slight pause, and then Krillin spoke.

"We should try," he said. "Excuse my example, Trunks, but if we could give your knucklehead of a father a second chance, we should give the androids a second chance too."

"This is very different, Krillin!" Trunks yelled at the top of his lungs. "Gohan, what do you think?"

Gohan was perplexed. On the one hand, he felt that Trunks' very legitimate concern about how open to peace the androids would be once revived was one that could not be taken lightly. On the other hand, if Cell was telling the truth and people who were made evil against their will would now have the chance to live lives of peace…

"Cell, you know what will happen if this turns out to be something that pisses me off," Gohan said, while powering down from Super Saiyan.

"I fully accept that," Cell said.

"Ask the dragon, Dende. Just do it, already," Gohan said, as mixed emotions swirled within him.

"You're sure, Gohan?" Dende asked.

"Yeah Gohan, are you sure you're sure about this?" Trunks asked quite angrily.

"Yes. Get it over with," Gohan said, while thinking of Cell's statement that should a problem arise, it was, in fact, true that it was now easier for him than ever to deal with the androids quickly.

Trunks decided that, for better or for worse, he would back down for now. Like Gohan, he also kept in mind that his heightened power level would be his tool of justice should the androids of this timeline prove to be a problem once more.

Dende then carefully delivered the repackaged wish to Shenron.

"Shenron! We wish for you to bring back to life everyone whom Cell, Dr. Gero, and Android 19 have killed, and for anyone brought back to life this way who would be revived in an exact location that would be dangerous to their safety to be moved directly after their revival to safe ground. Also, fully revive Androids Seventeen and Eighteen, who are currently partially deceased through being within Cell, and grant Android Sixteen a pseudo-soul which will enable him to be revived with this collective wish as well!"

After a few moments, the dragon roared.

"WHILE YOUR REQUEST WAS LARGELY REASONABLE BEFORE, DO YOU REALIZE THE COMPLEXITY OF WHAT YOU ASK OF ME NOW?"

"Yes, but for the good of everyone who has ever lived on this planet and hoped for peace, please revive them all in a safe and sensible way," Goku said.

"I DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO."

More than ten minutes passed, and all on the Lookout were silent as the dragon continued to glow.

Finally, the dragon spoke.

"IT WILL NOT BE EASY, BUT I WILL BE ABLE TO GRANT YOUR WISH," the dragon said. "I WILL NEED FIVE MORE OF YOUR MINUTES."

And five minutes passed.

"IT IS DONE."

Cell felt faint, and crouched on one knee.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, on an island scarred by battle, a man with black hair, blue jeans, and a red scarf appeared. He looked around, with a confounded expression, questioning how he had suddenly returned to that position.

"Huh?" he asked aloud, as he looked at the decimation all around him.

* * *

Many miles from there, a blonde woman with a blue vest came back into being and looked at her surroundings, equally as perplexed as her brother.

* * *

Elsewhere, after parts that had been scattered around swirled in a glowing whirlwind made possible through ethereal forces, a man with a red Mohawk and a lime and black outfit stood his ground.

"Cell?" he asked. "Where am I? Where did everyone go?"

While he pondered these questions and saw the blue sky again, the sky was unnaturally dark in another part of the world.

* * *

The Lookout still glowed as the dragon looked downward.

"YOU ARE FORTUNATE THAT I REMAIN HERE. YOU HAVE ONE MORE WISH LEFT."

"One more wish, huh?" Goku asked. "I'm so caught up in the moment, I can't think of something worth a whole entire wish. Well, what else is there to do, guys?"

Cell had known that the advice he had given might have in turn caused him to revert back to his original humanoid form.

But that was a risk he had been willing to take.

'Perfection. Ha! What a joke that had turned out to be. Not worth killing countless people over,' he had thought before he had consulted Dende.

To his astonishment, and not necessarily to his relief, he had indeed retained the second evolutionary form, the one he had so often referred to as his "perfect form," that he had first obtained after absorbing Eighteen.

She was out there, somewhere. He desperately wanted to find her so he could help alleviate as much as possible the impacts of Gero's evil on her life. Sixteen and Seventeen's existences also had been corrupted by Gero, and Cell wanted to meet them again and help enable them to live lives of peace.

There was one more wish on the table. And Cell had an idea.

"Dragon!" Cell began, "I have a wish of my own!"

"Gohan!" Trunks yelled in a startled manner, unsure of what Cell was up to. "Look what he's doing. We still can't trust him. He was trying to make us gullible and comfortable with him, and now he's going to wish for something drastic!"

"He's right," Piccolo said. "He's got both Vegeta and Frieza's desires for immortality in there, and there's no telling exactly what he might do."

All of the fighters but Goku and Krillin charged at him, and quickly, Cell screamed, "I wish that I can never be evil again! I want to be good forever! Allow my soul to stay as pure as Goku's, and as kind as his son's! And let Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen be eternally blessed with the effects of this wish as well! Please!"

All the fighters stopped, and the dragon's eyes glowed.

"THAT WISH IS WITHIN FAR MORE REASONABLE LIMITS THAN THE LAST."

The sky flickered gold momentarily.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. I HAVE DONE MY WORK. NOW, I SHALL REST ONCE MORE."

"Thank you; thank you so much," Cell said, with a smile appearing across his lips while a tear began to descend from his left eye.

The dragon's image dissipated, the sky erupted with one more golden glow, and the Dragon Balls rose from the Lookout and spread across the world.

Darkened sky turned once more to day.

All stood motionlessly for a minute.

Then, Piccolo spoke up.

"Now what?" he asked.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Three!_

_Cell's new story continues next, in Chapter Four!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Three: (Completed 4/18/2009); (Revised 5/21/2009); (Revision II: 6/7/2010); (Revision III: 1/5/2011); (Fourth Edition: 11/11/2011) _

* * *

_Author's note: the following are, verbatim, the two wishes that the Z-Fighters successfully made at the end of the Cell Games Saga in uncut DBZ episodes 192, "Goku's Decision," and 193, "One More Wish." The text of each wish is as it was spoken in the original FUNimation dub of the broadcast version of these episodes. I am including these wishes for your reference so you can compare the two wishes that were made in this chapter with those that were made in the original series._

_Yamcha made the first wish: "Shenron, please revive all those on Earth who were killed by Cell!" [Notably, Yamcha does not actually use the word "wish" when he makes this wish, which seems to be a normally required inclusion for a wish to be granted. Quite notoriously, his wish also did nothing to revive everyone who had been killed by Dr. Gero and Android 19.] _

_Krillin made the second wish, (after his unsuccessful attempt to wish for Seventeen and Eighteen to become human): "I have one more wish: Could you take the explosives out of the androids' bodies? That shouldn't be too hard, right?" [It likely is the case that Krillin's unsuccessful wish didn't work because Seventeen and Eighteen already were technically human, but refitted into human-base android models, such that Shenron still recognized them as technically human and could not turn them into humans since they were already regarded as such. An analogous occurrence apparently happened in uncut DBZ episode 107, "Goku's Alive!", in which Porunga could not fulfill the wish with the Dragon Balls of Planet Namek to bring Goku back to life because Goku was still alive.]_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	4. IV: Intercession

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Four: Intercession**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Cell stood amongst the warriors, smiling about a victory he would never have conceived of at the start of the day.

He was more than eager to answer the question his friend had posed.

"What now, Piccolo? What now, you ask? Why, now is the beginning of a whole new adventure, a wonderful life in which I'm no longer driven to kill out of misguided rage."

"It feels so strange to say it, but after witnessing what just happened and piecing together your most recent actions in light of that, it looks like I was … wrong about you after all," Trunks said with a bit of a smirk. "Cell, throughout the entirety of my life, and in the now alternate futures in which we were born, the androids have kept on killing with glee, doing everything they could to cause horror and pain. I'm still quite amazed that you shattered a rule which I thought could never be broken."

"It was time for a change, Trunks," Cell said. "It was time for me to change. And Gohan, I still can't thank you enough for helping me find my true self."

"I must admit, I also find it very strange that you're so different now, especially since you were so diabolic before," Gohan said. "That was shaping up to be a fierce battle back there. We need to finish it sometime, but when that time comes, let's not get into it with the mindset that it's going to be a struggle of life or death. I wouldn't want to hurt you too bad."

"Or vice versa," Cell said, in a way that both he and Gohan, at last, mutually could laugh at regarding the fact he was joking.

Goku had been relieved that Cell had actually meant it when he said he wanted to change.

'It is a great day for hope,' he thought as he took great relief in seeing his son acting joyful again. 'Everyone has been wished back, and the person who had killed them has changed his heart and helped us accomplish our goal of making things right.'

This was the first time for as long as Goku could remember when a battle had finished with an opponent conceding defeat and actually stating his intention to give up his evil ways and join the side of good. Not even Vegeta had truly done that. This was a glorious day for all Goku believed in, and he knew it.

"So Cell, you have the dubious distinction of being the first and only foe of the Earth who has become a friend and officially surrendered his fight," Goku said. "With this in mind, I have a simple question for you; 'Would you like to help us defend the world from future harm?'"

Cell turned to look at his former foe.

"I would love nothing more, Goku, but if I ever get the opportunity to truly do so, it may be a long time from now, and far off," Cell said.

"And why is that?" Tien asked. "Don't tell me you're going to spend a couple of years on vacation."

"Not at all," Cell said. "It's because, Tien, of the fact that I must atone for all I've done. I must feel pain for the pain I've caused. I can't just pretend I wasn't a monster and didn't kill all those people."

"But Cell, aren't they all back, every single last one of them? Isn't that what you just make sure of?" Yamcha asked. "What do you have to atone for if no good soul actually got trapped in Otherworld?"

"I think I understand what Cell's getting at here, Yamcha," Piccolo said. "Cell, you think the punishment you feel you deserve is irrelevant and irrespective of the fact that the people you harmed are no longer in dire straits. It's all about what you did, and the malice with which you committed your deeds."

"That's right, Piccolo," Cell said.

"I must admit, that is rather noble of you, but I also don't know if it's absolutely necessary given the extreme circumstances of your upbringing," Goku said. "After all, you took a long time to make it clear to us that your ability to deviate from evil was close to or completely nonexistent. And because that was true, your actions, the same ones you now want to punish yourself for, were not really in line with your way of reformed thinking now. And the way you think now, in my opinion, should be what counts, especially after our wishes with the Dragon Balls."

"That is also very valid, and thank you for pointing that out," Cell said. "But, I must be open to serving justice for my misdeeds. I once killed people for fun, Goku, and that can never be forgiven, even if I've changed. I need to be put on trial so that the world can have its chance to make me pay for what I've done. And even if the panels choose not to put me away through their means, at least members of the public will have the opportunity to process, question, and delve as must justice as they possibly can from the horror who terrorized them."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gohan asked.

"Trust me Gohan, I wouldn't have it any other way," Cell said. "It's for the good of the world, even if its citizens choose to put me away for decades."

"Decades?" Mr. Popo asked.

"Yes, even then," Cell said. "Especially then."

"So, how does one arrange such a trial?" Dende asked.

"It's quite simple, really," Cell said. "I'll just fly over to West City, land right outside of the police department, and if I'm not arrested within seconds of my arrival then I'll just have to walk right in there and turn myself in. The criminal proceedings should begin in short order after that."

"Why West City?" Tien asked.

"Think about it, Tien. West City is home to Capsule Corporation and most of the planet's other major business firms," Cell said. "With the world's most profitable companies right there, the caliber of courts and lawyers in that city is likely going to be higher than anywhere else because of the importance of all the business transactions there. Even though my criminal case won't be directly related to business, it will be professionally handled by a court system and a lawyer circuit that are adept at processing high-profile cases."

"All this talk of business and law stuff is making me think about patents, and I come to wonder if Dr. Gero ever ripped anything off from my mother or grandfather," Trunks said.

"It's quite possible, but if true, I wouldn't know what for sure," Cell said. "And, ah, yes, we'll need as many witnesses of competence as we can muster. I want all of you to testify against me."

"But if we do that, and we're telling the truth, then we're also going to speak about how you're now on our side," Goku said.

"If you must, but they may not believe you," Cell said. "I'm also going to have to find my siblings before this trial begins so an even fuller picture may be represented. I was planning on trying to find them eventually; this gives me all the more reason to find them now. They must be very confused as to what's going on, and especially with regards to why they've manifested in physical form once again."

"I'd like to help you find them with my instant transmission technique, but it only works if you can sense their power levels," Goku said. "Since they don't have any that can be detected because they don't have internal energy that can be sensed, I can't locate them, let alone find them the conventional way. Y'know something, come to think of it, I've never actually seen Androids Seventeen and Eighteen, have I?"

"Dad, I think you happen to be right about that," Gohan's said.

"Punk with black hair, crappy black shirt and girly blue jeans, that's him," Trunks said. "You can distinguish Android Seventeen from all the other people that fit that description by the cold, lifeless blue eyes and the outrageously obnoxious attitude."

"Also, he'll be wearing a red scarf with the Red Ribbon logo on it," Krillin said. "That's something I'd consider to be a dead giveaway."

"Yeah, that too, if he's even still wearing that," Trunks said. "Come to think of it, I wonder if the Eternal Dragon just knows to revive people with their clothes on. I mean, it's not like we specifically told it to do so when we made the revival wish, like with all the subtleties and nuances Dende included based on everything Cell said. Are the clothes inherently implied?"

"There are some things Shenron just assumes," Dende said. "Porunga too."

"You're all lucky to have them. I, for one, don't own any clothes," Cell said.

"Hah! Cell, you're naked," Goku said.

"Be quiet, Goku," Cell said.

"Oh come on, I'm joking around," Goku said. "It's not like Frieza wore any pants either."

"Well he did, but then in his final form he took them off, just in time for you to arrive," Krillin said.

"I always knew 'Ol' Ice-breath' liked me," Goku said.

"Seriously, now that all of your personalities dominate my consciousness, you have no idea how embarrassed I feel to not be wearing any clothes," Cell said. "Also, it's a bit nippy up here, miles off the Earth's surface. Ah, well, it's not like I need clothes anyway. I have nothing external of any sensitivity to cover up."

"Way too much information over there, cowboy," Krillin said.

"I can thank Frieza for that particular aspect of my physiology, and actually Krillin, I'm not even sure I am a …," Cell began to say, before he was then interrupted by Piccolo, who said, "We get the picture; now let's find the androids."

"How are we supposed to go about doing that when we can't even sense them?" Yamcha asked. "And is it even safe? I mean, I guess Cell's now cool and stuff, but what if the other androids decide to attack us, and maybe, you know, shove one of their hands right through my chest … again?"

"Yamcha, you shouldn't be worried about it now that the dragon has granted our second wish," Goku said. "Remember, Cell made sure the androids would be good too."

"Yeah, you're right!" Yamcha said. " I would probably be able to take them on now, anyway," he added, sarcastically.

"If you think so, Yamcha," Tien said.

"We'll travel in groups so we've got more eyes looking around and so there's less of a chance of us not seeing them," Gohan said. "They're probably going to be at around the same spots as where they were destroyed. The more time we wait, the more chance they'll venture farther and farther away."

"Then let's get a move on," Cell said. "I will find Seventeen. Trunks, Yamcha, you're coming with me."

"Sure," Trunks said, begrudgingly.

"Okay," Yamcha said.

"And, um, I'll lead the search for Eighteen," Krillin said, with sweat dripping down his forehead.

"And I'll join Krillin, and that will be enough for finding her," Gohan said, trying as best as he could to limit the chance of others interfering with what he expected were his friend's love plans.

"Alright then, I'll lead the search for Android Sixteen," Goku said. "Piccolo, Tien, you two aren't in a group yet, so why don't you join me?"

"Sounds good, Goku," Tien said.

"Likewise," said Piccolo.

After waving goodbye to Dende and Mr. Popo, the three groups began their descent to the Earth below.

The group looking for Android Sixteen parted ways with the groups looking for Seventeen and Eighteen since Sixteen had been killed close by and the others had been killed on the other side of the world, notwithstanding the fact that Seventeen and Eighteen were killed relatively close to each other.

* * *

As Cell and Krillin's groups flew over one of the Earth's majestic oceans, the serenity of the moment was interrupted.

Gunfire. Everywhere. From the sky and from the sea.

The battleships' cannons fired upward with crackling booms. The fighter planes swooped vigorously so they could also take a crack at the apparent fugitive. Cell had been spotted, and the Grand Combined Navy and Grand Combined Air Force were taking action.

"Well, this is interesting," Trunks said, as he dodged cannonade from below. "I guess they're not too happy about the fact they haven't yet caught the guy who was just threatening the safety of the entire world."

"I would suppose you're right," Cell said, as he swiftly moved out of the way of a plane.

"And they're probably firing at us, too, because they think we're helping you," Krillin said.

"Albeit for much more noble reasons than they think," Cell said.

"Well, Cell, you wanted the authorities to do something about you, and now, these guys are right here," Gohan said.

"I assume this is as good a time as any to turn myself in, then," Cell said. "Let's greet them, shall we?"

The five warriors had not been truly concerned about the bullets and weaponry in the first place because of their strength and speed, and so when they stayed still in the sky and held their hands up as a sign they would surrender, they had not been worried about any true danger.

After the armaments disengaged, Cell, Gohan, Trunks, Krillin, and Yamcha descended toward the deck of what appeared to be the lead ship in the group. As soon as they landed on the deck, more than 100 soldiers greeted them by encircling their position, pointing guns defensively, and readying themselves to take further action if necessary.

Many of them had come to be familiar with Cell's appearance through watching the broadcast in which Cell had first announced his Games or from watching the event itself. Even though they had their weapons and would normally have been more confident when dealing with outlaws who did not appear to have any weapons of their own, many still trembled because of what they had seen Cell do on television, which for many was backed up by stories they had heard of lost lives.

"I just saved these guys a lot of work by not making them have to save the lives of everyone who might have fallen into the water had I not made sure our wishes were adjusted, and for that, I'm now getting multiple guns pointed to my head," Cell muttered with a tone of humor to Gohan.

"You know it's not just for that, but yeah, I can only imagine what untold stories might have happened had we not done that," Gohan said. "On another note, Mom's not going to be too happy when she finds out that I was held at gunpoint."

"From the memories I have of her through you and your father, I believe you are most correct," Cell said.

Just then, from behind the soldiers who had encircled them, a high-ranking officer of the Navy, in a white uniform displaying his prominence, walked forward, parted two soldiers aside, and entered the circle.

"Cell, your surrender was both timely and appropriate," the man said as he confidently stepped forward.

"I mean you no harm, sir," Cell said.

"Hard for anyone to believe, after you were threatening the world and the life of our champion, Mr. Satan," he said.

"You might find it hard to believe, as we did at first, but trust me; he's a changed creature," Trunks said.

"Completely unlikely," the officer said. "And why are you supporting him, boy?"

It was bad enough that his own father often derogatorily called him 'boy' when he was angry; now this person was doing it too.

"Believe me, he's different now," Trunks said.

"And you please believe me; he should be court-martialed on the spot. He's responsible for the deaths of so many people, including hundreds of army personnel from the seventh, eighth, and ninth Grand Combined Army battalions, as well as many from the second and third units of the Grand Combined Air Force."

"I feel utter shame," Cell said.

"Utter shame doesn't bring the dead back to life," the officer said. "And, let me ask it again, exactly why are the four of you helping him? I saw the four of you during the televised coverage of the Cell Games, did I not?"

"He was a threat to us then; he isn't now," Krillin said.

"Your words are highly suspect. For all I know, you are in cahoots with him."

The officer then pointed at Gohan.

"You! Your hair looks different now, but are you not the same boy who had fought Cell, and then talked with Mr. Satan at the Cell Games?"

This was the perfect opportunity for Gohan to get this man to stop taking up time that they could be using to find the androids. Gohan knew he had to act with haste.

"Yes, I am," Gohan said. "That should be proof enough to you that during the time of the Cell Games, my friends and I were most certainly not on his side. However, please let me explain something important to you, because things have significantly changed. Cell admitted to me he was wrong to challenge the awesome might of Mr. Satan, and came groveling to me to ask if I could forgive him for insulting the champ. More importantly, he wants to atone for his past sins. It was his idea to contact the authorities to talk with them about his circumstances, not mine. We agreed to help him make sure that justice would be served. You happened to be in the area, and so you saved us the trouble of having to go straight to the authorities in West City, which we feel will give Cell the most stringent trial."

"That's touching," the officer said. "Well Cell, as suspect as your true motivations are, I thank you for admitting how glorious Mr. Satan is."

Playing off Gohan's story, as he saw it had impressed the officer, Cell said, "Believe me, I would never want to mess with Mr. Satan again."

"My name is Sylveste, by the way, Major Sylveste."

"Pleased to meet you," Cell said as he extended his hand.

"I don't shake hands with war criminals," Sylveste said.

From behind Sylveste came another officer.

"And I'm Commander Volyova. Welcome to the flagship of our fleet, the G.C.N. Goku."

"The … Goku?" Gohan asked.

"Yes indeed," Volyova said. "We got a direct order from Central City a few years back as per the king of the world, King Furry, himself, saying he wanted to rename the flagship after a great hero he once knew but who had not been seen for many years."

"Looks like not everyone's forgotten what Goku's done for this planet," Trunks said.

"Certainly not the king, and now, if you would all be so kind, we're going to have to take you all below the deck for questioning," Volyova said. "The four of you will then be allowed to go, but Cell will have to stay with us."

"That seems reasonable," Cell said.

"When we get down there, maybe the five of you will be able to help us shed some light on a case we're investigating; it's why we're here in the first place," Sylveste said. "It seems that a whole chain of islands that used to be here disappeared. It's quite amazing that this could even happen. If this was done by an intelligent being, which I'm guessing was the case because islands don't just disappear by themselves, it's hard for me to imagine what dastardly person would do such a thing. Unless, of course, that someone is standing right in front of me."

Cell looked straight at Sylveste, and didn't say anything.

"We have important matters to attend to," Sylveste said. "Now please, come with us."

Another realization came to Cell. He felt that this one, especially, was important because this would help Sylveste and Volyova better understand the truth of present circumstances, which could ultimately impact how his trial would be decided.

"Sylveste, believe it or not, you will be able to contact members of the seventh, eighth, and ninth Army battalions, as well as the Air Force pilots who fought against me days ago," Cell said.

"Cell, they're dead. You killed them," Sylveste said. "Are you trying to make some sort of sick joke?"

"Please, just do it. Trust me," Cell said as he stopped walking, waiting for Sylveste to respond.

Sylveste hesitated, then took out his radio, tuning it to the frequency of the commander of the seventh battalion, a fine soldier whom Cell had killed in combat days before.

"You there, General Khouri?" he asked, fully not expecting any response at all.

The radio crackled in response, to Sylveste's great surprise.

"Sylveste! I was there in my tank, with an explosion staring me right in the face, and next thing I know, my tank is gone and so is Cell! Do you know what's going on?"

The look on Sylveste's face showed that he was truly wondering that himself.

* * *

Far away, Goku, Piccolo, and Tien had finished searching the Cell Games grounds for any sign of Sixteen. They had seen many Army and Air Force personnel at the site, whom they surmised had been revived as a result of their wishes.

To avoid wasting time through landing at the site and having the personnel ask an abundance of questions about that, they had merely walked up to them, asking if they had seen "a tall guy with a red mohawk."

They hadn't.

After looking around some more, it seemed as if Sixteen was as gone as the cameramen were, and they had left hours before.

"Where should we go now, guys?" Tien asked.

"I think it would be best for us to head back to the Lookout, to see if Dende can better concentrate on the Earth and sense Sixteen's vibrations," Piccolo said.

"But if he could do that, then why did we all leave the Lookout in the first place?" Goku asked.

"He's still a child, Goku. And he's been on Earth again for only a few days," Piccolo said. "He's not familiar with the planet's vibrations yet, even though he spent many months here some time ago. I would have tried to sense those vibrations myself, but I'm still getting used to being as I currently am."

"Why don't we go help the others instead?" Tien asked.

"They can take care of themselves, and I honestly think we'll be more productive if at this point, we go back to the Lookout," Piccolo said.

"I don't know, Piccolo. It may be productive to go keep on looking for Sixteen and the other androids," Goku said. "I still think there's a better chance of more quickly finding them if we keep on looking without going back."

"Well, I ..." Piccolo started to say, until his eyes widened. "Guys, I think I just found some footprints that might be his."

Sure enough, there was a series of footprints that looked especially fresh and which suddenly stopped.

"Maybe he took off into the air from there," Tien said. "Even if he changed directions mid-flight, this could be helpful."

"It's worth a shot," Goku said as his white aura surrounded him. Piccolo and Tien powered up as well to increase their speed, and the three then left the scene.

* * *

"I thought you were dead!" Sylveste shouted with joy.

"Nope. I'm right here," Khouri said, her voice coming in clear over the radio.

A general roar of excitement rose from all the personnel who were present.

Cell reveled in the moment, and thanked the stars he could not see.

"Gohan, you could only begin to know how this makes me feel," Cell said.

"Like less of an asshole?"

"Somewhat, but more relieved than anything, and certainly to a degree of untold euphoria."

"After not being able to feel that way about something like this for all your life, this must be a very interesting feeling, then," Gohan said. "Unfortunately, we've spent more time than we probably should have here, and the androids may be long gone by now. It will be even worse by the time we're done with our questioning. Besides, I don't see how the Navy thinks it's realistically capable of containing you, especially if it suspects that you still have a continuing desire to commit foul play."

"Neither do I, but they can't think of everything, and maybe they thought I'd be more humbled and docile after my so-called 'defeat' at the hands of Mr. Satan."

"Maybe. Cell, you know more than most that perception is in many instances more important than reality in determining how others will act."

"And that's precisely why I'm going to convince Sylveste and Volyova to allow us to delay their questioning so we can get back to work and find my brothers and sister. If I can get them to rightfully believe that Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen might provide valuable witness testimony against me, and that the reason why I'm telling them this is not underhanded but for the hope of a more accurately deserved sentence, they may agree to help us in our search for them. They're not going to just let me go, now that I'm here, although there is always the possibility that they'll let me help in the search."

"I'll help you convince them," Gohan said.

"I'm glad you understand, Gohan," Cell said. "It's important that I speak with the three of them as soon as possible. I … you can't imagine the scope and emotionality of the apologies I have to give to them."

"I suppose not," Gohan said.

The two of them called out to Sylveste and Volyova, explained the nature of their desire to find the androids, and so it was that Gohan, Trunks, Krillin, and Yamcha flew off and split into their previous groups to continue the search while Cell stayed with the ship, with his questioning delayed so he could stay on the deck and help guide the Navy in its own search for the androids.

* * *

As he was flying with the Saiyan from the future, Yamcha had a realization of his own.

"Hey Trunks, when we find the androids, even if they are supposedly on the good side now, do you think it's possible that they still might not like us very much?"

"Anything's possible with them," Trunks said. "After all the years I've spent dealing with them in my timeline, I've come to know that they can be pretty tricky."

"Let's just hope Cell's not up to something," Yamcha said.

"I know it's a concern, Yamcha, but I keep on trying to settle that concern by telling myself that there's no way that could happen. Cell did make that second wish, right? And Dende didn't seem so concerned about it."

"Yeah, but, I guess … it still feels weird working with that guy."

"Absolutely."

* * *

A few miles away, Krillin spotted the island where Cell had absorbed Eighteen.

"Gohan, there it is, that's the island we've been looking for!"

"Do you see her, Krillin?"

"My sight isn't as good as yours, my Super Saiyan friend; I need to get a bit closer before I can make out anything."

"Well thanks for thinking so highly of me, but I can't see her from this distance either. Hopefully, she's still there, but if not, we'll have to take this search further."

Two minutes later, they were much closer to their destination.

"See her, Krillin?"

"No, not yet."

"Do you think she went off on her own, maybe to find her brothers?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but … Gohan, look, it's her! There she is!"

Her golden locks were glistening in the deep afternoon sunlight as the majestic shades of purple, yellow, and orange in the sky caressed her form in the brilliance of shadows.

'I can't believe it's really her!' Krillin thought to himself. 'I really thought I'd never see her again, and now she's standing right there! This is almost too good to be true. I'd better hope that isn't the case.'

The two warriors landed, close to Eighteen, and she turned at the sound of their contact with the ground. She would have turned upon sensing their power levels, but she had been too absorbed in thought and reflection.

Krillin looked at her, and she looked at him.

Her voice reflected more curiosity and surprise than anger and fear, but it reflected a fragile mix of all four all the same.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked.

Krillin, for some reason not able to summon any words, let some time pass by before nodding to Gohan to answer.

"We wished everyone back with the Dragon Balls, even you, Sixteen, and Seventeen," Gohan said.

"So, how did you end up defeating Cell?" she asked.

And Krillin responded, "Well, er … it's a funny story, actually …."

"Wait, you can't mean to tell me that you wished everyone back without making sure Cell was dead, can you?"

Krillin finally had the courage to keep the butterflies out from where he knew they didn't belong.

"You wouldn't believe this, Eighteen, but Cell gave up and said he wanted to mend his ways," Krillin said.

"You can't be serious that you would fall for something like that," she said with a tone of disgust.

"I know it sounds strange, but Cell used the Dragon Balls to wish that he would be good forever," Krillin said.

"Yeah, maybe good at being a lying, stinking bastard," Eighteen said. "You're as gullible as you look, Krillin."

"Thanks, I love you too," Krillin said in a voice that he realized was too rough. He also realized that since he had sounded sarcastic and made a joke out of it, he had unintentionally run completely counter to his true desires.

"Um, … I didn't mean that," Krillin said. He had foolishly repeated his sarcastic tone again, and again to his subsequent dismay.

"Whatever," Eighteen said as she ran her left hand through her hair. "I was wrong about you, Krillin."

With that, she flew off.

"Me and my big mouth," Krillin said in a moping tone as he looked to the ground.

'Oh no she doesn't,' Gohan thought to himself.

He flew fast and reappeared in front of Eighteen.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Listen, I know it's hard for you to believe, but we're telling the truth," he said.

"How do I know you're not under his influence?" Eighteen asked. "Who knows what powers Gero gave that creep? He could be controlling you psychically for all I know. I'm not falling for the stuff you're dishing out."

"Do you think I found any of this easier to believe when I was in the middle of fighting Cell and my father defended him?" Gohan asked. "Do you think it felt normal to shake hands with someone I've hated so intensely for so long? Well, it didn't at first, and it still truly doesn't. But, I sincerely respect the good side of him for wanting to be a better person."

"Wow, Gohan."

"Wow is right, and I want you to know that Cell wants you, Sixteen, and Seventeen to testify against him in court."

"He wants me to do what?"

"He wants you to testify in court so that all can know the horrors he committed against you, and so the jury can more effectively sentence him."

"Wait, you and Krillin are really telling the truth then, aren't you?" Eighteen asked.

Gohan looked at her plainly, as if to encourage her to come to more strongly believe his desired conclusion herself.

"Listen, I don't have to defend my actions to you," Eighteen said. "You must understand that it's hard for me to deal with all of this unexpectedness right now."

"I would agree," Gohan said. "Many unexpected things have been happening recently."

Just then, a familiar face appeared before them.

"Like what happened just now," Gohan said.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," he said as he decelerated from rapid flight.

"Sixteen, you're alright!" Eighteen said.

"I started conducting random searches in the hope I would find you, and it then occurred to me that if you were somehow revived like I was, you might be here," Sixteen said in his slow and mechanical-sounding drawl that came with the android's only partially completed vocal functions.

"The last time I saw you, you had a big hole in your head, and now you're whole again," Eighteen said with a smile on her face. "You mentioned you were revived; did you die fighting Cell?"

"I lived for a few more days after Cell absorbed you. I received assistance from Bulma Brief. She was nice, repairing me even though Dr. Gero created me. Then, in a battle with Cell during a tournament he held, I grabbed hold of him and tried to detonate, but Bulma unknowingly tarnished my plans by removing the detonation device. Cell then destroyed most of me, and I used my last moments to talk with Gohan about the need for him to defend the world. Then, there was no more to remember, until I reappeared there."

"Your untimely demise helped me ascend to a new level of Super Saiyan that I used to fight Cell," Gohan said. "It was a great battle."

"Most good. How long has it been since you vanquished him?" Sixteen asked.

"Wait to you get a load of this, Sixteen," Eighteen said as she folded her arms.

"I thought you finally agreed I was telling the truth," Gohan said.

"I'm messing with you, kid. Now tell Sixteen what's going on."

"Sixteen, Cell's not dead," Gohan said.

"Then why are we here?" Sixteen asked determinately, raising a fist as if preparing for battle.

"Because Cell decided to join our side, and modified our revival wish to make sure that you, Eighteen, and Seventeen were brought back too. Also, if he hadn't spoken up, then the Earth's guardian confirmed that the three of you would have in fact not been brought back."

"How strange," Sixteen said. "Do you suspect Cell's planning something underhanded, Eighteen?"

"That's just the thing, Sixteen, I'm pretty sure he isn't," Gohan said. "He made a wish with the Dragon Balls that he could never be evil again. And so now, unless Cell somehow managed to trick the dragon, which seems pretty impossible, he's on our side."

"What makes you so sure that we're on your side?" Eighteen asked.

Gohan very well knew the answer, but he made his comment even so, with the hope of solidifying her trust.

"I have a feeling that deep down, you hate Dr. Gero as much as we do," Gohan said.

"Hey all!" Krillin nervously said, joining them in the air after a prolonged wait. "Sixteen! Good to see you!"

"As is the case with my regards to you, Krillin."

"Eighteen, I didn't mean to make you feel bad back there. I know you must be having a tough time," Krillin said.

"Whatever, Krillin," she said.

Before Krillin could respond, Goku, Tien, and Piccolo slowed from their entry.

"Ah! I see we've found two of them," Tien said.

"It's good to see you again, Sixteen," Goku said.

"Hello, Goku," Sixteen said, suddenly sounding more serious.

"And you must be Android Eighteen; I'm Goku," he said, reflecting the seriousness Sixteen had shown in his talking with a former foe.

"That is something I am more than well aware of," she said.

"As you know, Eighteen and I were programmed to kill you, Goku," Sixteen said. "I feel that there is no longer any reason for our wishing to do so. I speak on behalf of Eighteen and myself in assurance to you that we wish peace and goodwill."

"Likewise," Goku said, relieved that whether this statement came about because of the wish or because it would have naturally come about anyway, that it did. "That means a lot to be said out loud, Sixteen, even though I had a good feeling about that when I saw you two."

All of a sudden, a power level rose rapidly in the distance.

"Did you feel that, Dad?" Gohan asked, turning in the direction of the source.

"Yeah, and it doesn't feel good."

* * *

_Thanks for reading Chapter Four!_

_Up next in Chapter Five: as the Z-Fighters seek out the source of the rising energy, Cell continues in his search. What twists and turns await our heroes? Stay tuned!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Four: (Completed 5/21/2009); (Revised 7/22/2009); (Revision II: 6/7/2010)_

* * *

_Author's note from 5/21/2009: It's springtime over here, and I hope you're all enjoying the seasons in your corners of the world._

_Author's note from 6/7/2010: And as of the second revision, it is summertime, and may all your summers and other seasons be filled with joy! _

_Author's note from 1/22/2011: Now, it's winter! Even in the cold of these months, may your spirit forever glow with the radiant energy of invigoration._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _


	5. V: Coalescence

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Five: Coalescence**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter is of a graphic nature and could be emotionally upsetting. Please take this into account._

* * *

A great distance away from Goku, Cell felt the same spike in energy that Goku had sensed.

Cell had a bad feeling about this, especially since he sensed the rage within that ki signature and didn't feel another close by.

"Major Sylveste, I have news," Cell said.

"What?" the major asked.

"Please, let me use my energy to propel this ship faster. I believe I sense something important."

Sylveste pondered this request.

"You do realize that if you try anything that even remotely appears to be suspect that I will take immediate action against you."

"I know."

* * *

All who had rejoiced in Sixteen and Eighteen being found alive were now rushing toward a new destination.

They didn't want to lose sight of the androids after finding them at last, and rather than being forced to drag them along against their will, both had willingly wanted to come out of intrigue for the present situation.

"Dad, what do think is going on?" Gohan asked as his father flew alongside him on his right.

"I'm not sure, Gohan. But something tells me we're not going to like what we find."

The group moved as speedily as it could toward Yunzabito Heights, the spot where Kami had touched down on Earth and had lived for many years before he had become the planet's guardian.

The cold, dry air filled their lungs and brushed past their faces as the barren wasteland before them filled all with a sense of foreboding.

Gohan saw a golden aura flicker and dance about the island. Then, he heard a resounding shout.

"Say 'goodbye,' you filthy android!" Vegeta yelled as he smashed Android Seventeen in the side of the head and sent him plummeting to the ground below.

Gohan was still too far away to see for sure, but he could have sworn, even at that distance, that Seventeen looked very, very bloody.

Yes, bloody.

As in human blood.

Because, as Cell had explained, Seventeen and Eighteen were once human.

Gohan had finally come to recognize them as human, just like his mother, and half of himself within.

Who, other than that bastard whom Gohan hoped was rotting in Hell, could ever know what atrocities the two of them had suffered in becoming killing machines?

It was one thing for Gero to try and kill his father. It was another to hurt even more lives in the process.

Especially when it came to torturing innocent children.

The entire group approached even closer, then landed, with Vegeta facing perpendicular to them, looking down upon the being whom had become his prey.

Gohan now got a good look at Seventeen.

Goku saw the look on his son's face, and couldn't blame him.

The android was bleeding profusely all over.

His face was slightly disfigured.

His nose was clearly broken, and metallic parts could be seen coming out of both his arms and through his clothing.

Goku felt forlorn, deeply regretting that he had not thought of using Instant Transmission to arrive sooner.

Vegeta had an idea of who had arrived without shifting his gaze to see them.

"It was a matter of destiny that his luck ran out," Vegeta said, still looking fiendishly at Seventeen. "He flew right into my vicinity, and should have known better than to throw away his life so foolishly."

Gohan's anger was rising.

"What do you think you're doing, Vegeta?" Gohan asked with the greatest vehemence he could muster at that moment, his power level increasing by the second.

"Righting the wrongs onto my honor and to this planet that you and your father seem to enjoy proliferating," Vegeta said, still without flinching from his stance.

"If your problem is with Cell, you should not be taking it out on the person you've been fighting," Gohan said. "Have you forgotten Seventeen was once one of Cell's victims?"

Vegeta said nothing, but kept up the eerie grin.

"If your problem is with me and my dad, then don't be a bully and take it out him," Gohan said. "Earlier today, when Cell tested the very limits of our trust, you said that you had stopped enjoying hurting others and killing for the fun of it. Are you so mad that you're welcoming back your lust for destruction of innocent lives?" Gohan asked.

"Listen to him; 'innocent,' he calls this android. 'Innocent,' he says. Ha!" Vegeta chortled. "Is your own consciousness so innocent and ignorant of reality that you'd readily cling onto lies?"

"The battle is over, Vegeta!" Gohan said. "Cell used the Dragon Balls to wish he could never be evil again! He also wished that Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen also could never be evil again!"

This revelation made Sixteen and Eighteen do a double take.

"We're all strong enough to defeat these androids, but should we abuse that power when we know full well that they were abducted by Dr. Gero and turned into slaves against their will?" Gohan asked. "Seventeen might have had the desire to kill others before, but from what I know, he never actually killed anyone other than Dr. Gero. Now that we're strong enough, can't we try and work this out another way and give him the same compassion we gave Cell?"

"So now even you think Cell is a really goody-goody, am I right?" Vegeta asked Gohan, while still looking at Seventeen.

"Yes, against my better judgment at first, but after a wish with the Dragon Balls, how could he not be?" Gohan replied.

"Easily," Vegeta said.

"What do you mean, 'easily?'" Gohan asked. "He made a wish with the Dragon Balls, and the dragon affirmed it. How could he not be good now? Vegeta, stop letting your resentment blind you from common sense and stop taking out your hatred of Cell on Seventeen!"

"I don't just hate Cell, I hate all the androids!" Vegeta bawled. "They thought they were so tough, that they could just go around the world, threatening all in their path, with no one to stop them. Well, I'm here to put an end to their arrogance once and for all! Even if I'm the only sane one of us left. Use your own common sense, Gohan, and see that Cell is doing one Hell of a good job deceiving you! I'm sure he found some way to get around having to abide by the wish, somehow, if he made the wish himself. I'm sure of it!"

Goku once again sensed doubt within Gohan.

"All of you pathetic fools should use your common sense and realize that you've allowed yourselves to be tricked!" Vegeta said.

At the end of that statement, Vegeta turned.

He was pleasantly surprised.

"Well, well, look who's come to join her brother in death!"

Eighteen suddenly became overcome with a feeling of even greater fright, and her face showed it all over.

Sixteen then put himself in front of his sister to protect her.

"Stay back, Eighteen," the giant android said.

Eighteen was crying for her brother, her twin, the one who had become so badly hurt by the Saiyan who looked like he'd laughed heartily throughout the process.

"Vegeta, what you are doing is pointless!" Goku said. "The androids no longer pose any threat to you! And the only person they ever killed was Dr. Gero! They never killed anyone innocent! Sure, they might have been stronger than you in the past, but you surpassed them! Leave Seventeen alone!"

Vegeta didn't even turn at the sound of Goku's voice, and kept his animalistic glare on the female android before him.

"Come on Eighteen, join the fun!" Vegeta sickeningly posited. "I come to wonder what you'd look like as a red head. Why don't we find out?"

"No…," a very weakened, very battered Android Seventeen groaned as he reached out from where he lay toward Vegeta. The Saiyan was standing many meters away, and Seventeen reached to no avail, wallowing in pain, with one eyelid that just wouldn't open.

Vegeta turned.

"Still not dead yet, are you Seventeen? Well, that's about to change!"

Even before he had finished speaking, Vegeta had shifted a few meters forward, with his foot now directly over Seventeen's head.

"No, you can't!" Krillin said as he darted forward, poised to strike the Saiyan prince with everything he had.

Vegeta caught Krillin by the back of his shirt, stopping his momentum, and gave him a quick uppercut to the stomach, causing Krillin to almost lose consciousness.

"Do not interfere!" Vegeta yelled down at Krillin before he tossed him aside, causing the poor man to roll across the barren ground.

Vegeta then looked down at Seventeen, his foot still ready to go, himself once again holding the fate of another person's life in his hands.

He then, for the first time since the other full Saiyan had arrived, looked at Goku.

"What's the matter, Kakarot? Don't feel like saving this one the way you saved Cell? I can't blame you; you'd really have to be denser than cobalt to take part in that dishonorable mockery twice."

Vegeta's foot moved down at lightning speed.

However, physics can get very tricky when a fighter acts within the realm of what a Super Saiyan 2 would consider as 'fast.'

For the very few beings in the universe who have ever moved at that speed, if they paid enough attention during their almost instantaneous movements, they would notice that all of space and time seems to slightly, and by 'slightly,' that is, 'very slighty,' abide by less of its laws than it normally would.

Gohan took that little break in relativity to the fullest of his advantage.

Between a foot and a face, there was now a hand blocking the way.

Vegeta momentarily did not know what to say, and just kept on looking disdainful.

"Why?" was all he asked, still looking at Seventeen.

"You know," Gohan said, as Seventeen closed his eyes, still feeling pain.

Both of the fighters looked at nothing else but each other for a full minute, gauging the other's intentions and judging what forthcoming actions and arguments would be in their best interests.

"This isn't over," Vegeta said, powering down.

"Cell wants you to testify in court against him," Gohan said, powering down as well.

Vegeta had not expected that one, but welcomed it even so.

"Whatever. Even if it's just another trick, I'll be glad to let the whole world know of the horror that monster caused and still wants to bring," Vegeta said, moving his foot from where it had been.

"You won't be disappointed," Gohan said. "I will contact you when the hearings are scheduled to let you know the date."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Vegeta said, wiping some of the dried blood off his right glove as he began to walk away from the battered android.

He then faced those who had gathered.

"You are wrong," he said, with the seriousness in his voice more evident than the pride. "You will see that. All of you will. And if it so happens that Cell acts against the world again and is using this trial to create a mass grave in place of the courtroom full of people you've given him permission to gather, I will be there to deliver this world from the same sort of horrid evil from which I could not save my first."

Vegeta then briefly looked at Goku, then briefly looked at Eighteen, and after giving her an iniquitous grin, turned around and flew to the west.

Gohan then heard the sounds of wet coughing.

"Uhurg," Seventeen let out in another cough after Gohan turned around. Seventeen coughed twice more, looking more desperate with each struggled breath.

As Gohan put his hand on the android's head to check him for fever, the rest of the group ran quickly toward them.

"Seventeen!" Eighteen screamed in sorrow as she ran faster than everyone else, holding up her hands to her face when she stood by her brother out of feeling helpless for not knowing how to aide him.

Tien bent down and checked his pulse.

"It's still there, but it isn't nearly as strong as it should be," he said.

Sixteen's look was of solemnity. If only Gero or Bulma had given him the power to heal, not just to destroy … what a change he would have taken readily.

Krillin had now just regained full consciousness, and limped over to the group as fast as he possibly could.

Goku didn't remember the last time he had actually felt this sad. Right now, to his astonishment, he did.

Piccolo looked solemnly at the bedraggled creature before him. 'Vegeta, what for?' was a question that occupied most of his present thoughts.

"He has a high fever," Gohan said, with somberness. "Quick, Piccolo, can you materialize a cloth and soak it?"

Without verbally answering, the Namekian warrior did what Gohan had asked for, and handed him the item.

Gohan placed the moist cloth over Seventeen's forehead.

His breath was getting shallower. His coughs were getting louder.

Tien briefly took his eyes off Seventeen, and noticed Goku. By the look on Goku's face, Tien could sense the deep grief Goku now felt.

'What horror an action must have been for a person to feel such sorrow for someone who wanted nothing more than to kill him,' Tien thought.

"I'm going to get Dende over here to see if he can help," Goku said as he then disappeared with Instant Transmission.

It was by no means Seventeen's fault, but he then coughed up a great deal of blood onto Gohan's face and chest.

Gohan didn't take the time to wipe it off, not even from his face, because he was more concerned that Seventeen now looked way, way too pale.

"He's bleeding internally," Gohan said. "His lungs have likely been punctured."

Eighteen couldn't take it; her crying intensified and she ran to Sixteen, who joined in mutual embrace out of their concern. She was crying into his shoulder as Sixteen looked at his brother.

Goku returned, and Dende rushed to the fallen android.

He stuck his hands out, and tried to begin the healing.

"He's hurt too badly for me to be effective," Dende said. "I'm sorry."

"What if I transmitted to New Namek and tried to find another healer?" Goku asked.

"Believe it or not, especially because I'm one of Guru's sons, I unfortunately happen to be the best there is," Dende said. "Also, my healing ability is a one-on-one deal. Two healers can't heal one being at the same time."

"Darn," Goku said as he kicked the ground. It wasn't often that the man felt powerless to do something, but right now, he clenched his fist out of the frustration that this was the case.

Gohan briefly saw Seventeen open his one eye that still worked, and as the android looked at him, he saw the look of sorrow too well through his facial features, amplified through the sadness reflected in his eye, such that no words were needed. It was sorrow not just for coughing up blood on Gohan, and indeed, that sorrow was there, but sorrow for so many other things as well.

Seventeen's facial expression began to shift. As he closed his eye, he started to shiver.

Gohan began to treat Seventeen as best he could for shock, and the android began to have shivers of lower intensity, but shivers all the same.

* * *

Trunks and Yamcha had earlier sensed Vegeta's power level shift, and had come rushing toward it when they had. Even though they sensed he'd left, they still sensed their friends close by, and since they had not found the android they had been looking for, they wondered if their friends had.

From afar, they saw their friends huddled, but did not know why.

Both sped forward, and became horrified.

Yamcha's lightheartedness faded away.

They landed, running toward the scene.

Piccolo and Sixteen turned briefly to see them, and through their silence conveyed severity.

Yamcha went toward the circle around Seventeen first, looking at his former foe and feeling pity for his agony.

A realization had earlier come to Trunks' mind, and Trunks wanted no ignorance to cloud his vision.

He tapped Goku on the shoulder, to which Goku did not immediately turn around.

"My father …," Trunks began to say, lost for more words.

Goku turned, and Trunks saw his expression.

That was enough of an indication. The son of the one Trunks knew was responsible for this couldn't fully handle the emotionally distraught feelings which now coursed through him.

He quickly turned away, feeling deep, deep shame, and walked away from the circle, looking nowhere but down at the barren ground.

"Can we get him to a hospital?" Yamcha asked.

"He's too hurt to transport, Yamcha," Goku said, with accentuation of great sadness. "Even if I used Instant Transmission, I … well, I'm sorry to say it wouldn't work. He's too badly hurt. A body needs to be more intact for the transmission to work properly, and I just don't want to put him through more pain than he's already going through."

The nine fighters were around a person whom some had called a 'friend' and some had called a 'foe.'

It no longer mattered.

Trunks turned around briefly and noticed Seventeen continuing to shiver, and he turned around quickly again, the sight being too unbearable to watch.

'They are human.' Trunks thought regretfully. 'These two are human. Mine … not so much. But these two are. They were robbed from their lives, and they are human.'

Seventeen stopped shivering, but his breath was still fast.

He coughed up some more blood.

He opened neither one of his eyes.

"Eighteen …," he called for her.

"Save your strength," she said as the tears came down, walking from Sixteen and reaching down to her brother.

"Live…," he uttered, then stopped, his right hand almost touching his sister's face.

His hand dropped.

His chest moved no longer up, nor down.

He was still.

A moment of disbelief passed.

Her crying intensified, and her unanswered prayers continued while she leaned over her brother.

Gohan got up from where he had been and backed away, beginning to cry himself as he looked at the two in the center of the circle.

Trunks felt more remorse than he ever felt he could for a pair of people he had never before treated as such.

Tien looked briefly to the east and saw that close by, a formation of ships was moving quickly.

From the deck of the ship in front, he saw a figure jump off the bow and fly forward.

Moments later, Cell landed on the edge of the mainland and ran toward the group.

Many backs were positioned toward him, as were the faces of Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo.

Trunks and Sixteen made a clearing for him, allowing him to see what they had seen.

He saw Eighteen, with her head in her arms on the chest of her brother, crying with all she had.

He took a spot briefly outside the circle.

There Seventeen was, laying quietly, laying dormant.

Cell stared down at Seventeen one moment longer and then made his way toward the center.

Eighteen briefly looked up, the tears still in her eyes, not fully recognizing Cell in a form she'd not seen, and had a momentary glimmer of fear that faded away when she saw the expression on his face.

He was looking down at Seventeen, then knelt by his side.

There were no words to describe how he felt.

As if refusing to believe what he was seeing, he took his brother's wrist and tried to find a pulse.

There was none.

He held his brother's wrist for two more minutes while starring down at his face, as Eighteen looked on with teary eyes.

He gently put down the other's wrist, put his hand on Seventeen's forehead for a moment, then pulled away. He stood up slowly, then turned around, and slowly walked to a spot outside the circle.

After staring straight ahead for some moments, he began to weep uncontrollably, placing his face in his hands as tears fell to the Earth.

* * *

_So ends Chapter Five. _

_Chapter Six is up next. _

_Until next time,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Five: (Completed: 6/12/2009); (Revised 6/7/2010)_


	6. VI: Solidarity

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Six: Solidarity**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

The small, warm, and cozily ambient room he was now sitting in contrasted greatly with the horror he had witnessed one week ago after feeling that everything was at last going to be alright.

Cell had not expected the death of his brother.

He hadn't been emotionally prepared for it.

With what stability could he have been expected to approach that traumatic situation after the very core of his emotions had been completely reversed?

Even now, he was still trying to find absolute stability in his feelings. He was very much aware that the Dragon Balls might have been the saving grace that had held him back from turning toward darkness again after witnessing such destruction. Their ancient magic, codified in sanctimonious physics, had safeguarded him against that darkness with the glory of their mystical restraint.

But here he was, in a law office of trite colors, observing the myriad of certifications and honors lining the walls as he sat at the edge of the leather chair that had been presented to him. He was sitting on the edge because his wings had disallowed him from sitting any farther back on the seat.

Not a single one of his newfound friends and now truer family was with him.

He had insisted on accomplishing this stage of the process alone.

Seventeen, who had been consecrated in memorial burial five days before, would have wanted him to go at it alone. This was the best way to exact justice on himself, and Cell knew that Seventeen would have supported him had he known what Cell had become through random fortune and subsequent actions.

The man in front of him, who was sitting rigidly in his spot across the onyx-colored desk, did not appear any older than thirty-five. Through inherent powers, a more involved estimation of the man's age could have been made if Cell had felt so inclined.

His hair was a mix of lightened brown and wispy grey, relegated to the sides of his head and mostly absent from the uppermost region. Glasses adorned and gave further definition to a pair of hazel eyes, which stared relatively coldly at the client for whom the man was now assigned.

"Of all the cases I've experienced in my many years in this profession, I can say with great confidence that this one by far is shaping up to be the most unusual," he said. "Here I am, a regular practitioner of common law, being asked to defend an inhuman entity who threatened to destroy the world, and who killed countless people, almost all of whom have somehow now been reported as having returned, adding to the exotic nature of this whole ordeal."

"Please, I ask for no forgiveness, only understanding," Cell said. "I want the world to know that I will pay for hurting all those people. I want you to ensure that justice against me is served."

The lawyer looked at him in partial disbelief, for the mentality of his client, outside of the fact his client looked the part of an alien, was itself a mentality that was very alien to him.

"You must understand that you're putting me in a strange spot here," the lawyer said. "I know the West City Court of Criminal Trials assigned me to your case, unwittingly pro bono, I might add, as it has been discovered that you have no assets, although it boggles my mind why they didn't pay me a compensation and risk fee for being forced against my will to comprehensively defend you when there are great risks associated with your psychological instability."

There were numerous guards in the room, reflecting the lawyer's assumed need for protection.

"I can assure you, I will do you no harm," Cell said.

"Tell that to the people you killed," he said. "You admitted to killing them when the Navy questioned you about it. The only reasons you have a case at all are because somehow, these people are coming back to life, and also because the court may recognize you as incapable of rational control over your actions. And while we're at it, you're not even trying to defend yourself in the least. Sure, I've gotten clients who've played dirty and thought dirtier, so much so that they came close to convincing themselves of innocence in egregious acts of violence they so readily committed. And at the other extreme I've seen many characters who've come in here with full admittance of their guilt, wanting to strike a plea bargain to reduce their potential sentence. But you, you're a different type of character altogether. On top of admitting your guilt, and for some reason that's still escaping me, you want the maximum punishment."

"Admittedly so," Cell said.

"Then why are you and the city wasting my time and patience bothering to defend you when you want the prosecutor to just convince the world to throw you away for as long as possible?" he asked. "You make me sick. Admitted criminals should never get what they want. And out of all the clients I could have gotten stuck with, I got the one megalomaniac who's so messed up in the head and loves punishment so much that he feeds off the pain that comes with prolonged terms in a maximum security prison."

"You've got it all wrong," Cell said.

"Sure, Cell. Sure I do. That's right, keep on telling yourself that you're sane and that you're doing this to help the world. I've never heard such ridiculous nonsense."

"May I call you by your name?" Cell asked.

Frustrated from antagonized exertion, the lawyer lifted his arms up in the air, signifying his aggravation.

"Whatever. At this point, I don't care. I just have a wife and kid to feed, and your trial's going to take forever if during it you're going to keep on talking and talking like you say you want to. I'm not making any money from this case. And don't get me wrong; I don't practice law principally for money. It's just that law firms are shrinking operations these days and I really, really need to feed my family. So please, make your defense quick instead of admitting everything at a slower pace than the speed of a roll call vote. And yeah, by all means, you've already taken up so much of my time; the least you could do is actually acknowledge the sacrifice I'm making by wasting my time with you."

"Well, Charles–"

"We're by no means on a first name basis."

"Well, Mr. Hardin, I wish I had known more of your concerns. Take me for my word, please. I truly do wish to cause you and your family no harm. I've done enough of that to other people already, and as is evidenced by the testimony you know I'm more than willing to give, I don't wish to do anything like that ever again. So, with regards to not wasting your time excessively, I will make my oral testimony in court tomorrow shorter than I had intended."

"It continues to amaze me how the criminally insane can at times be so reasonable."

"I was under a misguided frenzy of the highest order, and if you want to at least help me make sure I get the sentence I truly deserve, you must at least try to believe in what I have to say. You are a lawyer specializing in defense. Defend my interests. It's what you've been hired to do."

"I will perform the duty to which I've been assigned. Now Cell, for your admissibility in court tomorrow, you are required to divulge your last name so that we may have it on record. We presently have no record of it, and so I will now ask you to tell me what it is."

Cell had never really before given thought to the concept of his having a last name. Did Dr. Gero intend for him to have one? For that related matter, what was Dr. Gero's first name, anyway? That is, if Gero really even was his last name, and wasn't in fact his first. Gero had never directly told him which way was correct. Also, technically, Gero was his father. So, if Gero was indeed the surname, would his name be Cell Gero? Never. He would never adopt the name of that madman.

"I don't believe I have one."

"Well then, today's your freakin' lucky day, Cell, because since you do not have a birth certificate, and believe me, we checked the World Medical Database thoroughly, you get to pick one."

"Then just make my last name 'Name' and be done with it.

"Sounds bland."

"I have much more important things on my mind than to give this significant attention."

"As you so choose. Now, be prepared, for tomorrow your trial will begin."

"Of that, I am aware."

"Good. Guards, escort the prisoner back to his holding place."

Two of the men in bulletproof vests – as if the protection would have done them any good had Cell actually decided to have a change of heart and mind – tightened the two sets of handcuffs around Cell's wrists. Each guard also laced an arm around one of Cell's elbows, more out of ceremony than expected function.

They walked with Cell out of the office as Charles Hardin let the four other guards out and closed the door. The guards went with Cell down a hallway, into an elevator, through the lobby of the building that housed the Hardin, Darrell and Associates law firm, led him into the backseat of their armored vehicle, and drove to the temporary holding facility where Cell had spent the last four nights after turning himself in through the processes he had agreed to when he had been with Sylveste and Volyova.

* * *

The armored car stopped in front of the West City Temporary Holding Facility, and the soldiers assigned to accompany him opened his door.

As Cell exited the car, flashes of cameras and beckoning voices of members of the press filled the air in sight and sound. Their questions were but a blur to Cell, as he zoned them out in favor of a calming quiet in preparation for the coming day.

He was led to his holding room, a prison cell for Cell, which had been reinforced impromptu with upgrades designed to strengthen the integrity of the bars surrounding him.

On vigilant watch were no fewer than twelve guards at a time, and for the past many days Cell had learned to sit quietly on the ground in meditation as soldiers of Earth pointed their guns at him, never wavering, always ready.

After many minutes of quiet contemplation, this night proved to be different from the others.

He had visitors.

The black-haired Saiyan walked down the stairs, followed by a woman with golden locks.

He sensed his former rival at once.

"How are you, Cell?" Goku asked.

Cell opened his eyes from deep meditation, fully aware that guns remained positioned toward him from one side of the cell, of which two sides were barred and two sides were walled.

He turned toward his left, now with his right side turned toward the soldiers and in a straightforward portrait for his visitors.

"Goku, Eighteen, this is most unexpected," Cell said.

"Eighteen and I wanted to check in on you to see how you were doing," Goku said.

"He's right, Cell. I've been talking with Goku over the last couple of days about all that has happened. He's been very kind," Eighteen said. "Goku helped me realize something. When you and I wept together for Seventeen, your tears were genuine. You were a monster once who wanted nothing more than to kill us, as was the case with all of our android kin toward Goku, who's now here with us as a friend. Somehow you've changed. You actually do feel sorrow for what's happened. And Vegeta …."

Her eyes began to tear up again at the thought of that man.

"Vegeta will get what's coming to him," Goku said. "There was no excuse for such violence. Never. Not even when it's possible to bring people back. And, according to you, Cell, it's not so certain we can in this case."

Cell looked even more solemn as a result of Goku mentioning that.

"That's right. Because of the way Seventeen was wished back, there is no certainty," Cell said. "It's one of the many factors that has made his loss at the hands of that ignoble fool all the more painful for me. However, we will still try. But we may fail. Nonetheless, I love my brother, and I will try."

"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" Goku asked.

"Oh, as ready as I'll ever be," Cell said, walking closer toward his visitors. He then gripped the bars loosely with his hands, which were still restricted by the two sets of handcuffs. "I have to do this, Goku. I would be going against my newfound conscience if I didn't."

"And we'll do as we promised and tell the world the truth about you," Goku said. "How's your attorney?"

"He hates me. Can you really blame him?"

"I suppose not," Goku said. "I've seen enough in my life such that I'm ready and willing to open my mind to almost anything. It's a blessed gift the universe has given me. Most people haven't had the experiences I have had which could shape their thinking in this way. I can believe you when you say you want repentance. I fought against you, as did my son, and Eighteen here. We know what you were like. We know you on a personal basis. We fought against you, and now we'll fight alongside you. If you continue to feel that what you're doing is best for the world, then we will support you."

"Thank you, Goku," Cell said. "Eighteen, you know Vegeta will be there tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, I'm aware," she said.

"I hope that he doesn't make you too uncomfortable."

"How could he not? He wanted to kill me."

"He's a fool without honor," Cell said. "And if he thinks he fights with it, then he is deeply, deeply misguided."

"Can they hear everything we say?" Goku asked Cell, pointing to the guards, and then to a camera he saw nearby.

"Yes, and nothing we have said runs counter to truths that are to be expressed tomorrow in court," Cell said.

Goku snapped his fingers.

"Do you want us to bring up during the trial what Vegeta did?" Goku asked. "It is an intensely personal decision, and a morally complex one at that. Eighteen and I were discussing this yesterday while Krillin, Chi Chi, and a few others joined us for an afternoon tea."

"Afternoon tea?" Cell asked, somewhat surprised. "We may not have actually met before just a few days ago, but my memories of you stretch back further. Since when did you enjoy casual afternoon teas?"

Goku chucked slightly.

"Ever since the emotional turbulence of the past couple of days happened and the need to have calm contemplation arose. That, and I've been having them out of my desire to talk with those whose lives have been saddened by tragedy who I felt I could help through opening my home up to them, giving them a forum to share their thoughts with friends who care. Eighteen and Sixteen were at my house yesterday, along with Tien and Krillin. I prepared the tea myself; it was of meditative value, really. And so not just yesterday, but in other days this week after the funeral have we been having afternoon teas."

"I never would have guessed at that one," Cell said. "This runs counter to what I know of how you would normally be."

"These aren't normal times, Cell," Goku said. "And through all the events of recent days, I do believe most of us have changed, at least a little, and hopefully for the better. But as I had begun to say, at yesterday's gathering, we talked about whether or not we would fully divulge what Vegeta did to Seventeen."

"And?"

"We decided to refrain from full disclosure. You see, I, too, know what it's like to be an enraged Saiyan. The chemical impulses that affect the psyche can be maddening if you don't know how to control them, and to siphon them for clear good, and not misguided good, can be extremely difficult. As hard as it is, we need to all remember the perspective from which Vegeta did everything he did that day. And this, Eighteen, as you recall me saying yesterday, would be one of the most difficult things to consider in all of this."

"I remember you saying that," Eighteen said. "Would you like to share with Cell our discussion, or should I?"

"If you don't mind, I'll do the honors," Goku said. "Cell, Vegeta kept on talking all throughout that fateful day, after Gohan punched you in the head, about how he wanted to continue fighting you and all the androids to make sure the Earth would be protected. It appears that at a profound level, he genuinely wanted to help the world and his family. Of course, I heavily, more than you could possibly know, disagree with the way Vegeta went about acting on his, for lack of a better term, 'goodwill.' It didn't help that his desire to do good was blinded by furious rage and lust for revenge. Whether he would have still believed that you could have somehow tricked the Dragon into making you appear to be good if he had been completely calm mentally, or whether that whole line of thinking came about only because of how angry he was, I cannot answer. But what's more, he actually wanted to defend the Earth. There's no question he went about it in completely the wrong way. He wasn't there when the wishes were made. He attacked Seventeen at least in part because he still believed Seventeen to be a threat to the world and to his family. It's hard to forgive. And for Vegeta, I won't. I never will for this. He knew better, even if he didn't think he did. Most importantly, we must think of his family, and I'm not even sure if Bulma knows what he did. We have all purposefully avoided telling her so we could think about this first and take a reasonable course of action. If Vegeta gets a criminal sentence, think about what it would do to her, not just for her professional reputation, but more importantly, for her poor soul. And think about the baby version of Trunks from this timeline; he may never grow up with the company of a father, for who knows if Vegeta would stay on Earth to carry out a sentence, and in any case, Trunks would forever be labeled the son of a cold-blooded murderer. I think you'd agree with me in wanting to avoid that."

"I certainly do," Cell said. "Goku, I hate to break this to you, but you've been talking about a whole lot of important information regarding Vegeta's connection to a potential homicide case, information that you didn't want the public to so readily know about. The soldiers, after all, can hear you. I told you they could."

"I know you did, Cell, which, as you may or may not recall, is why I snapped my fingers a few minutes ago."

"Snapped your fingers? And what was that supposed to accomplish?"

"I wanted to discuss some items with you in private, and asked Piccolo for some help," Goku said. "He's been working on an ability that allows its wielder to disrupt electronic equipment. You may not have any real knowledge of this one built into you because he only started working on it in the past year. Part of the reason Eighteen and I waited until today to come to you was so I could make sure I knew how to do this technique properly, just in case I need to use it tomorrow. Sure, I broke one of Chi Chi's clocks by accident while working on getting the technique right, but by now I think I've basically gotten the technique down. Anyway, since the moment I snapped my fingers, I've made the cameras that are focused on you continue to transmit video and audio, and they'll continue to appear as if they're recording, although they're actually not. And what of those guards over there? Well, Piccolo and I worked together to adjust the technique so that it works limitedly on people with low power levels too, and so they've been standing there in bliss, not really paying attention to our conversation, and will reawaken without noticing a difference when I snap my fingers again. It might seem like magic, but when you learn from Piccolo, it's much more than that. No one will be able to know of what we said here about Vegeta. It was important that we did that, for his safety and for the benefit of all of us."

"I understand," Cell said.

"Now Cell, before I snap my fingers again and release everything from this hold, is there anything else you wanted to discuss in private?" Goku asked.

"Actually, Goku, I wanted to speak with Cell about something before you did that," Eighteen said.

"Oh, okay Eighteen, go ahead. I apologize for not asking you first," Goku said.

"It's quite fine," she said. "Cell, I've been thinking a lot about your decision to put yourself through all this, and I wanted to let you know that I really respect you for it."

A small smile came to Cell's face.

"Thank you, Eighteen."

"I do mean it. Listen, had Sixteen, Seventeen, or myself actually killed anyone other than Dr. Gero, we would have been in the same moral dilemma as you. It was only by a matter of circumstance that distractions prevented us from doing so before we also came to think differently, thanks in part to the actions of our now mutual friends and also in part because of your wish. The very fact that had things worked out a little differently I might be in that cell alongside you makes me extremely empathetic for everything you're doing. Dr. Gero messed us both up pretty good. But the best part about his plan for world decimation is that he failed. We can rebuild ourselves now, if not literally, then figuratively. I don't want to have blind hatred like that be a part of my life ever again, and you don't want it either. I just want to let you know that, for everything that happened on that first day we met, I forgive you."

There was a momentary silence.

"Words cannot describe how wonderful it is to hear that, Eighteen," Cell said.

"Now, I believe Goku had a question for you," Eighteen said.

"Right. Again, Cell, I wanted to know if you had anything else you wanted to discuss before I awaken these guys from their trance."

"Well, yes, Goku."

"Alright, what's up?"

"One, I'm scared."

"Scared?" Eighteen asked, as she hadn't expected that one.

"The global media coverage. The pressure to get it right. The hatred everyone will show toward me for what I've done. It will be of the greatest pressure and anxiety."

"Cell, I'm confident you can handle it," Goku said. "You seem to be good at meditation. Don't forget how to keep calm."

"That makes sense enough," Cell said. "Oh, and one other thing, Goku. Something that's been on my mind as a result of our conversation and that I wanted to ask you."

"Oh, what do you want to ask?"

"You seem to be much more astute than I've ever given you credit for. Dr. Gero, truth be told, regarded you as somewhat of a blockhead, with much greater reliance of brawn over brains. I must say, in your reasoning and in your speech, you seem much smarter than you usually let on."

Goku gave a smile characteristic of him in all depictions Cell had been familiar with, but there was something different in his eyes that Cell had not taken the time to see before, maybe even because the Saiyan had never let it truly show. It was as if his eyes reflected an eminence of moral and spiritual wisdom the likes of which come with intense introspection and thought.

"A good fighter must be strong in both mind and body, my friend," Goku said. "And one need not know the intricacies of some things, such as, I admit straightforwardly, math, to understand in profound ways the intricacies of other things. I most often like to have a more casual manner, as doing so serves to counterbalance the difficult and serious challenges I've so often had to face in arenas of combat. Yet, to each person there are a myriad of aspects about them, and for me, and in all my endeavors, there are multiple ways through which I enjoy perceiving and interacting with the world. I enjoy having fun, and hope to have fun as much as I possibly can, and that is why, with friends and family, I have overwhelmingly been much more casual in my mannerisms. Yet I have developed over the years a desire to know more, to improve myself, so I can better understand the universe and be a more complete person. It was a side I've always had, but, especially with the high complexities of recent days, I have been showing it more often. I cherish the fact that in all my fiercest battles, I've shown at least part of this side of greater favor for calculation and logic, and it was not just rage that made me address Frieza with words and actions that reflected greater seriousness and sense. I enjoy being who I am. I can see these sides of me in you, the capacity for experiencing bright fun and joy when applicable, as well as the side of needed introspection and deeper reason. Hey, I'm not as off in the head as I might appear to be at times. And to put that even more bluntly, I'm not as dumb as I look. After all, Chi Chi is very, very bright, but Gohan had to have gotten his innermost smarts from somewhere, if I do say so myself, at least a bit in jest."

"I would have never imagined your answer would be so involved," Cell said.

"Well, I thought it would be worth saying," Goku said.

"Cell, I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow," Eighteen said. "Try to get some rest. We'll be there for you, and you can look to us if you need any help."

"I will remember that," Cell said.

Goku snapped his fingers once more. Then, he waived to the guards and the two visitors departed the room.

It was surreal, Cell knew, to have friends and family such as these who cared for him and actually took the time to understand him.

He appreciated their kindness, and hoped that regardless of what would soon happen that he would one day be able to truly reciprocate their benevolence.

Tomorrow would be a big day in his life, and even after all that had happened so far, he still didn't fully know what to expect.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Six!_

_Up next in Chapter Seven: Cell's trial begins! But not everything is as it appears to be …._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Six: (Completed: 7/7/2009); (Revised: 7/22/2009); (Revision II: 6/8/2010)_


	7. VII: Adjudication

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Seven: Adjudication**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Cell had realized ahead of time that many people were going to show up at the courthouse before he arrived.

He knew they'd want to be there early so that when he did arrive they could personally let him know how they felt.

He did not expect, however, to see quite as many people as he did.

'There must be hundreds of thousands of them,' Cell thought to himself. He was looking out the right window of the armored car as it approached the courthouse.

In fact, almost half a million people had come to show how angry they were. They had gathered on the courthouse's extensive grounds, all united in one specific purpose, to see that the ultimate justice was served upon the world's ultimate villain.

Cell could hear thousands of voices cursing his name, and saw through the tinted window a rather large and rather clever banner that 90 people were holding up in the air. The banner had an abbreviation, "PAC," followed by the words, "We don't need a Political Action Committee to show we're People Against Cell!"

The crowd would have rushed forward toward his car had it not been for the numerous legions of soldiers who had formed an extended barricade, keeping back those who wanted to take direct action.

There was to be order not just inside the courthouse, but outside as well. The last thing the authorities wanted was for a riot to ensue that could cause unnecessary injury.

The armored car halted so that the length of its right side lined up almost perfectly with the start of the two-kilometer walkway that spanned the distance from the armored car to the main doors of the courthouse. The walkway was made of marbled tiles, and had been constructed with its considerable length to fit a symbolic purpose, enabling those responsible for crimes to have time to reflect upon their misdeeds while considering how a clear, direct path of living with a sense of justice and integrity could have prevented them from having to have others force justice upon them.

Meter-high walls of marble flanked each side of the walkway, and the walkway had remained relatively clear up until this point because the legions of soldiers had emphasized that the walkway, unlike the grass on either side, was not presently open to the public.

Four armored vans full of soldiers had accompanied the armored car Cell had traveled in, and two had been parked in front of the armored car, while two had been parked behind.

The doors of those vans opened suddenly, and soldiers rushed to surround the armored car.

One soldier went to open the door on Cell's right while the other soldiers huddled around the car.

As the door opened, the two soldiers who had volunteered to sit on either side of Cell during the ride mobilized to action. The soldier next to the opened door quickly grabbed Cell's wrists, which were still bound by two sets of handcuffs, while the soldier on the other side pointed his gun at Cell's back, beckoning him to move.

Cell complied, exiting the car and almost instantaneously inciting the roaring voices of the crowd even more. The shouting that was emanating from the crowd intensified in its ferocity, and Cell saw a group of the soldiers refortify their positions in order to keep a flank of protesters near the left side of the entrance to the walkway from jumping over the meter-high marble wall that separated the walkway from the grass where they had been standing.

It was around 1:00 p.m., and as such the sun's accent on the rather cloudless sky was one of bright midday.

Cell, however, felt the gloom the crowd wanted him to feel as he somberly reflected upon his misdeeds during the 2,000-meter walk down the marble path.

Out of the hundreds of soldiers on the courthouse premises, 60 of them, armed with the latest and most effective personal weaponry tax dollars could buy, surrounded Cell as he walked down the path. Two of them were grabbing Cell by his arms in an effort to further safeguard the protesters by further restraining his movements.

The soldiers had also been tasked with the less important role of protecting Cell from the crowd, as West City's authorities had agreed to give Cell the same basic civil protections it would have commonly given to any criminal. The law had to be just and fair, and even though most regarded Cell as an absolute monster, the city's authorities had reasoned that this simple protection answered the need for an objectively sound, moral requirement.

Cell refrained from keeping his eyes closed while he walked, as he instead wanted to see and experience the full power of the protest against him.

Almost as soon as the procession down the path had started, a group of protesters on Cell's right had attempted to throw tomatoes at him, which many of the soldiers had to block with their shields.

One of the tomatoes managed to get through, as Cell had neglected to block it. It smashed into his right shoulder, and some among the crowd who had seen this happen began to snicker, while others laughed with hysteria.

About one minute into the walk, Cell saw two protesters to his right who were holding up signs that conveyed a fairly simple message the two protesters had wanted Cell to receive. They had taken the time to sum up their feelings toward Cell, sentiments they wanted him to be able to distinguish from all the shouts from the crowd, through the simple two-word message in black text on a white background on each of those signs.

"F*CK YOU."

A variety of similar signs and incidents of protester angst occurred over the next five minutes, but then, a protester leaped over the meter-high marble wall on the right and noticeably began to raise his right hand, which contained a gun that he was about to point straight toward Cell.

Before he could, nearby soldiers tackled him to the ground and disarmed him of that weapon, restraining him while Cell passed, without incident.

Cell was particularly disturbed by those in the crowd who he saw seemed to be visibly disappointed that the man had not succeeded with his attempt to shoot Cell.

'What good could even more killing possibly do?' Cell wondered to himself as he continued to walk.

About two minutes later, Cell saw among the protesters to his left an effigy of himself, made of crude paper, but made to be almost life-size. One of the protesters then vertically impaled this effigy with an extendable pole, and motioned for the nearby protesters to give him some room.

He then poured flammable fluid all over the effigy and used a lighter to ignite it, then held the burning resemblance of Cell up above the crowd for all to see.

Cell watched as his likeness burned before his eyes, to the delight of many in the crowd, who signified their satisfaction with superlatively audible cheers.

This was the epitome of what they thought of him.

He felt the shame they'd wanted him to feel, and he knew this shame was deserved.

He proceeded along the rest of the walkway's horizontal portion without any significant incident, then came to the marble stairwell which led up to the main doors of the courthouse.

The twenty steps of the stairwell, each 25 centimeters in length and 25 centimeters in height, were made to symbolize the perfection of justice that should be attained by the end of a perfect life.

Cell knew that his life, despite his earlier beliefs, was one that was far from perfection.

Each step was textually engraved with a virtue of excellence that Cell took notice of as he walked up the stairwell.

They read as follows: "Peacefulness; Compassion; Helpfulness; Kindness; Amiability; Productivity; Determination; Openness; Benevolence; Courteousness; Respectfulness; Truthfulness; Trustworthiness; Dignity; Fidelity; Diplomacy; Positivity; Integrity; Empathy; Responsibility."

The top of the step that symbolized responsibility extended beyond the lengths of the other steps and continued for 10 meters until it ended at the main doors of the courthouse.

Cell, noting the potential symbolism, wondered what aspects of his life might end as a result of the proceedings within.

The soldiers in front of him, in their duties as guards, opened the doors so half of the soldiers could enter the courthouse while the other 30 who had walked with Cell could watch him from behind. All 60 of the guards were to remain in the courtroom for as long as Cell was inside the courthouse during the proceedings, for precaution, above all else.

Soldiers other than the 60 who had been assigned to accompany Cell were now holding back many from among the crowd who were trying to make their way up the stairwell.

The courthouse had been filled to its maximum permissible capacity some hours before, save for the entering soldiers and Cell himself.

As Cell entered the building, the other soldiers quickly rushed in, and the doors were closed. The clamor from outside faded to a murmur.

It was an ornate interior, and Cell had arrived in the room where the main proceedings would be held, for there was no lobby. There were some rooms for private meetings toward the opposite side of the structure, where many discussions of legal intricacies had taken place in previous years.

The courtroom's walls appeared to be colored light mahogany, with small lighting fixtures spread along them. Five chandeliers graced the ceiling and further accented the room with their ambience and illumination.

There were about 400 people in the courtroom, and most of them were the relatively few members of the general public who had arrived so early that they had been allowed entrance.

Cell walked along the royal blue carpet, gazing to his left and right above the heads of most of the soldiers, to further observe the conditions of the room. Many of the spectators in front of him looked back as he walked, the anger and frustration in their faces readily apparent.

Some stood up to see Cell more clearly, while others remained sitting down on the mahogany benches, which were padded with cushions that matched the carpet in color.

As Cell approached the front benches, he caught a clear glimpse of his family and friends.

Most had come to testify, while others had come merely to support him.

Cell would have once considered it hard to picture Goku in a suit, but there he was.

Gohan wore a suit that was colored a slightly darker grey than his father's, and both wore red ties.

Vegeta sat in the row behind them, sporting his Saiyan training apparel. His arms, covered in the blue of the apparel, were folded in front of him, and Vegeta looked down as Cell strode past.

Cell saw that ahead of the front row, the tables for the prosecution and defense were set.

On the prosecutor's table to Cell's left were numerous piles and types of documents, some of which were affidavits, some testimonies to be personally delivered, others reports, and then also explanations of exhibits.

The prosecutor was seated at the table. He was a clean-shaved man, who looked at Cell intently as Cell made his way rightward to the table for the defense.

There were no specific clients sitting at the prosecutor's table, for, as it was made clear in pre-hearings, how could the entire population of Earth fit into one or two chairs?

Hardin was seated at the table for the defense, and he looked straight ahead toward the judge's desk, with one hand on his opening statement, the sole document on the entire table.

Four guards surrounded the table for the defense, one at each of its corners.

Cell pulled out a chair to Hardin's left and took a seat as best as he could.

All four guards then pointed their armaments at Cell, who continued to sit in his chair.

The next few minutes were somewhat quiet for Cell, as Hardin appeared grim, occasionally looking at his statement, making a few notes, and doing nothing more. Cell had expected as much from the attorney he'd been assigned.

Across the room, a law officer brought the gathering to attention.

"Please rise in the presence of the Honorable Judge Brian Seldon," the West City police sergeant said.

Cell stood up and looked at the man who entered the room.

He was of moderate stature, with a beard, but no mustache, colored charcoal-grey. His robe almost reached to the floor, and the golden tassels that adorned each of his sleeves rocked back and forth briskly as he walked with haste.

With a motion of the hand, Seldon asked all to take their seats.

He sat down upon his seat at the judge's desk, a tall, golden structure that had been constructed with about two meters of distance between it and the courtroom's back wall.

"The Grand Court of West City shall now commence in its proceedings for the trial of _People v. Cell,"_ Seldon said. "In court this session we have serving as the prosecutor Christopher Mallow, who is also representing the interests of the plaintiff party involved in this case. The plaintiff party consists, in record fashion, of all world residents other than the defendant. Serving as counsel to the defendant is Charles Hardin, also appointed by this court for the purpose of this trial's civil and criminal components. The defendant, Cell, is accused of numerous accounts of assault and battery, manslaughter, intentional homicide, assaulting uniformed officers, armed robbery, destruction of property and capital, and threatening the stability of the global financial system through his actions. We will hear testimonials from witnesses who were summoned to speak on these matters. As it is reasonable to assume all persons in this court's jurisdiction are familiar with the defendant and the defendant's history, and as it is also reasonable to assume that this would be the situation in all other available jurisdictions, this court, upon my affirmation, found it had rightful jurisdiction to hear this case. And as per that affirmation, we find it appropriate to utilize a jury that will have the ability to make recommendations of guilt and sentencing. It is vested in my position to make the final ruling on this case, including and not limited to decisions of sentencing parameters. We shall proceed with opening statements first from the prosecution, followed by statements from the defense, and then we will move forward with these criminal proceedings. There will be no recess unless the court so orders it. For security measures approved by the Municipal Government of West City, guards are permitted to have arms fixed on the defendant at all times during this trial. The prosecution may now step forward."

Mallow stood up from his chair and moved to the area between his table and Seldon's desk, turning around as if on stage for all the audience to see.

"Thank you, your honor. The world thanks you. We have an opportunity to do what is right and to pursue maximum sentencing options for a person who has confessed to all the crimes of which he is accused. The defendant has already admitted guilt on all of the charges that have been brought against him, and the main question now is to determine what his sentencing should be. This is a case that happens not too often in the justice system, as it deals with circumstances that are so black and white. A self-admitting murderer of thousands of people is here for questioning and we have the power to determine how he should pay for his crimes. He is not innocent. He admits it. He is here so that we may hear him out, and so the world can pass judgment on him for the crimes he's committed. He has informed me and the counsel for the defense that he wants to serve the terms the world prescribes for him. Lives were lost because of this person. Property was damaged. Little children were wrested from their parents. The whole of civilization was threatened. And, miraculously, lives lost were somehow restored. We have not been able to explain why, or how. The defendant has indicated he knows how this resurrection occurred, and he told me he would not reveal his explanations until called on to speak in court today. I am confident that this trial can be productive, that the witnesses will provide insights regarding the defendant, and that we might better understand the circumstances of the last few weeks and their broader implications for our global society. We look not to find the defendant guilty, for his guilt has already been admitted, but we instead look to find sentencing options that are appropriate given the circumstances. I look forward to my opportunities for questioning."

Mallow walked back to his table, pulling his chair out and taking a seat.

Hardin then rose from his seat and began to walk forward. He then turned around to address those who had gathered.

"My client has murdered. You all know this is true. He has confessed it. It is in the official record. Yet, we are presented with an unprecedented situation. Those he killed, in fact, as far as our investigations show, all of whom he had killed in recent weeks, are now somehow living and breathing as if their lives had never been compromised. It is most peculiar. Let us consider, then, the crimes for which we have gathered to discuss and debate. My client's victims are victims in name only. They were hurt by my client, and yet they are hurt no longer. The acts of killing were committed, but the results were dissipated. So yes, he had the intention. Yes, he committed the acts. And yes, people are no longer hurt by him in the physical sense. Emotionally, feelings of sadness and depression may linger. But is there tangible damage to people in the form of victims murdered? None. Just, for the good of the world, bad memories. My client has also confessed to crimes of destruction of property. For this, the results of his actions are quite tangible. It will take time to rebuild. Much money has been lost, as well as means to make money. However, as has been evidenced in official files presented to this court, the defendant is of an above average strength. In recordings of the beginning minutes of his recent tournament, it can be seen that my client hit Hercule Satan with such force that Mr. Satan soared in the air for the better part of half a kilometer. Mr. Satan has called such tactics 'smoke and mirrors.' Yet when Mr. Satan arrived back on camera after being struck that far, signs of physical wear and tear were apparent. The defendant's strength can be used to help repair those buildings. He told me he made the ring for the tournament himself. Such may be considered in sentencing options. What the defendant and I want to make clear is his admittance of guilt. We stand in court today because my client wants to explain himself to the world. And when sentencing is made, all of this should be considered."

After his remarks, Hardin began to walk back to his seat.

'That was exceptionally eloquent for someone who didn't seem to care all that much …,' Cell thought to himself.

Hardin sat down, now looking in Cell's direction.

In a whisper, Cell said to him, "I was under the impression you aren't too thrilled to be here."

Also whispering, Hardin said, "I wasn't, but then a thought occurred to me. Defending you is one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced in my legal career. I should be excited. I realized that more clearly when Mallow was talking. This case is testing the very limits of my abilities. I don't know what's going to happen, but I've decided that I'm going to work with you and give it everything I've got."

In another whisper, Cell said, "I thank you wholeheartedly."

"The bench will now allow prosecutor Mallow to begin his questioning," Seldon said for all to hear.

"Your honor, I would like to call Cell to the stand," Mallow said.

'This is it,' Cell thought as he briefly, to his own surprise, gulped.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Seven!_

_Up next in Chapter Eight: Cell takes the stand as all in the courtroom watch in earnest. But nothing could adequately prepare one particular fighter for what's about to happen!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Seven: (Completed 7/22/2009); (Revised: 6/8/2010)_


	8. VIII: Dissemination

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Eight: Dissemination**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

If it had been another time, and if he had been another person, Cell would have had no hesitation in launching a Death Beam straight toward Mallow's heart.

But now was not another time, and he was now largely a whole new person.

Cell stood up from his chair and began his walk to the stand.

He looked back toward Goku and Gohan, then to the jury on his right, to Judge Seldon straight ahead, and finally one more time at Hardin, who Cell at last considered a friend for genuinely wanting to use his legal knowledge to help him.

This was a trial for the world to remember.

And he wanted the truth to be known at last.

Cell took his new seat, which like most chairs designed for humans didn't fit him quite properly because of his wings.

Vegeta smirked at Cell's difficulty in sitting down.

Cell saw one person in the crowd suddenly lift up and wave a disheartening poster:

"LOCK UP THE MONSTER!", it said all in capital letters, with its message intensified for all in the courtroom to see.

Accompanied by a bang of the gavel, Seldon's fiery voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Lower that sign or you will be forced to leave," Seldon said, pointing his gavel at the perpetrator. "This courtroom, and especially this jury, must remain as objective as possible. Do no infringe upon this."

Reluctantly, the observer complied.

"Remember, the jury is here to decide the facts of this case, a role that includes discerning the truth when conflicting stories and allegations arise," Seldon said. "We can't have this crucial power become a biased one."

As was customary in West City's court system, the judge turned to the witness and bound him to an oath of truth.

"Cell, do you so swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so may the fates impact your own?" Seldon asked.

"I most certainly do," Cell said.

"Good," Seldon said. "Prosecutor Mallow, you may now begin your period of questioning."

Mallow walked right up to Cell. He was angled so that he was partially facing Cell and partially facing the jury, trying to maximize his effect on the jurors' opinions by visually engaging them.

"So Cell, do you admit to murder?" Mallow asked.

"Please be more specific," Cell said.

"Is it true that within the past year you have killed thousands of people, and that among them were women, children, personnel of the armed forces, and the elderly?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel you have caused psychological terror and harm of the highest order in the minds of many of the people who you hurt yet did not kill?"

"Yes."

"Would you agree that these actions are unforgivable?"

"Objection!" Hardin yelled, as he believed Mallow was inappropriately asking a leading question.

"Overruled," Seldon said.

"I would agree that at the time these actions were committed, they were unforgivable," Cell said.

"Is it true that you destroyed billions of zeni worth of property, both private and public, and even managed to destroy some islands in the process?"

"Yes."

"The process by which you destroyed this property is one that I'd like you to discuss. How many explosive devices did you use, and where did you obtain them from?"

"I did not use any explosive devices."

"None? How is that possible? You can't just wave your hand and make things explode."

Goku grinned.

"You'd be surprised," Cell said. "I, as well as a few of the individuals in this courtroom, have the power to gather large quantities of destructive energies and focus these energies at targets of our choice. It is how I destroyed most of the property to which you refer."

Mallow expected that answer even less.

"Your honor, it is clear that the witness is not taking my question seriously," Mallow said. "He's offered a fallacious and seemingly facetious answer, making a mockery of truth in the judicial process."

"Point of logical flaw!" Hardin yelled.

"In what sense?" Seldon asked.

"My colleague is presupposing what he's trying to conclude. Just because he's ruling out the possibility of Cell being able to do as he says he can doesn't mean that Cell isn't able to do it."

"You must admit that your client's claim seems most outrageous," Seldon said.

"But just because it seems that way doesn't mean it is that way," Hardin said. "I believe it would be in the interest of the court to inquire as to whether Cell can actually do as he says. This will help us in deciding the veracity of this and other statements he and others will make, and it will help the jurors by enabling them to have more accurate knowledge, which is important if they are to decide upon a fair verdict."

"Very well," Seldon said. "How do you suppose we shall test this ability?"

Cell was curious about this himself. He especially wondered how many people would continue to fall for Mr. Satan's overarching label of these and other techniques as "tricks," even if they saw with their own eyes that such were not the case.

"A moment, your honor," Hardin said.

"Make it quick."

Hardin hunched over so he could whisper to Cell.

He whispered, "Say, you are telling the truth about this, right?"

"Most certainly," Cell said, as well in a whisper.

"Good," Hardin said, softly. "After learning so much weird stuff about you, it isn't a big stretch for me to believe you're telling the truth about this."

"Indeed."

"So, if we test your energy abilities in here, are we going to destroy the place?" Hardin asked.

"No, just get a pitcher full of water and place it on a table such that everyone can plainly see it's resting on merely a table and nothing else," Cell said. "Make sure they can see that there's no heater or other device under it. In fact, ask officers of the court to bring the water and the extra table so that we can add to my credibility by showing I couldn't have tampered with anything."

"Sounds like a plan," Hardin said in a more audible tone.

Hardin then adjusted his posture so he was standing straight up, and made an announcement for all to hear.

"We would now like to demonstrate Cell's abilities so that the jury might judge the presentation and its applicability as evidence," Hardin said.

"All the admissible evidence needed to have been presented before the start of the trial," Mallow said. "You can't legally do this."

"They may," Seldon said. "This could be important."

Begrudgingly, Mallow backed down.

After Hardin told his plan to the judge, the judge instructed three officers to obtain the pitcher of water and a table to put it on.

The officers then left the room, while chatter sparked amongst the observers.

"I hope Cell knows what he's doing," Yamcha said.

"He's certainly taking a bold move by showing off his energy," Tien said. "I was wondering if he was going to keep it a secret. If people begin to believe Cell's powers are real, this might bring to all of us the kind of attention we were all trying to avoid, for the good of the Earth and otherwise."

"If so many people believed Mr. Satan's claims before, then these people might also be really stubborn now," Trunks said. "I'm not sure the jury will believe Cell's abilities even if the evidence is compelling."

"We'll find out soon enough," Goku said.

"Dad, how come Piccolo decided not to come to the trial?" Gohan asked.

"Well, Gohan, he– " Goku paused when the officers reentered the room. "He's helping Dende with some guardian stuff."

"I see."

All eyes turned to the returning officers. Two of them had been carrying a table, and they placed the table between the judge's desk and the tables for the prosecution and defense. The third officer then put the pitcher of water on the table, as requested.

"Carry on with the demonstration," Seldon said.

"Notice how the pitcher is resting on a table, and on nothing more," Hardin said. "Below and within the table are no devices of any kind. Cell also has no devices on his person, and this was thoroughly checked by security personnel. Therefore, what you're about to see is not being done by artificial means, as we are not the ones who gathered the water and placed the table, and as Cell has no devices of any kind to use. What Cell is about to do is with his mind and body alone."

Cell pointed his right index finger at the pitcher, taking aim.

'I hope this works,' Hardin thought to himself.

A dim, but discernable energy beam came into view, soft enough that it would leave no mark of damage.

Goku felt impressed that Cell had managed to control his energy so that the visibility of his attack would remain at least somewhat strong despite the almost nonexistent destructive capability.

The beam hit the water, and caused it to boil. Cell concentrated his energy on the water, the pitcher, and on nothing else, not allowing the energy to disperse wildly.

The water continued to boil.

Some weren't impressed.

Others came to startling realizations.

Seldon was speechless.

So was most of the jury.

"I … I don't believe it," one of the people in the crowd said.

"Believe it," Hardin said.

Mallow was furious.

"Very well," Mallow said. "You didn't use explosives. But did you use this energy you have to kill people?"

The amazement in the room turned to anger again. Cell's moment of giving partial splendor to the crowd had vanished.

"Yes."

"No further questions of the defendant at this time, your honor."

Mallow walked away.

"The bench now recognizes the defending attorney," Seldon said.

Hardin walked up to the stand.

"Cell, can you state more clearly to the court what you want to accomplish here today?" he asked.

Cell took a deep breath.

"Absolutely," Cell said. "Again, I admit to plentiful wrongdoing. If I could go back and prevent all the horrors I committed against you all, I would. It's interesting to note that I have already done that in a sense, but I and the witnesses I have asked to testify on my behalf will explain that in more detail as the trial progresses. What I want from this trial is to give the world a chance to hear the truth, to understand me and to understand what led me to evil. I want proper punishment for my actions. And I want you to understand why I did what I did. Of course it was wrong. Any rational person would think it was wrong. I was not rational at the time. I now am. I will elaborate on that, as crazy at it may sound. I want all of you to know what I did and for all of you to know I will never hurt you or your children again. I look forward to additional questions so that I may better explain myself."

"And now, I'll ask you a follow-up question so the jury can get a better sense of what is going on here," Hardin said. "Cell, is it true that your decision to kill these people was a completely conscious decision on your part, such that it was one that you had full control over?"

"No."

"Explain."

"It may be hard for the jury to embrace, and it may be hard for the world to fully grasp, but the truth regarding the reality of my existence is by no means one that any standard definition of 'normal' would consider as such," Cell said. "What I'm about to say is shocking, … horrific, even. It's the story of how I was born, or rather, … created. You see, I was not 'born,' like humans are. And I said that how I did with a strict implication: that I'm not human. That's right, I am not human, … physically, anyway. I may look somewhat human, but this is not body armor you see. The green, spotted texture is part of my form, not a suit. These are real wings. This is a real tail."

Some of the members of the audience were becoming sickened by the description; some stared on in shock.

"An evil scientist by the name of Dr. Gero synthesized me in a lab. I was born in a tube. I have no true parents, only some fool who served as my creator. I was designed as a biomechanical creation for the primary purposes of serving as a weapon to destroy all that I found to be flawed, and to also act against a particular person and his family and friends. I was born out of revenge. There was once a boy who saved the world from the Red Ribbon Army. You might have recognized him from the days in which he actively participated in World Martial Arts tournaments, and in fact, he was most recently a contender against me during the Cell Games. Do any of you remember him? He's sitting in the front row, with the spiky black hair. He was the one that I, above all else, was programmed to kill. Say hello to everyone, Goku."

Many of the people in the courtroom looked to the front row, the overwhelming majority of whom did so without knowing who this seeming stranger was.

For the purpose of helping Cell, Goku stood up so that all in the room could see him.

"Hey, he does look kind of like one of the guys who was at the Cell Games!" said one of the people in the audience close to him. "Is Cell for real? Were you at the Cell Games, bro'?"

"I was," Goku said.

"Dude, you had golden hair and blue eyes during the Games. Did you change them to your current colors so people wouldn't notice?"

'Well, actually, the reverse is somewhat true, but …,' Goku thought to himself.

"I will answer questions when I am on the stand," Goku said. "And yes, Cell was programmed to kill me. But he is now a friend, and you should hear him out."

That statement was a shocker.

A person who Cell tried to kill … calling Cell a 'friend'?

What level of sanity would that require?

Was he a conspirator?

"Yes, I was made to kill Goku," Cell said, causing all in the courtroom to turn their primary attention back to him. "And here's two more parts you won't readily believe, but which are entirely true. First, in order to achieve a higher biomechanical evolution, I had to absorb my brother and sister through my tail. This involved me literally sucking them up through my tail so that I could gather their matter and energy and integrate it with my preexisting form. They were two of many other androids Dr. Gero, who had been the surviving mastermind of the Red Ribbon Army, created for the purposes of killing Goku and wrecking havoc. But my brother and sister had already been killed by another brave warrior other than Goku. I proceeded to kill that warrior and take a time machine that allowed me to travel to the past, to a time when both my brother and sister still existed so I could absorb them and achieve what I thought at the time was a perfect form."

Trunks shuddered.

"I arrived in this timeline four years ago, and the point in the now alternate future from which I came is more than 15 years from now," Cell said. "As you all know, I made my presence public only recently. But in all of this, you need to remember something very important. I didn't have what you would call free will. I was constructed from the genetics of not only Goku but of many of his friends, and even some of his most hated enemies. I gained their genetics, their powers, their abilities, and their intelligence. Gero wanted me to become the ultimate fighting machine, because my status as a weapon of that magnitude would further his thirst for revenge. In being crafted through the way I was, my mentality was predetermined. I was born to be a killer. I had no other choice. Gero made me that way. Two of the most wretched enemies of the universe, a genocidal alien overlord and his father who ruled over an even vaster expanse, had come to Earth many years ago after Goku had fought the son in space. They wanted revenge, and Dr. Gero used a probe to steal their genetics as well. Their mentalities predominantly shaped my mentality, and theirs were largely combined with the arrogant, sometimes overconfident mentality of another fighter who happens to be in this room."

Vegeta grunted.

"I was programmed. I had no option to do otherwise," Cell said. "It was for what I felt would make me stronger and happier by serving Dr. Gero's will that I did what I did. Gero was a monster. He did not care how many innocent people would die just so long as I could achieve his twisted goals. So when he realized he could not design me to initially have the ultimate form he designed for me, nor the amount of energy he wanted me to have in my basic state, because of the limitations of housing such energy in an artificial being, he created a scheme in which I would find it natural to kill others and absorb their strength. He wanted me to live and breathe that method of life. I was that way for a long time. But then, there was Gohan, the son of Goku, who managed to stand up to me and put me in my place at last. Gohan punched me in the head, and through the randomness of what might happen when one gets punched there, he warped my personality and allowed me to truly experience feelings other than those of the three hateful ones I mentioned previously. It was a new world for me, … a new perspective. It's the perspective through which I see the world now. The contrast was so much so that my memories of glee in killing the innocent became nightmares of the horrible, horrible things I had done. I wanted to die for what I had done. A large part of me had wanted Gohan to actually kill me when he had the chance, even though I was afraid and asked him to stop. But then I realized there was good I could do, good I could do if the world heard me out. Eventually, even if it takes a long, long time for me to gratefully have the opportunity, please, let me help people in need so that I can atone for the evil I committed. That's why I'm here today, not only in a quest for clemency but so that I can know how I may best help the Earth."

There was silence for a moment, then Hardin spoke up.

"A touching story, and a lot to take in. What do you say to those who don't believe it?"

"Please believe it. It is all real. Every last bit of it. And–"

Cell suddenly stopped upon hearing the loud cheering that was emanating from outside the courtroom walls.

He then realized that the helicopter blades he had earlier heard in the distance were moving closer toward the courthouse.

With the power of the hearing he had inherited from Piccolo, Cell heard a swooshing sound through the wind of a person jumping off the helicopter, and the sound of that person landing right outside the courtroom's walls.

Then, the main doors opened up.

And the theme music roared to life.

"Cell!" yelled the caped crusader, who then proceeded to start running down the aisle.

'Oh good,' Cell thought to himself.

"I, Mr. Hercule Satan, have come to stop you from spreading even more lies and mistruths!"

He stopped running and struck a pose at the front of the courtroom near Cell.

"I am not," Cell said.

"Don't talk back to the champ!" Mr. Satan said. "I'm here to make sure justice is served! You can say all you want about it being hard for you to be good, but in the end, what really matters is what you did!"

Seldon rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"How did you even know what I was saying?" Cell asked. "I was under the impression that there aren't any cameras or recording devices in this room transmitting live coverage of the proceedings to the world outside this building."

"I, too, wonder how exactly you came to know what was happening in here," Seldon said as Mr. Satan turned his attention toward him. "I purposefully wanted the jury of this trial, just like with any proper trial, to not feel the pressure of having to appeal to the popular opinion of a television audience when it reached its decision."

"Well Judge, rest assured that while the folks outside this room don't know what's been said in here, as the World Martial Arts champion, I have my ways!" Mr. Satan said, as he then shifted his gaze toward the defendant. "Cell, you and all your cheap tricks won't get you far this time either! Those light shows from the Cell Games, the super-powered springs you used to fling me into that mountain, and all your holograms, trap doors, and cloaking shields can't save you now! In fact, you probably stole all that stuff, just to make it look like everyone but me during your little show had superpowers. It takes a downright liar to do all that, and the people in this courtroom know a liar when they see one. Everything you just said seems to just magically fall into place, as if we're supposed to give you pity and somehow believe all that nonsense. Well, whether you're from the future or not, or even if you're human or not, it doesn't really matter. Why? Because when you mess with the Earth, you mess with me! And when you mess with me, you're going down!"

He finished his statement by making a fist with his right hand and pointing his thumb toward the ground, signifying his situational superiority over Cell for all in the courtroom to see.

"Hercule! Hercule! Hercule!" much of the crowd within the courtroom cheered.

"This is just … damn, this is what I get for trying to have as much of an unbiased, fair, and objective trial as possible despite the circumstances," Seldon muttered just loud enough for Hardin to hear.

As it had turned out, Mr. Satan had paid one of the soldiers in the courtroom to wear a pair of glasses with lenses that were literally camera lenses with the ability to wirelessly transmit livestream video. The glasses had a microphone attachment that transmitted sound, and Hercule felt that he had the right to listen in.

While he had not shared the video and audio feed with the half million people outside, (and indeed, Cell would have quickly realized if he had through his superior hearing), Hercule had used the video and audio feed to not only see and hear the case verbatim, but to discern when an opportune moment would arise for a dramatic, heroic entrance that could serve as excellent publicity.

He had been scheduled to appear as a witness later in the proceedings anyway, but he timed his entrance to maximize himself. His status as a witness had enabled him to get through the main doors and cause the current commotion.

"Well Cell, I'm glad to say I won't even have to lay a fist on you because the power of the law is doing that for me," Mr. Satan said.

'More like I've scared the living daylights out of you more than once and you don't want to come back for more, despite what you've said to work up this crowd,' Cell thought to himself.

Cell then got an idea.

"You know Hercule, you're right," Cell said. "We're not going to fight. But while I'm looking forward to our eventual rematch, I'd like to make a proposition. Remember Gohan, the boy who was fighting me during the Games? Well, it just so happens that he's here today."

Mr. Satan looked to the front row, feeling his plan for further fame about to go up in flames.

The young half-Saiyan looked at Mr. Satan, wondering what Cell was about to suggest.

"Gohan was able to hit me pretty hard," Cell said. "And on worldwide television, you declared victory over me, proclaiming that you defeated me. Well, we want the jury to get as many facts as straight as possible so it can make a proper verdict for me, so let's confirm something here and now."

Hercule increasingly didn't like where this was going.

"Like what?" he asked, with a hesitancy that at this point was more apparent through the change in his stance than the change in his tone.

"You know very well that the second half of the fighting that took place during the Cell Games wasn't recorded. And even if it was, it would not necessarily lend itself to showing who had the power required to defeat me," Cell said. "As we all know, you're claiming that you did. And Gohan here is quite strong. I'd like to see what would happen if the two of you were to have a friendly match. This will help gauge how strong I am, and it can help put all of our testimony into a broader, more proper perspective."

"Cell, this is highly out of order and quite reprehensible," Seldon said. "Not only are you asking a boy who from the looks of it has just entered his teenage years to fight the strongest man in the world, you're also asking for a fight to be conducted during my court session to prove some fickle point."

"With all due respect, your honor, it isn't necessarily fickle, and believe me when I tell you that the boy is more than capable of taking care of himself," Cell said. "A large part of all this involves fighting. It was what drove me, and it was the medium through which I contested Goku, Gohan, and their friends. It really does matter, if we're going to get all our facts straight, which of these two people is stronger."

Seldon thought about it for a moment.

All eyes were on him.

He thought about it some more.

And then, he made a decision.

"Gohan."

"Yes, your honor?"

"Normally I wouldn't consider Cell's proposal to have merit, but he did manage to summon the energy he said he could, and he also implied it can be used for fighting. He seems to know a lot about fighting, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, your honor."

"What do you say to his proposal that you and Mr. Satan fight?"

Gohan honestly didn't know. His family was now already in the limelight enough as it was, and his mother and father had tried so hard over the years to have private, quiet lives and to keep their family's collective powers a secret not only for the defense of the Earth and humanity but for their own defense as well.

But now, he was being directly called upon, in a court of law, to possibly give in to a demonstration that could have a big impact not only on his life, but on theirs.

He looked to Goku.

His father whispered something in his year.

"Ask your mother."

Gohan looked at Chi Chi and she then whispered something in his year.

Gohan's expression wouldn't have been able to capture the extent of his surprise.

"Yes, I will do it."

"Then it shall be!" Seldon said, as he banged his gavel to signify a shift in the proceedings.

Hercule, whose eyes widened with sudden unease, felt his emotions tip toward a contorted knot of fretful anxiety.

'Oh man!' he thought to himself, as he noted the hundreds of faces in this courtroom, the hundreds of thousands of faces outside, and the millions of faces around the world who would be able to view and listen to news coverage of what was now approaching.

"Let us go outside, everyone, and set up an improvised ring!" Seldon said as he stood up from his desk. "Guards, escort Cell outside as we make our way there."

Seldon walked from his desk to the central aisle, and others in the courtroom began to make their way outside.

The main doors had already been open as a result of Mr. Satan's decision to barge through them, and the crowd outside was watching intently as those who had been inside the courthouse were emerging.

Minutes later, an improvised ring was being formed through the crowd shifting to make an open, circular space as people continued to move swiftly to the scene.

Gohan had gotten up from his seat and was walking next to Krillin, all the while wondering what exactly he was getting himself into.

Goku, who had decided to take a few moments to remain seated so he could reflect on what had transpired, looked at the doors, then looked at Chi Chi.

"Chi Chi, what did you say to him?"

She smiled, then replied.

"I told him to show that good-for-nothing, dishonest, fame-stealing doofus who's boss!"

He smiled, too.

"Well, it looks like Mr. Satan's in for a run for his money. Literally," Goku said.

"By the way," Chi Chi said as she began to nuzzle into Goku's shoulder, "that night a few weeks ago was really enjoyable."

He remembered, and said, "Yes; yes it was."

Goku then took her by the hand, and they briskly walked outside to see their son.

* * *

_Thanks for reading Chapter Eight!_

_Up next in Chapter Nine: the battle between Gohan and Hercule begins! And what is Cell not currently aware of that should make him worried? Stay tuned!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Eight: (Completed 10/2/2009); (Revised 6/8/2010)_

* * *

_Author's notes:_

_Many things have happened in my life since the last time I updated this story, and I'm proud of them and am looking forward to future spirited endeavors. [October 2, 2009]_

_And even more has happened since then! I have graduated college, and I am excited to be using all my skills to go back to some of the earlier chapters of this story and improve the presentation to help increase this story's mystique. [June 8, 2010]_

_It is both humbling and extraordinary to be able to yet again return to these early passages and update them to adhere to even stronger and more effective principles of storytelling. Now that I am utilizing my college education in a career that enables me to work in a professional writing capacity, my overall abilities in the linguistic and literary crafts shall continue to increase in quality. May your continued literary endeavors be fraught with awesomeness! [February 7, 2011]_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _


	9. IX: Precision

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Nine: Precision**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Hercule Satan hadn't realized days ago when he'd watched the young Super Saiyan fight Cell that he would ever have to personally fight the boy.

And he had not anticipated the severity of the stakes.

'If I don't find some sort of way to beat this kid, I'm done for!' Mr. Satan thought to himself.

He then heard a group of some among the crowd give him an extended cheer.

"Satan! Satan! Hercule! Hercule! No matter what we call you, we know you rule!" they chanted.

"Oh yeah; I'm the champ!" Mr. Satan yelled in reciprocation, as the cheering among the widespread crowd intensified in volume.

'They're going to catch me in this big old lie for sure!' Mr. Satan thought to himself. 'Cell's about to make a laughing stock out of me!'

Closer by the courthouse, Cell was in the middle of taking a breath of fresh air when a thought occurred to him. He briefly chuckled.

"You know, if I was still sadistic, I would be intensely enjoying this moment more than I should," Cell said to Hardin as the two walked down the courthouse's outer stairwell, accompanied by guards that flanked them on either side.

"From what I've gathered, you're banking on Mr. Satan not being all that he's claiming to be," Hardin said. "If that's the case, then you should be enjoying that the truth is about to be revealed."

"Well, I didn't say I was going to forgo enjoyment of this little bout altogether," Cell said, noticing that the improvised ring forming within the crowd had now widened to about 100 meters. "I'm just saying that if I were my former, maniacal self that I'd be taking great pleasure in the pain and humiliation that Mr. Satan's about to receive."

Not too far from the ring, a certain Saiyan prince was smiling.

"That buffoon is going to show the world how much of a dolt he really is!" Vegeta said to Goku and Chi Chi, who were walking next to him. "I can't wait to see your son show these people how little of a challenge he'll have in decimating that pathetic fool."

"There's no doubt about this being one for the books," Goku said.

"Definitely," Trunks said, as he caught up to them and looked ahead.

The armed personnel created as much of a perimeter as they could around the circle's boundary with the crowd.

Judge Seldon arrived at the edge of the circle and saw that Gohan and Mr. Satan had also been able to get there.

He noticed that Mr. Satan seemed a bit on edge, and not just literally.

He took up the megaphone he'd been provided and announced the preliminary procedures.

"Mr. Satan, please take your place in the ring."

Hercule found his way to the center of the ring, while trying as best as he could to center his emotions.

"Gohan, please do likewise."

Gohan was about to enter the ring when Krillin tapped him on the shoulder.

"Have some fun out there, okay Gohan?"

With a smile back, Gohan replied.

"Sure thing."

Gohan entered the ring.

Mr. Satan's eyes lit up.

An astute observer would have found Mr. Satan's ki signature to be emanating an indication of great distress.

All who could readily sense this felt it strongly.

And while he couldn't discern this feeling as clearly as those who'd been trained in the art, Mallow had a bad feeling about this.

"This exhibition match has been authorized under the West City Court System for use in discerning the truth of crucial statements and evidence to be used in the trial of _People v. Cell_, and I will be the primary arbiter of rules and regulations with regards to the conduct of this match," Seldon said. "The following match is to demonstrate the relative strength of the combatants so that this court may determine the likelihood regarding which of these fighters had the more conducive level of strength to battle and defeat Cell in combat. Fighters are to not hold back, using their best skills to win. I authorize this form of conduct with the understanding of involved parties that both combatants are capable fighters of substantial strength. Any personal decision to withdraw from combat must either take the form of a verbal mention or a tap out, completed by tapping the hand twice on the ground. In the event of potential entrance into the crowd, guards of the ring are to protect bystanders with the shields that have been provided. With that said, fighters, take your places at opposite ends of the ring."

Both did as they were told.

"I will now begin the countdown."

Mr. Satan felt the anxiety swelling up within him.

"Three…"

But before Seldon could continue, a news reporter, Sara Bliss, interrupted him.

"Wait one sec'!" she shouted right next to Seldon's left ear.

Seldon removed the megaphone from in front of his face to talk with Bliss while Mr. Satan sighed for this brief relief.

"We're in the middle of a trial, what do you find so important that you had to interrupt me?" Seldon asked, in a somewhat irritated tone.

"Well sir, the overwhelming number of people here can't see what's happening because thousands of people are blocking their view of Mr. Satan and that kid," she said. "We're trying to bring in a team of helicopters that will collectively carry a giant screen and speaker system. Our camera crews on the ground, which haven't been let past the start of that long walkway, should have the opportunity to come in and relay footage and sound of this match so that more folks, here and in front of their televisions, can see and hear what's happening.

"I'm not required to provide any form of coverage of these proceedings to the general public, especially because I want the jury to remain as unbiased and as unpressured as possible," Seldon said. "It's why we don't normally televise hearings. We're only outside right now because fighting inside the courtroom would not have been practical. Whichever folks can see and hear this fight right now and who weren't inside the courtroom before should be lucky they're having this rare opportunity. I want you to call off the helicopters."

Bliss looked forlorn.

"But sir, this trial is a truly historic one for everyone on this planet," she said. "Should they really be denied the opportunity to watch and experience this part, especially since it's a special match that isn't entirely part of normal court proceedings?"

Seldon briefly thought about this.

"You've raised some valid points," Seldon said. "This match may be televised and you may have the helicopters bring in what they will. But everything inside the courtroom is still off limits to televised and audio coverage."

"Awesome!" she said, running over to Seldon and to his great surprise, hugging him. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it," Seldon, who was blushing, said.

After overhearing their conversation, as he was relatively nearby, Master Roshi laughed out loud.

"Man, I wish I was in that guy's shoes right now!" he said rather loudly.

"Typical," Oolong said, folding his arms in disgust.

Mr. Satan, who'd also overheard their conversation, was realizing the implications of what had just been allowed to happen.

A few minutes later, eight helicopters that were collectively carrying a giant screen and substantial speakers made their way to the airspace over the courthouse grounds, to the crowd's audible delight. The helicopters found a position right above the courthouse to hover, enabling everyone who had gathered to see the screen.

Various news crews made their way to the ring, and a camera crew that had been contracted through a shared news service was streaming live video and audio feeds into the giant screen and speakers.

"And now, the countdown for the start of this match shall commence again," Seldon said, this time for almost everyone on the planet to hear.

The crowd slightly quieted, eager to watch the fight unfold.

Mr. Satan gulped.

"Three…"

Gohan engaged a deep stance.

"…two…"

Hercule was seeing his fame drifting away.

"…one…"

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Satan said, calling a timeout before the match began.

Mr. Satan began to run across the ring over to where Gohan was standing.

"Is there a point of issue, Mr. Satan?" Seldon asked.

"Uh, just wait one minute while I speak with the boy, alright?"

"That's all you'll have."

Mr. Satan arrived at where Gohan was standing, and both of them were far enough away from the crowd and the news crews' microphones that Hercule could safely whisper to Gohan without his words being picked up.

"Hey, kid, are you really going to go through with this?" Mr. Satan asked.

"This is a court of law, Mr. Satan. It is my duty to do so," Gohan said.

"Look kid, I don't want you to get hurt …."

Gohan interrupted him right then and there, the look on his face clearly showing he was annoyed.

"Mr. Satan, you can't possibly be serious," Gohan said.

Hercule knew the kid was serious.

"Gohan, that's your name, right?"

"Yes."

"Gohan, I'll give you anything you want. Anything. Please, it's important that I maintain my fame."

The half-Saiyan was taken aback.

"Excuse me if I don't see the big picture here, but I don't see why you being famous is so important."

Mr. Satan pointed his index finger up, as if he was trying to give an inspirational speech.

"The people need a hero, Gohan. So many of them think of me as their hero. If they see that I was a phony, then they'll lose faith in their safety."

"And so you want me to help perpetuate your lie?"

"It's for the good of the world."

"I don't think so."

"What?" Mr. Satan said a bit too audibly for his own good, his facial expression of clear anger adding to the feeling of some in the crowd that the conversation was heating up.

"You're not doing any good for these people by providing a false hope, lying to them like you are," Gohan said. "Their prayers and dreams are being answered by lies and more lies. A so-called hero of the people is only failing them if he is merely pretending to be a hero. It's not right to say you're their protector and to then go against your promise behind their backs."

"You're missing the point!"

"I don't think so. When they need you most, when there's a real situation that calls for heroic deeds, what will you do? What will you do if another Cell comes along?"

The desperation was growing.

"I'll take that enemy down."

"You're believing your lie too much. You're endangering the world and yourself by continuing to act as you are."

Mr. Satan clenched a fist.

"How dare you talk that way to me," Mr. Satan said. "I'll forgive you and let you walk away from this right now if you want. Again, I'll give your family anything it wants if you'll just back down."

"No."

"You just want all the fame for yourself!"

"Think again."

"That does it! Get ready for battle!"

Anxiety had been overcome by rage.

'This little punk doesn't know what's coming to him,' Hercule thought to himself. 'I'm going to have to do this. It isn't just for me. Being the hero can help me provide a good life for her. A shattered image will ruin that dream. It's not just for me; it's for her ….'

He paused briefly, then made a proclamation.

"We're ready!" Hercule said.

"Then's let's get started," Seldon said.

Both fighters took their positions.

"The countdown shall begin yet again," Seldon said.

Gohan got into his ready position.

"Three…"

Mr. Satan did likewise.

"…two…"

The crowd waited in earnest.

"…one…"

'Here we go,' Mr. Satan thought to himself.

"Begin!"

There was a relative silence in the air.

The fighters stood still.

Mr. Satan let go of his fighting stance.

He looked to Seldon and made an appeal.

"Your honor, do you really expect me to fight this kid?" Mr. Satan asked. "What good will hurting him in front of all these people do?"

"Your honor, I can take care of myself," Gohan said. "My parents have given the court permission to enable me to do this. And I want to do it."

"There's your answer, Mr. Satan," Seldon said.

"Very well," Mr. Satan said.

Mr. Satan entered into his fighting stance again.

Gohan waited in earnest.

Mr. Satan came charging at Gohan, with his fists at the ready.

He launched a barrage of attacks at the Saiyan, who dodged a few, and blocked a few more.

Not a single one made unblocked contact.

Gohan then let his guard down.

Mr. Satan punched Gohan square in the face.

Some in the crowd gasped at the site of the champion punching a twelve-year-old boy in the face with substantial force.

But then, they looked again.

Gohan had not flinched. Mr. Satan's hand had stayed where it was.

"Is that really the best you can do?" Gohan asked.

"Your honor, for the last time, I don't want to hurt this kid," Mr. Satan said. "I've been going soft."

"That looked like a pretty powerful punch to me," a nearby spectator from the crowd said aloud.

"It was," Gohan said. "That really was the best he can do."

"Oh yeah?" Mr. Satan asked. "Watch this!"

He had forgotten his gimmick on holding back.

Now, the crowd would see the results of his public declaration of greater power.

He punched at Gohan's face again, and Gohan easily blocked his fist.

Mr. Satan was visibly struggling to push forward.

Gohan purposefully let his guard down again and allowed Mr. Satan to punch him again in the face.

Mr. Satan's hand made contact.

Once again, Gohan didn't flinch.

The crowd was spellbound.

"I think, Mr. Satan, that there's no point in continuing," Gohan said.

'How dare he do this to me!' Mr. Satan thought to himself. 'I'll defend not only my title, but my reputation as well. I can't have my daughter's life tarnished because of her father; I can't!'

Mr. Satan put all his power into his last punch.

Gohan blocked it, then jumped up and flicked Mr. Satan lightly in the nose.

Hercule was flung backward more than 20 meters, visibly startled as he soared through the air.

The crowd saw it.

The champion landed with a thud.

He was on the ground for a few moments, and the crowd stared.

He got up.

He looked around him.

He saw people looking at him.

He needed to say something to save as much face as he could.

"Good going, kid," Mr. Satan said, in an air of defeat.

"A good fight," Gohan said, right before he promptly turned around and left the ring.

There was a stunned silence, although some could hear Krillin complementing Gohan and patting him on the back.

"Well, … I think we've seen enough," Seldon said.

* * *

At home, Videl remained glued to the television screen that had displayed the fight.

The cameras that had been outside the courthouse had captured what had just occurred.

Her father had been defeated.

But, wow.

"Was Dad really just defeated by that boy?" she asked out loud.

"Wow! He must be really strong!" said her friend, who happened to be visiting her that day.

'And … kind of cute, too,' Videl thought to herself as she briefly revealed a sullen smile.

* * *

All in the courtroom took their seats.

The session for questioning witnesses had begun.

Mallow stood up and called Violet Lizalor, a woman whose husband had been killed by Cell, to the stand.

"What was it like after he was killed, Ms. Lizalor?"

She brought a tissue to her eye to wipe away what had been a genuine tear.

"It was horrible. Dreadful. My two daughters were crying profusely. We'd seen it happen with our own eyes. That monster brought his tail up, stabbed my husband with the point of his tail, and it looked like he'd then used his tail to drain my husband of his matter."

"How did you escape?"

"We ran as fast as we could. Cell looked like he was about to come for us, but then this guy with green skin and a cape appeared, and Cell focused on him."

'Must have been Piccolo,' Gohan thought.

"We got outside the city, and then we saw a whole bunch of explosions," Lizalor said. "Fortunately, we escaped, but my husband was killed."

Mallow let that statement stand for a few moments before he asked her another question.

"I must make mention of the fact that your husband and many others are now back from the dead. Does this change anything?"

"Well, I'm overjoyed that he's back, of course. He's in this courtroom now, keeping me company," she said, as she then briefly pointed to her husband. "It's a miracle. I don't know how he and so many others came to be back, but it's a miracle. That doesn't, however, change the fact that Cell wanted him dead. He wanted to kill my husband so he could advance his twisted and brutish goals."

"I have no further questions of Ms. Lizalor, your honor," Mallow said as he began to walk back to the table for the prosecution.

It was now Hardin's turn, and he stood up and walked to the stand.

"I have but one question, Ms. Lizalor. What would you do if you learned that Cell was directly responsible for helping revive your husband and all the other people who have miraculously returned from the dead?"

She hesitated.

"Are you asking me a hypothetical question or are you trying to suggest that this actually happened?"

"Either way, your response will be telling."

"Well, I highly doubt that Cell would be capable of doing such a thing, not only because of the nature of his conscience but also because it seems to be an impossible thing for a mortal being to do, even if Cell can make water bubble from across the room and light come out of his hands. But to more fully answer your question, if Cell had actually been responsible for bringing my husband back, I suppose I would owe him at least a modicum of gratitude for doing so, although the fact remains it was he who killed my husband in the first place."

"A quick follow up question, Ms. Lizalor; what would you say if I told you that many of the witnesses I'm going to call to the stand will testify that Cell was, in fact, directly responsible for bringing the people he killed back from the dead?"

"I think I would be amazed if it were true, and that I truly would owe him some gratitude."

"No further questions, your honor."

Hardin and Mallow then proceeded to call up a number of witnesses, obtaining key testimony in the process.

* * *

"A time machine?" Mallow asked. "Cell suggested earlier that he came from the future, but are you meaning to suggest and corroborate that time travel is possible?"

Trunks: "Yes. You see, just like Cell, I've done some time traveling myself. I came back from the future to fight these evil androids … "

* * *

"What did he do when he first made contact with you and the fleet?" Hardin asked.

Commander Volyova: "We fired upon him at first, but then he calmly surrendered. He explained that he wanted to see justice done for his crimes. And he actually stayed with us, even going so far as to …"

* * *

"So, how did Cell just all of a sudden have this change of heart that you and him have been talking about?" Mallow asked.

Gohan: "I punched him hard in the head, affecting an area of his brain that encouraged his negative and aggressive personality. He realized he was wrong and wanted to atone for everything. I didn't believe him at first, but he proved himself by …"

* * *

"Dragon Balls?" Hardin asked.

Goku: "Seven magical spheres of great power spread across the Earth. Some other planets have sets of their own. When brought together, you can call forth a dragon that will grant a number of wishes. Cell knew about the intimate workings of the Dragon Balls, and went out of his way to engineer a wish so that …"

* * *

"So … he killed you?" Mallow asked.

Eighteen: "Not necessarily killed, but absorbed. I was scared. He was a monster at the time. He achieved his perfect form when he absorbed me."

"What do you mean by 'perfect form'?"

Eighteen: "I, as well as one of my brothers, were turned into androids by Dr. Gero. I hate that man. Cell's design involved absorbing us to achieve faster and more powerful forms. He radically changed in appearance with each transformation. His look now is quite dissimilar to how he looked originally. But he apologized to me …"

* * *

"All that distance?" Hardin asked.

Mr. Satan: "Yes, all that distance."

Hercule left the stand, and solemnly walked back to his seat.

Goku turned to Chi Chi.

"Hey, I just realized that Bulma's not here today. What's she up to?" he asked.

"She said she wanted to come, but that months ago she scheduled an important meeting for today with a supply contractor," Chi Chi said. "She wanted to reschedule when she learned that the trial was also going to be today, but she said something about budget and deadline stuff preventing her from being able to do so. Why do you ask?"

"Well, with Trunks and Vegeta here, I just thought she'd be here too."

"Speaking of Vegeta, look who's up next on the witness list."

"I now call Vegeta to the stand," Seldon said.

Vegeta got up from his seat and walked briskly over to the stand, eyeing Cell while he made his way.

Cell tried to ignore him.

"Vegeta, do you so swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so may the fates impact your own?" Seldon asked.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Vegeta said nonchalantly.

"Please show some more respect for this court and the rule of law."

"Fine. Let's just begin."

As the murmurs among those in the courtroom began to diminish, Krillin and Gohan spoke.

"Well, this is ironic," Krillin said in a whisper. "Vegeta's going to go on about how Cell is a threat when he's the real one and Cell would no longer hurt a fly."

"We'll see what happens, Krillin," Gohan said. "We'll see."

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Nine!_

_Coming up next in Chapter Ten: Vegeta testifies and Cell defends! The trial reaches its final moments as Cell makes a decision that will impact the lives of everyone. Stay tuned!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_- American Vigor - _

_Chapter Nine: (Completed 10/7/2009); (Revised 6/8/2010)_


	10. X: Immolation

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction - **

**Chapter Ten: Immolation (Season One Finale! - Part One of Two)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Vegeta knew he was running out of time.

The testimony in Cell's favor had significantly shifted the tone of the room.

Fools who had fought to stop Cell were now rooting for the scoundrel instead.

Their stupidity was baffling.

Too many people who had actually been born on this planet were now betraying it, and if he was going to successfully defend this world from the looming chaos, he would have to act decisively.

He couldn't risk the jurors becoming too lenient. He feared, based on comments he had overheard, that they were going to be just that.

It was unacceptable.

He clenched his fists to help himself focus.

He looked at Cell, who looked back at him with anticipation.

The light that had been radiating through the courtroom's crystalline dome had dimed with the passing hours.

Now, it was time for his testimony.

Mallow walked up to the stand and proclaimed Vegeta's importance for all to hear.

"My next and final witness, like many of the witnesses summoned for the defense, fought against Cell in the events leading up to the Cell Games and in parts of the games thereof. You'll notice that he's principally testifying on behalf of the prosecution, rather than in Cell's defense. This makes him different from all the others, save for Mr. Satan, who fought against Cell and are now principally testifying on Cell's behalf. How they could do so is still somewhat beyond me. But my witness, who goes by the sole name of Vegeta, will offer a very different perspective regarding the defendant."

Vegeta readied himself. He knew his presentation would have to be clear and convincing.

Mallow began the questioning.

"Vegeta, please describe your interactions with Cell."

"I am a noble warrior who strives to defend this planet, and that coward wanted nothing but to take my life and the lives of everyone else," Vegeta said. "I fought against him. I tried to protect this world from him. And since I couldn't stop him on the battlefield, I'll do my best to stop him here. Hell, do you think I have enjoyed being here, spending my day inside a musty building while being bored out of my mind? Absolutely not! But I'm putting up with these ridiculous proceedings, and with all the nonsense that so many witnesses have spoken about today in Cell's defense, to have the opportunity to tell the greatest truths about this situation. Oh sure, Cell might have helped some people. Yeah, big deal. He killed a bunch of people with no remorse. Remember that. We have, at best, a psychologically unstable lunatic here who, even if he sincerely believes he never wants to do evil again, could snap at any moment. It's disgusting how any of you could possibly think we should be lenient with this monster."

Goku had to hold himself back from shouting out to Vegeta to refrain from these comments.

Cell, however, was glad that perspectives the others had not conveyed were being proclaimed.

However, he was concerned that Vegeta would distort the most important truths.

"Did Cell actively try to kill you?" Mallow asked.

"Without a doubt. Absolutely. And he also tried to kill my son, who is fortunately with us and is sitting right over there," Vegeta said, pointing at Trunks. "In fact, if it wasn't for my son, I would have died at Cell's hands."

Trunks couldn't help but smile at that one.

"For the record, who else among the witnesses did Cell try to kill?" Mallow asked.

"Every single one of them who fought against Cell."

"What have you witnessed Cell do that hasn't been mentioned in this courtroom today?" Mallow asked.

Vegeta thought for a bit.

It was true that so much had been spoken about and that so much had been covered.

He knew that the jury actually did have a pretty comprehensive picture already of the events that had transpired.

But wait! There was, indeed, an additional important item that he felt the jury should consider.

"Members of the jury, you should know that Cell consciously acted to bring his brother back from the dead while knowing that his brother is a bloodthirsty murderer," Vegeta said.

Eighteen almost jumped out of her seat, but Goku, who had been sitting in front of her, motioned for her to stop.

She listened to him, although Goku was not entirely surprised at how low of a blow Vegeta was dealing.

Sixteen's face showed anger as well, and Gohan couldn't blame him when he saw his friend's scowl.

Cell had feared that Vegeta would resort to this.

"Please elaborate," Mallow said.

"Gladly!" Vegeta said, knowing he had struck a nerve. "I was not there at the time Cell made his wish with the Dragon Balls to bring the dead back from the grave, but after speaking with my fellow fighters, I learned that Cell purposely engineered the wish to bring his brother back as well."

'Seventeen, wherever you are, I hope you are at peace,' Eighteen thought to herself as Vegeta continued to talk about Seventeen in the context of Cell's wrongdoing.

"Android Seventeen, the brother of Cell and the brother of Androids Sixteen and Eighteen, is a coldblooded murder," Vegeta said. "I saw Seventeen kill his creator, Dr. Gero, with my own eyes. Not only did he kick the doctor's head off, but he then stomped it into oblivion! Cell knew all of this, and he used his knowledge regarding the innermost workings of the Dragon Balls to resurrect Android Seventeen anyway!"

Cell thought to himself about what Vegeta was saying.

'Vegeta's logic is so warped. Seventeen's mind, like mine, had not been entirely his to control. He'd been innocent in that way, quite like me.'

Cell's thoughts were interrupted by Mallow's next query.

"Android Seventeen has been mentioned many times in this courtroom today, and yet, even though he seems to be a central witness to Cell's actions, he is not presently in this courtroom," Mallow said. "Seventeen did not volunteer himself to appear in court today, and this court's efforts to locate him were unsuccessful. Do you happen to know where Seventeen currently is?"

Vegeta flinched.

He should have anticipated this question, but he had not.

'This could pose a problem,' Vegeta thought to himself. 'How am I going to skirt this one? Ah, I know.'

"I'm not sure," Vegeta said.

Eighteen sneered at the audacity of that answer while Sixteen also tried to hold back the full extent of his anger.

"But regardless of where Seventeen is, the fact remains that Cell enabled a murderer to come back to life," Vegeta said. "Look at the psychological instability we're dealing with here. Cell tried to kill me, and he tried to kill my fellow warriors. He rewarded his brother with life, and that was after his brother had killed someone else. What kind of person would do that? Someone with great depravity would, and so would someone with no real pride or sense of honor. I am grateful to my son for helping me live. I am not, however, grateful to Cell for helping Android Seventeen live."

This time, there was no smile on Trunks' face.

"Did you ever fight against Android Seventeen?" Mallow asked.

"Yes," Vegeta said.

After a pause, as he had expected a more elaborate response, Mallow asked another question.

"Can you tell us more about fighting Android Seventeen?"

"I fought him first when he was a part of Cell. I fought him later when he threatened the world again. Now, I don't know where he is," Vegeta said.

Mallow looked at Vegeta, seemingly unsatisfied with the brevity of his response.

"Do you have any more remarks for the jury and for the court?" Mallow asked.

"Yes, yes I do," Vegeta said. "Let me make this clear. When Cell used the Dragon Balls to bring people back to life, he brought back from the dead a person who wanted nothing more than vengeance and murder. Goku, the warrior sitting in the front row right now, was the primary target of this person. This was an android that was determined to strike at Goku and to destroy everything Goku held dear. Before he was revived, that android was cold, ruthless, and evil in his ways. And this is the type of person who benefited from Cell's wish. This is the type of person who Cell allowed to come back to life. Now, with Cell, we're dealing with someone who has promoted the chance for further death and destruction through bringing a killer back to life through the Dragon Balls."

Vegeta paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"Think of what is at stake here. Cell must be punished for the danger he has placed this world in, for the lives he's taken, and for the lives his mentally unstable form could take in the future. Please, listen to me, all of you. Your lives are at stake. Stop Cell now, before it's too late."

There was a stunned silence that lingered in the air for a few moments.

"Thank you for your comments, Vegeta," Mallow said as he stepped away from the stand.

Just as Hardin was about to approach Vegeta to cross-examine him, Cell tugged on Hardin's jacket.

"What?" a startled Hardin asked Cell in a whisper.

"I need to talk to you," Cell said.

"Is there a problem?" Judge Seldon asked.

"My client and I wish to briefly discuss a matter before proceeding," Hardin said.

"Very well. You will have two minutes."

Hardin leaned in closer to Cell.

"So, what's up?" Hardin asked, in a quieter whisper.

"What were you going to ask him?" Cell asked, whispering in kind.

"I wanted to find out why he's being so ambiguous regarding where your brother is," Hardin said. "He's acting like he's hiding something."

Cell knew he had to play this right.

"Hardin, a very important thing happened regarding Vegeta and Seventeen a few days ago that I've neglected to mention to you," Cell said.

"Really? What?" he asked.

"Vegeta killed Seventeen after he was brought back to life."

Hardin could have shouted out his surprise, but managed to control it.

"What? Why didn't you tell me that before?" he asked.

"Because my friends, my brother and sister, and I didn't want to tell anyone who didn't already know. Vegeta's wife doesn't even know. There's been enough pain and suffering already. Deep down, he's a good person who is just trying to look out for his family and his adopted planet. He's deeply misguided, but his intentions are noble. He killed my brother because he honestly thought Seventeen was a real threat. It's the same reason he's fighting against me now. And with our past performances, with all my brother and I did, he has a lot of right to feel as he does. But we don't want his family to suffer because of what he did. We don't want Bulma Brief to be hurt in any way. I have done enough harm as it is. Just let it go. Let him off the hook on this one. Were you going to ask a question about anything else?"

"Well, what is there left to cover?" Hardin asked.

"I can't think of anything to ask," Cell said.

"Are we just going to let him have the last word and not defend you?"

"Everything he said was essentially true, Hardin."

"But he was so misleading!"

"Indeed, but his statements were truthful enough, and in my opinion, it's important for the jury to have been impacted by them," Cell said. "Even though I made sure when I brought Seventeen back with the Dragon Balls that he would not be able to deviate from the side of good, Vegeta might respond if we bring out anything to that effect by saying something that truly would obfuscate the truth. The effect that would have on the jurors may be undesirable, especially if they come to have a truly distorted perspective. I believe it's time for us to cease."

"It looks bad to not respond at all," Hardin said.

"We have nothing of value left to offer," Cell said.

"Cell, this is important. If we remind the jury that part of the wish you made prevented your brother from doing any more evil, and then also mention that Vegeta killed him anyway, it might work in your favor."

"But as I said, it would not be entirely desirable to do that. I would rather not."

Seldon made a loud proclamation.

"The time for the defense's consultation is up!" Seldon said for all to hear.

"Can you think of anything else that might be worth mentioning?" Hardin quickly asked, still speaking in a whisper.

"Off the top of my head, no," Cell said.

Hardin waited for a moment.

"Fine."

Hardin turned around to Judge Seldon.

"Wait, Hardin," Cell said out loud.

Hardin quickly turned back around.

"What?" he asked out loud, in a somewhat startled tone.

"There is one question that I would like you to ask," Cell said.

Hardin looked to Seldon, hoping to seek his approval for a few more moments of consulting with his client.

"My client would like one more minute, your honor," Hardin said.

"You have 20 seconds," Seldon said.

Hardin turned back to Cell, and Cell whispered the lengthy basis for the question while Hardin listened intently.

Hardin then walked to the stand.

"Vegeta, you previously acknowledged that even though Seventeen did, in fact, kill Dr. Gero that Gero is the only person Seventeen actually killed. It has also been established that Seventeen, who had started life as a human being, was turned into an android by Dr. Gero against his will. Keeping these factors in mind, I will now ask you a related question," Hardin said. "Vegeta, please state for the court whether you would agree with the statement that even though you ridiculed Cell for bringing Seventeen back from the dead because Seventeen killed Dr. Gero, it should be remembered that Dr. Gero was a homicidal maniac who killed multiple defenseless people in his plans to kill Goku, to take revenge upon the world through mass destruction and death, and to glorify the Red Ribbon Army, a militant organization that wanted to bring this world under the rule of an oppressive dictatorship."

There was a sudden pause in the room.

Vegeta didn't fully know what to say, although after a few moments, he said something anyway.

"Yes."

"We have no further questions, your honor."

As Hardin walked away from the stand, Vegeta tried, without much effectiveness, to conceal his surprise for what had just happened.

* * *

Had it been another day, she might have decided to walk to her appointment, but with all the commotion in West City due to Cell's trial she had decided to drive.

Her appointment had gone well enough, with somewhat favorable results, although it could have gone better.

Still, she felt the appointment had been productive, and now she was in the midst of driving home.

This particular corridor of the city was less populated than usual because so many of its residents had ventured to the courthouse to be there while Cell's proceedings progressed.

She halted her vehicle in front of a red light on a narrow street, all the while listening to pleasant music from one of the local radio stations.

Her tranquility, however, was disrupted by a man who was approaching rapidly from her left.

When she saw that he was flailing his arms in what appeared to be panic, she rolled down her window, despite the traffic light turning green.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Do you need any help?"

"My friend is very sick!" he excitedly said, with a look of desperation. "I don't have a mobile phone, and I need your help!"

"I have a phone, and I could call emergency services if you give me a moment," she said.

"There's no time for that! He needs help right now, and I don't know how to help him!" the man said. "Can you please come and look at him to maybe help him if you can?"

"Alright," she said, as she then carefully pulled the car over on one side of the road, opened her door, then shut it.

She ran toward the man, who beckoned her to follow him.

"You're lucky that I have first responder training," she said as the two of them continued to run. "With everything I've been through, I thought it would be a good idea to take some medical courses."

"It's a great thing you did," the man said, as he continued to lead her to the spot where the other was waiting.

* * *

The jury was returning from its convention.

The decision had not taken long to make.

Unanimous consent had been attained.

As the jurors shuffled back to their seats, Cell watched them sit down, one by one.

"This is it," Hardin whispered to him.

The last juror had taken her seat.

Judge Seldon readied the courtroom.

"It is now time to hear the jury's verdict in the trial of _People v. Cell_," he said. "We ask for all in the courtroom to please remain silent out of respect for the jurors' speaking time."

The audience hushed down.

A juror whose peers had chosen her to represent the jury's decision stood up, walked out from the jurors' box, and stepped farther forward.

"The jury's decision has been reached by unanimous consent," she said. "We took many factors into consideration, including the testimony of our witnesses, the testimony Cell offered, the evidence we were presented, and news reports of revivals all across the globe."

Cell continued to listen.

"While it is true that Cell has done some good deeds in recent days, there are many people he killed without remorse," she said.

'I think I see where this is going,' Cell thought to himself.

"We believe Cell's actions, on the whole, for his threats to this world and to human lives, have been beyond despicable."

'And here and now I will become confined,' Cell thought.

"Although there are strong arguments in his favor and others against it, there is only one course of action we would recommend."

Just as Cell was about to look down in shame, he heard a distinct scream.

It was a voice he knew, one that something deep inside him recognized almost immediately.

His Namekian heritage had enabled him to hear the distant voice among all the others outside, and that one particular voice was calling out for someone to answer.

There was trouble, and he knew that he had to act swiftly.

So much of the city's police force was stationed at the courthouse for extra protection.

They wouldn't be able to get there in time.

"With all of this, we will now announce our decision," the juror said.

To leave now would make him look all the more suspicious and spiteful.

Any faith the people had gained in him, the faith they would need to judge him more accurately, could be shattered.

He knew that.

But this was too important. These were risks he was just going to have to take.

Gohan then perked up, as he realized he was receiving a mental message.

'In a few seconds, you and your father will need to protect everyone in this courtroom from what's about to fall from above them,' Cell mentally transmitted.

Gohan looked quickly at Cell, unsure of what to say and uncertain about what was happening.

"On behalf of West City, we …"

Before she could finish, Cell loudly snapped the links between his handcuffs and took to the air, flying through the roof and shattering the glass dome above.

As the guards continued to shoot upward, making even more debris fall, Gohan motioned his hands toward the falling glass and used his energy to suspend the shards in the air.

"Dad!" he yelled.

"Right!"

While his son had prevented the glass from falling any farther, Goku helped by using his energy to gather the glass into a ball. He then rolled the ball across the field of energy that his son had gathered to position the ball over a spot where it would not hurt anyone below it.

Gohan then let go of his hold and Goku let the ball drop gently.

The chief of police held back his amazement to issue an order.

"All civilians, stay here! All police and soldiers, report to your respective units! We must capture Cell and restrain him!"

Armed personnel rushed out of the building and to their vehicles while the chief of police placed a group in charge of keeping the courtroom secure.

Vegeta hadn't been aware of the particular voice Cell had heard, but he knew all too well that thousands of people outside had screamed in terror when Cell had burst through the top of the courthouse.

'You won't escape from me this time,' he thought to himself as he lifted off, then soared through the cracked dome.

"Father, wait!" Trunks yelled, speeding off after Vegeta.

Goku ran over to Seldon and the representative juror, who were both walking out of the building.

"Your honor, where are you going?" Goku asked.

"It is important that we deliver the jury's verdict to Cell personally, as per our court's legal procedure," Seldon said. "The law must be served."

Goku noticed that they had decided to leave without consulting the other jurors about what had happened.

"Dad, common; we need to go!" Gohan yelled.

"Chi Chi, be safe," Goku said to his wife.

"I promise, Goku," she said.

Goku and Gohan ran outside and began their flight, following Trunks and Vegeta to ascertain the new and ominous truth.

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Eleven: Why is Cell risking so much that he had hoped to gain? Revelations and reflections abound in the second half of Honor Trip: Season One's finale! _

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_- American Vigor - _

_Chapter Ten: (Completed 10/20/2009); (Revised 6/9/2010)_


	11. XI: Preservation

**Honor Trip**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction - **

**Chapter Eleven: Preservation (Season One Finale! - Part Two of Two)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter contains brief instances of attempted sexual assault which could be emotionally upsetting. Please take this into account._

* * *

It had been many years since Bulma had seen a gun pointed to her head.

And never before had she been so frightened.

"Hey Elum, check out the babe," one of the thugs in the alley said to the other, circling Bulma while keeping his gun pointed.

Bulma's hands were up in the air.

"Yeah, I'd like to see what she's made off," the other said, running a hand across her cheek while revealing that he possessed a gun as well.

"Just take my money and go away," Bulma said as tears rolled down her eyes. "It was bad enough that you tricked me into coming here by making me think one of you was sick. The only thing that's really sick around here is that the two of you are doing this!"

"Sorry sweetie, but ol' Elum and I are going to have a little fun," the thug said.

"You first, Teh? Or how about me?" Elum asked.

She looked even more nervous now.

"What is it that you want?" Bulma asked, as her voice shook with fear.

"You," Elum said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"And then, no one will have you ever again," Teh said.

The tears became stronger.

'My little boy, oh, my little boy ….'

She closed her eyes as the guns remained pointed toward her.

Then, close by, there was suddenly a noise.

Was it the sound of a landing?

She opened her eyes.

"Get your hands off of her!" Cell yelled at the assailants.

"Hey Teh, look at the freak the wind just blew in," Elum said.

"Well I'll be, … it's Cell, the guy everyone's been so afraid of," Teh said. "From the looks of those broken handcuffs, I'd say your trial must have gotten out a little early."

"You could say that," Cell said, continuing to approach them. "Lay one more finger on her and you'll both be sorry," Cell said.

"Oh yeah, buddy? What are you going to do about it?" Elum asked.

"You obviously don't understand what truly happened at the Cell Games, otherwise you'd know that a world of hurt is about to come your way," Cell said.

Bulma looked at the scene playing out in front of her.

'Is Cell really trying to save me?' Bulma thought to herself, in the midst of the discourse.

"I didn't bother watching; it all seemed like just another opportunity for Mr. Satan to show off," Elum said.

"Unfortunately for you, you're grievously mistaken," Cell said.

"I've had enough of this chit chat," Elum said. "Hey Teh, it's time to put some lead in him."

"With pleasure!" Teh said, taking aim.

Teh fired a bullet straight at Cell's chest.

Cell caught the bullet with ease.

He then crushed it in his hand, placed his fist facing downward, and opened his palm to allow the powder to drop.

His expression became all the more angry.

The two thugs' eyes lit up with fright, and they both pointed their guns straight toward Cell, firing away as he walked closer and closer.

Cell kept on taking the hits, and the shots made barely noticeable dents on his form.

In the blink of an eye, he grabbed each of their guns, and then, at a speed they could see, he broke them in half.

He then used his energy to hold the two of them still.

Neither could escape the strong grip of Cell's mental power interacting with his physical force.

Bulma walked over to him.

She approached him softly.

"Cell…?"

Another figure abruptly landed, having found his way by sensing Cell's power level.

Cell briefly acknowledged the newcomer with a smirk, then held up his right hand in a 'thumbs up' pose.

"Cell, what's going … Bulma?"

Vegeta did not take the time to fully analyze the scene.

"Bulma, get away from him now!"

"But Vegeta, he saved me!"

Vegeta's expression became one of astonishment.

Trunks then landed, followed a few seconds afterward by Goku and Gohan.

"Hey guys, Cell just saved me!" Bulma said as she waved at them.

"What are you talking about, woman?" Vegeta asked, interrupting Goku as he was about to speak. "How could that be true? That's impossible!"

"Vegeta, these thugs were about to hurt Bulma very badly," Cell said. "I had to stop them."

"So that's why you left the courthouse," Goku said, scratching his head. "Now it makes perfect sense."

"You could have at least told us why you were going!" Gohan said.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind the next time I fly out of a court proceeding to go and do something like this," Cell said. "By the way, Goku, why didn't you use your Instant Transmission technique to catch up to me much sooner?"

Goku, after realizing his tactical error, let out a hardy laugh.

"I suppose you're right, I could have done that," Goku said. "Well, I guess I can't think of everything."

"Of course," Cell said.

Trunks walked forward a bit.

"Cell, I need to thank you for saving my mother," he said. "She was in dire straits, and I would not have known to come save her. I owe her life to you."

Cell turned to the boy who in another time he had killed with pleasure.

"It balances an old cruelty I committed against your family many years from now," Cell said as Trunks began to wonder exactly what he'd meant.

The fighters then turned their heads to the sky in time to see Piccolo descend, then land next to Gohan.

"When I heard that Bulma was in duress, I raced here as fast as I could," he said. "It looks like you beat me to it."

"It would appear that way," Cell said. "I was fortunate to get here when I did."

"Indeed," Piccolo said.

Sirens from speeding vehicles came all the more close.

The tracking device West City had installed within Cell was working perfectly.

Dozens of police officers parked their cars on the nearby street. Soldiers were also arriving in armored vans. Some of the armed personnel secured the perimeter, while others pointed their guns at Cell, who continued to restrain the movements of the two thugs.

Two of the officers proceeded to interview those who were present about what had happened.

Seldon's armored air car landed, and he and the jury representative stepped out.

They walked briskly forward.

"Officer, state your name and offer your report," Seldon said to the nearest police officer, who was standing next to Trunks.

"Officer Mack Trevize, sir. It would appear that the two people Cell is presently restraining tried to sexually assault and then possibly murder Bulma Briefs, the chief executive officer of Capsule Corporation, who is currently here."

Seldon looked to another officer who had come forward.

"Officer John Pelorat, sir. What's more is that it would appear Cell, himself, prevented these thugs from hurting her, and that it is likely for this reason that he left the courtroom in such haste."

Seldon shifted his gaze toward the unexpected rescuer.

"They had guns," Cell said. "They don't have them any more."

"Building on what the police officers said, Cell barged out of the courtroom like he did because his extremely sensitive hearing allowed him to hear Bulma scream, which prompted him to come here as fast as he could," Goku said.

"Is this your interpretation of these events as well, Vegeta?" Seldon asked him.

Vegeta remained speechless, but very slowly, and with extreme reluctance, nodded his head.

"Very well!" Seldon said. "Cell, the jury found you guilty on all accounts."

Cell took the news with silence.

Disappointment entered Goku's heart.

'Well, maybe we should have expected nothing to the contrary,' Cell thought to himself.

"However," Seldon added, "a key reason why this was so was because the jury also wanted to recognize that you have indeed performed actions to make up for your evil deeds, and that you engaged in these good actions without agents of the law forcing you to do so."

'Where's he going with this?' Goku wondered.

Seldon motioned to the representative juror.

"Do you care to read the rest of the jury's verdict?" Seldon asked.

"Most certainly," the representative juror said. "This is quoted verbatim from the language we decided upon: 'Because of his actions to make up for his atrocities, including his use of the Dragon Balls and their resultant alleged effects, which we have treated as fact due to the miraculous revivals of our loved ones, and in recognition of the greater freedom of his mental thought than was possible previously, as it has been determined that his capacity to exercise good deeds had been significantly diminished before the Cell Games, we recommend that Cell's sentencing should not be as severe as if these factors were not at play.'"

Cell continued to listen in earnest while policemen handcuffed the thugs, enabling him to relax his grip over them.

"As the judge of this trial, I have the power to decide which sentencing options to pursue," Seldon said. "I was going to give you 15 years in the slammer, which rose to five lifetimes after what I thought was your attempt to evade the law. However, this additional act of bravery, to the extent that you were willing to potentially diminish your reputation in my eyes should I have not recognized that you were acting to save another life, and in its reaffirmation of your good deeds subsequent to the Cell Games, is most extraordinary."

Cell's eyes widened.

"Because of all this, I am going to sentence you to only two years of action for West City, none of which shall involve prison time. Instead, you will be required to perform acts of community service for 25 hours a week during each week of those two years."

Cell looked at Seldon, wondering whether it was truly appropriate that his punishment was as decreased as it was.

"Oh yes, one more item," Seldon said. "You will be required to monetarily reimburse the property holders whose property you destroyed. Trust me, it's a hefty sum. However, you could otherwise facilitate that property's reconstruction, and I am mentioning this alternative because it seems like it might actually be within the realm of your abilities."

"That's all?" Cell asked.

"Two years of community service plus the property compensation. That is your sentence," Seldon said.

Even though Cell welcomed this decision, he continued to wonder whether it was a good one.

"Are you sure this is fair to the world, considering all I have done?" Cell asked.

"Yes!" Seldon said. "You helped bring all the good people you killed back from the dead and you just saved a damsel in distress. The answer is yes."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Now go live your life!" Seldon said. "You'll get the sentencing paperwork from us in the coming days. To what address should I have it forwarded?"

"I'm not exactly sure, … um," Cell said, pondering his options and trying to figure out what to do.

"Mine!" Bulma said.

Vegeta stared at her.

"Forward it to the main Capsule Corporation compound!" Bulma said, looking toward Cell. "Cell's going to be staying with us while he tries to rebuild his life, that is, if it's alright with him."

"What!" Vegeta loudly exclaimed.

A pleasant smile came to Cell's face.

"Can Sixteen and Eighteen reside with me in the space you will provide?" Cell asked.

After a moment of hesitation and a look of partial concern, Bulma smiled.

"After what you did for me today, it would be my pleasure," she said. "Goku had told me you were different now, somehow, but I didn't know if I entirely believed it or not. Now, I most certainly do. Both of them can stay with us, too."

"If that is an offer you are willing to make, then it would be most appreciated," Cell said.

"Then it's settled!" Bulma said.

"What!" Vegeta yelled even louder this time, much more enraged than he'd been before.

"Most excellent!" Seldon said. "The court will be in contact with you, Cell. After two years' time, we'll remove the tracking device. Be careful, and keep on being good," Seldon said as he waved Cell goodbye.

"Alright," Cell said as he waved in kind.

Another car came to a halt in the nearby street, and Hardin and Mallow opened its doors.

They briskly walked toward Seldon and the representative juror, and briefly consulted with them.

A small smile crept onto Hardin's face, while Mallow took Seldon's news in stride.

Hardin walked forward the rest of the way with his hand extended outward.

"Congratulations, Cell," he said, shaking Cell's hand while Cell tried as best as he could not to put too much force into his own handshake. "I had some fun defending you, but it was nowhere near as much fun as it looks like you have defending others. Keep it up."

After Hardin let Cell's hand go, Mallow shook Cell's hand as well.

"You have a full life ahead of you. Make it count," he said.

Both gave their own waves of goodbye and parted the scene.

As some of the police cars and armored vans began to depart, Goku spoke up.

"Cell, I'm looking forward to working with you so we can make this world a better one."

"So am I, Goku; so am I," he said.

Bulma then chimed in.

"Come on Cell, are you ready to go see you new home?"

He looked to the sky, and then to her.

"Sure, let's go."

The two of them began to walk toward Bulma's car, and Trunks followed closely behind them.

Bulma briefly turned around.

"Aren't you coming too, Vegeta?" she asked.

Vegeta was hesitant, but answered after a brief pause.

"I'll … see you a bit later," he said.

"Alright," she said, figuring that his response had not been totally unexpected.

Piccolo said his own goodbyes, and began his flight back to the Lookout.

"Dad, we should head back to the courthouse to let Mom know what's up," Gohan said.

"You go ahead Gohan, I'll catch up in a bit."

Just as Gohan was about to fly off, he saw three helicopters approaching at a relatively low altitude, with the lead one way ahead of the others.

'What's going on now?' Gohan thought to himself.

Gohan then stared more closely at the lead helicopter and was surprised when he saw next to its pilot one person in particular.

His mother.

She was waving out the window and yelling his name while the pilot motioned for her to stay in her seat and close the window.

Gohan could only imagine as to what a scene she'd caused to get on that helicopter.

Cell had been hearing the helicopters approach, but he had not looked at them either until now.

The pilot of the lead helicopter was almost finished landing the helicopter on a rooftop when the police and soldiers that had temporarily quarantined the area lifted this restriction, enabling the reporters that had been waiting many meters away to proceed forward.

Dozens of reporters charged toward Gohan and Cell, some with notepads, some with cameras and audio equipment, and some with combinations of these items. A few had the luxury of having a camera crew accompany them.

Cell backed up to where Gohan was standing, while Bulma and Trunks did as well.

Within the span of 10 seconds, and with all deliberate speed, there were more microphones in front of them than they could readily count.

A barrage of questions ensued.

- "Cell, what was the jury's verdict, and what did the judge say?"

- "Gohan, now that you've defeated Mr. Satan, do you consider yourself to be the champion of the world?"

- "Does the fact the police aren't restraining you mean you're free to go?"

- "Is it true that you're here because you were saving Bulma Brief from harm?"

- "Why is your hair black and less pointy now? Did you decide to change its color and style after the Cell Games for any reason?"

These were just some of the questions they could hear from the discordant cacophony of sound that increased as more and more reporters asked more and more questions.

Normally, the reporters would have had more decorum as per the professionalism of the field, but they were rightfully excited because of all the extremely newsworthy things that had occurred.

Gohan and Cell were so overwhelmed that they had not yet answered any of the questions, as so many were being asked.

"Please! Everyone, one at a time!" Gohan said loudly.

The reporters then engaged in the professional etiquette of letting one among them speak at a time, extending this courteousness to help each other enhance the quality of their reporting.

"Alright Cell, so, as I previously asked, is it true that you abruptly left the courthouse in the middle of your trial because you were trying to save Bulma Brief?" a reporter from ZTV asked.

"That's correct," Cell said, as many among the reporters who had notepads readied themselves to jot down a quote. "Bulma was in perilous danger, and because I inherited super-human hearing from one of my predecessors, I was able to hear Bulma cry out for help from a sizable distance away. When I arrived, two thugs, who had guns, were about to hurt her. I removed their guns from them, broke the guns in half, and restrained the thugs until the police and soldiers arrived."

"Bulma, if I may ask you a brief question, what does it feel like to have been saved by Cell?" another reporter asked.

Cell noticed that while Bulma was politely smiling as she answered, she sounded and otherwise looked as though she was emotionally drained from the recent events.

"He's a hero," Bulma said. "He saved my life, and I'm able to talk with you now because of him."

"Does this mean, Cell, that the jury and the judge looked upon you favorably?" another reporter asked.

"Unsurprisingly, I was found guilty on all accounts," Cell said, as some among the reporters came to wonder how that could be true if he wasn't currently being restrained. "I'll let Gohan explain what happened, since the explanation will be more objective if he says it, rather than I."

"Sure," Gohan said, as the microphones, recorders, and cameras angled toward him. "Because of Cell's heroism in not just saving Bulma but in doing all the other good things he's done since he gained the free will to do those good things, he will serve no prison time. He will serve two years of community service, and he'll also be responsible for restoring all the property he destroyed. The jury recognized that Cell's ability to make good decisions was significantly restricted by his creator's brainwashing, and the jury also recognized that the brainwashing had contributed to all the bad things he had done before. He's not that way now, and even though I fought Cell with all my might when he still wanted to destroy the world, I now consider him to be a friend and I trust that he will fight to help the world."

Cell then raised his right hand, beckoning the reporters' attention.

"And now, my friends, if you will excuse me, Bulma, and her son, we're going to be leaving," Cell said, causing a brief stir among the reporters that soon subsided. "As you could imagine, Bulma's had a rough day, and Trunks and I are going to accompany her to our next destination, where she'll be able to rest. I want you to know that I sincerely value your questions, and that I will be glad to answer any and all questions that you have on another day. I hope you'll understand, and I am looking forward to your future questions."

A general acquiescence came with Cell's statement, and the reporters showed high professionalism, letting Cell, Bulma, and Trunks start to depart from the premises.

"Oh, but before I go," Cell said, as he briefly turned around, "I want you all to remember that while the three of us happen to be leaving, Gohan is still here, and you can ask him all the questions you want!"

Cell ended that statement with a smirk, and laughed to himself a little bit more when he saw the somewhat flabbergasted change in Gohan's expression.

'He'll get used to it,' Cell thought to himself as he continued to follow Bulma and Trunks toward Bulma's car.

Gohan, on the other hand, while having faced many tough challenges in his life, had not yet gotten used to answering questions for the entire world to hear.

And while he did stutter a little bit in answering the first question he was directly asked, he also kept in mind that he wasn't totally unfamiliar with this particular type of pressure, as he had testified in a worldly regarded court and as he had also been on worldwide television twice before, during the Cell Games and in his recent exhibition with Mr. Satan.

"So, Gohan, why haven't we seen your talents before?" one reporter asked.

Gohan didn't know whether answering that question would give too much away that his family wouldn't want revealed, or whether answering it fully would bring about an unneeded hardship on his family. But so much regarding the secrets his family had tried to keep had already been revealed in court today, and it was only a matter of time before the court's official records of what had been said during the proceedings would be published.

So much privacy was already gone, and he knew some revelations could help the world.

He saw that his mother had caught up to the group of reporters and was standing behind them, giving him a smile with a 'thumbs up' as a sign of approval for him to answer.

He looked to his father, and saw him nod in support.

'Alright,' he thought to himself.

"I … well, I've trained in the martial arts for all my life, and I have fought numerous opponents in faraway places," Gohan said. "But when I fought those opponents, I gave it my all. When Cell threatened the world and decided to have his competition broadcast on worldwide television, it was a fight, all the same. I fought him because the world needed me to fight him. The world found out about it because it was on television. Helping people from behind the scenes was helping people all the same. I've tried to live a humble life, never asking for more than I needed, and always helping out the innocent whenever I could. I learned those special values from my parents. Now that Cell is one of the good guys, and it is my heartfelt belief that he is, I am sure that he will do the same."

Another reporter spoke up.

"How exactly did you know to follow Cell here?"

"I, as well as some of my friends and family, have the ability to detect people with especially significant levels of strength, and we're able to use this detection ability as a sort of radar," Gohan said. "Actually, if you don't mind my asking, I'm quite curious how all of you folks knew to come here. Could you tell me?"

This time, the interviewee had asked the interviewer a question.

"Many of us were at the courthouse when Cell broke through the dome," the reporter who had most recently questioned Gohan said. "When the majority of the soldiers and police who were stationed at the courthouse began to pursue Cell's trail, a bunch of us decided to follow them. When many of us saw you were headed in the same direction, we figured we might be able to interview both you and Cell when we got to your destination. Both of you have done some pretty newsworthy stuff."

"I guess we have," Gohan said. "Thanks for the details. Are there any more questions?"

"Why's your hair black?" one reporter asked, audibly sounding as if food had recently been in his mouth. And indeed, it had been, as Gohan noticed a half-eaten doughnut in the reporter's left hand.

The reporter continued his question.

"I was just wondering since, well, during the Cell games it looked like you were a blond guy. Did you use spray, or something, because you were trying to conceal your secret identity?"

Gohan chuckled a bit to himself.

"Secret identity? No, I've never had one of those," Gohan said. "My hair just happens to be black now. No sprays or products were used."

"Then how'd you change its color?" the same reporter asked.

"That's a trade secret," Gohan said. After all, he didn't have to reveal absolutely everything. "Next question."

"What are your plans for the future?" another reporter asked.

"I plan to keep on studying all the academic subjects I'm learning about and to keep on building my martial arts skills," Gohan said. "If any future threats to the Earth and to its people come, I'll want to be as ready as I can be to fight them. I am confident that Cell will fight alongside me this time."

"Are you aware that you've been offered a movie deal?" another reporter asked.

"Movie deal?"

Gohan's mother then caught his attention, as she was jumping up and down at the back of the crowd while pointing to a man with a director's cap. He was holding up in the air what looked like it could be a contract.

"Well, that's interesting," Gohan said. "But I do think we should walk and talk. There's probably a good restaurant around here, and like my father, I don't pass up an opportunity for good eats when they're close by."

He began to walk, and the reporters walked with him.

Chi Chi ran up to Gohan and hugged him, and Gohan smiled at her warm embrace.

He stopped suddenly, and turned around.

When Gohan looked to his father, he saw Goku had not moved from where he was standing.

"Aren't you coming too, Dad?"

"No son, there's something I have to take care of first."

Seeing his father with a serious expression, and recognizing the gravity of the situation and who else remained, Gohan continued to walk with the reporters as they took to his additional comments with keen interest.

Goku and Vegeta stood somberly, facing different directions.

Neither said a word for many moments.

Then, one spoke up.

"How can this possibly be, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked.

Goku turned to look at his colleague.

"Because it is, Vegeta. It's as real as the sun and the sky."

Vegeta continued to look at the ground.

"But, … it just doesn't make sense," he said. "How could someone so evil change so much?"

"Couldn't the same thing have once been said about you?" Goku asked.

A few more moments passed. The wind rustled some papers nearby.

"I'm going to be on my guard, Kakarot. I still don't trust him."

Goku looked at his friend once more.

"You still have much to learn, Vegeta."

Goku turned and walked slowly away from the alley. Once he reached the sidewalk, he briefly walked along its path, then took to the sky.

Vegeta continued to stand where he was, taking in all that had happened, and pondering what was to come.

Nearby, the figure in the shadows who had observed intently while the recent events had transpired fled the scene without a trace.

* * *

_Up next: a new season_ _of Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip begins with Chapter Twelve! How will Cell adjust to his new life, especially with the unforeseen obstacles ahead? What twists and turns will the timelines experience as a result of all that has transpired?_ _Find out in_ _Honor Trip: Season Two!_

_Thank you so much for reading this story's first season! I appreciate your vigilant readership, and I am with sincere gratitude for your continued support! I hope you'll enjoy Season Two as much as I'll have fun writing it! _

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_- American Vigor - _

_Chapter Eleven: (Completed 10/21/2009); (Revised 7/10/2010) _

_Season One: (Completed 10/21/2009)_

_Grand Update Revisions for Season One (Chapters One – Eleven): (Completed from 1/22/2011 - 2/22/2011)_

* * *

_Author's Note from 2/22/2011: As I mentioned in the first chapter of Season One, this season's theme song is "Eagleheart," by Stratovarius. You can listen to this song by typing "Eagleheart" into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video. _

_I will now explain why I thought this was a fitting theme song for this season, especially with regards to its symbolic significance. _

_The song has an energetic and lively feel, and this is akin to how Cell felt about his newfound wisdom during this season, despite his knowledge of all the wrongs he had previously committed. _

_It also imparts a sense of optimism, reflecting the overall tone of this season as Cell had developed an enlightened optimism that encouraged him to not only repent for his past evil, but to also make the universe a better one in which to live. _

_The song's lyrics are especially significant at a symbolic level, and they have been reproduced here with annotations that show the symbolic significance I ascribed to the lyrics in relation to this season. In no way do I own any rights to these lyrics; I am a fan of Stratovarius and I think the music the band has produced is way past cool. _

_Each line has an annotation number that corresponds with a line of symbolic analysis that follows the full text of the song:_

_All through the night he is lying awake (1)_

_Wondering how much more can he take (2)_

_Watching the walls where the shadows dance (3)_

_Drifting away into a trance (4)_

_And his eyes are blazing with fire (5)_

_Dreams burnt to ashes so many times (6)_

_Highest of mountains, still he climbs (7)_

_Ready to fly cause he just can't stay (8)_

_Flame burning brighter with every day (9)_

_And his eyes are blazing with fire (10)_

_Longing for the deepest desire (11)_

_Heart of an eagle (12)_

_He flies through the rainbow (13)_

_Into a new world and finds the sun (14)_

_Spreading his wings above all the sorrows (15)_

_The glory of Eagleheart (16)_

_Fever is burning in his veins (17)_

_Determined with courage breaking the chains (18)_

_Back against the wall under blood red skies (19)_

_Prepared to fight until he dies (20)_

_And his eyes are blazing with fire (Chorus repeats)_

_Longing for the deepest desire_

_Heart of an eagle (Chorus repeats)_

_He flies through the rainbow_

_Into a new world and finds the sun_

_Spreading his wings above all the sorrows_

_The glory of Eagleheart_

_Heart of an eagle (Chorus repeats)_

_He flies through the rainbow_

_Into a new world and finds the sun_

_Spreading his wings above all the sorrows_

_The glory of Eagleheart_

* * *

_Symbolic analysis:_

_1 & 2) Cell was experiencing extreme mental and physical duress while he was still evil and he was fighting Gohan; Cell used to be extremely selfish in his actions and wondered how many more lives he could absorb and how much more power he could acquire without fully considering how this would hurt others _

_3) Cell committed many evil acts in his past that he will always remember _

_4) Cell experienced a shift in his emotions and feelings during the daze that accompanied his transition from evil to holiness _

_5) After Gohan punched him in the head, Cell experienced a sudden enlightenment that enabled him to see the world from a much holier perspective, (possibly through a fiery justice)_

_6 & 7) Even though he was once a person who destroyed the lives of multiple people, Cell will now quest to reach the paramount of goodliness _

_8) Cell wants to ascend to the height of positive excellence because he refuses to be evil anymore, and he will be extremely proactive in trying to repent for the sins he committed _

_9) As more and more time goes on, Cell will seek to become more and more aligned with goodliness and will seek to accomplish more and more acts of goodliness_

_10 & 11) Now that he's had his sudden and blessed shift in personality and goals, Cell earnestly believes that living a life of positive justice and righteousness is the proper way to live _

_12) As eagles are often associated with the superlative excellence of positive virtues of righteous holiness, Cell is now seeking to intrinsically possess and readily exhibit such characteristics _

_13) Cell will face a variety of new experiences in his quest to live a positive life of helping others_

_14) Cell is living in a new and refreshing world of positive hope, and he has gained the resolve to live on a truly noble path _

_15) Cell literally does have wings, and he is seeking to not only ascend above the evil of his past but to defeat any evil he encounters _

_16) Cell will focus on living a life of positive virtue _

_17) Cell is extremely eager to do the right thing and doesn't want to hesitate in doing the right thing_

_18) Cell was determined to save Bulma's life, and toward the trial's end, he literally broke the handcuffs that had been restraining him and figuratively broke the fear and hesitance that was restraining him, all the while having courage that what he was doing should be done despite the negative personal repercussions that could result from his actions_

_19) Cell was experiencing a significant amount of pressure during his perilous flight in his high-risks venture to save Bulma's life_

_20) Cell wants to fight for the forces of righteousness forever _

* * *

"_Eagleheart,_"_ while extremely awesome, (and hence why I chose it as a theme song for this season), is not in any way a property I control. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. Stratovarius is awesome, and I feel the group's music compliments the awesomeness of the Dragon Ball universe._

_Thanks again so much for reading Season One, and I hope you're excited for Season Two's first chapter, up next!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	12. XII: Proliferation, Season II Premiere!

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction - **

**Chapter Twelve: Proliferation (Season Two Premiere!)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_**A new saga begins … **_

_**And the shadows beckon … **_

* * *

Eighteen briefly exhaled as she sat on the side of her bed.

It was early in the morning, and the sunlight was struggling to make its way through her closed window blinds.

She had not yet grown accustomed to living in the home of her brother's killer, although it was now slightly more pleasant than it had been at first.

She had been hesitant to accept Bulma's offer, as indeed, Eighteen had been quite skeptical that she and Sixteen would be truly welcome in Vegeta's home.

Cell had been encouraging though, and against her better judgment, she and Sixteen had arrived at the Capsule Corporation compound three weeks ago, ready to begin the next part of their lives.

But he had been there, ready for them, already powered up as a Super Saiyan and refusing to let them through the main door.

Apparently, Vegeta's tantrum had been rooted in his fallacious belief that he was being forced to live with former enemies who still wanted to threaten the Earth.

The Saiyan had also been frustrated because Cell had already been living with him for a day.

The last thing Eighteen had needed was more aggravation, and had it not been for the fact that she had known she would be able to live in a corridor of the building that was far away from that man, she would have grabbed Sixteen by the hand and would have started to walk away right then and there. That aggravation, however, did not compare to the rage she still felt for what had been done to Seventeen.

It would have been almost comical that Vegeta still considered her to be a threat if that notion hadn't been so dreadfully tragic.

Three weeks ago, Bulma and Cell had made their way outside after they had heard Vegeta yell his piece at the newcomers. Cell had busied himself with tying to calm Bulma down while she was screaming at the Saiyan prince.

Cell had been unable to stop the two of them from their loud back and forth, and Eighteen had come to wonder how often this particular sort of occurrence happened in their home.

Vegeta had eventually backed down, but not without storming toward his gravity training chamber.

Bulma had then run over to Eighteen and Sixteen, and began to profusely apologize for Vegeta's behavior. This had caused Eighteen to once again wonder how she could have ever accepted the ridiculous and foolish notion that such a caring woman as this should be killed.

Once the apologies had been completed, Bulma had then escorted Eighteen and Sixteen inside the building. Right before they had entered, Eighteen had watched and listened intently as Cell briefly placed his right hand on Sixteen's shoulder, then asked the red-headed giant about how he was doing.

The four of them had then made their way inside, and for the past three weeks that had passed since that time, things had been unexpectedly blissful.

Eighteen had cherished the moments of serenity, although they were never truly as serene as they could have been. Life just wasn't the same without Seventeen.

She had gotten into a few conversations of depth with Cell during those weeks, and quite recently, after he had finally received the paperwork regarding his sentence, Cell had talked with her about some of his plans to rebuild a daycare center that he had malevolently destroyed during his era of rage. Cell was set to begin his community service in one week, and she knew he was looking forward to formally engaging in those activities.

She thought that Cell was being quite noble for wanting to actively pursue ways to atone for his past misdeeds, although she often wondered to herself if someone else in this building should be more concerned than Cell with regards to that.

But, even with all of the heartache and the pain, she and Sixteen had come to call the Capsule Corporation compound a home nonetheless.

It felt as though this would be a rather calm morning, although there were a few things she knew she had to take care of.

Cell had recently mentioned something to her about complications that might impede their hopes of reviving Seventeen with the Dragon Balls.

These complications, she had learned, were what had been preventing Cell from asking Goku to bring him to New Namek so that he could use the Dragon Balls there.

Still, she had some questions for Cell about this. Seventeen's smile had been silenced, and she wanted to get him back.

She felt no need to put on the makeup that Bulma had given her, although she briefly combed her hair. The garments she had worn in the evening would do, as she was just visiting Cell, after all, as opposed to visiting someone else.

Eighteen opened her door and entered into the hallway, which was much more brightly illuminated than her room.

She walked briskly to Cell's room, which was also located in this particular wing of the Capsule Corporation compound. While the part of the building that Bulma and her family regularly resided in was somewhat distant from her room, she had on more than one occasion forgotten how far the distance was after hearing echoes of Vegeta's yelling as they transmitted throughout the building.

The atmosphere within the hallway felt rather brisk this morning, and she had come to recognize that this was common for this part of the world during late Spring. Fresh air that had been ventilated from outside calmed the ambience and added to the serenity of her walk.

The main hallway of this particular wing was marked by hues of blue and green, which were accented from the sunlight that echoed through a few glass tiles above.

She then arrived at Cell's door, and gave a quick knock.

"Come in," she heard from within.

And in she went.

In the previous occasions upon which she had entered his room, she had often found Cell sitting on his bed in a meditative fashion. He would usually have both of his hands on his knees, with both of his feet tucked in while his eyes were closed in the variant of Tai Chi he had come to relish.

Today was no different, and he continued in his meditation.

Eighteen calmly sat down in a chair alongside the wall farthest from the door, and she waited for Cell to finish.

After a few more minutes, Cell was ready for her company.

"Good morning Eighteen, what brings you to my chamber so early?"

Eighteen brushed aside a parcel of her blond hair that had found its way in front of her face.

"I've been thinking about Seventeen," she said, while crossing her left leg over her right.

Cell sighed.

"Did you have a dream about him again?" Cell asked, as he briefly adjusted himself so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, as Eighteen had done earlier that morning. He was sitting directly across from her, with the tips of his wings touching the covers. "I thought you were beginning to be able to sleep better, without getting up as much because of being upset."

"I can't say I've been sleeping all that much better, but no, I wasn't dreaming about Seventeen again," Eighteen said. "I just wanted to talk with you a bit more about our prospects for successfully reviving him."

Cell briefly looked to her side, then looked back at her.

"Unfortunately, the process of bringing Seventeen back could be more tricky than I'd like to be, and in fact, it might even be downright impossible," Cell said. "The knowledge of the Dragon Balls that I gained through Piccolo's DNA, as well as the enhancements of that knowledge that I've come to possess, were of great help to us the last time Earth's Dragon Balls were used. Unfortunately, I have not, by a long shot, mastered everything there is to know about the Dragon Balls. You, Sixteen and Seventeen were not revived through a typical method when I modified the wish that brought you all back. Since I was still alive, I had to make a special adjustment to have the Dragon Balls recognize you and Seventeen within me. Having the Dragon Balls recognize Sixteen was a different process altogether, but that's not the main issue at hand. Because Seventeen was brought back in the specific way that I brought you and him back, I'm hesitant to use the Dragon Balls again before I know more about how they work. For all I know, there may be no problem at all, but I don't want to take any chances. In any case, even if we were going to use the Earth's Dragon Balls to bring him back, we would have to wait a little less than a year to find out if it would even be possible to use that set for this particular wish."

"But that's why you said that Namek's set of Dragon Balls, which are supposedly ready for a wish right now if they were gathered, might be able to help us, though, right?" Eighteen asked.

"The set on New Namek, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"That's true, but I am still hesitant to use them," Cell said. "That set might have the same complications that Earth's set would have, despite the fact that it was not the set on New Namek that brought Seventeen back last time. It's frustrating, but I think there may be complications no matter which set we use."

"But why?" Eighteen asked. "You began to talk with me about it a few days ago, but we didn't go into some of the finer details. I came here to find out more about this, Cell, although saying hello to you was also on my list of things to do."

"Charming," Cell said with a rather polite grin that served to soften his wit.

"Well, is it really necessary to be so hesitative?" Eighteen asked. "I mean, is it really justified based upon what you know?"

"To expand upon what we were talking about before, I fear that using any Dragon Balls to bring him back this time might literally contort his soul to the extent that he might continuously shift through dimensions, possibly for the rest of eternity."

Eighteen stared with a blank look on her face.

"Run that by me again," she said.

"If we try to bring him back, he might become neither be alive nor dead, and he might also not exist in this universe at all," Cell said.

"Why would that happen?"

"The way I brought you and Seventeen back the first time wasn't exactly, … um … the most stable way."

"And just what on Earth does that mean?" Eighteen asked.

"The method I used, to the best of my knowledge, had never technically been attempted before," Cell said. "I used a very unorthodox process involving the recreation of your bodies for the first step of the revival."

"Um … ok?"

"I'll explain further. Whenever a wish to bring someone back to life with the Dragon Balls is typically made, that person's soul, the soul that is supposed to be in Otherworld, crosses over to the mortal plane once more. If there's a body for that soul to enter, the soul accordingly enters. Otherwise, if there really isn't a physical body around when that soul comes back, matter and energy of the mortal plane coalesce with the energy of the soul to form a new body. In all of that, if there is no body to speak of, the matter and energy of the mortal plane recognize the nature of that soul, and a body is created to 'fit' that nature. That's all step one. The actual connection of the soul to that body is step two."

"So what was different when you did it for us?" Eighteen asked.

"Not only were there no physical bodies to speak of, but neither of your souls were actually in Otherworld," Cell said. "You weren't dead. You were in between. You were both within me. And if I had possessed the power to eject you both from my system, I would have. I wasn't given that ability, unfortunately, as it had probably been assumed that I would never have any reason to regress after I achieved my current form. Of course, had there been some sort of other way for me to have ejected you from my system, say, through some sort of accident, in retrospect that might have been messy, but it would have been better for the two of you."

"Gross."

"Blame our dad."

"I still do."

"Anyway, as far as I know, the Nameks developed the Dragon Balls' revival technique to have matter and energy from the mortal plane recognize the nature of a soul returning from Otherworld, and to make a new body based on that nature. Obviously, this was impossible in your case because your souls weren't in Otherworld, so their nature was not able to be recognized through the traditional process. Because of this, I decided to use my own understandings of the Dragon Balls to wish for bodies to be created for you and Seventeen through another method. The body you've got right now, Eighteen, was synthesized from the matter and energy of this plane without that creation being influenced by the nature of your souls, as it would have been if you'd actually been deceased. Then, after those bodies were formed without the aide of souls in forming them, the Dragon Balls transferred your souls from within me to your respective bodies. In fact, the process of your souls leaving my body caused such a shock to my system that I felt faint and had to take a knee immediately after the wish was made."

"And that's why bringing Seventeen back isn't going to be easy?"

"Precisely," Cell said. "I'm not even sure if it would be possible considering the method I used, since we would be trying to revive someone who died after neither being quite alive or dead beforehand."

"This sucks," Eighteen said. "If we were sure that everything with the wish would be safe, then we could just ask Goku to use that Instant Transportation technique of his to get us to New Namek so we could make the wish. It doesn't seem to be that simple, though."

"No, unfortunately not. By the way, Eighteen, I believe his technique is called Instant Transmission."

"Whatever. We need to find a way to bring Seventeen back."

"We'll find it. Somehow, there will be a way. For all I know, making a wish right now would work but … I just don't want to jeopardize him unnecessarily without knowing more about this situation. After a bit more effort in looking into it, we'll figure out what what's best."

"I certainly hope so, Cell."

The intercom system that had been networked all throughout the Capsule Corporation compound suddenly roared to life.

"Cell, please come to Laboratory 1-B53 immediately."

It was clearly Bulma's voice, and it was much easier for Cell to hear this time than it had been weeks ago during the trial.

"I wonder what's up," Cell said. "Care to join me?"

"No, I think I'm going to say hello to Sixteen," Eighteen said. "I'll see you later though, ok?"

"Yeah."

As Cell and Eighteen made their way to the door, Cell saw that she still looked downtrodden.

"Hey, I know it's tough without him," he said, giving her a hug.

She hugged him back.

"Cell, I'm scared."

"We must be brave. He'd want us to be. We'll keep on working until we see him again."

There was a time when the thought of Cell giving her a hug would have made Eighteen feel bizarre. It still did, to some extent. The warmth of Cell's genuine emotions, however, crowded out this feeling.

She had even in recent days been referring to Cell as her brother, reciprocating Cell's decision over the past month to refer to her as his sister. And while it was true that only she and Seventeen were supposedly biologically related, with all that she, Seventeen, Sixteen and Cell had been through, she thought that they might as well have all been considered family in the truest sense of the word.

They parted ways, and Cell waved Eighteen goodbye as she walked down the hallway toward Sixteen's room.

After a brief walk in the other direction, Cell entered the laboratory.

He had not yet seen this room, and right in front of him, in the center of a circular assortment of computers and other gadgetry, was a rather large telescope.

And next to that telescope was a grief-stricken Bulma, who looked as though her inner peace had been shattered after a sleepless night.

"Cell, I need you to listen to this recording," she said.

"Where's Vegeta?" he asked.

"That's unimportant right now. Please listen to this."

Cell saw what appeared to be a sound collection device attached to the telescope.

He put on the headphones, wondering what could have happened to make Bulma so solemn.

After a few moments of realizing what he was hearing, he gasped in trepidation.

* * *

_Honor Trip is back with a new season and a new saga!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirteen: Cell and Bulma divulge two startling discoveries. How will our heroes deal with the circumstances at hand? It's in the cards, and the stars._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Twelve: (Completed 11/27/2009_); (_Revised 7/11/2010); (Revision II: 3/5/2011)_

* * *

_Author's note from 3/5/11: As was the case with Season One, I have decided to retrospectively add a "season theme song" for Season Two! _

_I'm proud to announce that the symbolic theme song for Season Two is "Born for This," by Paramore. You can listen to this song by typing "Born for This" into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video._

_This song, while extremely awesome, (and hence why I chose it as a theme song for this season), is not in any way a property I control. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. Paramore is awesome, and I feel the group's music compliments the awesomeness of the Dragon Ball universe._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	13. XIII: Apprehension

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction - **

**Chapter Thirteen: Apprehension**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter is of a graphic nature and could be emotionally upsetting. Please take this into account._

* * *

Cell's ears felt the horror and heartache of the sounds coming through the headphones.

The radio telescope had picked up two different transmissions of two different tragedies. The first happened so long ago, and the second … was even more unbearable.

Bulma's occasional astronomical pastime had turned into a nightmare when two hours ago, an hour before the sun had risen, she had heard both transmissions, one right after the other.

The first had come from a remote region of space where very few stars filled the nearby sky, at least from the perspective of Earth. After adjusting for observational differences due to the time it takes for light to travel to Earth, Bulma had pinpointed the source of the first transmission to a planet with clouds of smoke and crimson. The message that had come from this planet was one of desperation, but perhaps what was more disturbing than the main speaker's words were the sounds that had been recorded in the background. People were screaming for help. Children were crying. The guns of war were blazing overhead. It seemed that the message had been sent out in a desperate call across the galactic divide for help.

According to Bulma's calculations, that transmission had been sent more than one thousand years ago. Cell realized that Bulma had been shaken up by this because she knew that at this point, there was nothing they could do to help the poor souls who had suffered through that maelstrom of violence.

It had been a tale of oppression, and there was no way to know if the call for help had been answered by anyone.

But for Bulma, that first message paled in comparison to the calamity of the second.

There was nothing they could do to help him.

He shouldn't have left without saying goodbye.

Bulma had not yet had the chance to fix the part on his time machine that Vegeta had accidentally broken out of his frustration in living with the androids.

She had not had the chance to tell him.

He must have left earlier that morning before the sun had risen.

And there he was, as Cell had seen through the incredibly powerful telescope and as Bulma had seen hours before, as a bloody, visibly panicked, lifeless version of himself trying to escape from his broken time machine.

Trunks couldn't possibly have expected that his time machine's planar distorter would be so out of order that it would bend space and not time. He hadn't anticipated that rather than traveling back to the future, he would find himself all alone in an empty stretch of space between Mars and the Asteroid Belt.

He was dead.

Cell wanted to crush the headphones after listening to Trunks' message out of aggravation that what had happened to him had come to pass.

The emergency signal featured the brave warrior screaming in terror for his life as the cold depths of the void and the change in pressure consumed him.

_Help! Anyone! Please help if …_

He had not had the time to finish recording the sentence. The oxygen had been sucked not just from out of the time machine's dome when it had shattered, and even if he'd been able to muster the last word, the absence of air between his mouth and the microphone would have disallowed his words from reaching it.

Cell wasn't one to readily believe in fate or fortune, but the sheer improbability of what had transpired caused him to briefly question whether he should. Bulma had just happened to have pointed her telescope toward the direction from which the two messages had come, and even though Trunks' message had been sent so much later in history than the first, it had arrived only a few minutes after the first and had originated from the same direction in the sky.

However, improbability is not the same thing as impossibility, as Cell knew all too well from recent weeks. No matter what factors had truly been at work, Bulma had avoided the blissful ignorance that would have resulted from the probable circumstance of never knowing that Trunks had died.

She had heard his message, though.

Whatever the cause truly was for Bulma to have been able to hear the messages, Cell knew that what mattered a whole lot more was what he was going to do about them.

Cell knew there was only one reasonable course of action with the Earth's Dragon Balls temporarily out of commission. There was the matter of attending to that planet and its people, if they were even still around, but sometimes, even in Cell's redeemed mind, a friend's life could take precedence over the welfare of an entire planet of strangers.

There was hope. It was on New Namek. It was the same hope that Cell had wanted to harness so that Seventeen would have a true second chance at life. But with the wishes Cell knew he had to make, all three would be used up on helping Trunks.

Reviving Seventeen with the Dragon Balls at this point would have been a gamble anyway because of the unnatural way Cell had brought him back weeks ago. Using the three wishes on Trunks, which Cell realized he had to do if Trunks was to be saved, would, however, virtually eliminate Cell's ability to bring Seventeen back with the set of Dragon Balls on New Namek within the next 130 days.

This was an acceptable setback, however, as Cell wanted to have more time to study the various aspects of the Dragon Balls and their relation to the space-time continuum before attempting to revive Seventeen.

It was a matter of either taking a risk to wish his brother back or making sure that Bulma would be able to go to sleep well at night knowing that her son was alive and that everything had been done to bring him back as soon as possible.

The choice was clear.

The hero from the future would receive Cell's immediate help.

The faster this was accomplished, the faster Bulma would be at ease and the sooner Cell would be able to investigate the planet of the first signal's origin.

There would have been a time in his life in which helping out a planet full of people he did not know would have been the last thing on his list of things to do, but with his benevolent enlightenment and his burgeoning desire to atone for the past, the possibility of being able to help out the people of that planet, if indeed they were still around, seemed to be one of the best things he could hope to do.

He had to get a move on both of these missions.

"Bulma, I'm going to need a spacesuit," Cell said.

She looked at him with a renewed sense of determination.

"You're going to try and bring him back with the Dragon Balls on New Namek, aren't you?" she asked.

Cell nodded his head.

"Absolutely."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"I was just about to suggest that myself," she said. "I do have a question though, Cell."

"Go right ahead."

"Doesn't your anatomy allow you to travel in space without that posing any risk to you?" she asked.

"Yes, and this proves that you have a good memory," he said. "However, I want to get to him as soon as possible, and I'm going to need some help."

Bulma knew just who he had in mind.

"Alright, I'll give you that one over there; he's used that type before."

* * *

It was a day of melancholy at Goku's household on Mount Paozu.

Gohan was chopping firewood while Goku continued construction of a special extension of the house.

As Cell descended upon the plains nearby, both of the Saiyans perked up.

"Cell! Long time no see," Goku said as he waved with one hand, put down a hammer he'd been holding with the other, and walked toward his former opponent.

Gohan noticed the suit before his father did, but didn't fully recognize it at first since it was tucked under Cell's arm.

"Hey Cell, what's that you've got there?" he asked.

Cell held the spacesuit straight up so that Goku and Gohan could readily see what it was.

"Goku, I've been told you are familiar with how to operate one of these," Cell said.

The elder Saiyan looked quizzical.

"Yeah, I wore one of those during my trip to Namek a few years ago. Why, what's going on?"

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Fourteen: A trip to New Namek and a trip elsewhere…._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Chapter Thirteen: (Completed 11/ 30/2009); (Revised 7/11/2010); (Revision II: 3/7/2011)_

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter associates "130 days" with the length of time in which the set of Dragon Balls on New Namek would be inactive after all three wishes with that set had last been made since that set seemed to have been made to be inactive for a full Namekian year after all three wishes had been made and since the length of a year on Planet Namek was equivalent to 130 Earth days. As the set of Dragon Balls that had been used on Namek was transferred to New Namek when the Namekians established that planet as their new homeworld, it stands to reason that even in the likely circumstance that the length of a year for New Namek was different from that of its predecessor, the set of Dragon Balls on New Namek would still only have an inactive period of 130 days, as that set seemed to have been tailored to the specifications of Planet Namek. This reasoning would not hold true if the length of inactivity of a set of Dragon Balls is determined by the length of the year of the planet that set was on the last time the maximum number of wishes permissible with that set was made, although there does not seem to be any information in Dragon Ball canon to suggest this is so._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	14. XIV: Fixation

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fourteen: Fixation**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter is of a graphic nature and could be emotionally upsetting. Please take this into account._

* * *

If Trunks had still been alive, they wouldn't have had a moment to spare.

The reality of the situation, however, was that they had a great deal of flexibility.

It was why Cell did not seem nervous or worried in front of Goku and Gohan, and why the two Saiyans did not immediately sense the severity of the situation.

"Goku, there's been an accident," Cell said. "Trunks has been killed."

Goku's jaw fell open, although both Saiyans were at an emotional level at this point in their lives that there were no tears that came.

Besides, whatever it was, both knew they had the security of the Dragon Balls to back them up.

It was of curious note how the mere presence of the Dragon Balls had influenced the actions of all the warriors of Earth at some point in the course of their lives, affecting them psychologically, giving them confidence and hope in circumstances when there would otherwise have been much less or none.

The Dragon Balls, indeed, were very real. And Cell, as a warrior of Earth at last, was also taking full advantage of this fact.

When Piccolo and Kami had died in the battle against Vegeta and Nappa, the fragility of this safeguard had become apparent to all who cherished its protection.

If the Dragon Balls on New Namek, which those on Earth who knew of them had come to view as backups, were to ever fail, it would bring back the memories of when obstacles prevented wishes from coming true.

Goku had learned to put on the type of spacesuit Cell was now holding on a mission to help secure the very set of Dragon Balls he was now going to seek to secure again.

But first, he wanted to speak his mind.

"That seems impossible. I mean, he's a Saiyan. A Super Saiyan! How could this have happened?" Goku asked.

"Wait, Dad, maybe there's a new threat on the loose that Cell needs to tell us about," Gohan said.

"There was a malfunction with his time machine," Cell said. "Instead of traveling back to the past, he unsafely traveled to another location in the solar system. Bulma said the primary cause of this was a broken part."

"So, where in the solar system is he?" Gohan asked.

"Between Mars and the Asteroid Belt," Cell said.

"Alright, since the Earth's Dragon Balls are inert, we're going to have to go to New Namek. I know how to get there via instant transmission," Goku said.

"Goku, we can't do that just yet," Cell said.

"Well, why not?" he asked.

"Remember, I know a thing or two about the Dragon Balls," Cell said. "Usually, if you wish to bring someone back to life, the exact way in which this happens depends on how much of the person's body is still around when the wish is made."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.

"Gohan, you might recall that when your father was brought back to life, his body had not been in any physical form whatsoever. In fact, because he directly transcended to Otherworld and was allowed to keep the spiritual equivalent of his body, his physical body had disappeared when he died. Part of bringing him back to life involved recreating his physical body from scratch, but that was able to be done because the Earth's Dragon Balls, like the Namekian Dragon Balls, were designed to automatically do that. Let's also consider the opposite extreme. When Frieza killed Vegeta on Namek, and then your father brought all of Frieza's victims back to life, Vegeta's body was basically intact. Because of this, minor repairs were made to his body as his soul reentered, and his soul basically inhabited a preexisting body. Again, this particular condition of life restoration was incorporated into both the Earth's and Namek's Dragon Balls."

"So, what exactly does this have to do with helping Trunks?" Gohan asked.

"Gohan, because of the way in which Trunks died, helping him isn't going to be so simple," Cell said. "The fact he did not die on a planet and his body is still there is the unfortunate circumstance at hand. Simply reviving him would just lead to killing him again. And Goku, this is not something I'm sure you'd feel comfortable with me discussing further in front of Gohan."

"What are you talking about, Cell?" Gohan asked. "I've reached a level beyond Super Saiyan. I've fought alongside friends and watched as they died in battle in the most gruesome ways. Nothing phases me anymore."

"Son, this is different," Goku said.

"But I want to help!"

"Gohan, for your own good, you can't listen in on this. You also won't be able to accompany us. I now know why Cell brought the space suit. This isn't exactly going to be the most heartwarming of trips."

Gohan, although he looked conflicted, angry, and even confused, decided to back down.

"Let's talk, Goku," Cell said.

"Gohan, please tell mom I'll be back real soon, okay?"

After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Sure, Dad."

As Gohan jogged inside, Goku walked toward Cell.

"So how exactly did the fact he died in space affect his body?" Goku asked.

"Even though he's still basically there, Goku, it would have been worse had Trunks' body not been so strong," Cell said. "There is so little pressure in space that even though his body is still there, it looks a bit, … well, … it's not something I think you'd want Gohan to see. It's not overly horrendous, though, and the Dragon Balls will make him good as new when we bring him back to life."

"So, we're going to do something similar to what we did for Piccolo when we brought him back and transported him to Planet Namek, as in we're going to need to use multiple wishes to do this?" Goku asked.

"That's right, although the wishes we're going to be making will need to resolve some issues that are a lot more complex than the ones Gohan and Krillin had when they and Dende wished Piccolo back and transported him to Namek," Cell said. "We're going to need all three wishes to bring Trunks back safely."

"Really?" Goku asked.

"Certainly," Cell said. "We'll be using the first wish to stabilize the frequencies of his matter and energy with the universe, as I fear that they might have gotten thrown off when the time machine malfunctioned. The second wish will be used to stabilize his body in preparation for his revival, since the extremely low-pressure conditions of space are so much different from the higher-pressure conditions on planets that I want to make sure there won't be any complications when his soul tries to reenter his body. The third wish is the one that we'll use to actually bring him back to life. Truth be told, the first wish may not even be necessary, but I'm not about to take any chances and have the action of wishing him back somehow make his soul trapped in some sort of interdimensional purgatory."

"That would be beyond horrible," Goku said. "So I guess, then, that you want me to use instant transmission to not only bring us there, but to bring his body to New Namek?"

"Precisely," Cell said. "We only have three wishes, Goku, and we should feel lucky we have as many as we do. If there's a wish we could prevent ourselves from having to make so that we can make sure we can make the other wishes we need to make, it's a good situation. We won't need to wish for Trunks' body to be situated on a planet when we could easily do that ourselves without a wish."

"It sounds like we have a plan," Goku said. "I'll take the spacesuit now; it shouldn't take too long for me to get this on."

"Thanks, Goku," Cell said. "I would have done this myself, by the way, but I don't know how to use instant transmission and I wanted to get there sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, and I think a helping hand would make this more bearable."

At that moment, they both sensed him.

"It would appear we have a visitor," Cell said.

Vegeta landed, decked out in the same spacesuit design Cell was about to give Goku. He looked uncommonly solemn.

"I heard from Bulma about what happened," he said, morose in all manners. "I'm glad you haven't left yet. I'm coming too."

Cell and Goku each gave a quiet nod.

As Goku donned the spacesuit, Cell quietly looked at Vegeta, noting to himself how uncommon it was for Vegeta to be in this state of mind. Cell knew that he had done right by not telling Goku that Vegeta had been largely responsible for this travesty, and wondered if Vegeta himself knew that he was, either by Bulma directly telling him or through deducing that his angry banging on the time machine had helped cause this. Was he sad merely because of what happened to Trunks, or sad because of what had happened and also because he felt himself to be responsible?

Goku put his helmet on.

"Alright, it's time," he said.

He held out both of his hands.

Cell took the left.

Vegeta took the right.

Goku searched within his soul and within the very fabric of space to find the remnants of Trunks' energy signature, and the transmission began.

Cell had never felt such an experience as this. And it was likely no other being who had experienced the technique ever had. As the level of consciousness Cell had within each of his cells was higher than that which would be recognized by most creatures in the universe, he felt each cell traverse through the bend in space, slowly dematerializing and beginning to reform in the distance. Each and every bit of consciousness within his cells started to make the journey, until at last, he was enveloped by the blackness of space.

* * *

The three had arrived.

The time machine was there.

And there he was.

It was a sorrowful sight that evinced an unspeakable anxiety over what had transpired.

But after a few moments, and making sure to be very careful, they transmitted to New Namek.

* * *

It was a peaceful world that reminded its principal inhabitants so much of their original home.

They would never forgive that tyrant Frieza for what he had put them through.

They would also never forget the heroism of the fighters from Earth, and the reformed version of one of their own, who helped stop Frieza from using the glory of the Namekian people to further his sinister plans.

Goku, Vegeta, and Cell exited hyperspace right above the turquoise grass outside the planet's main village.

They allowed themselves to set down on the ground, and they were confident that if the Nameks had not already sensed them, they soon would. It was only a matter of time before the denizens of the village would begin to approach.

There would likely be children among them, and Goku knew this would not be appropriate for them to see.

While Vegeta and Cell stayed behind, Goku walked forward to greet the Nameks who were running toward him.

Only now did it occur to Goku that it would have been wise for him to have transmitted to New Namek prior to traveling to the broken time machine to make sure the Nameks had not recently used the Dragon Balls and that they would be available for the number of wishes Trunks needed.

Goku realized he was walking too slowly; indeed, there were children in the group running toward him. He flew forward so that the children would not get closer to where Cell and Vegeta were standing.

To Goku, seeing the young ones brought back the very recent memory of traveling to New Namek weeks beforehand and meeting with Dende, who had agreed to become Earth's new guardian and had consummated the beginning of a new vigil over the planet.

During the Cell Games, Elder Moori had sensed Cell's power from across the stars, and that might have explained why he looked so worried, and not glad, when Goku saw him, for Moori no doubt felt Cell's presence in the nearby vicinity.

"Goku, is that Cell I sense close by? If so, we must move our people to safety," Moori said.

"My friend, that is indeed Cell you've sensed," Goku said as Moori turned around to begin evacuation procedures, "but there is no need for concern."

Moori stopped turning around, and came to face Goku.

"No concern? With that monster here? Are you serious?"

"Try observing the subtleties of Cell's energy, Moori, now that he's so close to you and not so far away," Goku said.

Moori briefly sensed Cell's energy again, and he sensed what Goku had sensed before.

"This is unbelievable!" Moori said. "Such positive energy! How is it possible such a change could have transpired without my knowing about it?"

"There's a lot within him that masks how good he has become," Goku said.

"I kept on sensing his energy all the way from here," Moori said. "Had I not sensed your energy and Gohan's as well, I would have thought the Earth was done for. We were all getting so very nervous, Goku, sensing Cell's power level for so long, with no abatement in its presence. I'm glad the Earth is alright."

"As am I."

"So, what brings you here, my friend?"

"Not the happiest of circumstances. I'll tell you."

Goku knew from frequent experiences with Piccolo, and with Cell's recent victory in helping Bulma, how very powerful Namekian hearing could be. Even a whisper might be heard, and he didn't want the children to hear what he had to say. He instead placed his hand on Moori's head, as he had once done with Krillin to share thoughts and feelings on the original planet Namek.

Moori immediately understood.

"Children, please return to the village," Moori said.

As the children turned and left, Moori addressed seven of the Namekian adults who were standing close by.

"Each of you knows the location of a Dragon Ball, as I have told you in our previous sessions. It is in our current need to bring them together," Moori said.

They left, and after some time, they each returned with one of New Namek's Dragon Balls.

"Thank you, my friends," Moori said. "I believe at this point that it would be best, for the delicacy and privacy this situation requires, for me to travel with Goku alone to the location where we must make these wishes."

"Are you sure you will not be requiring our assistance, Elder Moori?" one of the gatherers asked.

"It is fine, Timpani. We must make haste."

Goku and Moori traveled briskly to Vegeta and Cell's location, with five of the seven Dragon Balls carried by Goku, and with the other two carried by Moori, who exclaimed in shocked surprise for what he saw. Then, he quickly initiated the summoning.

The sky turned dark, and electricity gave it greater life. From the heavens of the reborn world, the original, majestic elder dragon Porunga descended.

Porunga graced the land with a golden glow, and the eternal dragon was ready for purposed action.

"YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME FROM MY SLUMBER. YOU HAVE THREE WISHES THROUGH WHICH I MIGHT MAKE YOUR DESIRES FULFULLED. WHAT IS YOUR FIRST WISH?"

Cell felt he would give Moori the courtesy of making the wishes himself in the Namekian language, although Moori would first have to know the exact specifications of each of the wishes.

"Please tell Porunga to fixate Trunks' soul and his matter and energy remnants, in the mortal, immortal, and other planes of existence, to the multiversal fabric of normal space and time," Cell said.

Moori tried the best he could to translate the request properly.

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE WISH YOU HAVE ASKED OF ME."

"Would you mind if I made this wish myself, then, Elder Moori?" Cell asked. "I am fluent in the workings of the Dragon Balls and in the Namekian language."

"Really now?" Moori said, showing in his voice that he was amazed that this was so. "Well, um, Cell, I believe it would be alright if you made this one. Are the others as complicated and specific as this?"

"The one after this is. The third that is required merely entails bringing him back to life."

"You might as well make all three."

"Are you sure?"

"Please, go ahead. It sounds like it would be to Trunks' benefit if you did."

"It is an honor, Elder."

Cell made the first wish in the exact language he felt was required.

"THIS IS A COMPLICATED WISH, BUT I WILL TRY TO MAKE IT FULFILLED. THIS WILL TAKE SOME TIME."

After 15 standard minutes, the dragon responded.

"YOUR FIRST WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."

A feeling of relief spread among the four who were gathered.

"WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"

Again, Cell made mention of the wish with the wording that he felt would be appropriate.

"I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN ACCOMPLISH."

As Porunga glowed gold, so did Trunks.

The winds of change were all about them, and those who had gathered noticed firsthand that the wish had apparently worked.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."

Cell was satisfied that it was, and that enough of Trunks' body had been restored that the rest would be recreated when Trunks' soul returned to the mortal plane.

The question now was if Trunks' spirit truly was still in this universe at all, as opposed to being either trapped between timelines or trapped between dimensions. Cell dearly hoped that either of those unfortunate fates had not befallen Trunks.

But he had to try to make things right.

Cell made the third wish.

Porunga glowed gold again, and then the glow subsided.

"YOUR WISHES HAVE BEEN GRANTED. FAREWELL."

The elder dragon faded back into slumber, and the Dragon Balls rose from the ground and into the air, dispersing from their collection and departing again.

In relatively no time at all, Trunks began to open his eyes.

Vegeta rushed forward, almost knocking Goku over, and embraced his son.

Trunks, who had been lying peacefully on the ground, became startled.

"Father! Why is everything green? Am I dead?"

"No son; you're alright. You're going to be alright," Vegeta said in the relaxed way of a caring parent, a sound that brought warmth to Goku's heart.

Trunks unwittingly shook Vegeta off of him, standing up suddenly and looking around out of the astonishment of his current situation. He saw Cell, sighed, and came to understand what must have happened.

"This isn't my timeline, is it?"

"No son, you're still in the past," Vegeta said. "We're on the new world of the Nameks."

Continuing to look around, it began to make more sense to Trunks.

"So this is what this planet looks like," Trunks said. "I thought that the time machine had made the trip back to my time successfully, and that when the glass shattered, I was going to slip away. When I saw you and Goku, I really thought I was in Otherworld. The fact I was unfamiliar with this place added to that belief. But after you told me I was alive, and then when I saw Cell, I realized that somehow I must still be in the past."

Goku thought about Trunks' statement, and realized that if what he said was true, that Trunks must have not been conscious in any way after he had died. Why Trunks, a hero across timelines, had not been granted the honor of having his body and consciousness preserved after his death was an issue that Goku did not have an answer for. The important thing was that Trunks was back.

"Tell me, Goku. Did I actually die? Because if I'm here and I'm alive, I'm really not sure if this means I was dead at all. However, I'm pretty sure the four of you just got done wishing me back with the Dragon Balls. I don't see how I could have possibly survived what happened to me out in space."

"Well Trunks, you're unfortunately right," Goku said. "You didn't survive. Thanks to Cell's help, though, we knew exactly which wishes we needed to make to bring you back to us."

Trunks looked at Cell, and nodded approvingly.

"Is that so?" Trunks asked. "I guess that I owe you my thanks once again, Cell."

"I'm sure there was a time when you never thought an android would help save your life-force in such a way," Cell said.

"You've got that right."

"Son …."

Trunks turned around to face Vegeta.

"Your mother told me you ran off this morning without saying goodbye," he said. "Why was there such a rush?"

Trunks looked solemn and stared at the ground.

"I had the sudden urge to go back as soon as I could," he said. "Things felt so peaceful here, and I wanted to bring peace to the people of my timeline without waiting any longer. I left the two of you, and all our friends, a note in the room I was using. I thought that you would understand."

"The way it turned out, Trunks, we would have gone on thinking that all was well had we found the note and had Bulma not been observing the patch of sky where she had located you," Cell said.

"I guess I should have been less hasty, then," Trunks said, as he turned to face Moori. "I don't know your name, sir, but I suppose I have you to thank as well."

Moori stepped forward.

"My name is Moori," he said with a warm and caring tone. "I am delighted that you are safe and well again."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Trunks said.

"The four of you should come to my dwelling. As you know, my people and I do not eat solid foods, however, drinking the rich and vibrant water of this world is a delightful form of sustenance. I would be honored to have the four of you with us."

"It would be our pleasure," Trunks said on behalf of the group.

As they walked toward the village, a new turn came in their conversation.

"Another signal, huh?" Trunks asked.

"Yes, it was coming from the same general direction in space that your emergency message had come from, although that other signal was from much farther away," Cell said. "Your mother said that message was perhaps more than a thousand years old."

"That's quite astounding," Trunks said. "I'd love to help check it out. But first, I must find a way to get back to the future. Then, I'll return and help you all investigate it, or fight whatever there is to fight, if there's even a problem at all."

"If there is still a problem on that planet, it's probably a localized threat," Goku said. "If whatever's on that planet is still a threat to the universe, though, we probably would have heard about it by now."

"Unless it's biding its time," Cell said.

"On one planet?" Trunks asked.

"Diabolical minds work in diabolical ways. Trust me; I unfortunately have first-hand experience regarding that," Cell said.

"In any case, it looks like I'm going to be staying for a while until Mom can build another time machine, so I'll accompany you guys to that planet," Trunks said.

"The more the merrier," Cell said.

There was silence for a few moments, and Goku then sparked the conversation up again.

"So, Moori, what's life like on New Namek, these days?"

"Tranquil, Goku, and thankfully so," Moori said. "That whole Frieza debacle was very traumatic for my people, and it's nice that we've had a few years of relative peace and serenity."

"It must be quite boring," Vegeta said, showing that he had regained the mood for his usual taunting.

Moori was visibly taken aback by Vegeta's comment, and he responded in a matter-of-fact way.

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't call it 'boring,' per se," Moori said. "There is much to do, but it doesn't necessarily require a rush of emotions every moment."

"The calm life you all have kind of reminds me of the way things used to be when Gohan was a baby boy," Goku said.

"Those must have been good and loving times," Moori said.

"They most certainly were. And I'll tell you, what really … Trunks? Trunks, are you alright?"

Trunks' right hand was pressed to his head, and he stopped walking. His left hand was pressed to his stomach, and he was crouched, as if in great pain.

And then, he fainted.

Cell, who was to Trunks' right, rushed quickly to avoid Trunks hitting the ground hard. He caught Trunks before he fell, and began to check Trunks' pulse.

Then, in what Goku, Vegeta, and Moori would later recall as a very strange sight, both Trunks and Cell became more and more translucent, until finally, they couldn't be seen.

It happened so fast for Vegeta that he hadn't known what to do.

He rushed over to where they had been, but there was no trace of either of them.

They had appeared to have vanished into thin air.

* * *

Which, in the reality of the fabric of the multiverse, was nowhere near the truth of the matter.

They were out in space again, and while this was no particular stress for Cell, he saw Trunks' eyes awaken with a startle, showing horror that the very darkness he'd so recently faced was replaying itself in a malevolent reiteration.

Cell knew that if his perception of what had happened was correct, he had to act with even greater haste. His theory certainly would account for why there was suddenly no planet to be found, and why only he and Trunks seemed to be in this predicament.

Holding onto Trunks, he tried for a last-ditch, desperate move. Although they both despised Dr. Gero with the very cores of their beings, if there was one thing they had to be thankful for right then and there with regards to Dr. Gero's exploits, it was that he had enabled Cell to be able to learn new techniques quite quickly. Cell had seen the technique performed a number of times, and he had only personally felt the effects of it once, but the cells within Cell were recalling and analyzing the one technique Cell thought could possibly save Trunks from despair again, a technique Cell had experienced in benevolence in his not-too-distant memory.

If they were in the situation Cell thought they were in, this was their only hope.

Cell looked for her energy, as faint and as hard to detect as it was.

It was there.

He had found it.

Cell used the instant transmission technique for the first time.

Both disappeared from the void …

* * *

… and reappeared a few feet off the ground on a war-torn planet, falling with a thud as birds chirped overhead, flying through the blue sky and up toward the white clouds of a planet still full of life, as the yellow sun greeted them with the warmth of home.

Cell saw a door open in the nearby distance.

Yes, they definitely were where Cell hoped they would be, and he was pleased to see her once again.

She was older now, defined by years of fighting the darkest evils this world had yet faced, and as she walked toward them from the front of what remained of the Capsule Corporation compound, Bulma was both overjoyed to see her son, but puzzled as to why he was being held in the arms of this humanoid, and why it looked like her son was only now starting to be calm.

Cell set Trunks down, and both fighters quickly stood upright, surveying their surroundings.

"Trunks? Trunks, is everything alright?" she asked.

Trunks saw his mother, the one who had truly raised him, and he rushed to her embrace.

"It's good to see you, Mom," Trunks said, continuing to thank the kais she was alive.

"I heard a loud popping sound, and I rushed outside to see what it was," Bulma said. "The last thing that went through my mind was that I might be seeing you."

Cell knew that what Bulma had probably heard was the result of his instant transmission capturing some of the low-pressure conditions of space and bringing them to the higher-pressure conditions on the surface of Earth, accentuated by air molecules filling the vacuum that had been transferred. Cell briefly wondered if this was the result of his needing to practice the technique or if this should be expected in circumstances of desperation, although further consideration would need to wait.

"By the way, where is the time machine?" Bulma asked.

Trunks and Cell both looked uneasy.

"It's a long story," Trunks said, looking away.

"Alright, Trunks, but I really need to know what happened to it," Bulma said. "Who's your friend?"

She had assumed Cell was such because of the way she had found the two of them, and because neither had made any particularly menacing gestures toward the other. Truly, she didn't know if Cell was a friend, foe, or otherwise, but if he was a friend, she did not want to seem uninviting.

"His story's an even longer one," Trunks said, pointing back toward Cell.

Cell figured it would be best at the moment if he merely waved, and he did just that, to which Bulma did the same.

"Hey, Mom, would you mind going inside now?" Trunks asked.

"Huh, inside? But why?"

Trunks merely looked downward, without directly answering his mother.

She seemed to understand that Trunks needed these moments, and Bulma went to prepare some tea to ease the tension.

Trunks turned around and walked toward Cell, as the android stood motionless, with his arms folded.

"Are we really here, Cell?" Trunks asked as he continued to walk.

"Yes, Trunks. I sincerely believe we are."

Trunks came to a halt, and looked at a nearby building.

"But how is this possible?" Trunks asked.

"I'm not sure, Trunks. I'm just not sure."

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Fifteen: Trunks and Cell try to make sense of recent events while the battle to free the future rages on. Be sure to stay tuned!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fourteen: (Completed 12/26/2009); (Revised 7/11/2010); (Revision II: 3/14/2011)_

* * *

_Author's Note from 12/27/2009: In other news, December 27, the day after this chapter was originally written, marked the one-year anniversary of Honor Trip! Huzzah!_

_And, if you read or just finished reading this chapter at around that time of the year, then a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!_

_Thanks for a good year of fun,_

_American Vigor _


	15. XV: Residual

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifteen: Residual**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: Before you read the main portion of this chapter, it is recommended, although not required, that you briefly review the description toward the bottom of this page regarding how time travel mechanics work in canonical DBZ. This description is in the form of an extended author's note that is located toward the bottom of this page in non-italicized text after the main content of this chapter, (hence, you do not have to click to another page or screen). The subject of time travel comes up frequently in this chapter, as after the events of the previous chapter, time travel is obviously a subject that is quite prominent among the issues Cell and Trunks now find themselves deliberating upon, such that further elaboration upon the subject can prove to be both intriguing and resourceful._

* * *

They were inside now, and all three of them were sitting around the bedraggled kitchen table where Bulma had worked out many of the concepts that Trunks had used to travel through time in the first place.

Trunks intensely wanted to go fight those devils right now. They were still around, out there, somewhere. While the counterpart of Android 17 in the past had not been given much of a chance for a new life, his counterpart in this timeline took pleasure in taking life away. And the counterpart of Android 18 in the past, who was now more mellowed and welcoming of peace, was a poor reflection of her present self, a diabolical, heartless murderer.

However, there were important matters that Trunks felt he should at least try to resolve before he ventured to find the two of them. It wasn't like Trunks to sit down for tea and to not fight the androids immediately, but that was exactly what he was doing. Bulma had offered it up, and he needed to talk to her to figure some things out, things that he knew took precedence even to fighting the androids. In a simpler return to the future, Trunks knew he would have never sat idly by and waited for them to make the first move. This disquieting return, however, warranted his present actions.

As Trunks considered exactly how to tell his mother what had happened, Cell pondered the events that had transpired. The present moment certainly appeared to be a future point in relative time from the timeline from which they had departed, but exactly when and where were they?

Indeed, considering the two main timelines Cell knew were at play, the Trunks whom Cell had fought in the past, the same boy whom he sat with now, was not the same Trunks from Cell's original timeline, whom he had killed in order to acquire the time machine that had enabled him to travel to the past.

The version of Trunks that Cell had killed had gone back to the past to help defeat the androids in a timeline in which Cell had not yet traveled back, and after long, hard-fought battles, the Z-Fighters had defeated the androids of that timeline at last.

After Goku had waved goodbye to Trunks in that version of the past, that version of Trunks had entered the future for the last time. He had defeated 17 and 18, and right before he could travel back once more to tell the Z-Fighters the good news, Cell had entered the picture and had ended his dreams forever.

The version of Trunks whom Cell had come to better know, the man he was with right now, was a different incarnation of the one who had died, and he was different because of the divergence that had resulted from Cell traveling to the past. This version of Trunks had encountered Cell in the past and had become quite stronger in the fight to defeat him, whereas the other Trunks had not had the proper preparation for a force of Cell's magnitude.

And now here they were, in Trunks' home in a future timeline. But which future timeline had they traveled to, exactly? As Cell began to ponder this point further, he suddenly became gravely concerned.

There was truly no way to tell if they had traveled to the alternate future from which Cell had come or if they had traveled to an entirely new future that had resulted from Trunks and Cell traveling from a version of the past in which Cell had been present as opposed to Cell having not been present.

Even if Cell had not traveled to the future with Trunks, Trunks' return to the future could have still resulted in a new timeline since he would have come back to the future after experiencing a different set of experiences in the past. This matter had been complicated even further by the consideration of exactly how long from this version of Bulma's perspective it had been since she'd last seen Trunks.

Cell hoped for the multiverse's sake that this was not the timeline from which he had originally come, and that Trunks, from the perspective of this timeline, had already traveled back once before today and that this most recent return was his second. This would make things simple, since if so, they should not be expecting any other time machines to suddenly appear and for there to be two closely related, but different versions of Trunks to be in the same place, which could put a stress on the space-time continuum.

It was clear based on the way Bulma had greeted them that her version of Trunks had already traveled back to the past at least once, but what if that version Trunks had not been back from the past the first time?

What if a version of Trunks was about to come back for the first time, and then run into himself? An incident of that sort possessed the potential to create additional timelines beyond those that had existed before, with so many more variables and unforeseen futures that would affect their collective course.

It would be worse, in Cell's opinion, if they had ended up in the timeline from which Cell had come, the original timeline that had existed even before any version of Trunks had ever used his time machine. If they had managed to somehow find themselves in that timeline, Cell and Trunks would have to worry about a version of Trunks potentially coming back from either his first and second trips, and either of these emergences could fundamentally alter the circumstances that had led to Cell's venture into the past, creating a far greater number of unpredictable timelines.

Or maybe, and possibly even more dangerously, the two had ended up in some other timeline Cell had not accounted for.

It was a conundrum, and living it out was the only true way to find out the truth.

Cell refocused his attention on Trunks, who looked as though he was about to speak.

"Mom, I need to be straightforward with you now more than ever because of what's going on," Trunks said, as he put down the mug that had held his tea.

She looked perplexed.

"Well Trunks, I figured something weird was up when you suddenly appeared the way you did without the time machine, and with this guy – "

"– Oh, yes, my name is Cell, by the way. How rude of me to not introduce myself properly," he said, offering his hand for a shake.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Cell," she said as she offered her hand in kind.

'This is somewhat ironic, but charming nonetheless,' Cell thought to himself.

"I asked it before, but I'm guessing you were about to tell me anyway, just where exactly is the time machine?" Bulma asked them both.

"In the past," Trunks said, with a rather nonchalant tone that somewhat surprised Cell, who thought Trunks should have conveyed more emotion after what had happened to him with regards to exactly why his time machine was still in the past.

"In the past!" Bulma exclaimed, as she hadn't been prepared for that. "How did you get here, then?"

Indeed, it was a good question. She had thought that possibly the two had needed to abandon ship when they had arrived in this timeline, but then again, the time machine had been built for one.

Bulma felt this was about to get very strange.

"Mom, I'll just get right out with it. I died."

She paused for a moment, and if it had not been for knowing of the Dragon Balls, she would have become somewhat frantic as to exactly why Trunks had said that. Tears of understanding came to her eyes and she rushed around the table to hug her son.

"… Mom, I'm here. It's alright," Trunks said after being showered with affection that wasn't entirely necessary, with Cell laughing humbly all the while.

"How did it happen?" she asked nervously.

"I don't know how, but the time machine malfunctioned," Trunks said.

She felt herself become a bit sick as her voice became colder than a winter's wind.

"It was my fault?" she asked, sounding truly fearful that she might have somehow indirectly killed her son through kinks in the device.

"I truly don't know, and it doesn't matter because I'm here," Trunks said.

"For the record, it wasn't, and I know that for a fact," Cell said.

"How do you know?" Bulma asked, and Trunks became curious about this, too.

"Your counterpart from the past told me," Cell said.

There was a brief pause before Bulma spoke.

"She was sure?" Bulma asked.

"Very much so," Cell said.

"Ah, so that means you are, in fact, from the past, then?" Bulma asked.

Cell was extremely unsure of what his boundaries were and how to answer this one, and so he looked to Trunks, beckoning his guidance.

"Well big guy, speak up," Bulma demanded. "You look tough, and you're obviously not from around here, judging by your appearance. If you're not from Earth, it's fine. I've met my fair share of aliens before; it's not like it would be anything new."

"I'll tell you," Trunks said.

"No, … I shall," Cell said. "Do you want me to tell her everything?"

After some hesitation, Trunks responded.

"Yes, and especially since she needs to know," Trunks said. "It might be crucial to helping her figure out how we got here."

"Please do," Bulma said. "It's not every day that two people travel through time without the use of a time machine."

"Alright then," Cell said. "If you really want to know, I began my life as a servant of Dr. Gero – [this instantly made Bulma tense up] – and there was a time when one of my most important personal goals was to kill you all."

"Lovely," Bulma said.

"The next part of what I want to tell you is a bit complicated because I don't know as much about the specifics of this timeline as I should," Cell said. "I believe, although I'm not entirely certain, that I come from a slightly different version of this timeline, and that I was 'born' around this relative point in time in that timeline. However, I'm truthfully not sure which timeline we're in, or when we are within it."

"Well, of course there's going to be at least one new future since Trunks went back in time, but … is that what you're talking about?" Bulma asked.

"No, I'm referring to a slightly different version of this timeline," Cell said. "I'll explain this more in depth in a bit, but I want to ask you a question or two about the sequence of events that have happened so far in this timeline. This will help me get a better idea of what's going on."

"Alright, so ask away," Bulma said.

"For starters, did Trunks come back to this timeline only once with his appearance today being the only occasion, or rather twice, such that the second of those two refers to the trip he just returned from?" Cell asked.

"Today's return was the second time, and before today, the last I'd seen of Trunks was when he went back to fight the androids," Bulma said.

"Good, that makes things a bit more simple," Cell said. "The only way to then tell for sure whether this is the original timeline or a different one, Trunks, is if you happen to come running through the door while you're standing here, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, because if we were in the timeline that you came from and if I haven't returned from my second trip to the past yet, there would be a version of me returning from a past in which you weren't there, and in which we know I had used my time machine to get back."

"By the way, Cell, how exactly did you get to the past?" Bulma asked. "I wasn't aware of Gero possessing any time displacement technology. Or … oh, crap. You stole our time machine, didn't you?" she asked sourly.

"Yes, and I killed my version of Trunks in the process."

She wanted to scream.

An intense feeling consumed her, and it was one that only a mother whose child had been killed could understand. It was an emotion she would have felt no matter what timeline the version of Trunks in question had technically been from.

"Get out of my house right now," Bulma said. "You killed one version of my son, and who knows what horrors you put this one through. Get out!"

This was very different from the nervous sadness she had previously displayed, as even though the version of Trunks who was with her had been killed by accident, he was now safe. The other version of her son in an alternate timeline was, for lack of a better word, "still" dead, and he had been killed at the hands of the murderer in her midst.

"Mom, don't," Trunks said. "After all, if my acting friendly to him has been any indication of things, he's fine. I've known he killed another version of me for some time now, and I still accept him as a friend. To make a long story a bit shorter, Gohan and Cell were fighting, and Gohan hit Cell in the head in a way that caused Dr. Gero's malicious intent to stop dominating Cell's personality. Cell wanted to stay good so badly that he even made a wish with the Dragon Balls to do so."

"I still don't trust him," Bulma said.

"That's exactly what the version of my father from the past had said," Trunks said. "You'd be pleased to know, then, that Cell saved your counterpart's life from a bunch of thugs who were about to hurt her," Trunks said.

Bulma was in awe.

"You did?" she asked.

"Yep," Cell said with a nod.

"I still won't let you near us if you even so much as remotely attempt anything malicious, do you understand?" Bulma asked.

"I understand," Cell said.

"Now then, the fact that you decided to use the Dragon Balls for that wish seems quite amazing," Bulma said. "And you're a … what exactly are you, anyway? Are you in fact an android? You sure don't look like one."

"Gero called me one, but I don't consider that term to be all that accurate with regards to describing me," Cell said. "I'm more like some kind of mutant freak show the good doctor created to prey upon his other creations. You see, instead of packing all my power into one super form, he made me practically, but not quite, kill Androids 17 and 18, or the past versions of them, anyway. This resulted in the transformation you now see. I took the time machine to the past, and now, after all that happened there, here I am. Trust me, I'd much rather have the heart of Goku than the wicked heart of Frieza any day."

"Then I'm glad you're one of the good guys," Bulma said. "So, the time machine was broken when you tried to use it?"

"Yes," Trunks said. "It modulated space and not time, and I ended up in the vacuum of space, where my dome cracked and I kicked the bucket. Then, Cell, father, Goku, and the Nameks helped bring me back to live with the Dragon Balls on New Namek."

"I made a special wish to stabilize his space-time signature while he was dead because I was afraid that not doing so would result in Trunks being in some sort of horrible limbo between dimensions, timelines, or who knows what else," Cell said. "I especially didn't want him to be in a state in which he would involuntarily travel back and forth through time, which I calculated could have happened had I not made the wishes that I made. Dying during a failed space-time bend is a hard fix."

"Wait, could the fact I transported through time without the time machine be the result of the way in which I was brought back?" Trunks said.

"Possibly, but the truly dangerous form of it would have been rapid movements back and forth through time, which could have eventually trapped you in the space-time equivalent of 'nowhere,' and we wouldn't have wanted that," Cell said. "Also, I'm pretty sure at this point that the wishes were fine, because the fact I was transported with you is so outside the realm of what's expected of time travel that I think I now know what's going on here."

"Please, do explain," Bulma said. "I have some theories, but then maybe there are more details that I need to know."

"I was transported with Trunks, and I strongly believe it's because we had physical contact at the time. The fact that my molecules had already been exposed to time travel should also be taken into account," Cell said. "If I had not made the wishes incorrectly, I strongly believe we would have seen Trunks do some weird stuff by now. But that hasn't happened. I think the transportation forward in time was because of feedback from the time machine, such that its command for time travel was somehow preserved for completion and enacted through Trunks because he had been within it. This, I believe, is why Trunks and I teleported. We went forward in time only once with a relatively stable jump, just as the time machine would have done. I sincerely believe that we're not in the timeline I am originally from and that you are, in every sense of the word, Trunks' mother. A faulty wish with the Dragon Balls, which is somewhat difficult to examine because the Dragon Balls were not designed with time travel in mind per se, would not have resulted in as much stability in our movements, to the best of my knowledge."

"You certainly seem to have some deep knowledge of physics and time travel in that thick head of yours, don't you?" Bulma asked.

"I guess you could say that," Cell said. "However, I'll humbly admit that I did not have to go through the painstaking process of developing that knowledge myself, as much of it was stolen and given to me. A large part of my knowledge also derives from the superior ability of deduction that I inherited, but which I also did not develop on my own."

"What does he mean by that, Trunks?" Bulma said.

"Oh, yes, a key thing we forgot to tell you," Trunks said, "is that his genetic material is a combination of dad's, Goku's, Frieza's, and that of a whole bunch of other fighters."

"A remix," Bulma said.

"Gero was a twisted, psychotic, horrid man," Cell said. "But I've been wondering something, as the path of our conversation has made me come to realize a point of interest."

"What exactly are you thinking about?" Bulma asked.

"Well, the reason Trunks is even here is because of the fact that in the version of the past that we were in, he was able to be revived through our use of the other set of Dragon Balls on New Namek …"

"And you're wondering why we haven't sought to use the Dragon Balls of New Namek in this timeline, which could have saved us much grief, whether by bringing our loved ones back to life or through using the wishes themselves to somehow strengthen our capabilities against the androids," Bulma said.

"Precisely."

"You couldn't possibly know how much it has grieved Trunks and I that the circumstances regarding this issue are not so simple," Bulma said. "Through all the androids' destruction, I've never been able to complete a spaceship with the proper tools and equipment necessary to get us to New Namek. Not only have the androids destroyed our supply lines and made it next to impossible for me and Trunks to locate some of the most important materials I would need to create the ship and get it going, but there have in fact been a few times in which I've gotten through more than 50 percent of the work and those monsters, through their malevolent destruction, ended up destroying the progress that had been made. As a result of this, many of the parts that we needed and which we had already acquired became unsalvageable."

"In this timeline, they have been quite the destructive imbeciles, haven't they?" Cell asked.

"Very much so," Trunks said. "And now that we've gotten that unfortunate explanation out of the way, Cell, I think it's time for us to pay a visit to our old friends."

"I agree," Cell said. "And after that, we'll use the Dragon Balls on New Namek."

Trunks and Bulma both did a double take.

"Cell, I thought I just got finished telling you about why that's just not an option," Bulma said.

"It is when you know instant transmission," Cell said.

Trunks, after this revelation, became quite exhilarated to the point that he raised both of his arms up and let out an exclamatory "Yeah!"

"What's so exciting about that, Trunks? I must have missed something," Bulma said. "What exactly is 'instant transmission?'"

Trunks realized that it was quite possible that in this timeline, Goku might never have shown his friends the instant transmission technique or told them its name because the circumstances of Goku's return from space had been different. He also realized that even if Goku had told Bulma of the technique, she might have either forgotten about it or just its name because of how long ago she had seen it. _[Author's Note: Of interest in relation to these points is that in the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 107, "Mystery Revealed," Trunks informs Goku during their intended private conversation that he "had no idea that [he] had that ability," referring to instant transmission. It should be noted that this conversation took place shortly after Trunks defeated Frieza, and as such, Bulma (from Trunks' timeline) had likely not informed him about the technique before he had time traveled. It's unlikely, but possible that she could have informed him about it at some point, but that he might have forgotten about its existence.]_

"I don't know if Goku ever showed it to you, Mom, and if he did you may not remember it, but Goku, right before he died in our timeline, learned a technique that allowed him to travel to any point in the universe instantaneously, so long as he could sense an energy signature and direct himself toward it."

"Wow, really?" she asked, sounding as if she had become ecstatic as well.

"Yes, and Cell learned the technique," Trunks said. "In fact, he saved me after I came back to life through using the technique. We had transported through time from the surface of New Namek in the past to a physical point in this timeline in which New Namek was not there, and while I still wonder about how exactly that happened, Cell used instant transmission to get me out of there, and then we appeared on Earth. He wouldn't have died because like Frieza, he doesn't necessarily need oxygen all the time, but Cell saved my life, all the same."

"Amazing!" she said. "This is incredible news! Cell, you had better not get killed while fighting the androids, otherwise the loss of all this hope is going to piss me off."

"Trust me, Bulma, it would be very, very hard for the androids of this timeline to truly harm me," Cell said. "But even so, anything could happen, and I will do my best to be careful."

"While you two do what you need to, remember that I'm here if you need any help. I'm going to get to work to see if what Cell said about the circumstances of the time travel method you used is at all empirically observable or verifiable, and if it's even safe for you guys to transport through time again."

"That sounds like a plan," Trunks said.

"The androids are going to wish they actually had one," Cell said.

"They're warrantless killers," Trunks said. "You, more than anyone, know what kind of hatred drives them."

"And that's why we should let no more time pass before we venture out to stop them," Cell said. "No more should die because of the misguided fury of Dr. Gero."

"You both be careful; you know how strong they are," Bulma said. "I know I said something to that effect before, but I want to drive the point home."

"Trust me, Mom, even by myself I'm better prepared than I've ever been to fight them," Trunks said. "In fact, I'm pretty confident I could even win."

"And this form of mine resulted from absorbing Androids 17 and 18 in the past, so you can assume I've got some power of my own," Cell said.

"Yeah Mom, Cell's pretty strong. But back when he was a bad guy, we had a little one-on-one in which we were pretty even-matched, um, … for a while," Trunks said.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration on your part, and you know it," Cell said, with joking derision.

"It's time to kick some android ass. Let's get to it," Trunks said.

Trunks hugged his mother and Cell waved goodbye; soon the two were off into the air, scouting the world for the fiends who had terrorized it for more than a decade to put an end to their parade of chaos once and for all.

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_Thanks for reading Chapter Fifteen!_

_Up next: the 100th review special! And immediately after that, Chapter Sixteen! Trunks and Cell confront Androids 17 and 18, and the stage for their brawl is set! But things might play out somewhat differently than you would think … stay tuned!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Chapter completed: ([Early 2010]); (Revised July 11, 2010); (Revision II: April 2, 2011)_

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Author's Extended Note: On the Subject of Time Travel Mechanics in Canon Dragon Ball Z.

While there are many aspects of the effects of time travel in DBZ which are debatable as to whether or not they would in real life work the way DBZ suggests they would, and while some effects of time travel on the timelines shown in DBZ are rather nonsensical, a few principles of how timelines in DBZ are affected by time travel are very clear:

A new timeline was created from the original timeline (the one that Future Trunks initially came from) when matter and energy from the original timeline became displaced in the time stream and was transported to many years in the past. This occurred when Future Trunks traveled to the past to warn Goku of the threat of the androids and to give him an antidote to the heart virus that would have killed Goku had Trunks not intervened.

When a sequence of events is changed from how it would have occurred had an instance of time travel responsible for the change instead not occurred, the timeline that had existed before a new timeline was created through changed events will still exist "alongside" that changed timeline, with the original timeline and the changed timeline existing "together," and without the original timeline being completely overridden, replaced and/or changed by the new timeline. The fact that Future Trunks is able to travel back to his timeline, "the original timeline," after he creates a changed timeline is demonstrative of this.

If a timeline that had "already" been changed experiences another change in its sequence of events resulting from yet another instance of time travel, yet another timeline will be created, and this additional changed timeline will not override the already-changed timeline from which it had been derived. This occurs when Cell travels back to the past and changes the events of the timeline that Future Trunks had already changed and affected through his own trip to the past. The timeline we experience in canonical DBZ in which the Cell Games took place is the timeline that resulted from this phenomenon.

If a time traveler from one timeline travels from the future to the past, but because of related events he either ends up either traveling to more than one timeline simultaneously or he either travels to one particular timeline and then, in a "different version" of his trip to the past he travels to a different timeline, this can result in a new timeline being created under certain conditions. This would happen if, in one of the versions of that traveler's trip to the past he successfully returns to the future to the timeline from which he initially came and then, in the other version of the traveler's trip, he also tries to return to the future the timeline from which he came, such that he would still return to the future, but the timeline he would return to would be different. It is somewhat unclear whether DBZ considers this to have occurred when Future Trunks traveled back to the future after he had killed Frieza and King Cold in the timeline that Cell had also traveled back to, or when Future Trunks travels to the future after having participated in the Cell Games. Regardless of which trip to the future was the responsible point of divergence, Trunks was subject to a different set of circumstances in the "past" timeline with "Future" Cell than in the "past" timeline without "Future" Cell. In the case of the Trunks' first trip back to the future from the "past" timeline in which "Future" Cell was present, Cell's mere presence in the timeline was a difference (but a difference all the same), and in the case of Trunks' second trip Trunks had gone through a fundamentally different experience than the experience of the version of Trunks who had traveled to the past and who had helped defeat the androids in the timeline in which Cell had not traveled back to the past. Due to relativity, it is likely that Trunks' first trip back to the future after he had traveled to the version of the "past" timeline in which Cell from the future was also present was more responsible for the creation of another timeline than Trunks' second trip to the future from that timeline.

These four phenomena account for the four different timelines we learn about in canonical DBZ, and the timelines are established in the following manner:

Timeline 1: This is the original timeline of the Dragon Ball universe, which throughout the series was not altered by any events of time travel in which a person not from this timeline traveled to this timeline. In Timeline 1, Future Trunks and Future Bulma worked on the time machine that enabled Trunks to travel back to the past. Goku died of a heart virus in Timeline 1, and Androids 17 and 18 killed the original Z-Fighters. Trunks used the time machine to travel back to the past, creating an alternate timeline, Timeline 2.

Timeline 2: This timeline diverged from Timeline 1 at the moment that Future Trunks emerged in this timeline. After he arrived, he fought and killed Frieza and King Cold, which Goku had done in Timeline 1. Trunks warned the Z-Fighters of the androids and gave Goku a vaccine for the heart virus, and then Trunks returned to Timeline 1. After three years of time in Timeline 2, the Z-Fighters began to fight the androids. It was around this time that Future Trunks returned to help the Z-Fighters. It is important to note that what happens next in Timeline 2 DOES NOT ACTUALLY HAPPEN ON SCREEN IN CANON DBZ, BUT IS MERELY REFERRED TO, AS THE CELL SAGA OCCURS EXCLUSIVELY IN TIMELINE 3, AS OPPOSED TO TIMELINE 2. The Z-Fighters of Timeline 2 defeated the androids, and they did not face Cell since the version of Cell from Timeline 1 had not traveled to this timeline. It is unclear, based on canon information, whether or not the Z-Fighters of Timeline 2 fought Dr. Gero in his android form, and canon does not firmly establish whether or not a version of Android 19 that was seen on screen also existed in Timeline 2, although out of considerations of relativity, it is highly likely that if causality was taken into account in a proper manner, the Z-Fighters in Timeline 2 would have fought Android 19 and Dr. Gero as Android 20. It is a certainty in canon that the Z-Fighters of Timeline 2 managed to defeat Android 17 and Android 18 and that the Z-Fighters of Timeline 2 DID NOT FIGHT CELL, AS CELL WAS NOT PRESENT IN THIS TIMELINE. Before Trunks returned to Timeline 1, he obtained schematics regarding Androids 17 and 18 that enabled him, in Timeline 1, to have a device which he used to deactivate Timeline 1's versions of Android 17 and Android 18.

Back in Timeline 1, after Future Trunks returned to this timeline from Timeline 2, Trunks defeated Android 17 and Android 18 through destroying them after he deactivated them. Some time passed, and the version of Cell from Timeline 1 confronted Trunks. Trunks had not known of Cell's existence since he had not confronted Cell in the past. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS VERSION OF CELL, THE VERSION FROM TIMELINE 1, IS THE VERSION WHO IN CANON DBZ ENDS UP IN TIMELINE 3 AND FIGHTS THE Z-FIGHTERS DURING THE CELL SAGA ON SCREEN. THIS VERSION OF CELL IS ALSO THE VERSION **WHOSE ALTERNATE EXPLOITS HAVE BEEN COVERED IN HONOR TRIP. **The version of Cell from Timeline 1 managed to defeat Trunks and traveled back in time.

What happened next is somewhat questionable with regards to relativity, but the following is the logic that was used in DBZ with regards to the timelines we learn about from the canon series. As Trunks had already traveled back in time, he had already "imprinted" a change on the original timeline and had created Timeline 2 through his travels. Cell's trip to the past from Timeline 1 did not apparently modify Timeline 1, but instead modified Timeline 2, since Cell's modification to history occurred "subsequently" to the modifications to history that Trunks made. Cell's trip back in the past created an alternate version of Timeline 2 known as Timeline 3.

Timeline 3: Four years before the Androids Saga, and one year before Future Trunks (still technically from Timeline 1) killed Frieza and King Kold, Cell from Timeline 1 emerged in the past, creating Timeline 3. "Future" Cell's mere presence made Timeline 3 different from Timeline 2. Cell from Timeline 1 remained relatively inactive for many years in Timeline 3. Just as was the case in Timeline 1, Future Trunks, who can still be considered to have arrived from Timeline 1, killed Frieza and King Cold. Since Cell from Timeline 1 was also in Timeline 3, his presence affected the conditions of the timeline enough from his mere presence that Trunks had a "different" experience in the past, even if it was only subtly different due to differences in the arrangement of air molecules as a result of displacement from Timeline 1 Cell's mere presence. But any such difference would have resulted in a "different" experience for Trunks, and so when he traveled back to the future from Timeline 3 right after he fought Frieza and King Cold, he was effectively a "different" person than the version of him who traveled back to Timeline 1 from Timeline 2, which was devoid of "Future" Cell from Timeline 1. When this slightly different version of Trunks traveled back to the future, the mere fact that he was slightly different from the version of Trunks who successfully traveled back to Timeline 1 from Timeline 2, (indeed, because he was, after all, traveling from Timeline 3 and not Timeline 2), triggered the creation of Timeline 4.

Timeline 4: This timeline was created when the "slightly" different version of Trunks who was originally from Timeline 1 but who was coming from Timeline 3 emerged from Timeline 3 in his attempt to return to Timeline 1. Timeline 4 is hence a modified version of Timeline 1, and it was created because the version of Trunks that returned from the past was slightly different. In Timeline 4, Trunks apparently continued to battle the androids for some time. He then returned back to the past, but not to Timeline 2 and instead to Timeline 3, as Timeline 3 and Timeline 4 had become "linked," apparently because Trunks had gone to Timeline 4 from Timeline 3.

Back in Timeline 3, Trunks returned, this time from Timeline 4. He helped the Z-Fighters of Timeline 3 track down Android 20, and then after some confrontations with the androids of Timeline 3, the events of the Cell Saga took place. Cell from Timeline 1 eventually had a confrontation with Trunks, and it should be remembered that Trunks was born in Timeline 1 like the alternate version of him who had been to Timeline 2, (the "past" timeline WITHOUT Cell), although the events of the Cell Saga take place in Timeline 3, (the "past" timeline WITH Cell). The version of Trunks that fought in the Cell Games can now be more readily identified with Timeline 4 as his "home" timeline, as Trunks had returned to Timeline 3 from Timeline 4. It is during the events of Timeline 3, at a point in the battle between Gohan from Timeline 3 and Cell from Timeline 1, that this alternate story, Honor Trip, begins. In canon DBZ, Gohan defeats Cell and Trunks returned to Timeline 4.

Back in the canon version of Timeline 4, the version of Trunks who returned was CLEARLY at this point very different from the version of him whom Cell from Timeline 1 killed in Timeline 1. Trunks, after having fought in the Cell Games during Timeline 3, defeated Android 17 and Android 18 with relative ease. He then defeated Timeline 4's version of Cell and prevented Timeline 4's version of Cell from going back in time as Timeline 1's version of Cell had done.

In Chapter Fourteen of Honor Trip, which began in Timeline 3, (Chapter One, for that matter, began in Timeline 3), Cell and Trunks transported to the future very suddenly after Trunks had been revived in Timeline 3 with the Dragon Balls of New Namek. Chapter Fifteen takes place in the timeline Cell and Trunks had traveled to, which can be assumed to be Timeline 4, (although this is not ENTIRELY, but VERY LIKELY certain), and their trip to Timeline 4 can be regarded as an event that occurred in place of the event in canon DBZ in which Trunks successfully traveled back to Timeline 4 with his time machine after the Cell Saga in Timeline 3.

Thank you for reading this note, and whether or not you read this note before proceeding further with the main content of the chapter, I hope this note was of interest to you.

* * *

_Author's Additional Note: I specifically included a reference here to the moment in uncut episode 194, "Free the Future," (which is the episode in canon DBZ in which Trunks returns to the future), when Trunks drinks tea instead of taking care of the androids right away because of how illogical and odd it was to see this in the original series. Instead of taking direct action to at least attempt to find them, or to call them out of hiding by raising his power level, Trunks sat idly by in the original series and let them make the first move, resulting in people dying in the process. This lack of will to take direct action when given the ability and chance to do so was very out of character and irrational_ _for Trunks, and I included the reference to show how a similar "calm before the storm" scene could have been pulled off, if done under the right premise. _

_Again, here is the paragraph in this chapter in which the reference was made:_

_[However, there were important matters that Trunks felt he should at least try to resolve before he ventured to find the two of them. It wasn't like Trunks to sit down for tea and to not fight the androids immediately, but that was exactly what he was doing. Bulma had offered it up, and he needed to talk to her to figure some things out, things that he knew took precedence even to fighting the androids. In a simpler return to the future, Trunks knew he would have never sat idly by and waited for them to make the first move. This disquieting return, however, warranted his present actions.]_

* * *

_Author's Second Additional Note: I also included a segment here about the possibility of Trunks and Bulma being able to use a spaceship to travel to New Namek and use the Dragon Balls of New Namek to help the Earth because this seemingly legitimate possibility was never explored in the original series. The fact this was neither tried nor considered by Trunks or Bulma in canon leaves somewhat of a plot hole in the way Future Trunks' storyline and backstory were developed, especially since if Trunks and/or Bulma and/or Gohan had traveled to New Namek to use the Dragon Balls this would have prevented Trunks from having the conditions and motivations necessary for him to travel to the past to free the future. The segment in this chapter dealing with why using a spaceship for this purpose never materialized in action offers an explanation for why this option was never fulfilled and develops the complexity and depth of the storyline by showing that at the very least Bulma and Trunks recognized this an option and took action, rather than possibly being oblivious to it._

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor _


	16. Comedy Special: 100th Review Special!

**Honor Trip **

**(100th Review Celebration!)**

**Dedicated to the fans!**

**DBZ Movie VIII Remake: Broly, the Legendary Steroid Indulger**

**Cell [Honor Trip Version] Fights Broly [Angry as Ever]**

– **A Non-Canon Comedy –**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_[Note: Since Chapter Fifteen was the one in which I had the privilege of receiving the 100th review for Honor Trip, this special release should be read between Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen for the full thrill of it_._]_

* * *

**Planet of Vegetable People, 1970**

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

Down some random hallway in the east wing of the west wing, some Saiyan kid was bawling.

There was also this other kid who got all pissed off because of it. For some reason, this was enough to motivate a sense of murderous revenge in the two-hour-old Broly.

Then, Kakarot was sent to Earth as a means of fulfilling a convenient plot device.

In celebration of the occasion, U.S. President Nixon discoed all night long.

Despite all of Frieza's monitoring equipment, and in fulfilling a second plot device this time, Broly and his dead-beat father Paragus escaped their destroyed planet in a sphere of energy that Broly randomly created.

Growing up, Broly was a severely disobedient adolescent, so much so that had Chi Chi been his mother, the smackings he would have received would have been most plentiful.

Then, in the third convenient plot device so far, he was given a headband that allowed his father to control him.

And then, the dragons came.

**Earth, Present Day **

As Cell flew down to the picnic below, the Z-Fighters were enjoying a zesty round of Krillin's karaoke.

"Heart of an Eagle, he flies through the rainbows …" Krillin wailed in honor of Finnish symphonic power metal band Stratovarius.

"What's up guys?" Cell asked as he landed.

Some stared at him with cold sweat, some readied themselves to fighting stances, and Yamcha continued to eat his ice cream, seemingly oblivious of the situation.

"Huh, what's going on?" Cell asked.

"Cell, you fiend! Did you think you could catch us off-guard and take us out before the tournament began?" Trunks asked.

"What in the world are you talking about, Trunks?" Cell asked. "The Cell Games were like a month ago."

"Have you lost your mind?" Tien asked. "They're in less than a week!"

"Um, okay …," Cell said. "So, none of you remember when Gohan, y'know, did his ascension thing and kicked the stuffing out of me, and then I became all good and stuff, and then there was the trial, and then I saved Bulma's life, and …"

"My mother?" Trunks asked, as he noticed this timeline's version of his mother among them, safe and sound.

"…and then, Trunks, you died and I had to go through the trouble of bringing you back to life, and then we went to the future and were about to fight the androids?"

"You really need to get a grip," Vegeta said. "Just because I'm going to defeat you in a few days doesn't mean you should be driven to this madness."

'Hmm … they don't seem to remember anything,' Cell thought to himself. 'How odd. Or maybe I'm somehow in the past of the past, but how could this be?'

He thought about it some more.

"This is a Dragon Ball Z movie, isn't it?" Cell asked, in perfect acceptance of his breaking the fourth wall.

Everyone looked at him blankly.

"You know, those things which didn't happen in the manga, and which in the case of most of them couldn't have actually happened for whatever chronological inconsistencies they posed?"

The blank stares kept on coming.

"Alright, since I'm sure nothing's going to make total sense here, and that somehow I've traveled back in this non-canon version of time, it's time to break the fourth wall again by introducing a fourth plot device. All the stuff that happened at the beginning of the real version of this movie never made any sense anyway; many of you should be training for the tournament right now, not dancing around and singing karaoke, Krillin. **Cough**

"Hey!"

"Whatever," Cell said. "At the snap of my fingers, you'll all just accept that I'm here and that I'm a good guy. Also, you totally won't see what I'm about to do."

**SNAP**

"Huh?" Yamcha asked. "Where's my … Cell, you took my ice cream!"

"What ice cream?" Cell asked, as he became enthralled in the deliciousness.

Goku instant transmitted to the scene, and he appeared right next to Gohan.

"You see, the fact that neither of you are Super Saiyans while the Cell Games are in less than 10 days yet again proves why the DBZ movies needed to have been directed by me," Cell said, as he slurped some of the melted delectableness from the bottom of the ice cream cone.

"Oh, why, because they would have been, as you would likely have said, 'perfect'?" Vegeta asked.

"I was about to make that joke, yes," Cell said. "By the way, Goku, why are you wearing a suit?"

"Chi Chi dragged me along with her to speak on Gohan's behalf so that way he could get into some sort of prissy and elitist prep school," Goku said. "I would have loved to stay, but I sensed that the energy of the plot was around here somewhere."

"Indeed," Cell said.

Just then, Cell saw a large spaceship descending rapidly from the sky, heading for an open field that was close to where they were standing.

As it landed, a gust of wind from the force of its landing knocked the majority of the remaining ice cream off the cone, causing Cell to sneer at the occurrence.

The spaceship made a sound as it came to a halt, and the sound was made because mechanical waves travel through mediums of matter and then receptors such as ears translate these waves as such.

From within the spaceship, a crude ramp made of plywood emerged.

Upon that ramp was a man who appeared to be a Saiyan.

"I wonder what's for dinner," Paragus said as he began to walk forward, holding his arms out openly as if to be inviting.

It seemed, from Cell's perspective, that the Saiyan was eagerly beckoning the Z-Fighters to come with him on what for all Cell knew was a half-witted scheme that would involve them embarking upon a quest of galactic real estate scams.

"What a surprise; another Saiyan survived the destruction of our planet and yet I never mentioned this Saiyan in non-movie canon," Vegeta said. "I probably never knew this guy though, so I guess it's alright."

**Deep Space, 2008**

"But brother …"

**Earth, Present Day **

"Shut up, Tarble," Vegeta said, as he ceased directing his gaze toward the sky and then returned to contemplating the Saiyan who had arrived. "Anyway, who are you?"

"Prince Vegeta, you have no recollection of me?" Paragus asked.

"No, why should I?"

"Good," Paragus said. "Well then, my name is Paragus, and I have created a new Planet Vegeta that you should totally come to because this is in no way a trap."

"I don't know, Vegeta, judging from the other Saiyan I met back a few movies ago, these non-canon Saiyans can be pretty treacherous," Goku said. "This guy looks okay, though. Turles, however, … now there's a guy you could tell was on the dark side just by looking at him."

"I got a sweet deal on the real estate," Paragus said. "Come on, you should check it out."

"I have better things to do, like clipping my toenails," Vegeta said.

"Oh come on, it will be fun," Paragus said. "My son Broly is going to kick your ass. It will be friggin' great."

"What? Well, he's got another thing coming if he thinks he can defeat me," Vegeta said. "After all, I have achieved the legendary status of Super Saiyan."

**New Vegetable Planet, Present Day**

"Hah!" Broly exclaimed, as he started to laugh with enthusiasm.

**Earth, 1961**

"Very well then," Paragus said**. **"Into the ship we go!"

"As the most capable one among us, this should be no problem at all," Vegeta said as he heard Cell cough in the background.

"Come right this way," Paragus said as he motioned with his hand.

As Vegeta began to walk toward the spaceship, Trunks darted out in front of him.

"Father, wait; don't make an ass out of yourself again," he said in desperation.

"Stand aside, 'Future Boy.'"

Vegeta shoved Trunks aside, and walked up the ramp of doom.

Trunks then got desperate.

"Cell, you would have no moral qualms about beating my father into the ground to stop him. Can you please do that?" he asked.

"Sorry, Trunks; I've committed myself to a life of peace, unlike some of my more diabolical incarnations," Cell said.

"Of all the times to have morals," Trunks said. "Fine! Then I'll just have to go with him so I can bail my father out of whatever mess he gets into this time."

Trunks, disgusted, put his hands into his pockets, looked down at the ground, kicked it, then walked solemnly forward.

"Goku, I don't know if I really like the looks of this," Cell said. "This is clearly a trap."

"Oh, you think?" Gohan touted rhetorically.

"Relax guys," Goku said. "What could possibly go wrong?"

**The Home for Infinite Losers, 1949**

"Son, this movie is boring," King Cold said in a valiant state of near-slumber, referring to the cinematic display within the crystal ball in front of him.

"Aw, come on father, I want to see what happens to those monkeys, and if they're really going to get the stuffing beaten out of them as was promised," Frieza said.

"What else is on? Oooooooooo, there's a special on Channel 55 about home furnishings and decorations to make an eternal afterlife pit of despair seem all the more homely," King Cold said, as he looked at what was apparently a 'television guide' for the viewing devices in hell. "Let's change the channel!"

Just then, a Death Beam made its way through the remote in King Cold's hands.

"We'll be doing no such thing," Cooler said as he walked closer to them. "I want to see those Saiyans suffer for what they did to me. Keep this channel on!"

King Cold and Frieza gave him blank stares.

"What's up guys?" Cooler asked.

"Excuse me, do I know you?" Frieza asked.

"What type of a question is that, brother? Of course you know me. I'm Cooler, the feared and mighty!"

"I've never heard of you," King Cold said.

Shocked, Cooler was.

"Father, what is the meaning of this?" Cooler asked. "I'm your eldest son!"

"That's news to me," King Cold said.

"Didn't either of you watch the fifth and sixth movies?" Cooler asked. "In fact, Frieza, you were in the fifth movie with me!"

"I was? Maybe you're referring to that one movie that used some old stock footage from some of my other stuff," Frieza said. "All I know is that the ads for that movie had some poser prancing around who looked like me – in retrospect I guess that was you – and he didn't look merciless enough for me to care."

"C'mon guys, I might not be seen with you in on-screen canon, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't remember me, right?" Cooler asked.

All he got were blank stares.

"Guys?"

The blank stares were maintained.

"That does it! I'm out of here, and don't expect presents for the holidays this year!" Cooler yelled as he stormed off.

"What was up with that guy?" King Cold asked.

"I'm not sure father, but listen, there's a special on lingerie happening on Channel 46. It is ours for the viewing."

King Cold thought about this, took up his goblet of wine, and sipped it.

"Excellent," he said as the channel was changed.

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness, 1901**

'I'm not getting nearly enough screen time in this special,' Cell thought to himself as the spaceship landed on the crudely constructed scam of a sham. 'I should really have considered renegotiating the terms of my contract.'

"Yeah, I've only had one line myself," Gohan said.

"Two things, Gohan: one, that makes two; two, how did you hear my thoughts?" Cell asked.

"Well, I mean, I've got the script right here, so …" Gohan said as he revealed the document in his right hand.

"Gohan, may I see that?" Goku asked.

"Sure dad; why?" he asked, bequeathing the script to his father.

"Spoiler alert!" Goku shouted, as he summoned forth energy from his hands that burned the document to dust.

"Why did you go and do that?" Gohan asked.

"Because I've been a big supporter of not ruining plot surprises after those jerks at the book store shouted what happens at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Goku said.

"Bruce Willis is a ghost," Cell said.

"I thought you said you weren't evil anymore," Goku said.

"That doesn't mean I can't mess around with ya," Cell said.

"I'm surprised, Kakarot, that you implied you enjoy reading," Vegeta said. "I thought you were thoroughly illiterate."

"Reading is fun, Vegeta, and it helps your mind grow big and strong." Goku said. "Also, it's good because you can totally pick up the ladies by pretending to be smart and sophisticated. King Kai, how was that for a public service announcement?"

**North Kaio Planet Whose Days Are In No Way Numbered, 1983**

"Morally reprehensible," King Kai said.

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness, 1902**

"Good to hear," Goku said. "And now, I'm hungry."

"Well then, you and your friends should come off the ship with me and we'll feast in celebration of our new Saiyan world," Paragus said.

They all walked off the ship.

Gohan noticed something was amiss.

"Hey, weren't there supposed to be a bunch of slaves over here that were supposed to be part of an emancipation subplot later on?" he asked.

"And let them in on my pyramid scheme? Not in this low-budget remake, kid," Paragus said.

"I'm still hungry," Goku said.

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness: Outside Paragus' Castle,** **2002**

"Man, it feels like a hundred years since I've eaten," Goku said, as he and the others approached the front door of Paragus' Castle.

"We arrived here 10 minutes ago, Kakarot, and I'm sure you stuffed your face this morning," Vegeta said. "Now you're clamoring for food again!"

"Enough," Paragus said, waving his arm. "I'd like you all to meet my son, Broly."

He looked innocent enough, but then, he saw Goku.

"Kakarot!" he said with rage.

"Exactly," Vegeta said.

"Kakarot!" he said again, as the foam started to drool from his mouth.

"We heard you the first time," Cell said.

"Kakarot!" he said yet again, the fervor mounting and the anger surmounting.

"Broly, be quiet," Paragus said, touching the control band on his arm to trigger the headband that restrained his son's movements.

"So, this is the guy who is supposedly able to kick my ass?" Vegeta asked.

"Indeed, and once you have been sent to the next dimension, I shall become the king of all Saiyans!" Paragus said.

"Hah! Ocean dub humor …," Trunks said. "That wouldn't even work, Paragus, because I'm next in line for the throne. You'd have to have Broly kill me too, and I haven't done a single thing to you that would warrant such animosity."

"My inadequate motives and cliché villainous persona say otherwise," Paragus said. "I'm going to have Broly destroy you all!"

"What, there will be like, two or three left, yourself included, if you kill us?" Gohan asked. "That's not much of a kingdom."

"Pipe down, boy; I know what I'm doing!" Paragus said.

"Oh yeah? Then why is he ripping off the headband that you were using to control him?" Cell asked.

Broly ripped it off, and on the floor were its remains.

"Just great, Broly; just great. Do you know how much that cost?" Paragus asked.

"No, but I'm sure that had you invested in long-term securities like I told you to, you'd have more than enough working capital to get a new one," Broly said.

'Remarkably intelligent for someone who just moments ago was acting like raving lunatic,' Cell thought to himself.

"Kakarot, your incessant crying was of a most unpleasant nature to me in our primordial period, and it caused such egregious distress within my psyche that I have developed an urging desire to decimate you in various conceivable fashions," Broly said.

"Hey, buddy!" Vegeta exclaimed angrily. "If anyone is going to kill Kakarot, it's going to be me!"

Trunks put his palm to his head in disbelief that his father had just said that.

"Be quiet, Vegeta. My father said I was going to kick your ass, and so I shall. Then, Kakarot's mine."

"You're quite popular today, Goku," Cell said.

"Tell me about it."

**Mobius, 1994 **

The three heroes felt the triumph of the moment as Angel Island began its ascent from the sea back to its rightful place in the sky.

"Well Sonic, we successfully kicked the crap out of Robotnik," a red echidna said, as he beheld the colossal emerald that was enabling the island to rise.

The blue hedgehog had rescued this emerald after Robotnik, otherwise known as Dr. Eggman, had stolen it for the simplistic and unimpressive goals of domination and power, which others in similar strands of continuity seemed to readily exemplify as well.

"That's right, Knuckles, all I had to do was gather seven mystical objects and I was able to act upon our desire to defeat Dr. Eggman," Sonic said. "You know, having a mad scientist around that is bent on enacting his revenge through creating a bunch of mechanical beings to fight us can be quite treacherous."

"Yeah, but you showed ol' Eggman what you could do after you transformed into your super form and your hair became all pointy and gold," said the two-tailed fox, who knew a lot about technology and had assisted the main protagonist in many of his adventures.

"You're right, Tails; he was no match for my Super Sai— um, I mean my Super Sonic form," Sonic said, as he looked to Tails' right and saw an item box. "Hey Tails, check the view screen on that item box over there. What's inside?"

Tails briefly walked over to the item box, and upon looking at the view screen, he was quite surprised.

"Sonic! Knuckles! Come over here and take a look at this!"

They walked over to the item box and began to watch the events that were being displayed.

"What is this, some kind of movie?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't know, Knuckles," Sonic said. "For some reason, though, I feel like there's something familiar about it …."

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness: Outside Paragus' Castle,** **2002**

"You're about to find out what it's like to fight a real Super Saiyan, and I'm not talking about Kakarot!" Broly yelled, as his golden aura began to flicker with invigoration.

"Where have I heard that one before?" Trunks asked.

As Broly gathered more and more energy, the entire planet shook. He soon transformed into his restrained Super Saiyan form, with neon-blue hair and all.

"That's your Super Saiyan form? You look ridiculous," Vegeta said.

"An interesting predicament – even though I'm rid of the restraining band, my Super Saiyan form still looks like this," Broly said, as he contemplated his hair. "However, the relevance of this is not germane. Even so, it would seem empirical that though the blue hair may not be so fashionable, possessing it is far superior to having to endure existence as a weakling like yourself."

Vegeta, never one to accept a hit to his pride, transformed into his Super Saiyan form and landed a punch directly into Broly's gut. However, this didn't phase Broly in the least.

"That one was free," Broly said, as he grabbed Vegeta and threw him into the ground.

"Where have I heard that one before?" Vegeta asked wearily as he tried to get up, but then fainted.

"What makes this even more excellent, Kakarot, is that Comet Crapola is heading in this direction right now. You'll never escape," Broly said.

"And miss dinner? I think not!" Goku said, as he began to intensify his energy. "I'm sure we can take you down if we work together, right guys?"

"Yeah Dad!" Gohan said.

"Certainly, Goku!" Trunks said.

"Fine, whatever," Cell said.

**The Earth's Moon,** **1995**

"Make our monster grow!" shouted a deranged witch with a screeching voice and a fiendish warlord by her side.

Those meddling kids could wait. Right now, an evil even greater than Goldar's brownies was baking.

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness: Outside Paragus' Castle,** **1995**

And grow he did.

Broly's muscle mass and height grew immensely as lightning cascaded throughout the vicinity. The cackles of his wicked laughing added to the heat of the moment.

"Telling me what my heart meant!" Krillin sang, wildly off-key.

"No one's going to get that, Krillin," Cell said. "Although it would be impressive if they did."

"You, Kakarot … I choose you to be the first of my victims!" Broly screamed as his golden aura radiantly shimmered.

"I thought you already chose Vegeta!" Goku, now fully powered up to Super Saiyan, said while Vegeta remained facedown on the ground, still unconscious.

"He was a momentary nuisance; you've been subconsciously tormenting me my entire life!"

"So I cried for what, like five minutes when neither of us was even a month old and you've been crazy because of it ever since?"

"Yes!"

"He looks strong, Goku," Trunks said, making sure to have his jacket rip off while he transformed so his fan girls would buy the movie on [insert latest home-video format here].

"Don't worry Trunks, we can take him," Gohan, in his Super Saiyan form as well, said.

"Let's go!" Goku shouted as the three Super Saiyans sprinted forward, only to be simultaneously grabbed by Broly and thrown into a nearby building. They were knocked out cold.

While Broly was laughing heartily at his display, another entity walked forward.

"Saiyans …," Cell said, in seeming derision.

The Legendary Super Saiyan stopped short and stared at Cell curiously.

"And just what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" Broly asked.

"Oh, I'm just sayin' that Saiyans can sometimes be very rash and headstrong, that's all," Cell said.

"Your compliment is noted," Broly said.

Cell thought about that for a moment.

"Point taken," Cell said. "You know, one could say that I'm a Saiyan, too."

"What do you mean?" Broly asked, inquisitively intrigued.

"I was constructed in part with Saiyan DNA, and that is why my aura glows gold when I power up significantly, as I can become the equivalent of a Super Saiyan myself. Being a fighter born from the DNA of predecessors, now that I think about it, is kind of like the plot of the eleventh movie, which you kind of star in."

"This trite digression is of little interest to me," Broly said as he mouthed a yawn. "Care for some tea?"

"What type?"

"Green."

"Make it gray."

"By the way, Cell, is it?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you step in to help your friends?"

"I might be a good guy now, but that doesn't mean I always have to do everything perfectly."

"In other words, you didn't feel like it?"

"Yep."

**Earth: Autobots' Lair,** **1984**

"Sir, what are you doing?" a perplexed Wheeljack asked.

"I'm dancing to the groove, Wheeljack," Optimus Prime said as he twisted his motors and components to headbang to the heavy metal in the background. "Come on, sing this next verse with me."

"But I don't want to…."

"We are scanning the scene in the city tonight!" Optimus sang while Krillin nodded in approval from afar.

"Optimus, what's that on Teletraan-1's screen over there?"

As Optimus shifted into doing the twist, he answered.

"Oh, just some movie that was on. After listening to it in the background, I concluded that a bunch of vegetables and a pair of boxers were fighting this other vegetable, or something."

**Earth: Decepticons' Highly Break-In-Able Base,** **1984**

"Starscream, how goes your reconfiguration of the Spacebridge?"

"Very well, Megatron. Our plan to steal the Autobots' cable television signal is working perfectly."

"Excellent; allow me to see what's on."

They turned on their makeshift television set.

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness: Outside Paragus' Castle,** **968**

"And so then I actually convinced Vegeta to let me absorb her, and let me tell you, the look on his face when he punched me after I transformed and he realized that he didn't even make a dent was priceless!" Cell said, recounting fond memories while sitting down at the wooden table Broly had placed onto the battlefield. He was holding a saucer of fine china in one hand and a cup of rather scrumptious tea in the other, sipping it pleasantly all the while.

"That reminds me," Broly said as he then took a sip of his tea, "of the time I got this girl in the East Galaxy to pull my finger to see what would happen, and I let out this fart that destroyed her planet."

"You did not," Cell said with a laugh.

"It totally happened, man!"

"Ah, good times," Cell said, with another sip of the tea. "Oh boy, I haven't had this much fun in a while."

He then calmly put his cup on the saucer as he heard yelling in the background behind him.

"Cell? Cell! What the Hell!" Goku exclaimed as he saw the merriment before him.

Cell briefly looked back, saw an equally disgruntled Gohan and Trunks, then faced Broly again.

"Well, it looks like I'm going to have to go back to helping them take you down," Cell said.

"Yeah."

"Cheers for old times' sake."

Their cups met, and each swigged a swig.

"Don't worry, I'm going to keep up my fervor as a Dragon Ball villain," Broly said.

"Whatever you do though, I've got you beat in that department. I had the greater, and much more exciting, part of two entire seasons to myself," Cell said.

"Ah, but lest you forget that quality is more important than quantity," Broly said.

Cell did a double take.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you heard me. This movie's way better than your story arc," Broly said. "My dynamic villainous persona is much more awesome than yours ever was, and the fans know it."

Cell could feel his blood pumping faster, his adrenaline rushing, and his mind racing to extremities and beyond.

He clenched his right fist and broke the tea cup in his hand, letting the shattered pieces fall to the ground.

"Now … it's … personal!"

He let out a yell and the energy flowed through him, powering him up as even more lightning cascaded through the sky.

Enraged at the destruction of a finely crafted tea cup, Broly delivered his response.

"That … was … expensive!"

He started to power up as well, and their golden auras became even brighter.

Without warning, Broly broke stance and rocketed toward Cell. He jabbed at Cell and flung him back many feet, only to have Cell brace himself on the ground, jump forward, and headbutt Broly in the gut.

Broly then grabbed Cell by the wings, spun him around, flung him upward and fired his Eraser Cannon straight toward him.

Before it could make contact, Cell used a well-placed Masenko to knock it out of the way.

Broly continued to fire from the ground while Cell dodged in the air, making his way back toward the ground.

To Cell's surprise, Broly quickly maneuvered behind Cell and held him in a lock, knocking his chin into the top of Cell's head.

"That will only work once, and I'm glad it did!" Cell bellowed as he kicked Broly in the stomach, making the Legendary Super Saiyan let go of him.

Cell then spun around and kicked Broly in the face, sending Broly many meters to Cell's right.

The somewhat more powerful warrior returned with a punch straight into Cell's stomach that sent him flying back much farther.

While Cell regained his composure, Broly rushed forward and forced Cell to be on the defensive, compelling him to block the rapid barrage of punches and kicks that Broly was sending his way.

Broly then used his Blast Meteor technique to launch homing energy waves at Cell, which hit Cell with some force.

As the smoke cleared, Cell could see Broly charging his Omega Blaster. He countered by charging up a Kamehameha.

He then wondered something aloud.

"Hey guys! I'm fighting Broly with a lot of effort here, and I thought you all were eager to join in the fun!" Cell said. "It seems to be a bit one-on-one here, however!"

"Not now, Cell!" Goku yelled up to him.

"Why not?"

"Look down!"

Cell briefly did, and was astounded to see the three Saiyans battling hordes of Vikings that happened to be engaging them in combat.

"Where in the multiverse did they come from?" Cell wondered aloud.

"Vinland," one of them shouted in a thick Brooklyn accent.

"Didn't you see the date for this part of the movie, Cell?" Trunks asked. "It's the year 968. Of course there are Vikings!"

"Well, that makes sense, um, I guess."

"Hey Cell, catch!" Broly said as the very much charged Omega Blaster came hurdling toward him.

"Great."

**Anoat System, A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ….**

"Move the ship out of the asteroid field so that we can send a clear transmission," the dark lord said.

"Yes, my lord," said an admiral of the fleet.

"Oh, and Piett?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Make sure there are still cupcakes on the bridge for when I return."

Darth Vader then walked down a few long hallways and made his way to his personal chamber within the Super Star Destroyer.

He sensed an incoming transmission, and knelt down.

When he didn't hear the emperor's voice and heard something else instead, however, he quickly looked up.

"Arg!" the guy said as he was flung backward by a beam of light, sending him out of the range of the holocamera.

Then, Vader saw another guy with pointy golden hair, and he heard him laugh wildly.

Vader pressed the comlink in the room just as the holocamera focused on three more figures with pointy golden hair staving off what appeared to be metallic swords and shields.

"Piett, what's going on?" Vader asked. "Where is the emperor's video feed, and what is it that's being shown on my holoprojector?"

"I'm not sure, Lord Vader," Piett said. "Whatever's going on, we'll try to fix it."

"Alright. In the meantime, send Captain Needa from the deck of the Avenger over here with popcorn."

"Whatever for, my lord?" Piett asked.

"I want popcorn to accompany this movie, and if I have to inconvenience somebody to get it for me, I would rather have no person inconvenienced more than him."

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness, 1254**

"I must admit, that was well placed," Cell said as he and Broly continued to float high in the air.

Broly responded with a laugh.

"You cannot possibly hope to kill that which is not only inviolate, but indomitable, indestructible, invulnerable, insurmountable, insuperable, and quite possibly invincible!" Broly exclaimed with the deepest adherence to narcissism he could muster.

"Yeah, and what else does your thesaurus say about you?" Cell asked.

"Verbosity isn't truly needed when your defeat will be so easy," Broly said. "I'm growing more powerful by the second, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Overconfidence isn't the best of virtues," Cell said. "Hey Goku, are you about ready to help me out here?"

"No can do!" he yelled from below.

"Why, you're having too hard a time with the Vikings?"

"Cell, haven't you been paying attention to the dates in the different sections of this movie?" Goku asked. "It's 1254; there aren't any Vikings anymore."

"So, what's the problem then?" Cell asked as he kept on looking at Broly in front of him, afraid to look down for fear of an off-guard pummeling.

"Well, the problem is it's 1254. There are Mongol warriors everywhere! Ah!" he shouted as five lancers came darting toward him.

"Wonderful."

"I'm growing tired of this, Cell," Broly said. "It's time to end it."

"Only if you can catch me while I'm …"

Broly caught him and back-fisted him, sending Cell hurdling toward the ground.

He landed right on top of Vegeta.

'That hurt,' Cell thought to himself as he rubbed his head.

Vegeta started to regain consciousness.

"Cell? What's going on?" he asked drowsily.

Cell saw a horseman coming right toward them with a whip and chain.

"Mongols!"

Vegeta's eyes went wide when he saw them.

"Yo, Mongols!" Cell yelled.

Suddenly, they all stopped, even the one approaching him and Vegeta.

"Instead of fighting us, help us fight that guy floating up in the air over there!" Cell exclaimed.

"Why should we?" one of them stepped forward and asked.

"Because," Cell said.

"Your ambiguous one-word answer is most wise; we shall join you," the one who had stepped forward said.

"Alright Broly, get ready!" Cell yelled again.

"Bring it on!" Broly yelled back.

**Earth: Japan, 2004/2007**

The detective sat at his desk, pondering the monitors with intensity.

The emblazoned shadows under his eyes emphasized this.

"Watari, have you finished analyzing those tapes from the Second Kira?"

"Yes, Ryuzaki, although I somehow ended up leaving the analysis room with one more tape than I had in my possession before entering," he said.

"Really? That's most odd," Ryuzaki said while sinking his teeth into a piece of strawberry cheesecake.

"So, does that raise the chances of me being Kira?" Light Yagami asked.

"I'd say by 0.5 percent."

"Wonderful."

"Put it into the decoding device, Watari," Ryuzaki said.

The gentleman put it in, and Ryuzaki became intrigued by what appeared on the monitors.

"Hmm … a bunch of people with bright gold hair shooting laser beams," Ryuzaki said. "This is meant to throw us off, I think. Light, since you have access to our materials, and since if you were, in fact, Kira you would benefit from us being distracted by this movie, this increases your chances of being Kira by another 0.5 percent."

Light looked both disappointed and unsurprised.

"More cheesecake, Ryuzaki?" Watari asked.

"But of course."

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness, 2006**

"Alright men, charge!" Cell said as he let out the battle cry.

There was silence.

"Look behind you, Cell," Broly taunted.

There was no one there.

"What? Where did all the Mongols go?"

"Once again, Cell, you should be paying more attention," Broly said. "It's 2006. Now, most of the people from your planet are basically too lazy to fight as forcefully as that."

"We'll still take you down," Cell said as he clenched a fist.

"Oh yeah? Watch this!"

In a matter of seconds, Broly smacked Cell right upside the face and sent him crashing through five different buildings. Vegeta and Goku were each punched forcefully in the stomach and flung in different directions. Gohan was knocked into Trunks, and the two of them rapidly accelerated downward after Broly kicked Trunks in the back.

"Who's the man?" Broly asked rhetorically.

"You're the man!" Paragus said as he entered the vicinity.

"You know it."

"Actually, I'm the man!" Piccolo said as he launched a Special Beam Cannon right at Broly, who unsurprisingly blocked the piercing attack with ease.

"How did you even get here, Namek?" Broly asked. "Wouldn't you have had to come on the spaceship, like your foolish friends?"

"Well, um, … well no one made a big deal of it the first time we made this movie!"

He then got punched in the gut.

"I hate plot holes," Broly said as Piccolo fell to the floor. "And what's more, how could you even be 'the man'? I thought Nameks are a single-gender species."

"Aren't you nosy?" Piccolo jibed.

Cell, who was the only one among himself and his allies able to stand up at this point, made a bold declaration.

"Alright everyone, it's time to take him out once and for all! Please, lend your powers to me so that I can become strong enough to face him head on. It will work! … somehow."

"If we lend you our already much-depleted powers, how is that supposed to make you strong enough to defeat him?" Trunks asked.

"I don't know, but it worked last time we did this movie, and it'll probably work again!" Cell said.

"I'll just stand here and let you power up without interfering. You know, in classic DBZ fashion," Broly said.

The five warriors slowly but surely lent their power to Cell, who felt the energy flowing through him.

"Dad, are we sure this isn't going to bring out his megalomania again and make him an even greater threat than he was before?" Gohan asked.

"The answer is no, we're not sure at all," Vegeta said.

"It'll be fine, Gohan, just trust him," Goku said.

Cell felt not only his power level heighten, but his confidence as well.

"Alright tough guy, let's see how you handle this!" Cell screamed as he launched himself forward and began to attack Broly with a forceful punch …

… which the Legendary Super Saiyan blocked with ease and countered with a kick to the stomach that sent Cell reeling backward.

"It didn't work!" Cell said.

"That's because it didn't make sense the first time, and it sure doesn't make sense now," Broly said.

"I'm still ready to fight!" Cell said.

"Then here's another one!" Broly yelled.

Broly then punched Cell square in the face.

"Hey, Kakarot," Vegeta said.

"What?"

"That punch just reminded me of that time we had our little encounter in Nevada."

**Earth: Nevada - Mojave Desert, 1996**

Vegeta looked to the sky as the Saiyan space pod streaked through.

It eventually fell to the ground, leaving an impact crater as expected.

While he walked over to it, the hatch opened. Vegeta then glanced within.

Inside, there were layers of smoke, dust, and candy that made it difficult to see.

Then, its occupant came into clear view.

"Hey, Vegeta!" Goku said.

Vegeta then punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Welcome to Earth!" Vegeta declared victoriously.

**Friggin' Paragus Fun Zone Planet of Funtasticness, 2010 **

"Vegeta, that never happened," Goku said.

"In did in my hopes and dreams," Vegeta said as he reminisced.

"We must think of some way to defeat him," Cell said. "But what viable options do we still have?"

"Face it, Cell, I have withstood all you could possibly throw against me, and I have prevailed!" Broly declared. "There is nothing you can do!"

'There must be something …,' Cell thought to himself. 'Something … oh! But that would be inhumane, even for an antagonistic force such as him. But there may be no other way….'

"Krillin!" Cell yelled. "Do you still have that mix tape I made?"

"The one with the skull and cross bones on it that you told me never to listen to?"

"That's the one."

"Yeah, I've got it with me 'cause I've been tempted to play it a few times. Why?"

"It's time to bring out your boom box and make this happen."

Krillin brought forth the boom box capsule and the mix tape capsule, both of which he had recently decided to keep with him at all times for the purpose of plot convenience.

"Quick! Everyone, cover your ears, especially you, Piccolo! We all know how well you can hear," Cell said to everyone but Broly using the telepathy power he had inherited from the Namek.

"It was a major plot point of the fourth movie, and don't you forget it," Piccolo said.

Krillin put the tape in, and as the air had been calm with the serenity of the wind, it then became full with the sound of the mix tape.

"WE'RE NO STRANGERS TO LOVE! YOU KNOW THE RULES, AND SO DO I!" the voice emitting from the mix tape wailed.

"My ears!" Broly yelled as he struggled to cover them but found the music had restrained his movements.

"A FULL COMMITMENT'S WHAT I'M THINKING OF; YOU WOULND'T GET THIS FROM ANY OTHER GUY!"

"The pain!"

"I JUST WANNA TELL YOU HOW I'M FEELING, GONNA MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND!"

"Make it stop!" Broly demanded.

"NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP! NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN! NEVER GONNA RUN AROUND AND DESERT YOU!

"I can't take it anymore!"

"NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY! NEVER GONNA SAY GOODBYE! NEVER GONNA TELL A LIE AND HURT YOU!"

The chain reaction within Broly surmounted, and he felt the destruction coming.

"Nooooooooooooo!" he yelled as he combusted in a flare of fury.

Krillin turned off the tape.

"I never thought I would have to resort to death by Rick Roll, but a situation of this magnitude of desperation called for drastic action," Cell said.

"Well, that's great and all, but now we need to get off of this planet!" Gohan said, as Comet Crapola inched ever closer.

Vegeta, Trunks, Gohan and Krillin latched onto Goku and Cell, who used their instant transmission techniques to bring them back to Earth.

But on the planet from whence they'd come, a lone figure stood.

"This is just perfect," a solemn Paragus said.

Cell then transmitted back to the planet, to Paragus' surprise.

"I'll get you off this rock on one condition," Cell said.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

**Earth: Capsule Corporation, 2010, one month later**

"Cell, keep it down!" Vegeta yelled from across the hall. "I hated the idea of you living here in the first place, and I hate it even more now!"

"Vegeta, for the last time, if I'm going to launch this five-piece metal band and take West City's record industry by storm, we'll need your total cooperation," Cell said.

"At 3:00 in the morning?"

"Especially at 3:00 in the morning."

"Cell, hand me the device so I can get this guitar in tune," Eighteen said.

"Where are my drumsticks?" Sixteen asked.

"I think I left them over there by my mic," Cell said, pointing to a nearby mantle.

"How in the world did I get roped into this?" Goku asked, as he adjusted the tuning of his bass guitar.

"Even you, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked.

"We need to practice, Vegeta," Cell said. "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

"I'm not in the kitchen; I'm in my bedroom, trying to sleep!"

"Then use earplugs."

"Darn it!" Vegeta said as he reluctantly put his earplugs in and slammed the door.

"Now, are we ready to take it from the top?" Cell asked.

"Is this metal triangle really supposed to compete with these other instruments for sound?" Paragus asked.

"The triangle is a crucial part of our band, Paragus. Give it all you've got," Cell said. "Alright everyone, let's do it! A one; a two; a one, two, three, four!"

**The Studio**

"Alright everyone, that's a wrap!" the Supreme Kai said, taking off his director cap and putting down his copy of the script onto the director's chair next to him.

"It's about time," Vegeta said.

"Um, sir?" Kibito, who had been working the camera, suddenly asked.

"What is it, Kibito?"

"Well, I … um, … I was looking at the tape cartridge port on the camera, and I just kind of … noticed that I forgot to put a tape in."

"You what!" the Supreme Kai exclaimed. "Everyone, get him!"

The Supreme Kai and the cast then chased after Kibito, and all throughout the studio they ran.

* * *

_Thank you all so much for more than 100 thoughtful and constructive reviews for Honor Trip, and for more than a year of fun times._

_I've sincerely enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it even more._

_This comedic foray into the eighth DBZ movie was made as a tribute to you, and I am sincerely grateful for the experience. _

_Chapter Sixteen is up next, as we continue the journey of Honor Trip._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Special Completed: early 2010_

* * *

**Cast, in order of appearance:**

Goku (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Broly (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Richard M. Nixon (37th President of the United States of America)

Paragus (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Chi Chi (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Cell (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Krillin (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Yamcha (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Trunks [Future] (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Tien (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Bulma Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Gohan (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Tarble (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Turles (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

King Cold (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Frieza (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Cooler (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Bruce Willis as Dr. Malcolm Crowe (The Sixth Sense) [off-screen]

King Kai/North Kai (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Dr. Ivo Robotnik/Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog) [off-screen]

Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Rita Repulsa (Power Rangers)

Lord Zedd (Power Rangers)

Goldar (Power Rangers) [off-screen]

Wheeljack (Transformers G1)

Optimus Prime (Transformers G1)

Starscream (Transformers G1)

Megatron (Transformers G1)

Horde of Vikings (Eurasian historic warrior culture)

Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Admiral Firmus Piett (Star Wars)

Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars) [off-screen]

Captain Lorth Needa (Star Wars) [off-screen]

Horde of Mongols (Eurasian historic warrior culture)

"L"/Ryuzaki (Death Note)

Watari (Death Note)

Light Yagami (Death Note)

Piccolo (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Will Smith as Steven Hiller, played by Vegeta (Independence Day)

The Captured Alien as the Captured Alien, played by Goku (Independence Day)

Eighteen (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Sixteen (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Supreme Kai (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Kibito (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

* * *

**Musical Numbers, in order of performance:**

Stratovarius … Eagleheart

Asia … Heat of the Moment

Metallica … Seek & Destroy

Rick Astley … Never Gonna Give You Up

Vengeance and Valor [Cell's five-piece metal band] … Red Ribbon Rascals

[Cell … lead vocals, guitar]

[Eighteen … guitar]

[Goku … bass guitar]

[Sixteen … drums]

[Paragus … triangle]

* * *

_If you can read this, thank you so much. _

I_n fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _


	17. XVI: Confrontation

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Sixteen: Confrontation**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Trunks could feel his pulse quicken with anticipation as the wind rushed past him.

At long last, he had the power to make a real change in his life and for his world.

17 and 18 had not only killed Gohan, his mentor and friend, but they had killed so many who had done their best to defend the world from evil. His father, not the one from the past but his true father in the sense of his own timeline, was a man he had never had the honor to truly know because of the androids.

Before traveling back in time, all he had known of his father and the other deceased Z-Fighters were the bits of information he had learned through his mother's recollections. When he had been very young, Bulma had conveyed these glorious tales as bedtime stories. In those evenings, he had often dreamed not of the future, but of the past. It was an odd and torturous factor that intensified the difficulty of his upbringing, and now he was about to take action to make sure no one else would ever have to endure such a fractured a childhood again.

The wispy clouds were above and the forlorn world was below. Beside him was an unexpected compatriot, a being who had in many ways been tortured by Dr. Gero more malevolently than he had been. Trunks knew that this mission was one that Cell, like he, was deeply looking forward to.

"Trunks, I've suddenly realized something," Cell said as the wind rushed passed his face as well.

"What?"

"Eighteen told me that the past version of your mother created a device that would have allowed Krillin to turn her off and leave her vulnerable to attack."

"And instead, if you know what I mean, he tried to turn her on?"

"Yes. But my main point is that if that version of your mother was able to make such a device, couldn't your mother make that device now?" Cell asked.

"Yeah, that would have been awesome if we had known where to find Gero's blueprints in this timeline. The blueprints would have helped us figure out exactly how to make one," Trunks said. "You probably don't know this, but Sixteen stayed over with us for a couple of days after you beat him to a pulp, and Mom was able to develop the device after analyzing his schematics."

"I didn't know she cheated on Vegeta," Cell said.

"That's not what I meant."

"Alright. So, even if you two didn't have access to the plans, why didn't she just make a bunch of devices and test them out?"

"That would have been extremely difficult, given our limited resources," Trunks said. "Unfortunately, we no longer have access to the plentiful equipment she once had."

"Even so, she built a freaking time machine, Trunks. She could have figured this out."

Trunks thought about this as he continued to fly.

"Well, that's interesting," Trunks said.

"What?" Cell asked.

"Had we thought to do so, it may have been possible."

"Yeah, but come to think of it, had she done that instead of building the time machine, you would have never known about me and I would have tormented the Earth with no contest," Cell said. "I would have never gone back in time, and all the events that let up to this moment would have never taken place. The version of you whose time machine I stole is still unfortunately dead, but at the very least, as a result of all that has transpired, you, my friend, are very much alive. Despite all the terrible things that have happened, we've got a good opportunity to make at least some things right. We need to move forward, and I want to do my part to help make your world a better one."

"Of course," Trunks said. "The androids don't deserve to live any longer, not after all the lives they've taken. I'm going enjoy beating the crap out of them, and I'm confident that I'm completely justified in feeling that way."

"Your father, both in the past and now, would be proud of you."

"Absolutely."

"So, where are we going, exactly? Do the androids of this timeline have a specific place where they reside?"

"None that we've been able to find," Trunks said. "Remember, unlike you, they don't have power levels that we can detect. However, I want to go to a big open area so that when we do fight, no one other than them will suffer the consequences."

* * *

They lived in a little house they had built more than five years ago, 10 miles away from Parsley City. A life of eternity needed some downtime, and it was here that they could rest. They derided humans so much that they located the house far away so they would not have to constantly see them. However, it was their similarity to humans and former status as such that made them want a shelter in the first place.

The sound of an axe hitting wood reverberated throughout the nearby clearing as 17 chopped away to prepare firewood for the evening's dinner.

Like so many things in their lives, eating was an optional one. They didn't have to eat because of what Dr. Gero had done to them, but they were free to do so for pleasure or for the sake of it. It was the same with more trivial things, such as those having to do with cleansing, and with more complex things, such as love.

His chopping was so powerful that it made the nearby trees at the edge of the forest line slightly tremble.

"I'm bored, 17," his sister said as she approached from his left.

He swung hard to fix his axe into the wood, and he turned to face his sister.

"That's too bad, 18, because I'm not in the mood to entertain you right now."

"Oh, and what is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Mind your own business and get back to whatever you were doing," he said. "I'm chopping wood so we can have a good time later."

"Whatever," she said, with a brush of her blond waves of hair. "It's not like I'm going to have much fun, anyway."

Dryly, 17 responded.

"Come on sis, you know it will be fun."

"What I know is that you get your way all too often," she said. "I'm so bored that I'm tempted to spend a day singling out a human and making him feel that he got lucky."

"You know I don't like it when you do that," 17 said.

"Stop being so defensive!" 18 said, waving her arms in frustration. "I can take care of myself quite well, and I don't need help from you!"

"I'm always here for you. You know that."

"Oh, I know you're here. You're here so much that you get mad when I don't want to hang around with you," 18 said. "I have a life too, you know. I don't want to have to keep on sitting through everything you like to do while my boredom gets worse by the day."

"And what is it that you would like to do?" 17 asked.

"Something fun," 18 said. Perhaps I'll start reading one of the books we pilfered from that store the other day."

"Reading? That doesn't sound like fun," 17 said.

"You would say that," 18 said. "Sometimes you truly act like a reckless scumbag."

"Thanks; it's something I'm quite proud of," 17 said.

"I think that …"

She was cut short by an unexpected feeling. She felt a power level that was familiar in the distance, and another one which she was having great difficulty analyzing.

"Do you feel that, 17?" she asked.

"Yes. It would appear that our friend, the Saiyan brat, is raising his power level."

"But what about the other?"

"I'm having difficulty determining what's going on with that one," 17 said.

"Same with me," 18 said.

"The only modicum of a challenge we've had recently has been from the Saiyan. We haven't seen anyone else, nor felt any other significant presence," 17 said. "And now, out of nowhere, another significant source of energy has made itself known."

"Also, their energy waves are coming from the same direction, and both of them apparently began to intensify their power levels at nearly the same time," 18 said.

"Do you suppose Trunks has found a new friend out of nowhere?" 17 asked.

"What's the probability of that?" 18 asked. "We've killed everyone but him who could pose a threat to us. There are no Dragon Balls to bring anyone back. I'd say it's more likely that he's fighting someone."

"We'll plan on being ready for both circumstances," 17 said. "Either we'll have a new bug to quash or a fellow hater of all things Saiyan. I think our evening just got a bit more interesting."

"Yeah, we should check it out. This time, I'm on board with your plan," 18 said.

"It will be fun, sis. No matter what happens, we've shown time and again that no one is a match for us. If they try anything funny, they'll never be able to try it again."

"Oh, but keeping at least one alive for amusement will be fun," 18 said.

"How will we decide which one to keep alive?" 17 asked.

"Coin toss?"

"I've got a five zeni piece I keep just for the occasion."

With a smirk from each of them, they flew toward the source of the rising powers.

* * *

"I hope this works," Cell said as he continued to maintain his heightened power level, the aura around him flickering.

"I know it will," Trunks said. "They're too cocky to pass this up. They're going to want to know why there are two big power levels on the planet instead of one, and they're going to come here looking for fun."

"Oh, it will be fun," Cell said. "Maybe not for them, but it will certainly be fun nonetheless."

"It's a good thing you decided to mask the true nature of your power level, otherwise the androids might have become suspicious as to what's going on," Trunks said.

"We wouldn't want that," Cell said. "After all, it's a trap."

"When they get here, they'll be overconfident and looking for a fight."

"And then it's show time."

They continued to keep their power levels up for a great many minutes, attracting their foes to the desolation of Spinach Wastes.

* * *

At long last, they saw the androids in close proximity.

"Alright big guy, let's let them get here," Trunks said as his aura dissipated, his lavender hair blowing in the breeze.

Cell lowered his power level as well.

Down from the clouds they came, the two angels of death and their wicked ways.

Trunks could see them smiling with the same smiles he always imagined they had when they had killed his master. His face momentarily became alight with disgust and fury.

17 and 18 slowed their speed, adjusted themselves in midair so their feet were parallel to the ground, and slowly set themselves down.

"Well now, it's good to see you again, Trunks," 17 said as he continued to lower himself from the air.

"I can't say the feeling is mutual," Trunks said.

"A shame," 17 said as his feet touched the ground.

"Who's the freak?" 18 asked as she pointed her finger toward Cell.

"My name is Cell, and I am so glad to make your acquaintance," Cell said as 18's feet touched the ground.

"I haven't seen you around here, partner," 17 said. "What's your deal?"

"Quite a long story, actually," Cell said. "Let me spare you the details. You can call me an ally to the forces who seek to defend the good in this universe. And to you, and to everyone else who threatens the good peace, you can consider me a nightmare."

"Those are some tough words from someone who doesn't know what he's getting himself into," 17 said.

"I beg to differ," Cell said, allowing a slight grin to show.

"17, let's teach these punks a lesson in manners," 18 said.

"I agree," 17 said as he cracked his knuckles.

"That sounds wonderful, but I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised," Cell said.

"Surprised at how easy it will be to kill a two-bit Saiyan and beat you into the dust?" 17 asked.

"No, actually. I propose that I sit this round out and let Trunks take care of the both of you," Cell said.

Trunks was slightly startled by this and turned to face Cell, but when he saw the calm and confident look on Cell's face, he became calm and confident as well.

After a momentary pause, 17 and 18 doubled over in laughter.

"Him? Trunks? The whiny little bitch boy we slam into walls for fun? I don't think so," 17 said as his laughter continued.

"Cell, are you sure about this?" Trunks asked.

"Of course, why?"

"I'll tell you why," 18 said. "He's asking you because he doesn't want us to break his bones again."

"It's not really that, 18," Trunks said. "I just wanted to make sure that Cell was okay with giving up his piece of the action so that I could have the honor of defeating you both."

"It's a fight he's been fighting much longer than I have," Cell said. "He deserves to fight you himself."

17 and 18 were partly dumbstruck at what they viewed as an arrogance that in some ways was greater than their own.

They weren't smiling anymore, showing marks of having been insulted.

"If Trunks wants to die sooner rather than later, that's just fine with me," 17 said, deepening his stance.

"Bring it on, tough guy!" Trunks said as his Super Saiyan aura exploded with the vigor of the human race.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Sixteen! _

_Up next in Chapter Seventeen: Android 17 and Android 18 witness the power of a real Super Saiyan. And I'm not talking about Goku. _

_Chapter Sixteen: (Completed 5/11/2010); (Revised 8/25/2010); (Revision II: 5/2/2011)_

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor_

* * *

_Author's note from May 2, 2011: _

_You might have noticed that throughout the revised versions of the chapters of Honor Trip up until this point, I've been referring to the androids from the main DBZ timeline as "Seventeen" and "Eighteen," while in this chapter and in all references to the androids from Trunks' timeline and Timeline 1, I've referred to the androids as "17" and "18." _

_This particular nomenclature revision was made to enhance the dichotomy between the very different moral and spiritual development of the androids in the main DBZ timeline from the development of the androids in Trunks' timeline and Timeline 1. The androids of the main DBZ timeline have been given spelled-out names that are not rendered with numerals to emphasize the much greater extent of humane characteristics that they have adhered to, while the other versions of the androids have their names rendered as numerals to emphasize their inhumanity and disassociation from humanity. _

_While Eighteen ultimately chose to peacefully coexist with others, 18's path of existence has been profuse with destruction and hatred. In Chapter Seventeen, Trunks will fight not only 18, but a version of 17 who unfortunately reveled in horror even more than his sister. And will Cell involve himself in the battle? Stay tuned._

* * *

_Author's note from May 11, 2010:_

_I'm extremely proud to say that this is my first entry since recently graduating college._

_Throughout the four years I worked there, I honed my writing skills so that I could convey stories such as this one more effectively. For this, I am most grateful for my education. _

_Onward and upward!_

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor _


	18. XVII: Obfuscation

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Seventeen: Obfuscation**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter is of a graphic nature and could be emotionally upsetting. Please take this into account._

* * *

There had been many days in which Trunks had approached challenges with careful introspection and calm meditation.

But not today.

Trunks dashed forward and slammed Android 17 square in the jaw, sending the depraved terror hurtling backward.

Before 17 could recover and look straight at his opponent, Trunks, with his golden aura shining ablaze, darted behind him and upward thrust-kicked 17 in the arch of his back, sending him flying toward the zenith of the sky.

This happened as Android 18, who had not had the time to react to Trunks' first assault, briefly stopped to watch the situation as she reconsidered the veracity of Trunks' stated threats.

She quickly maneuvered herself behind Trunks just as the Super Saiyan readied himself to smack 17 upside the face, and she locked his neck in a choke-hold.

Without significant effort, Trunks turned his head slightly around and smirked in a way that 18 interpreted as a sign of rugged self-assurance. While her eyes lit up out of knowing that she was being not effective, but ineffectual, Trunks back-elbowed her in the stomach, causing her to open her mouth in pain as some of the functioning fluid within her system found its way out of her mouth in the form of spittle.

17, who had somewhat recovered from the previous attacks, looked up from his position on the ground and wiped some of the blood away from his jaw.

He felt not only flabbergasted, but furious out of the realization that the supposedly unmatchable excellence that Gero had integrated within him and his sister was now being unexpectedly matched by someone whom he now regretted not destroying easily while that had still been an option.

Darned overconfidence indeed, as Trunks flashed in front of 17 and firmly smacked him repeatedly across the face, the force and sting of the impacts debilitating 17 from being able to properly counter.

Cell watched attentively as Trunks continued his barrage. He recognized that Trunks was achieving a thrill that he had been striving for since his youth, the ability to defeat the most malevolent evils of his world.

"Trunks!" Cell yelled as the Super Saiyan forcibly threw 17 into the ground, leapt into the air, and knocked away a ki blast that 18 had launched moments earlier.

Cell realized that Trunks must not have heard him, because without acknowledging Cell in the slightest, Trunks then fired a Buster Cannon energy wave at 18. While she blocked the attack and sent it back toward him, Trunks avoided the deflection and quickly punched her in the gut. He then flip-kicked her from above and sent her straight down, resulting in the creation of a small impact crater very close to where her brother was now standing.

Trunks then set foot on the ground and darted toward 17, the latter of whom blocked the punch that was directed toward him. 17 then landed a punch on Trunks' left eye, causing the Saiyan to exclaim in rage.

Cell transmitted closer to the three fighters.

"Trunks!" he yelled again.

This time, Trunks turned his head slightly to acknowledge him, not speaking a word because he was currently engaged in a rapid round of punches and kicks with 17.

"Trunks, pay attention! I'm trying to tell you something!" Cell yelled.

Trunks' surprise tornado kick connected with the right side of 17's head, sending him flying to Trunks' right and Cell's left.

"What?" Trunks asked.

Cell acknowledged from the peripherals of his vision that 17 and 18 were now standing on either side of Trunks and were preparing a counteroffensive.

"I want you to restrain your actions and avoid outright killing them for now," Cell said.

Trunks looked bedazzled while the androids darted toward him.

"What! Why not?" he heatedly asked as he continued to stare at Cell and without looking behind stepped backward, grabbed 17 by the face and 18 by the neck and slammed 17 into his sister's side.

"I want to help you finish this," Cell said as 17 and 18 lied belittlingly on the ground, then began to stand up.

Trunks, after some hesitation, nodded to Cell in tacit approval.

The two androids repositioned themselves in fighting stances, with 17's back to his sister's.

"How dare you write us off like that, planning what to do when you achieve your supposed victory over us when this fight has only just begun!" 17 said angrily.

"You can't just toss us about and expect to get away with it," 18 said. "We're through messing around!"

"Really? Because I'm just getting started myself," Trunks said, as he held out his right hand and clenched his right fist. "Even if the two of you were to better coordinate your attacks, you still wouldn't stand a chance."

Android 18's scowl became more scornful.

In a hushed tone, she spoke to her brother.

"We made a mistake fighting this guy mostly one-on-one, 17," 18 said. "We're going to have to have each other's backs."

"You're right, sis," he said in a hushed tone as well.

The two of them began to concentrate their internal energy, maximizing their systems as much as their construction would allow.

Although Trunks couldn't sense how much their respective fighting forces were increasing due to the way 17 and 18 had been made, he felt as though there was no real reason to be on edge. He realized it was not only possible, but very likely that he had never fought 17 and 18 at their full potential, and he began to relish the excitement of knowing that he would soon have the chance to face the wickedest forms of his mortal enemies and vanquish them.

17 and 18 rushed forward so rapidly that they caught Trunks by surprise and each punched him in the chest.

Trunks, while hurtling backward, knew full well that their attack had impacted him considerably and that it would be wise to increase his power as well. The last thing he wanted was to let himself be defeated out of overconfidence.

After all, if the androids could learn to restrain their overconfidence, he felt that he, as a better person than they, could do so as well.

Trunks stopped in midair and flew forward, intensifying his energy while heading straight for his foes.

As 17 and 18 broke formation temporarily to get on each side of Trunks, he took advantage of the moment to single out 18, catch her by the wrist, and fling her away. Next, he axe-hammered 17 from above his head and sent the android spiraling downward.

Indeed, he was still stronger than they were, and faster too.

Which gave him an idea of how to better savor these moments.

Trunks let the two regroup, and again they formed up in front of him, with their backs to each other.

"Even at your maximum, the two of you are no match for me," Trunks said, gloating rightfully.

"You're just getting lucky!" 17 yelled angrily, unused to being bested by anyone.

"How did you get so much stronger since we last fought?" 18 asked.

She had fairly been wondering this since the start of their fight, as indeed he had apparently increased in power substantially since their next-most-recent encounter. The increase seemed to be too much to have been within the realm of possibility. But she was hurting, and her brother was too. It still felt too unreal to be truly real.

"That's none of your concern," Trunks said. Had the androids not destroyed the doorway to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber years ago during their assault on the Lookout, which had left the Lookout battered but not destroyed, 18 might have assumed that Trunks had enhanced his abilities through training there. The fact that he and Gohan had not had access to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had been devastating in their attempts to become as capable as possible of defeating the androids, but Trunks had at last been able to experience the results of training there through his trips to the alternate past.

"As a mindful warrior once pointed out to me, it's not just strength that counts, but speed," Trunks said as Cell smirked from below. "And now, in addition to surpassing your strength, I've become much faster than the two of you as well."

"You're such an arrogant little punk," 18 said. "17, that's it. I want him dead."

"You wish," Trunks said. "In fact, I'm going to become even stronger right now at the expense of only a little bit of my speed and I'll still be able to take you both on."

As Trunks began the sequence, Cell hoped Trunks wasn't getting too carried away.

Cell knew well that it had been in their fight some time ago that Trunks had learned the value of not increasing his strength so much that his speed significantly decreased.

But there was, however, that one sub-form between a normal Super Saiyan state and what Trunks had in their casual conversation referred to as the Ultra Super Saiyan sub-form. This was the particular sub-form that Trunks and his father had used before Cell had absorbed Eighteen.

This in-between sub-form enabled its wielder to truly increase his strength without a significant loss in speed, although its effects, while dramatic, paled in comparison to the overall excellence of the fully-fledged Super Saiyan 2 form that Gohan had managed to attain.

Cell knew that Trunks wanted to show the androids what they were truly up against.

Lightning flashed all about Trunks as golden hair became more pale and rigid while his muscles increased in mass. The brief sparks that accompanied the transformation dissipated, and Trunks displayed his changed appearance as an Ascended Super Saiyan for the androids to see.

"Is that all?" Android 17 asked. "You made your muscles a bit bigger. So what?"

"You might have had a slight glimmer of hope before," Trunks said. "Now, there is none."

The two androids rushed toward him with flying side-kicks as Trunks stepped to the side, ran forward and managed to grab 17 around the chest and restrain him. 18 managed to land her kick into Trunks, but to no real avail, causing her to become wide-eyed once more out of her growing feeling of desperation.

Trunks then proceeded to uppercut 17 repeatedly in the stomach, upon which blood came forth from the android's mouth. Trunks then dropped 17 onto the ground and jumped over to 18, blocking one of her punches, failing to block another one that hit him in the gut, then performing a piledriver that made her head go face-first into the dirt.

He then let go of her and stood up, making sure both of the androids could see him, and indeed, they were giving him their attention.

"So how does it feel?" Trunks asked them.

Bedraggled through the combat, with dirt on her face, 18, trying to get up, made her feelings known.

"I hate you!" she furiously said.

"You hate the fact that you're powerless to stop me, that you're completely outmatched," Trunks said. "Well imagine feeling the way you do now all of the time like the people of this planet do. Fools! How do you think my master Gohan felt when you ganged up on him in the rain and he had no way out? Well this is your turn! I hope you've been enjoying it."

17 sneered at Trunks, disgruntled that he had been brought to this situation. He knew it was unlike himself to worry, but that is what he was doing. He needed to find a way to get himself and his sister out of this one.

But how?

As 17 glanced around, he saw Cell standing idly by, wondering what the deal with that guy truly was.

"This is because of you, isn't it?" 17 angrily asked Cell.

Cell, somewhat startled that he had suddenly been brought into the conversation, replied.

"What? What are you referring to?" he asked.

"Trunks' increase in power, that's what!" 17 said. "All this time he was nowhere near capable of standing a chance against us. In fact, we were only keeping him around for fun! We could have killed him whenever we wanted!"

Trunks glared at 17 over that comment.

"And yet here you are, a guy who came out of nowhere, and as soon as you show up with Trunks he's able to do this to me!"

Cell chuckled.

"You're right, 17. You could indeed say that I had something to do with Trunks becoming stronger. But it's Trunks' determination to make his world a better one that is the true source of his strength."

17 growled with hatred.

"I don't know who you truly are or where you come from, Cell, but I've had it with you just standing there, taking this all in as if this is some sort of game to you!"

'What an insidious thing he thinks I'm doing; it's ironic that this is coming from him of all people,' Cell thought to himself.

"That's it, tough guy! If you think you're so special that you could just stand there and watch your friend do all the work for you without you having to lift a finger, then I'm going to bring you into this!" 17 yelled as he darted forward toward Cell.

18 looked intently at her brother, wondering how he could be doing something that was not just brash, but outright illogical. He was hurt, and by the looks of it, damaged. He hadn't been this furious in a long time, which might have resulted in throwing off his ability to think straight. He was trying to challenge a relatively unknown entity!

Her brother wound up a punch that was aimed straight for Cell's head.

Android 17 suddenly stopped short, his body relatively frozen in place. His face showed visible signs of struggle as he became increasingly aware of the cause of this stultification.

"That is what you're up against if you're going to challenge me," Cell said, while keeping his own arms folded. "That is but a fraction of my energy holding you back. And yes, it is worthy of note that once again I did not have to lift a finger."

"Well, that backfired 17; good job!" 18 yelled from the short distance away.

Cell let 17 go from his energy hold, and then 17 stumbled forward.

The android stared briefly at Cell, showing his anger for his current inability to do anything about this other fighter. He then flew toward his sister.

As he arrived back to where his sister had finally stood up, with Trunks very close by, 17 gave his sister an unsettling look, which she took to mean, 'I'm out of legitimate options here, sis.'

They together stared at Trunks, a Super Saiyan who had now made himself even stronger than he was at the start of their fight.

And then there was Cell, whom 17 had discovered was also a fighter of superior capability.

"Cell!" Trunks yelled.

"Yes?"

"I think we're through here. I'm holding off on ending this because I know you said you wanted to join me in doing so."

"Indeed," Cell said as he stepped forward and unfolded his arms, which caused the two androids to step back in trepidation.

Cell transmitted right behind the androids, causing them both to become alarmed.

He used his energy to knock both of them violently back and down, causing them both to lie on the ground again, this time with even greater injury.

The androids hadn't landed that far from each other; perhaps the distance between them was two meters at most.

Cell approached them from one side, and Trunks from the other.

Each of them came to a halt, and looked down at the disheveled menaces.

"I think they've experienced what they needed to experience," Cell said.

"Agreed," Trunks said.

"And now, Trunks, we need to have a little talk," Cell said.

Trunks looked at Cell, ponderingly.

"Talk? About what?"

"Now that they have seen that they cannot defeat us, I would like to give them the opportunity to mend their ways and redeem themselves."

A few moments of silence passed while Trunks continued to stare at Cell blankly.

Then, Trunks decided it was time to speak up.

"You're joking, right?" he asked.

"No, I was being completely serious," Cell said.

All the while, 18 was looking back and forth between the two of them, while 17 remained with his eyes shut, still listening all the while.

"Cell! What in the world are you thinking?" Trunks asked. "I thought you said you wanted to help me finish this!"

"I did, and I meant it when I said it. However, I feel it would be inherently better for us to finish off these currently despicable cretins not through even more death, but with a chance for redemption."

Trunks waved his right arm back and used his left hand to point at Android 17.

"This guy's a cold-blooded murderer. And that bitch over there is just as evil as he is. How could you even possibly think of what you're thinking?"

Calmly, Cell responded.

"Well Trunks, after all, Goku gave me a chance to redeem myself; why shouldn't they have a chance too?"

"That's totally different!" Trunks said, stomping the ground. "In your situation, you had actually become good through a fortunate, but freak accident. In theirs, no such thing has occurred, and they're the same slayers who have been making my world a tormented wreck since the time I was a small child!"

"What of me, then?" Cell asked. "Is it not true that Gero's creations have the capacity somewhere within the fabrics of their beings to change? Before I did, there was no true precedent other than Sixteen, and he wasn't truly on board with Gero to begin with. I made the change. Eighteen clearly made the change. It seemed that Seventeen embraced the change before … the unfortunate event. If the androids from the changed timeline made the change, couldn't these two make the change as well?"

"I thought you were smarter than this, Cell," Trunks said, to Cell's apparent disgust. "First of all, the androids of the changed timeline had just been released when we got to them, and before their transition to the good side, they had never actually killed anyone other than their own creator. Like I said before, these androids have been making a sport of killing people for almost two decades. They've killed millions of people. They enjoy it. They're very different than the ones in the past. Secondly, the others quite possibly truly did become good not because of a premeditated notion that they wanted to join us, but because of the Dragon Balls. They were quite possibly unlike you in that regard, in that it's very possible goodness was forced upon them without it truly already existing. And you know what? In this timeline the Earth has no friggin' Dragon Balls! That's why I friggin' went to the past in the first place! Now, I know you might be thinking, 'Oh, well, we can use the ones on New Namek.' Well, as I told you before, we've been trying to get to New Namek for more than 10 friggin' years! And now that you've got instant transmission and we can actually get there, are we going to waste even one friggin' wish on these androids? Shouldn't we instead restore some of the good in this world by either bringing back some people who deserve to be brought back or by making a wish to substantially improve this planet in some way? Why should we waste a wish on the people who made this world live in horror and fear? And even if we went to New Namek and we kept them alive, we'd be putting the locals at risk because we'd have to take the androids with us. We couldn't just leave them here while we went there; unnecessary deaths could come about from that. And I wouldn't feel comfortable with you going there and me staying here, not because I don't trust you, but because I don't want to take any chances, any chances at all, with regards to them somehow escaping or besting me. We've come too far and we've worked too hard for us to keep these people alive while others who deserve to be alive have been dead for too long. Let's just end this now, Cell! Let's end this now!"

Cell pondered Trunks' words carefully as the wind blew by.

"This reminds me very much of when Goku defended me while Gohan wanted so dearly to prevent me from ever having the chance of threatening the world again," Cell said. "It's as if there has been a role reversal of sorts, such that I'm now as Goku was, defending creations of Dr. Gero from being destroyed, while a Super Saiyan in an advanced state is trying to prevent any chance of salvation, especially since in that form he is not necessarily thinking as clearly as he normally would because of the greater difficulty in emotional control."

"I have even more of a right than Gohan did to be taking the stance I am now, and I can assure you that I can think quite clearly in this form," Trunks said. "I've gotten used to it. Gohan was new at it. And I'm much older now than Gohan was then. I'm telling you, Cell, your plan is a horribly misguided one. I know 17 and 18 were once innocent children who were abducted by Dr. Gero and were turned into the horrors they became. It's part of the reason I felt extreme sorrow for Android 17 in the past, a guy who had killed Gero and none other, when my father killed him. I'm looking at this version of Android 17 now, and I feel no such remorse. This one has to pay!"

Cell looked solemnly at his friend.

"I still want to give them a chance."

"Is it also because you feel bad about the horrors you put the ones in the past through when you absorbed them?" Trunks asked. "Well, these aren't they! These are monsters! Monsters more evil than you at any point in your life ever were!"

Cell looked down at the androids.

"Trunks, I…"

"I've had enough of this! Stand back!"

"Trunks! Wait, don't do…"

"Finish Buster!" Trunks yelled as a giant ball of energy formed in his hands, from which a beam emitted that engulfed the two androids, who gasped in fear as they faded from sight.

The terrors had faced terror in their last moments.

The smoke cleared.

They were no more.

Cell looked on in despair in the realization of what had happened all too soon.

He turned to Trunks, who appeared solemn in his manners, yet seething with accomplishment.

"Their time has ended," Trunks said, as he looked at the site where they had been.

Cell let a few moments pass by before he spoke.

"Promise me, one day, that when there are enough wishes to do so and the wishes you want to make have been made, they can be given a second chance."

Trunks' hair changed back to lavender.

"I'll think about it," Trunks said, as he flew into the distance.

Cell felt deep regret as he walked toward where they had been.

The tension would take some time to ease.

And then, it would be time to head to the new world.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Seventeen! _

_Next in Chapter Eighteen: A planet is visited. While our heroes deal with tides of eagerness and peril, tactics and considerations complicate the mix. What of the wishes, exactly? Find out next! _

_Chapter Seventeen: (Completed 08/25/2010); (Revised 5/3/2011); (Revision II: 9/14/2011)_

_Thanks so much for your continued readership!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _


	19. XVIII: Inception

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Eighteen: Inception**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: the following chapter contains some extremely controversial subjects regarding morality and life. Reader discretion is advised. _

* * *

_And as the events Cell and Trunks had relatively just experienced unfolded, others took form in an alternate version of another time and another place …_

Vegeta was still reaching out with his right hand, grasping, in futile fashion, for his son.

They had revived him mere moments before, and now, there was no true telling of what had happened to him.

What was even more confounding for Vegeta was that Cell had seemingly vanished alongside his son. Was this some work of trickery on the part of that accursed android? But, even Vegeta had enough objective sense to recognize that Cell had indeed tried to catch Trunks before he fell, indicating, on the face, that in that moment Cell had been at least somewhat concerned with Trunks' welfare.

It was still too hard to believe, and he stepped forward, seeing if they had merely become invisible, somehow.

He passed his hand through air, and nothing more. There was not a sound of them, or any trace other than the impressions they had left in the ground.

"Trunks …," Vegeta began to say, in a sad, angered tone that expressed the unexpected sense of loss he now felt that had shattered his now overridden exuberance.

Goku and Moori could not find adequate words to say. They, too, were highly astonished and taken aback by what had happened.

Vegeta took a knee and slammed the ground with both of his fists.

"Damn it!" he yelled with the rage of a grief-stricken parent. "He was just here! Right here! And now he's gone! How the #&$% could this have happened?"

Goku stepped forward, and began to try and place a hand on his friend's shoulder for consolation.

Before he could finish, Vegeta turned around and moved Goku's arm away.

"Not now, Kakarot," he said, walking in the opposite direction.

"Vegeta, we're going to find out what happened to Trunks and make sure he's alright," Goku said. "We'll do everything we can."

"I'll find him myself," Vegeta said. "I don't need your help."

Goku tensed up a bit.

"Listen, I know you want what's best for your son. And I'm sure you're concerned, just like I am, about what exactly happened to Trunks, especially with what Cell said before about the risks that Trunks not only faced by dying the way he did, but by being restored after what had happened to him."

Vegeta turned away, grunting.

"That had crossed my mind, yes," Vegeta said, seeming calmer than he had been before.

"Listen, then, because I respect your pride and your honor as his father, but I want to do all I can to help you even if you might not want that help," Goku said. "You know just as well as I do that this is no ordinary situation here. It looks like we're dealing with forces that not even the universe itself might fully account for in a natural, expected way. We're going to need all the help we can get to find Trunks. And who even knows what happened to Cell, and if he's even with Trunks at all. I…."

"I'll stop you right there, Kakarot, because I anticipate what you're about to say. And yes, I also don't believe that Cell acted nefariously in any way here."

Goku felt at least a modicum of unforeseen relief.

"You don't?"

"No. In fact, it would appear that Cell, after all, really did try to do all he could to help my son. And what's more is that, in our work to try and discern what happened here, the fact he disappeared along with Trunks might be useful in trying to understand all this."

"Agreed."

"Elder Namek," Vegeta said as he turned to acknowledge Moori, "what do you make of what has happened?"

Moori had been deeply pondering the events that had transpired, and he felt dismayed that he had not been more productive in his latest thoughts.

"I honestly have never dealt with the Dragon Balls in the way that Cell had recently dealt with them," he said. "Certainly never for a situation as complex and intricate as the one they were just used for. It's quite possible that not even Elder Guru ever used them for such a purpose. There's no question that our most recent use of the Dragon Balls tested the very limits of their power, and the unfortunate reality of the situation is that it appears as though the Dragon Balls might not have been fully prepared to handle something of this magnitude. I'm going to consult my fellow elders and see what progress we can make in determining how best to proceed. What do the two of you anticipate that you will be doing?"

"Looking for my son without a sense of how best to look for him would not be wise," Vegeta said. "Until we can decide upon the most probable explanations for what happened to him and Cell, it would be relatively pointless to begin a search."

"That's right," Goku said. "For all we know, Trunks and Cell could be anywhere in space, at any moment in time, or maybe in an alternate timeline," Goku said. "If they somehow managed to get to an alternate timeline, that could complicate things immensely because Trunks and Cell come from different but similar alternate versions of the future. But for all we know, they might be outside of space and time entirely. Let's hope that last scenario is nowhere near the truth."

Vegeta looked at his friend with some awe.

"How could a guy who sometimes can't even add simple numbers make an analysis of such complexity?" Vegeta openly asked aloud.

"You don't need to be smart in every way to be smart in many ways," Goku said. "However, we should probably talk about all of this with someone who is pretty much smart in every way."

"I'm standing right here," Vegeta said.

"I was talking about Bulma," Goku said.

"When would you like to return to us so that we may confer with you about our findings?" Moori asked. "This will give me a known timeframe with which to work."

"Well, we don't know how much time we really have, given the circumstances of what has happened, so I'm honestly not sure how long from now we should meet," Goku said.

"Let's make it as soon as possible, with time to make at least some sort of reasonable analysis," Vegeta said. "How about three of Earth's standard days? You know from living on Earth for a while about how long these last."

"Certainly so," Moori said. "I will look forward to seeing you in three days."

Moori folded his arms behind him and walked slowly toward the nearby village, deep in thought once more.

The wind slightly ruffled Goku's hair as a different train of thought altogether occurred to him.

"Vegeta, there's something else we need to think about and possibly factor into our game plan for dealing with this."

His fellow Saiyan was intrigued.

"Well, what are you referring to?"

"Let's get back to Earth first so that we can talk with Bulma. Do you still have all the parts of your spacesuit with you?"

Vegeta briefly checked the spacesuit he had put on earlier, which still adorned him. The amenities were all there.

"Yes."

"Alright. Let's go."

Goku put his left hand on Vegeta's right shoulder, concentrated on Bulma's energy signature, and the two Saiyans instant transmitted away from the surface of New Namek, doing so in a way that would have appeared to an unaware onlooker as vanishing into thin air, quite like Trunks and Cell had appeared to do under different circumstances.

* * *

_In the skies of Earth from an alternate future …_

There was a temporary feeling of bliss, but then he focused on a quite serious matter.

Trunks knew that there was another one who had to be dealt with, and that he didn't want to waste time in making sure that threat was eliminated.

There was a different version of Cell from the one he had come to know, and the one he had come to know had himself come from an alternate future. And Trunks, remembering, and shuddering to think, that in that alternate future he was quite dead, focused again on the task at hand.

Indeed, he did not even expect to sense his own timeline's version of Cell.

[_Author's note: For reasons of improving the overall logic and quality of the chain of events in Future Trunks' timeline, it is important to note that this story presents Cell from Trunks' timeline (hereafter referred to as "Future Cell" for distinction) as still in his larval form immediately after Trunks defeated Future Android 17 and Future Android 18, which is in stark contrast to Future Cell being in his first humanoid form and active at this time, which is the way he is presented in "Free the Future," (uncut DBZ episode 194). There is an extensive author's note at the very bottom of this chapter that I encourage you to read to better understand the logic behind this change, as, for the reasons that are elaborated upon, presenting Future Cell as in his first humanoid form and active immediately after Future 17 and Future 18 are defeated is highly illogical on many levels. The following events will operate on the premise that Future Cell is, indeed, still in his larval form_.]

Had "Future Cell" already emerged from Dr. Gero's laboratory, Trunks knew it was very likely that he would have already overpowered the versions of Android 17 and Android 18 from his timeline and ascended to his perfect form. The very fact that 17 and 18 had even still been around to fight had in fact made Trunks feel slightly at ease, knowing that the fight to free his world would be a more effective one because Future Cell had not ascended.

However, he needed to make absolutely sure that Future Cell wasn't somehow out there already. Indeed, it was conceivably possible, but highly unlikely, that Future Cell had been released from Dr. Gero's laboratory only extremely recently, like within the last day or so, in which case Future Cell might not have had enough time to even find out about where 17 and 18 were, and let alone act upon that knowledge.

Before he had fought 17 and 18, he had tried sensing Future Cell's energy, having to try under the highly unusual circumstance of needing to distinguish that energy from that of his counterpart, but Trunks could not sense him. He also had to consider the possibility that if Future Cell was somehow active now, he might be hiding his energy for some reason to avoid detection, possibly out of bewilderment that he not only sensed Trunks' ascended Saiyan power, but that of what he rightly might have interpreted from afar to somehow be another version of himself.

Trunks knew where he had to go to make absolutely sure of what was truly going on.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a large power level in front of him, ironic, though it was.

The version of Cell he had fought in the past and whom he now considered at least somewhat of an ally had appeared before him.

Trunks stopped in his path of flight.

"I know we had our disagreement back there, but I want to make it clear to you that I'm not going to hold any of that against you," Cell said. "What's done is done. Let's move on."

Trunks thought about Cell's words momentarily, especially because he wondered about what Cell would actually think and say when he learned for sure of what Trunks was planning to do.

"Alright then," Trunks said. "But I assume you might have guessed where I'm going right now."

"Knowing you, you're probably headed in the direction of Dr. Gero's laboratory."

Trunks now wondered if Cell would have just let him accomplish this himself and not appeared had Cell, himself, not been personally involved at least in some fashion. It was also reasonable to assume that maybe Cell wanted there to be a different outcome this time ….

"That's right. I am headed there," Trunks said.

There was a brief silence.

"Obviously, we both very well know why you're headed there," Cell said.

"And the more we talk and wait, the higher the chance that this timeline's version of you will emerge from his larval state and become an active threat," Trunks said. "There's an unlikely possibility he's already out there and hiding his power level, in which case the more time we waste the more victims he will kill. We need to make sure of what's going on."

"Then let me help you with this. As you know, I can get us there much faster."

Trunks had anticipated that Cell might bring this up. Even though Trunks foresaw what might happen as a result of Cell accompanying him, he knew that it was objectively true that he would indeed get there faster this way.

"I'm ready."

Cell placed his left hand on Trunks' right shoulder, and while he had to search for a nearby energy signature to lock onto so that the technique would properly work, he knew that the computer which had enabled him to grow in another timeline had a faint, but detectable and distinct electromagnetic energy signal of its own that could be sensed.

After a few moments of attempting to locate what he was looking for, he found it.

The two warriors disappeared from the scene.

* * *

Goku and Vegeta reappeared in front of the Capsule Corporation compound, on what had become a rainy day.

They both quickly made their way inside, and on the way to Bulma's laboratory they encountered the more peaceful, placid version of Android 18 that had been born of this timeline.

"Why are the two of you jogging around in spacesuits?" Eighteen asked as they moved past her.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Vegeta asked as he continued to move quickly.

"We're going to have to fill you in on the details later," Goku said as he continued to follow Vegeta's stride.

It had been Laboratory 1-B53 where Bulma and Cell had made their observations before, and sure enough, due to the trauma of what had transpired, Bulma was still in that room, looking forlorn. She was cuddling the infant version of Trunks native to this timeline, as if to protect him.

When her husband and one of her best friends entered the room, she looked up from hugging baby Trunks to look at them, and immediately upon doing so, seeing that they had come back with distraught expressions on their own faces and without her son from the future, she became even more distraught than they had been.

Vegeta ran over to Bulma, simultaneously hugging her and the infant version of his son, trying to bring her at least a modicum of solace.

Goku let the two of them do this for many moments, and waited for Vegeta to be the first to talk.

Vegeta let Bulma go so that he could talk to her in a more efficient fashion.

"Obviously we have not returned with him," Vegeta said. "It's a very complicated situation, Bulma. We brought him back to life with the Dragon Balls ..."

Bulma's ears immediately perked up.

"Wait, what?" she rightfully asked, suddenly becoming confused.

"Yes, he was revived," Vegeta said. "Cell, with his understanding of the Dragon Balls and space-time, acknowledged that there were risks in doing so because of the way Trunks had died through being transported through space and not time due to the malfunction of his machine. He also said there were risks that we incurred through the very wishes that we found were best suited toward bringing Trunks back. But as Cell explained it, there would have been even greater risks had we done nothing, and so Trunks was revived."

"But what happened?" Bulma asked.

"Trunks seemed perfectly fine, at first. After a few minutes, he all of a sudden began to feel sick and fainted, at which point Cell caught Trunks to prevent him from falling to the ground. Then, the both of them became more and more translucent, not instantly so if that has any meaning, and the next thing we knew, both Trunks and Cell had disappeared."

Bulma felt faint herself, although she knew she had to remain strong.

Goku then decided he would speak.

"Elder Moori said he was going to discuss all of this with his fellow Namek elders and try to help us," Goku said.

"Yes, I remember Moori well from the time he and his people spent on Earth," Bulma said. "And did he think the Dragon Balls were properly equipped to bring Trunks back to life after the circumstances of what had happened?

"Moori said his doubts increased after what had happened, although it didn't appear that he's ruling out entirely the possibility that the Dragon Balls worked just fine, like Cell thought they would when he made the wishes, and that what happened to Trunks, and Cell, for that matter, might have been something outside of the control of the wishes we made with the Dragon Balls," Goku said.

Bulma pondered what she had just heard.

"Well, the fact Cell apparently disappeared just like Trunks did seems to indicate that there is at least a chance this has nothing to do with the Dragon Balls, because the wishes supposedly affected Trunks and not Cell," she said. "Although there's always the chance that Cell merely having contact with Trunks could have caused whatever was happening to Trunks to happen to him, or that Cell was somehow also affected merely by the wishes out of the fact that he made them. What wishes did you make, anyway?"

"Cell made three wishes, as would be expected with regards to those Dragon Balls," Vegeta said. "The first was to … Kakarot, how did he phrase it?"

"I believe it was something to the effect of, if I'm not mistaken, fixating Trunks' soul and his matter and energy remnants, in the mortal, immortal, and other planes of existence, to the multiversal fabric of normal space and time," he said.

"Yes, that sounds about right, … I suppose," Vegeta said, after doing a double take. "He made that wish because he feared that the way in which Trunks had died might have caused his matter and energy to desynchronize with the universe, making Trunks in a perilous state in which his very existence was in question. The second was to prepare Trunks' body to be brought back to life, and the third was actually doing it. I want you to know all of this so we can figure out how best to help our son."

Bulma thought about this some more.

"We're going to have to get to work," Bulma said. She looked down at the infant version of Trunks, smiled, and said, "We'll do everything we possibly can to make sure he's safe."

* * *

At her desk in the tattered compound she still called home, Bulma was using all of her brain power, as well as the limited technology at her disposal, to try and figure out exactly for sure what had caused Trunks and Cell to move forward in time and to return to the now alternate timeline from the timeline that they had last been within.

She had a hunch that the action of Trunks' time machine that beckoned it to move forward in time had somehow caused Trunks and Cell to do so. But if this possibility was true, then why exactly had that action been delayed, as opposed to happening immediately after Trunks had been revived?

There were too many unknown variables, but she had to think as clearly as she could for the good of her son. It was the only way to make sure that he was stable even now, as indeed, the fact that he had transported without a time machine in and of itself was extremely troubling.

She briefly got up from her desk to look out the nearby window to her left.

At that moment, she wondered if, out there, her son had already put an end to the menace of the androids, or if there were still more items Trunks needed to take care of in completing that paramount task.

While he worked diligently, she knew she had to do so as well.

* * *

Trunks and Cell emerged from the transmission on the outskirts of North City, right above the ruins of Dr. Gero's despicable laboratory.

"Let's go," Cell said, as the two warriors made their way down to the remnants of the blasted-open door. They walked inside, and saw desolation all around them. It mimicked, in a way, the desolation of Gero's morality in having propagated all that had transpired.

Cell looked for the way down into the secret lower level of Gero's laboratory, where this timeline's version of the supercomputer that had gave him life long after Gero had died would probably be located. Not to mention this timeline's version of himself, as well.

He found the way down, and motioned Trunks to follow him.

They entered the chamber and lo and behold, there the supercomputer was, buzzing away with flashing lights, accomplishing by proxy the nefarious and malicious deeds that Dr. Gero had intended. It was a device that was every bit as cold and unfeeling as Dr. Gero had been, working diligently as its predecessor had done to complete a mission that was to result in great peril for the world.

And there he was, the centerpiece of that mission, still encased in the tank that sustained him as he developed. The larval form of Future Cell was prominently placed, unmoving and ominous in his stagnancy.

"It looks like we can safely rule out if anyone's been hurt by you in this timeline," Trunks said, motioning toward the larval form.

"Yes," Cell said as he and Trunks moved closer to the tank, examining it.

It was amazing that a creature which appeared to be so vulnerable and so innocent had the potential to be so deadly.

"I wonder how much time he has before he, so to speak, 'hatches,'" Trunks said.

"We can find out right here," Cell said, pointing to a monitor located above the tank.

It was a countdown clock of sorts, indicating the percentage of Future Cell that had been completed and the estimated time necessary to complete that process.

"41 days, I see," Trunks said. "Then we have this situation fully under our control."

"It would appear that way," Cell said.

They both continued to gaze at Future Cell, observing the inactive horror intently.

"I have a certain course of action that I'd like to take," Trunks said as he continued to look at Future Cell.

"And I assume you know that I'm likely going to disagree with you," Cell said.

"And, in turn, that I am also likely going to disagree with what you would like to do about this," Trunks said.

"You want to eliminate this version of me right now, don't you?" Cell asked.

"Your powers of deduction are strong as ever," Trunks said. "And you want to keep him around, right?"

"Most certainly," Cell said. "And I must admit that it would be impossible for me to not be in any way biased, although my recommendation would apply to any creature in this situation."

Trunks let a few moments pass to gather his thoughts, then decided to respond.

"Cell, are you really going to let yourself emerge from the tank and become a potential threat to us all?" Trunks asked. "I know we could easily overpower this version of you, but why take any chances? Why not just eliminate this version of you now when we know for sure that we can?"

"This version of me has done nothing wrong yet, Trunks. He has committed no acts of evil. In fact, if you consider killing a sin in and of itself, no matter who it's committed against, then the version of 17 from the timeline we just left is more evil than this version of myself, since Seventeen killed Dr. Gero. Remember, we enabled the androids of the past to at least have a chance at reforming themselves."

"Once again, Cell, you're missing a point I made before, that who knows how good Seventeen and Eighteen would have been had we not used the Dragon Balls to make them so. Again, you're different than they, not just because by your measure you committed more sin than they did by killing more people, but because your enlightenment was a freak accident."

"But Trunks, now I'm going to point out again that since I did have the capacity to become good without the Dragon Balls, this version of myself surely does as well," Cell said.

"Look, Cell, we know for a fact that when you were born, you were born with the intentions to do great harm upon the world and to kill innocent people," Trunks said. "It's not like you were truly born with a clean slate and that you were warped into becoming evil later on. You were like that to begin with, and we know this version of you is going to be like that to begin with. Keep in mind another thing, that even if the Dragon Balls hadn't been used on Seventeen and Eighteen in the past, encouraging them to become good probably would have been easier than doing so for an unaltered version of you. Deep down, they despised what had happened to them, hating Dr. Gero for corrupting them and experimenting on them, and wanting to rebel against him and his causes at least in some form. You, on the other hand, until your freak accident, remained completely loyal to Gero's twisted ideals and goals, and highly grateful to him for enabling you to have the opportunity to achieve extreme levels of ability. This version of you, a version of you who will very likely not have a freak accident, will very likely have the same unwavering loyalty to evil that you once had."

"But when he emerges from the tank, we could confront him, surprise him, overwhelm him with our strength and give him the chance to change, or at the very least surrender," Cell said. "We would be here when that happened. He would have done no true evil other than think it. And then, if he does change, he would be even purer than me and the androids of the past, as he would have become good through committing no true crime."

"That's unrealistic, Cell," Trunks said. "You were hell-bent on destruction when we met you. Think of your previous thoughts …"

"I shudder to."

"… but do so anyway. Think about how unreasonable and ridiculous it would have seemed to you to embrace peace, even if you knew you had no chance at winning. This version of you is going to react the same way."

"But we need to at least give him the chance, even if it's slim. We can't just kill him without at least giving him a chance. Even you must admit that this is very different from my request before in trying to give the versions of 17 and 18 from your timeline, the ones who are no longer with us, a chance at redemption. They committed unparalleled acts of sin while this version of myself has done no such thing."

Trunks muttered under his breath and briefly walked away from the tank. He then turned around with a consideration.

"Since he's still in the tank, is there any way to change his overall psychological make-up and cause him to become good before he's born?" Trunks asked. "After all, if Gero programmed him to be malevolent, is there actually a way to reverse that right now?"

Cell pondered this idea himself for a moment.

"It's too late in his development to attempt something like that," Cell said. "For all we know, if we were to try such a thing at this point, we could cause him to become a lunatic, schizophrenic monstrosity."

"Are you implying through your comment that you, yourself, weren't at one time a lunatic, schizophrenic monstrosity?"

Cell paused for a moment.

"Your point is well taken," he said. "But look, even Goku has acted along the lines I want act out now. He told me that in the three years between when you first arrived in his version of the past and when you arrived again, he had been presented with a time span of a few years in which he could have gone to Dr. Gero's lab whenever he had wanted to, albeit after first locating it, although it wouldn't have been difficult over a period of time given an extensive search, and he could have killed Dr. Gero long before the androids and his reformed self were in the forms they were in when we first saw them. But he told me that he didn't do that because Dr. Gero hadn't done anything wrong yet, and that he merely had the intention of doing something wrong."

[_Author's note: The above reasoning attributed to Goku, while debatable for its effectiveness, is actually canon to the Dragon Ball universe, as Goku does, in fact, mention this as the reason why he didn't eliminate the threat of Dr. Gero long before he and Android 19 appeared._]

"Really?" Trunks asked, in a tone indicating he was astounded.

"Yes, despite the fact that Goku hadn't considered everything Gero had previously done for the Red Ribbon Army," Cell said. "But Goku, in my opinion, did not follow up properly on all this. By not making sure that he was in place to potentially restrain Gero before Gero did commit a crime and took action, he enabled Gero to kill and murder. He let Gero get to the point when the androids were ready for battle, and Goku, himself, hadn't truly set up the necessary circumstances to encourage Gero to refrain from murderous action once Gero was fully capable of committing those murderous acts and was ready to do so. If Goku was going to let Gero build up his forces that far and follow through with his plan so much, he should have taken greater steps to make sure no harm came to innocents before he confronted Gero, and if he had done that properly, he could have given Gero the chance to mend his ways before any harm was truly done. He should have located Gero and Android 19 before they went on their murderous onslaught on South City and at least given them the chance to change before the unnecessary, and potentially preventable, atrocities ensued. Better yet, in the years between the times you arrived in your time machine, he cold have gone to Dr. Gero's lab and talked with him about the situation before the androids posed as much of a threat. But I'm not going to repeat that mistake, and I want to handle this in a better way. I'd like to give my counterpart a chance, but I'm going to be there when he awakens so we can confront him before he has the chance to hurt anyone. I'd talk with him now, but obviously I can't because he isn't conscious of our presence, nor could I make him so."

Trunks listened intently to Cell's reasoning, although he was not entirely satisfied.

"Well, on this Goku and I disagree," Trunks said. "Just like he and I initially did when Goku tried to convince us of your worth and I supported Gohan's position on what to do with you."

Cell felt hurt by that.

"But you did come around to see things from my perspective, Trunks. You did, … right?"

"Yes, but at the time I sided with Gohan, I had every reason in the world to believe that my position was right. In fact, in terms of taking direct action to prevent threats from causing harm, I haven't yet told you this, but Krillin and I destroyed the larval version of you in the changed timeline we just came from."

Cell suddenly became furious.

"You … how could you have done that!" Cell said. "You killed an innocent creature without giving it the chance to live a life of peace!"

"I did what was necessary for others to live peaceful lives without having to live in constant fear the way I did!" Trunks said.

Cell felt so angry that he was ready to punch a hole in the nearby wall, although he didn't want to risk somehow blowing something up.

"Trunks, your philosophy here, while it has a modicum of merit, is a highly questionable, atrocious, and very much deplorable way of thinking," Cell said.

"I could say the same about yours," Trunks said.

Both stared at each other for a long while, unsure of what to say.

"Look, give this plan a chance," Cell said. "He hasn't done anything wrong yet. We'll be there to help convince him of a better path. And we'll immediately stop him if he tries anything malicious."

Trunks turned and walked away once more, then turned and walked back again,

"I'll tell you one thing, if we do go with your plan, we're not even going to think about using the Dragon Balls on New Namek until we make sure, and by that I mean absolutely sure, that Cell's either firmly on our side or quite dead," Trunks said.

"I'm glad you're seeing this from my perspective, my friend, because if we're finally seeing eye-to-eye about the issue of what to do about the other version of me, then we have an issue that's even more pressing for the moment at hand, which I suggest we should discuss," Cell said.

Trunks didn't expect that one.

"What? What situation are you referring to?"

"Remember how right before we transported forward in time, I was mentioning that your mother from the past had heard another signal from space, right before she had heard yours, and that it was also a call of distress?"

"Yeah, you said it was quite possible that the signal she had heard was more than a thousand years old, though."

"Even so, we should go check out the source of that signal to see what the status of that planet currently is. If we know there's a chance there are people suffering out there, and we know that we have the power and ability to help them, then we should go help them."

Trunks thought about this.

"I agree with you wholeheartedly, but then, are we really going to leave your other self here?" he asked. "Are we really going to risk the computer malfunctioning while we're gone, or the estimate on that clock being wrong, and the other version of you terrorizing Earth while we're off doing who knows what? And what if we don't come back at all? What if we're somehow killed out there?"

"You know that's highly unlikely," Cell said.

"I'm not one to take chances with lives," Trunks said. "If we're going to be put at risk, no matter how small it might turn out to be, then I insist we destroy you right now before we leave."

"By that logic, us leaving Dr. Gero's lab at all could be dangerous, because one of us might die from some unexpected cause, or maybe even shift through time again," Cell said. "Maybe if we stay in this lab, a wire will fall from the ceiling and in a freak accident kill one of us. You can't live your life based on insignificant improbabilities. And what's more, you care about life so much that you're willing to take a life that isn't yours, without giving it a chance to live a good life, to potentially save lives."

Trunks pondered this some more.

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"Yes. Against my better judgment, we'll go with your plan. In fact, I'm not entirely convinced by your perspective. But what's probably encouraging me to at least tolerate your plan is that I acknowledge there's an overwhelming chance we'll do whatever we have to do on that planet and then return in time to deal with you. The fact we're going to figure out what's happening with this planet in addition to dealing with you later gives me even more reason to believe we shouldn't use the Dragon Balls just yet."

"Agreed," Cell said. "Now let's consult with your mother to update her on the situation. She'll of course be overjoyed that 17 and 18 have been taken care of, much to my continued dismay, mind you, but she'll also be happy that we're going to be venturing to help the people of that planet."

"You know, you could just go without me, that way one of us could go there and the other could monitor your other self," Trunks said. "I'd go myself, but, I don't know how to perform the instant transmission technique, and I don't even know if that planet has an atmosphere that I can breathe."

"Indeed, the ability to breathe even in space is the only thing Frieza was ever good for," Cell said. "But who knows? I might need backup. Maybe it will be a significant threat. I might need you there."

"Look who's talking about not living life by paying too much attention to the improbabilities," Trunks said.

"If and when we determine for sure that I can handle whatever it is myself, I'll just transmit you back, then transmit back there, and you'll monitor me until I return," Cell said.

"And then, if you somehow don't return, I'll give your other self a chance, … then destroy him if he doesn't comply."

"That sounds like a plan," Cell said. "Also, to even get to this planet, I need to figure out where it is. I remember the coordinates clearly from when your mother in the past showed them to me. But I don't know what relative point in space right now those coordinates are from here. I need to know that so I can orient myself properly in order to figure out where in space I should search for an energy signature. It's therefore additionally important for us to get back to Capsule Corporation as soon as possible."

"I suppose we're going to get going, then," Trunks said.

"Indeed," Cell said as he began to exit the subterranean chamber.

Before he left, Trunks quickly turned to look at the version of Cell from his own timeline, a terror lurking in the shadows that Trunks was now, against his better judgment, leaving alone. He reluctantly began to fly up to the laboratory's upper chambers as the tank began to fade from view.

* * *

As Bulma began to walk to the laboratory's main computer so she could begin to write her ideas as to what had happened to Trunks, Goku remembered that there was still one other matter that he felt he should bring up.

It had occurred to Goku that what he was about to address might not seem pertinent to his friends, but that it was pertinent nonetheless.

"Vegeta, now that we've told Bulma everything we know about Trunks' disappearance, I'd like to share with you what I was about to mention before we left New Namek. I think it will impact the overall plan we're going to make from this point forward."

Vegeta, who was curious as to exactly what Goku was referring to, felt impatient.

"Then spit it out already."

"Do you remember how Cell was talking about a signal other than Trunks' distress call that Bulma picked up from the sound collection device on her telescope?"

Vegeta looked quizzical.

"Yes, what of it?" he asked as Bulma diverted her attention toward their conversation.

"I know it doesn't sound like it has much of anything to do with Trunks, but who knows, maybe it does. Either way, I think it's appropriate for us to go check that situation out."

Vegeta seemed to become annoyed, and it showed in his voice.

"Kakarot, Cell said that Bulma determined that signal to be more than one thousand years old. Isn't that right?"

Bulma nodded her head to indicate 'yes.'

"I estimate it was more than a thousand years old. It's amazing the signal was in such good condition, really," she said. "Goku, you think this might have something to do with Trunks?"

"I'm not sure, Bulma. The overwhelming likelihood is that it doesn't, but it still is a factor and to have the most accurate information we can possibly have, we might as well check it out. Regardless, I'd like to check it out to see if there are still people there who need help."

"The likelihood that this has nothing to do with Trunks makes this not worth checking out right now," Vegeta said. "Trunks' whereabouts and status are paramount. We can worry about this later, Kakarot."

"But what if people are suffering out there right now, Vegeta?"

"Kakarot, do you know how many people are suffering out there each and every moment? The universe is a big place. We physically can't possibly save all of them, not when we're dealing with infinity. How many star systems have experienced sadness while we've been preoccupied doing whatever we've needed to do here? Do you know what it must be like on some of Frieza's former worlds now that he's no longer around? There's probably widespread anarchy and chaos on many of them! But we've always been preoccupied with something important, even if it was just training to prepare. We've needed those moments, and we're preoccupied now with the singularly important goal of finding my son."

"Well then, maybe we should start worrying about the safety of others on other planets more often," Goku said. "Now that I'm more conscious of it, we definitely should."

"That's admittedly noble of you, but why start right now?" Vegeta asked. "Why pick this very moment when Trunks' safety hangs in the balance? If the people of whatever planet this is are suffering now, then it's quite possible they've been suffering for a thousand years. What's a few more days?"

"Liberty is precious, and it can't come too soon," Goku said. "Trunks would want us to do something as soon as possible to help them."

"Trunks would want us to find him first so that he can fight alongside us to help them," Vegeta said.

"We need to check it out, Vegeta. People's lives could be at stake. A thousand years is certainly a long time, but if a person has only a day left to live, then three days is like an instant."

"My son's life is more important than however many lives of people we've never met."

"All life is precious. I'm going to go see what the story is there, Vegeta."

"Fine, but I won't be tagging along. Trunks comes first, at least in my book, Kakarot."

"Then you and Bulma can look for him while I help those people, if indeed they still need help at all, or, alternatively, if they're even still there. Bulma, do you still have the coordinates for where in the sky that message came from? It will help me locate the planet so I can use my instant transmission technique to get there."

"Let me look at the telescope's arrays, and I'll pinpoint where in the sky you should look," she said.

While holding baby Trunks, she got up from her chair to observe the measurements.

* * *

Trunks and Cell transmitted in front of Capsule Corporation, ready to consult with Bulma about the events that had transpired and their upcoming strategy.

On the way inside, a thought occurred to Trunks.

"You know, I've gotten to thinking, and this isn't really important, but …"

"But, what?" Cell asked.

"Whose DNA did you get your wings from?"

It was an excellent question.

"I'm honestly not sure," Cell said. "None of the fighters whose genetic material became incorporated into my being possessed wings, as far as I know. If it weren't for the fact that I know my green coloration came from Piccolo, I might have thought that the DNA of a grasshopper had accidentally become entangled with the DNA that Dr. Gero intended to utilize."

"The true answer for that one, I guess, is for another time. Let's get inside."

They entered, and walked toward the study room that Bulma had created near the front entrance.

Bulma looked at them, eagerly.

"Well?" she asked.

"17 and 18 are gone, mom."

She ran up from her seat excitedly, dashing over to her son and giving him a hug that even he thought was powerful.

"It's about time," she said as her elation came to tears of unparalleled joy.

How could she help it? The #$%ers who had killed her husband were finally dead. It was worth such emotion and euphoria.

Cell watched, but said nothing.

She let go of her son, wiped away a tear, and asked him, "So, what is next on the agenda?"

"Cell and I have decided that since the version of him in this timeline has 41 days until he emerges from Dr. Gero's lab, and we know that, by the way, because we were just there and we checked, we're going to follow up on something else that is worthy of investigation."

She wondered what exactly Trunks had meant by that, and why, if they had gone through the trouble of going to Dr. Gero's lab, they had not followed through all the way.

"Oh, … alright. What is this other thing, then?"

"In the past," Cell began, "your version from that timeline discovered a signal from a certain set of coordinates that seemed to have been a distress message. While the signal was a thousand years old, the fact remains that the people of that planet might still be in trouble."

"If there are any people left, that is," Trunks said.

"Quite," Cell said. "And so we want to briefly investigate that planet. Then, we'll confront this timeline's version of myself, and then we'll go to New Namek and use the set of Dragon Balls there."

"Sounds like a plan," Bulma said, as she briefly contemplated the implications. "You're going to get there using instant transmission, right?"

"Yes, and I need your help with this, Bulma."

She looked at him with intrigue.

"My help?"

"I don't know where that planet is in relation to the Earth's current rotation and revolution. I do, however, remember the coordinates your telescope with the sound recording equipment from the past suggested the signal came from. I'm hoping that if I tell you the coordinates you would be able to pinpoint what direction I might be able to face so as to better concentrate on the energy pattern, relative to the distance from that point in that direction, that I'm looking for."

"Well, the old telescope still works," Bulma said. "I use it from time to time to check my measurements for certain calculations. Those calculations have helped me prepare for our proposed endeavors into space to get to New Namek, although obviously, they haven't happened yet."

"But thanks to me, they will," Cell said.

"Which reminds me of an important point I had forgotten about but which I must mention," Trunks said. "Cell, Goku had a hard time finding New Namek at first. In fact, he couldn't get a clear reading on it from Earth, and he had to ask for the North Kai's help in order to be pointed in the right direction. I've never met the North Kai of this timeline, but …"

"… I agree, the fact it doesn't look like the North Kai of this timeline helped the people of Earth enough is a subject for important discussion, but what are you getting at?" Cell asked.

"Well, are you familiar with the North Kai's energy signature well enough for you to be able to cross dimensions into Otherworld and consult with him about where New Namek might be?"

"No, not at all."

"Then can you, right now, if you try hard enough, find New Namek?"

"I should be able to. Let me see …."

He concentrated with considerable effort. Admittedly, he did not know how effective this would be since he had only used the instant transmission technique once, although with his heightened abilities he had been able to sense Bulma's energy, with some effort, after he and Trunks had transported forward in time. Regardless of the instant transmission technique, he knew his energy detection skills were quite advanced.

So why was he having a hard time finding New Namek now?

Of course.

"Well, New Namek has shifted relative to Earth in the time from which we had come, and both planets have rotated and revolved since we arrived in this timeline," Cell said. "These movements are further complicated by universal expansion. It's why we didn't see New Namek, Trunks, when we arrived from the past, because it had shifted in space during the relative years between the times. We would have a better chance of pinpointing it if we had coordinates."

"How do you think I had hope of getting there in the first place?" Bulma asked. "I had hope because I have coordinates."

Trunks and Cell looked at her with amazement.

"You do, Mom?"

"Indeed I do, Trunks!" she said, proudly. "Why would we have spent the time to try and build a spaceship if we didn't know where we were going?"

"All this time I thought we were just going to go with an educated guess …," Trunks said.

His mother stopped him right there.

"I don't believe in leaving things up to that much chance, young man," she said, sternly but laughingly.

"But how did you acquire them?" he asked.

"Well, right after Frieza destroyed the first Planet Namek, the planet's population lived on Earth for a while, as I've told you before."

"Oh, I see," Trunks said.

"Elder Moori and I had a chat before he left, and we exchanged the coordinates of each other's planets, using the distancing and spatial conventions of each other's cultures and systems. We also gave each other comprehensive analyses for planetary and solar shift," Bulma said. "The Nameks had found a world to terraform to their specifications, and they knew we would be here. Moori and I made this exchange because we had just been through a time of great trepidation, coming out of crisis mode while tensions were still high, and we wanted to take steps to help each other remain at peace and counteract threats. The Nameks felt grateful to us, and we felt grateful to them. We didn't want there to be another Frieza or callous oppressor that would be able to attack one of our peoples without the other being able to be located and contacted."

_[Note: The following section is a recommended but optional bonus section that elaborates on some of the continuity and causality factors that have to be taken into account in rectifying the events of the Dragon Ball universe with not only the laws of physics, but with what would have been the rational actions "Future Bulma" would have likely taken "off-screen" in canon but which are included as part of the Honor Trip story and are further explained below.]_

_[Bonus Section Begins Here]_

_"Wait Mom, if you had the coordinates, then wouldn't you have been able to send a radio wave transmission to New Namek and ask for help?" Trunks asked. "How far away from their original world did the Nameks relocate? I remember you telling me once that you were able to speak to grandpa in real time while you were on Namek despite all the light years of distance between Namek and Earth. [Author's Note: This occurs in uncut DBZ episode 49, "The Prince Fights Back."]_

_"Grandpa and I were only able to do that because he had given me a hyperspace communications device before I had left," Bulma said. "Radio waves normally travel at the speed of light, but by creating a device that could bend space, he was able to basically ignore the time delay entirely. The damn shame is that even though I gave one device to Moori before he left, guess who destroyed our device the same day they killed grandpa."_

_Trunks and Cell didn't have to answer that question for her to have made her point._

_"All the schematics for that type of device were destroyed, too?" Cell asked._

_"We lost a lot of information when they attacked the Capsule Corporation compound all those years ago," Bulma said. "And unfortunately, your grandfather was the true specialist when it came to bending space. I ended up becoming a specialist in bending time through having a mental breakthrough while I was trying to replicate his work, as after all, space and time are closely linked. But for all the work I've put into it, I haven't been able to replicate his findings so that I could at least attempt to make another hyperspace communications device."_

_"I see," Cell said. "So the spaceship that you were planning to build would have utilized faster-than-light travel that didn't require the particles to go outside of normal space, unlike how that hyperspace communicator worked."_

_"Absolutely," Bulma said. "It took many weeks for Krillin, Gohan, and I to get to New Namek in that old Namekian spaceship while communication over the same distance took almost no real time at all for my father because the simple radio waves traveled through hyperspace. The ship we had used to get to Namek had been in real space the entire time, though. Your grandpa hadn't been able to figure out how to transport a ship made of molecules and not simple radio waves through hyperspace, otherwise we would have been able to arrive on another planet instantaneously. Faster-than-light travel, which grandpa said has much easier math behind it than hyperspace travel, is apparently utilized quite often by various races in space. It's how we got to Namek so quickly despite it having been hundreds of light years away and how Vegeta, all those years ago, got to Earth in less than a year even though the nearest star from Earth is around four light years away. Grandpa and I also successfully applied the faster-than-light drive to the ship Goku had used to get to Namek. Whenever a ship with faster-than-light travel gets near a planetary system, all its pilot needs to do is slow down so that the ship doesn't crash. The strange thing about faster-than-light travel is that it was once thought that matter at the speed of light would move so much faster than the rest of the universe that time would progress much more quickly in the portions of the universe that aren't traveling at the speed of light. That's still apparently true, however, but it seems that the faster-than-light drive technology that appears to be common in this galaxy is able to circumvent that physical principle."_

_"So why didn't you just build a smaller ship underground with a faster-than-light device that one of us could have fit in, instead of building a time machine?" Trunks asked._

_"Well kid, science is often filled with irony, and as it turned out, it ended up being that even though time travel is a more difficult concept mathematically than faster-than-light travel, building the technology to bend time is much easier to do than building the technology to bend space. Since we eventually came to be so low on supplies, and since supplies eventually became so hard to obtain, we had all the more reason to try time travel. Then we made the time machine, and the rest is history. Or rather, the rest is 'histories.'"_

[_Bonus Section Ends Here_]

"Well, despite all the unfortunate circumstances that prevented the coordinates from being used before, the fact we at least have the coordinates now is good news," Cell said. "Please, Bulma, direct me to the relative points in the sky where New Namek and this other planet are."

"You'll have to follow me, then."

Bulma, Trunks, and Cell walked down the corridors to Laboratory 1-B53, and sure enough the telescope was in this room, just at it had been in the alternate version of the past.

Bulma inputted the coordinates for New Namek first.

"It should be there!" she said, pointing to a relative point in the sky, factoring in degrees of angular distance from the North-South horizon, East-West horizon, and azimuth.

Cell sensed in that direction, and was pleased.

"It's right there," he said. "I can sense it."

"Goku said it felt obvious to him after the North Kai pointed it out to him," Trunks said. "That's one huge obstacle out of the way."

"And what about the other?" Cell asked.

Bulma inputted the coordinates that Cell had given her for this planet.

She pointed again.

"It's there!" she said as she indicated the planet's relative position.

Oddly enough, the point of interest was about the same angular height from the horizon as New Namek, although about 50 degrees horizontally West of the other planet's bearing.

Cell, estimating how much distance in a thousand years would be covered by an electromagnetic wave of the type the signal had been sent with, determined how far out he should concentrate his search. At least with New Namek, he had known of the ki characteristics of its inhabitants, so he hadn't been as dependent on knowing its relative distance from Earth to find it.

This search was different because he did not know of the ki characteristics of the inhabitants of that world. And if he simply could not find ki characteristics and couldn't sense them … "

But wait.

There was a faint feeling, but it was there nonetheless.

"I believe I've found it," Cell said. "Now, to determine if it has a breathable atmosphere."

He transmitted away.

A few moments passed while Trunks and Bulma anticipated his return.

And so he did.

"Yes, that's the planet, alright," Cell said.

"You know this for sure?" Trunks asked.

"Unfortunately, I most certainly do," Cell said. "There's no time to waste, Trunks. We need to go."

"It has a breathable atmosphere, right?" Trunks asked.

"Barely, but usable," Cell said.

* * *

"There it is!" Goku said. "At least, I think that's where it is."

"Well, if you find anything that could help us in looking for Trunks, we need to need to know about it as soon as possible," Bulma said.

"Certainly, and it's a good thing I still have this spacesuit on," Goku said as he secured the helmet in place. "I'm going to check to make sure that planet has a breathable atmosphere."

"A wise decision," Vegeta said.

"Here it goes," Goku said as he transmitted to the planet.

Moments passed, and Bulma, holding baby Trunks, continued to work while Vegeta was absorbed in thought.

Then, Goku returned.

"Well, it's breathable, but not by much," he said. "And, … oh man. I'm going to transmit home briefly so I can talk to Gohan."

"What for?" Vegeta asked.

"Because I have a feeling that I'm going to need all the help I can get."

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Nineteen: Our heroes, in different versions of time, travel to the planet and discover the extent of what has transpired. _

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Eighteen: (Completed 9/24/2010); (Revised 3/9/2011) _

* * *

_Author's extended note: The following author's note was included to provide a substantive and reasoned explanation as to why the version of Cell from Trunks' timeline appears in his larval state and not in his humanoid form in this chapter. For the logical reasons that will soon be elaborated upon, this chapter presents Trunks' timeline's version of Cell as still in his larval state at this point, in stark contrast to the way he was presented in the Dragon Ball Z episode known as "Free the Future," (194 in the uncut version, 179 in the edited version), in which he has already achieved his first humanoid form and is terrorizing the people of Earth by time Trunks returns from the past for the second time. For the purposes of distinction, the version of Cell native to Trunks' timeline will hereafter be referred to as "Future Cell" to distinguish him from the "Cell" whose adventures we have been experiencing, although it is indeed true that they both come from alternate futures to the "main" Dragon Ball universe timeline. _

_Like many elements of "Free the Future," the premise that Future Cell had already been released from Dr. Gero's laboratory does not readily fit logically with the circumstances at hand. Trunks mentions immediately after he defeats Future Android 17 and Future Android 18 (which happens in no more than a few hours after he returns from the past) that he acknowledges that Future Cell is active and that he needs to be dealt with. In Funimation's uncut English dub, Trunks says the following: "I wish I could say that it's all over, but there's one more thing that has to be done. Yes, I can feel it in my bones. I know you're out there, Cell." We can conclude he isn't merely referring to the fact that Future Cell is merely out there at Dr. Gero's laboratory waiting to exit his larval state because we immediately see footage of victims' empty clothes and Future Cell in his first humanoid form walking about, meaning that Trunks "felt in his bones" that Future Cell was active. This doesn't make complete logical sense because if Future Cell had indeed been active already and had been scouring the planet looking for Future Android 17 and Future Android 18, he very likely would have already found and absorbed them as the two androids regularly wrecked havoc and he would have easily been able to acquire information on, if not their current whereabouts, then the general vicinity in which they were recently causing terror. Because of this, if Future Cell had truly been active by the time Trunks returned, it is very likely that Trunks would have either returned to a timeline in which he would have had to face off against the perfect form of Future Cell, or that the Earth would have been devoid of the androids (and possibly of much or all of its populace) because Future Cell might have gone off into space looking for other opportunities, or that the Earth might not have been around any longer, in the event that Future Cell, out of no longer having a use for it, destroyed it. _

_And even in the unlikely event that Future Cell at the time of Trunks' second return had been released from Gero's lab so recently that he had not had the time to truly begin looking for the androids, had Future Cell been active for any duration when Trunks was fighting Future 17 and Future 18, he would have very likely been intrigued by why there was an extremely large power level other than his own, especially if he recognized it as a Super Saiyan power level, and he very likely would have traveled toward the power level looking to see what was occurring. He very likely would have intervened had he seen that Trunks was about to destroy the androids, and he very likely would have battled Trunks out of frustration if he had deduced that Trunks had just destroyed the androids. There is also a likelihood that he would have at least interacted in some way with Trunks even if he had not known of the androids having been present at all, but it is also quite possible that if he had not known that the androids had been in the vicinity, then he might have avoided Trunks altogether, sensing his power level and wanting to deal with him later, believing that he could still absorb the androids to increase his abilities._

_However, another significant reason why it doesn't make sense for Future Cell to have been active had Future Android 17 and Future Android 18 still been around by the time Trunks returned from the past is that Trunks doesn't immediately do everything in his power to seek Future Cell out to destroy him as soon as Future 17 and Future 18 are defeated. It's just as illogical as how Trunks, minutes before in the episode, delayed his seeking out the androids and did not attempt to destroy them immediately when he returned from the past, (and instead one of the first things he did was that he relaxed with Bulma during the infamous "tea scene"). Indeed, the narration of Funimation's uncut English dub, immediately after Future 17 and Future 18 are defeated and scenes of Future Cell are shown, states that "With the androids gone, it was a time of new beginnings on Earth. The cities were being rebuilt and old wounds were beginning to heal. At last the darkness had been overcome and the light was shining in once again. The special man responsible for this change was preparing to take one more trip into the past." This narration, accompanied by scenes showing significant restoration of the cities and the Capsule Corporation compound, suggests that a considerable amount of time had passed since Trunks had destroyed Future Android 17 and Future Android 18. The fact that Trunks had sensed that Future Cell was active and had enabled Cell to continue absorbing victims for this long instead of taking immediate action (or at least sooner action) to stop Future Cell and prevent those victims from being harmed makes no real sense, and is in fact highly out of character for the otherwise highly intelligent, methodological Trunks. Indeed, he even should have remembered that the version of Cell he had fought in the past had been able to steal his time machine by relatively sneaking up on him in another timeline, and that there was a possibility Future Cell might do the same. Why take the risk, and why let people suffer? Also, the aforementioned narration adds to the ridiculousness of this whole situation, as it suggests that Trunks is going to travel to the past without having first destroyed Future Cell, whom he knew very well was active, and making sure his timeline was safe first before he traveled. _

_However, a situation in which Trunks had destroyed Future 17 and Future 18 and then did not take immediate action to find Future Cell if indeed he didn't sense him and Cell was still in his larval state would have made at least a little more sense because Cell did not pose an immediate threat. But even then, as Trunks had done to the version of Cell that he and Krillin had killed in the "main timeline," if he was going to be consistent in his actions he should have then gone straight to Dr. Gero's lab before Future Cell became a threat and should have killed Future Cell in his larval state, instead of letting time pass. Indeed, if Trunks was consistent in his actions and acting logically, he should have taken immediate action to destroy Future Cell, regardless of whether Future Cell was active or in his larval state, and the fact he does not do this in any form in "Free the Future" does not make logical sense. It should be noted that in Funimation's uncut English dub, Future Trunks does state, (when he finally does get around to fighting Future Cell), that he "just destroyed both of the androids," although, like many things in "Free the Future," the accuracy of this statement is extremely dubious, as the context of the preceding minutes strongly indicates that substantial time has passed since Trunks destroyed Future 17 and Future 18 and that, regardless of how much time had passed since he defeated Future 17 and Future 18, he did not do everything in his power to take immediate action to remove the threat of Future Cell. Additionally, if Trunks knew that all three enemies were still around and active when he returned from the past and if he had acted logically and had taken a moment to discern that Future Cell was active, it for many reasons would have made more sense for Trunks to in fact try to defeat Future Cell first and then defeat Future 17 and Future 18 than doing so in reverse order as he had done in "Free the Future," especially because he could have eliminated the much more serious threat first, which indeed, even the general populace of Earth couldn't have guarded itself against as well because people of Trunks' timeline were much less familiar with Future Cell's appearance and activities than they were of those of Future 17 and Future 18._

_What also must be taken into brief consideration is that there is a possibility that the exact point that Trunks and Cell returned to Trunks' timeline in Chapter Fourteen of this story could have been before the relative time that Trunks returned in "Free the Future," in which case there might have been a greater likelihood of Future Cell being in his larval state. Even in this circumstance, for the aforementioned reasons, it would not have made perfect sense for Future Cell to have been present in his humanoid form. _

_It must also be made clear, in a similar line of thought, that had Trunks and Cell returned to Trunks' timeline in Chapter Fourteen of this story at a much later point in time than Trunks had in "Free the Future," there is a stronger possibility that Future Cell would have no longer been in his larval form and that he would likely have already ascended to his perfect form, but again, for the aforementioned reasons, it would be illogical to conclude based on the events of Chapters Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen that Trunks and Cell returned to Trunks' timeline at a much later point because Future 17 and Future 18 were still active. _

_And that, my friends, is why Future Cell is presented in this chapter as being in his larval form. _

_Thank you very much for reading this explanation, and I provided it because I felt that if I was to make a change like this that significantly alters the basic factual circumstances native to Trunks' timeline that impact how Trunks and Cell interact with Trunks' timeline and the way they encounter events, I should explain my reasoning behind this. _

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor_


	20. XIX: Onslaught

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Nineteen: Onslaught**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Trunks had not expected at the start of his day that he would be traveling to some unknown planet.

Then again, he also hadn't expected that he would die, be brought back to life, thrown tumultuously forward in time, have a chance to defeat the androids in as miraculous of a fashion as he had, and then get into an argument with Cell over whether or not he should do away with his own timeline's version of Cell.

Besides the fact that the "start of Trunks' day" had taken place more than a decade before in a now alternate version of his past, the here and now were clear. He was going forward toward another unknown element.

"Are you ready?" Cell asked.

Trunks hesitantly put his hand on Cell's shoulder.

"Let's get this over with."

As Bulma waved goodbye, the two warriors of tomorrow transmitted away from the scene.

* * *

And at another point in time in an alternate past, Goku reappeared from his instant transmission in front of his home on Mt. Paozu.

He quickly ran to the door and opened it, running inside to the dining area. He saw that Gohan was seated at the table reading a book as Chi Chi prepared the evening's meal.

She looked up, noting her husband's presence.

"Gohan said you were going to be away for a bit with some important business," Chi Chi said.

"And unfortunately I'm going to have to get going again," Goku said.

She was not pleased, to say the least.

"What's so important that you're going to miss dinner?" she asked. "I just slaved over a hot stove for three hours preparing all this, and now you come back just to say you're going to leave again? It was bad enough when you were dead, and it was even worse when you were gone after you fought Frieza on Namek. Where in the world are you going that it's so important?"

With her last sentence, Goku let out a short chuckle.

"I'm not exactly going anywhere 'in the world,' Chi Chi," he said. "There's a planet out there where people are suffering, and it looks as though they've been suffering for at least a thousand years. Gohan, I need you to come with me so we can help them."

"There's no way that my Gohan is going to go off again so soon to risk his life!" Chi Chi yelled as she forcefully placed down a pot that she had been holding. "It was bad enough that you made him fight Cell. Now you're going to put him through this, too?"

"I want to go, Mom," Gohan said. "If Dad says there are people out there who need my help, I might as well go. Cell used to be the strongest being in the universe, and now it looks like that distinction, as strange as it still feels, now belongs to me. Nothing out there is going to harm me."

Chi Chi began to dramatically sob.

"You don't know that!" she said. "You're my son! I want you to be safe! Do you have any idea what I go through when you go off on these things?"

"Yes," he said as he leaped up from his chair and hugged his mother.

She hugged him back.

"Your father's so strong that I don't see why he couldn't just do this by himself," she said, still hugging her son and sobbing.

"If he needs me to go, then he needs me to go," Gohan said as he let go of his mother, went to his father, and enabled Goku to put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"We'll be back real soon, Chi Chi," Goku said as he and Gohan transmitted away, leaving an awestruck Chi Chi alone in their home.

* * *

_[Author's Note: The mysterious aforementioned planet that has been referenced is the planet that is briefly seen after Kid Buu's regeneration in Dragon Ball Z uncut episode 278: "True Saiyans Fight Alone." It is a planet of mystery and intrigue that Kid Buu destroyed in his fit of blinding rage, but before it was destroyed there were oddly shaped buildings present with lights inside them, further suggesting the presence of inhabitants. And now, in our continued exploration of the changed timelines that resulted from Cell's enlightenment, we join our heroes …]_

It was a sordid world with a dark sky. An even darker mist covered all below what appeared to be the peaks of tall buildings that stretched above the mist.

It certainly wasn't the most welcoming batch of scenery for Trunks and Cell, and what were even less welcoming were the sounds of machinery echoing from below. The sounds were so loud that even from where Trunks and Cell were, about five hundred meters above the mist, they could hear the machinery distinctly.

"I transported below the mist the first time, and wanted to see what this planet is like from above," Cell said as Trunks continued to take it all in. "I don't believe the mist is poisonous enough that it will harm you permanently."

"Wonderful," Trunks said.

Cell then beckoned Trunks to follow him, and down they went, through the mist and into a very dark and very dimly lit portion of the planet. The planet's surface was highlighted by the faint rays of the planet's weak sun that had struggled to make their way through the mist.

Trunks saw that the lighting coming from the many giant machines in the vicinity was somewhat brighter.

They were somewhat humanoid in appearance, but were very much oversized, somewhere in the middle in size between a normal human or Saiyan and the size of an Oozaru Great Ape. They each had two grey robotic arms, accompanied by two grey robotic legs. They also each had a grey robotic head that resembled nothing close to the face of a human or Saiyan, or anything like Trunks had ever seen. There was not a single feature which suggested the presence of a "mouth" or "nose." There were just four vertical, glowing red lines that spanned horizontally across the "head," which he surmised were its optical sensors, or "eyes."

And what was even more inhuman was what these robots were doing to the humanoid species on this planet. Trunks discerned that members of this species looked quite like humans except for the fact they had bright red skin and had large ears that were shaped as almost perfect circles. Also, their hair on top of all of their heads was orange.

The robots were constantly whipping them, overseeing their work on what apparently was a construction project. Some were even shoving the people along, and others were beating them. Trunks saw one robot begin to grab what looked like a child of the species, and before the robot knew it, its arm was no longer attached.

Trunks had flown through the arm, and before it fell to the ground, he opened what remained of the robot's fist and helped the child escape the rather significant fall.

He set the child down and looked up at the robot. Unlike the androids, which Dr. Gero had for some reason enabled to feel pain, the robot did not seem to feel any pain as a result of its arm having been cut off.

No flinching.

Just stagnancy.

Utterly more inhuman than the androids.

In an instant, the booming sound of machinery was suddenly silenced, and as far as Trunks could see, all the robots had turned their attention toward his general direction, with all the workers, surprised by his appearance, doing so as well.

"I think we've made ourselves known," Cell said.

As the robots stood motionlessly, the child ran over to what appeared to be an adult.

The robots did not stop her, to Trunks and Cell's relief.

Instead, they remained focused on Trunks.

"Hey! I'm here too, you automaton pieces of trash!" Cell said, snapping his fingers.

The robots didn't turn their heads, remaining focused on Trunks.

One of the workers then came over to Cell, and offered him a sign of warning.

"Noble sir, it is best for you not to cause such ruckus. We have experienced so much violence."

"Why are they staring at my friend over there and no one else?" Cell asked.

"They are assessing him," the worker said. "They are known as Assessors. It often takes them a while to collectively determine a course of action, but once they analyze the most logical way to deal with a threat, they go about doing it."

"So you're saying they're not looking at me because they don't think I'm a threat?" Cell asked.

"Precisely, and despite your friend's incredible strength, and what I'm guessing might also be yours, it would be best of the both of you to not tempt them."

"What is your name?"

"My name is Ravik, and yours?"

"Cell."

"An odd name," Ravik said.

"Regardless, what is happening to your people?"

"We were enslaved," Ravik began to say as Cell, who had just heard all the confirmation he felt he needed to hear to then proceed with his next course of action, jumped toward the Assessor whose arm Trunks had broken off and let loose a forceful blast of energy, blowing the Assessor to bits.

After a few moments, all of the Assessors turned to face Cell.

"See? Now, I'm popular," Cell said.

"You mustn't throw your life away like this, young man!" a more elder-looking member of Ravik's species said as she came toward him. "So many lives have been lost. Our people have suffered. And we don't want to suffer more."

"That's precisely why my friend and I are here, to put an end to your suffering," Cell said.

"Your nobility is exemplary, but you've involved yourself in a much more difficult situation that you realize," she said. "We've only had one population center for as long as I can remember, and if we are destroyed, our people will have suffered for nothing."

"Hey Cell, they all appear to be looking at you, now. And I mean all of them. None of them are looking at me," Trunks said.

He was right.

Cell thought to himself that what might have just happened was that either the first ever destruction of one of their kind had occurred or that it had been the first in a long while. He wondered where these robots had come from, and who would be so vile as to artificially construct such horrors. That there was, or had been, at least one more being in the universe like Dr. Gero who had apparently used science for evil was horrid in and of itself.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Cell asked the Assessors as they looked at him.

Just then, Cell heard a sound coming from above.

It was literally raining metal.

A great multitude of Assessors were dropping from the sky, landing on the ground and facing Cell.

"Well, this is interesting," Cell said.

"It's possible you somehow summoned these ones here from some distance away," Trunks said.

Just as Cell was about to respond, each and every one of the Assessors came flying toward him.

"So they can fly," Cell said as he leapt into the air. "Trunks, make sure all these people are safe!" he said as the Assessors closed in on him.

Trunks knew Cell had asked this of him because Cell knew he wouldn't have had enough time to use instant transmission on each and every one of the people, and so Trunks used his energy to place a protective barrier on all the people in the nearby vicinity.

Cell noted the movements of the great many Assessors that were coming at him, and although they were nowhere near as fast as he and Trunks, Cell still recognized that they were at least as fast as Vegeta had been in his Ascended Saiyan form.

"I didn't realize you were all so well put together," Cell said as he punched one of them square in the face, disturbing its internal circuitry enough that it was sent spiraling down toward the planet's surface. It was fortunate for Cell that they were so large that they were obstructing each other's ability to attack him.

Whoever had designed them obviously hadn't intended for anyone of Cell's capabilities to survive past the first one or two of them and cause all the others to continue in the somewhat comical display of bumping into each other as they tried to fight Cell.

Then, things kicked up a notch as the Assessors started to move much more quickly.

It would have been a piece of cake for Cell had he just had to fight one, but now they were all moving at much faster speeds.

Their bumping into each other was now less comical and much more treacherous for Cell as well, as their increased speeds were making the Assessors that had been rammed into by their comrades move more speedily toward Cell, forcing him to have to adjust his motions to avoid the more hazardous obstacles.

For every one he destroyed, it seemed as though two more Assessors would appear.

"Trunks!" Cell yelled, barely audible over the sound of the machines fighting him.

"What?" he yelled from not too far away.

"Just how many of these things are there? I sense they have a faint energy signature, but as you can see," he said as he dodged another punch from an Assessor, got kicked in the back by another, then blew apart another with a Destructo Disk, "I'm somewhat preoccupied here and it's hard to tell."

"Let me see …." Trunks said as he concentrated while maintaining his energy barrier.

Cell, with some difficulty, continued to destroy all the Assessors in his path, but it felt to him as though their army continued to grow in numbers.

"Well Trunks, how many are there?" Cell asked, somewhat impatiently.

After a moment, his Saiyan comrade answered.

"It seems there are more than 9,000," Trunks said.

"What? 9,000!" Cell said as he punched another Assessor in its midsection.

Cell then quickly gathered a great deal of energy into both of his fists and combined it into a ball over his head.

He let the ball expand and explode while shielding himself, resulting in hundreds of the nearby Assessors becoming incinerated with the blast.

Fortunately for the civilians, Trunks' energy shield was continuing to hold.

As there was now more space between Cell and the remaining thousands of Assessors, since Cell had just destroyed the entirety of what had been their latest four front lines, he then created an even larger energy sphere and from within the sphere rapidly came hundreds of beams of yellow energy, hitting the Assessors as they continued to come forward.

The Assessors, Cell thought, must have lacked the capacity to readily adapt to a situation like this as even though their front lines continued to be decimated by Cell's blasts, they just kept on coming.

The next ten minutes was somewhat of a spectacle as Assessor after Assessor flew forward and got blasted away, while the people they had tormented remained protected by Trunks' energy field and by Trunks' deflecting any large debris away from the people.

And then, the last Assessor fell with a beam through the midsection, causing the crowd to stare in greater awe.

What remained of the Assessors were grand scrapheaps.

Cell descended from above and Trunks let his energy shield dissipate, taking a breath of relaxation after all he had exerted to maintain the shield and deflect the debris.

"Well, that was fairly monotonous," Cell said as he shook Trunks' hand and many among the people smiled out of renewed optimism.

But the smiles didn't last for long when a bellowing sound came from above, causing the civilians to look up to the mist and see him descending in stately fashion.

It was he, the one whom had done what had been done.

He looked quite similar to the rest of his species, with his bright red skin and orange hair. He was unlike them in that he could fly, apparently as a result of something under his boots, which Cell quickly took note of.

He landed.

The civilians backed away, many in great trepidation and fear.

"Welcome to Harfava, strange ones," he said. "I am known by those you are with as Morsmordom. What brings you here?"

* * *

Elsewhere, in the past of an alternate time, Goku and Gohan emerged from their transmission to the planet.

Goku, during his previous transmission here, had checked out the breathability conditions both above and below the mist, and while not entirely desirable, they were still acceptable.

And with this transmission they had emerged below the mist.

Gohan decided to take it all in, observing his surroundings.

"I've never experienced an outdoors area so poorly lit," Gohan said.

"It's quite dark, isn't it?" Goku asked. "This is where I transmitted to before."

"I see," Gohan said. "But Dad, why were we in such a rush? I see only one person here."

"His was the energy signature that I happened to have felt most strongly," Goku said. "I asked him if there was any trouble happening, and he said that a callous oppressor was harming his people. I told him I'd return shortly."

"Speaking of your trips, what exactly happened with Trunks?" Gohan asked.

Goku seemed hesitant.

"It's complicated, son. Right now, we need to take care of this, alright?"

Gohan didn't entirely know what to say.

"Alright," he said with some reservation. "I suppose we should go over there and talk to that person, then?" Gohan said.

"Yeah, and let's light things up a bit," Goku said as he ascended to his Super Saiyan form.

Gohan, hoping that this wouldn't hurt the denizen's eyes as they were probably not used to such intensity of light, also transformed, with his and his father's golden auras giving light to the nearby surroundings.

The figure rushed over to them, and Gohan discerned that he appeared to have bright red skin with orange hair.

"You could not have returned sooner, and I am glad to see that you have brought another with you," the figure said.

"We're here to help, and my name's Goku," he said as he shook the figure's hand. "This is my son, Gohan."

"And my name is Morsmordom," he said as he let go of Goku's hand and shook Gohan's. "It will be an honor to fight alongside you and rescue my people from oppression. Beings who can emerge instantaneously from nowhere surely must have great abilities."

"Let's just say we're big fans of helping people out," Goku said.

"Good, then come right this way so that I might introduce you to the other members of my group," Morsmordom said as he led the Saiyans to their next destination.

* * *

_In the next chapter, our heroes of both timelines fight for freedom. Stay tuned. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter 19 completed October 12, 2010 _


	21. XX: Legions

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty: Legions**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

_

* * *

_Goku and Gohan followed Morsmordom, with the planet Harfava's mist clouding their vision.

The came upon what appeared to be no more than a rock face.

Morsmordom placed his hand on the wall of rock, brushed away dust from a command panel that had been purposefully hidden, and entered a code.

"There, it should open momentarily," he said.

Within seconds, the wall split apart, revealing an opening.

"Come, this way! Quickly!" Morsmordom said as he waved for the Saiyans to follow him.

It was a musty cavern, the accentuated dampness and rankness likely because of the mist.

Up ahead and to the right, light emanated from a submerged room.

The three entered the room to find various members of Morsmordom's species in the acts of coordinating and planning, rushing back and forth between tables with various documents of importance, and speaking with each other in a sense of urgency.

A few of them noticed Morsmordom's return, and one of them stepped forward to welcome his friend.

"I see you have brought guests, Brother Morsmordom," the greeter said.

"Indeed Brother Ravik, indeed," he said. "My scouting expedition was far more productive that I had anticipated. These are warriors from beyond the sky," he said as he gestured to his left, highlighting the Saiyans' presence.

"Beyond the sky?" Ravik asked. "Of course their appearance is not of our own, but I had wondered if they were of a region of Harfava we somehow did not know of. It is not every day you have the opportunity to meet aliens," he said, walking over to Goku and Gohan to shake their hands.

"Likewise," Goku said, shaking Ravik's hand. "I am Goku, and this is my son, Gohan."

"Gohan, it is excellent to meet you as well," Ravik said as he then shook Gohan's hand. "Morsmordom and I are the leaders of our group of dissidents, the Harfavan Resistance Legion. But before I divulge anything further, I am most curious as to how you and your father came to be interested in our planet, and what you know of our struggle."

"All we know is that a message was sent from this planet more than 1,000 years ago," Gohan said. "It was a message of distress. When my father found out about this, he asked me to accompany him to this planet to help him find out what was going on and to lend any assistance if necessary. Are you still fighting that same struggle? What has happened from then until now?"

Ravik looked uneasy.

"It is an unfortunate reality that our struggle continues," he said. "That message of distress must have been sent at a time when resistance forces on Harfava still had the technology to do such a thing. Too many generations of our people have been oppressed because of the Vargeld Dynasty."

"Political oppression … it looks like these guys have been suffering under a Frieza of their own, son," Goku said.

"I don't know who or what this Frieza is, but let me elaborate that the Vargeld Dynasty has been continued by many oppressors named Vargeld," Ravik said. "Harfava, our world, had once been home to a planet-wide republic that upheld the rights of all the people, striving to help each and every citizen live the most fulfilling life possible. We acknowledge that this may simply be according to legend now as it's been more than 1,000 years since that alleged Golden Age, but even if it was just a dream yearned for by our ancestors, we cherish the ideas of democracy and peace so much and want to fight for them so hard because of how oppressed our people have been."

In occurred to Goku to share a thought.

"Ravik, I am one of the last surviving members of the Saiyan race, a race that was almost entirely destroyed along with our former planet Vegeta. We faced tremendous oppression under the tyrant Frieza. He killed my father and countless others, including the father of the only other full-blooded Saiyan still alive. My race knows how horrible oppression can be, and that is especially why Gohan and I want to help you."

A part of Goku's statement prompted Ravik to ask a question.

"What exactly did you mean by 'former planet?'" he asked.

"Frieza destroyed planet Vegeta, not just by barraging its surface but by causing the entire planet to explode," Goku said. "And I get the feeling that throughout his horrid and miserable life he destroyed not just one other, but many more."

"My sympathies are posthumously extended toward your fallen ones," Ravik said. "Is this Frieza still at large?"

"He was killed by a Saiyan, much to our honor," Goku said.

"That is of unparalleled excellence to hear," Ravik said. "We would be fortunate to carry the same spirit of your race's victory over tyranny. Ours was a tyranny that started more than 1,000 years ago, when the forces of greed and callousness rose strongly. The first Vargeld coalesced a formation of soldiers to overrun our democratic system and reform our planetary society so that he could siphon Harfava's resources and its people to give himself, his followers, and his descendants an even greater quality of life than would have been possible under the republic. This was all, of course, at the expense of most of the rest of the populace. We were enslaved to this new system, and by the time Vargeld III replaced his father as ruler of the Vargeld Dynasty, the enslavement of more than 95 percent of Harfava's populace had taken place, all for the benefit of the Vargeld Dynasty's favorites amongst us. Then, by the time Vargeld IX came to power, even those families and allies the Vargeld Dynasty had accepted as members of their favored court were enslaved. That, my friends, was more than 600 years ago. "

"So how does the Vargeld Dynasty maintain it's power?" Gohan asked.

Ravik again looked uneasy.

"We're not entirely sure," he said.

Gohan and Goku looked at each other briefly with a bit of surprise, then turned back to Ravik and Morsmordom.

"Your people have been enslaved for more than 1,000 years and you don't know how your oppressors have been doing it?" Gohan asked. "How is that possible?"

"What Ravik means is that there are some obvious things that of course all Harfavans unfortunately know, but that there are still some key missing pieces to the puzzle that we are not sure of," Morsmordom said. "If you had walked a bit more outside, it's very likely you would have run into members of the Field Security Force, those despicable betrayers of our own race, supervising slaves in the various outdoor areas of production. Out of the millions of Harfavans on this planet, we have been able to amass our core group and our volunteers through running from the watchful eyes of the Field Security Force, raising our own crops and creating our own supplies in the secret network of tunnels we've constructed. It is to the benefit of our organization that members of the Field Security Force have historically never felt the need to keep records of the workers so long as production quotas are being met, and our intelligence sources have indicated that they are. That arrogance in not keeping records, which may result from the ingrained belief in many members of the Field Security Force that we could never effectively amass an effective counteroffensive necessary to fight back, will be a key instrument in freeing our people. The members of the Field Security Force, as well as members of the Palace Security Force, also make sure the current overlord, Vargeld XXIII, is well protected. And while both security forces have been around since the very beginning, albeit with new members over the years, (all of whom have been as enslaved to the will of the Vargelds as workers in the field), there are still some unanswered questions as to how the Vargeld Dynasty has maintained its power. You see, when the first Vargeld took power more than a millennium ago, he managed to convert certain groups of people to his cause that should never have fallen. For instance, the Senate."

"Well, a couple of foul legislators can ruin any party, can't they?" Gohan asked. "Politicians are often open to corruption in exchange for greater power."

"But the entire Senate?" Morsmordom asked. "And also the entire Senatorial Security Force? How is it possible that he could have done that? We still don't know."

"Do you suppose the Vargeld Dynasty has some sort of mind control at its disposal?" Goku asked.

"It's been on the list of our considerations, but I could not imagine how the Vargelds could have pulled such a thing off," Morsmordom said. "Our species, according to the limited data we've been able to gather, has not undergone a major evolution in approximately 80,000 years. To our knowledge, Harfavans have no latent psychic powers of any kind, nor are we on the road to developing any. For one among us to have so drastically evolved ahead of the rest of us in a path of evolution that does not seem to have been necessary is therefore quite unlikely, in my opinion, but possible nonetheless. I'm willing to bet against it, though. It would also mean that trait had to be passed down from generation of Vargeld to subsequent generation in secret."

"What if you all do have latent psychic power and the first Vargeld just trained himself how to use it after discovering he had it?" Gohan asked. "He could have then passed it down to his successors, and they could have done the same."

"That seems more possible, although our tests have not yielded evidence suggesting such, but we still are not sure," Morsmordom said. "It should also be added that not a single dissenter who ever tried to approach the Palace of Vargeld has been able to do so, even if there were no members of the Palace Security Force or Field Security Force in their vicinity. Dissidents have approached and then been turned away, not by fellow Harfavans but by some unseen, unknown means, according to the stories that have been passed down. Even with our own organization here, when some of our legions of fighters and dissidents have tried to sneak into the palace, bless their contributions all, they were not always stopped by members of the Palace Security Force or Field Security Force, and some of them claim to have been turned away by this unseen force. In all the planning we've done, we're conscious that this unseen force exists, whether Vargeld and his successors have control over it or not, and it is our hope that if we storm the palace in such a massive group as we plan to that the force will have no effect on us."

"That's a pretty big assumption," Gohan said.

"We must try it," Ravik said. "It's never been done before. There was the Last Strong Rebellion under Vargeld XVIII, but that only consisted of 200 of our people. This time, we're hoping to increase that number to 5,000. Vargeld XXIII will pay for continuing the oppression of his predecessors. We must at least try something different in our approach; the fate of our people and of our world depends on our trying."

"Count us in," Goku said.

"Certainly," Gohan said.

"Excellent," Ravik said. "You've come in good time. We strike in three days."

* * *

Goku and Gohan had returned to Earth at the conclusion of their meeting with the Harfavan Resistance Legion three days prior, with Goku periodically using instant transmission to return to make sure the HRL's planning was going according to plan.

After three days' time, and after more than 1,000 years of oppression, the subterranean chambers of the HRL were bustling with activity.

"… And now we fight, not just for our freedom, but for freedom forevermore!" Morsmordom exclaimed over the loudspeakers that filled the chambers, to the ecstatic shouting of pride and glory among the thousands of Harfavans ready to fight and die for a brighter future.

But did they have to risk themselves at all?

Goku, two days prior, had recognized that he and Gohan would very likely be able to take care of Vargeld XXIII's menace themselves, but Morsmordom and Ravik had insisted that their forces march into battle, out of what was apparently a cultural need to show honor by doing this in such a situation.

Goku knew the Dragon Balls could be used to revive whomever unfortunately passed, and that he and Gohan could help lead the troops and be in the front lines to minimize casualties. To this, Morsmordom and Ravik agreed.

The subterranean tunnels had been dug in such a way in recent months that they had multiple "exits" in front of the palace, consisting of thin rock walls which had not yet been broken but which soon would be as the front lines destroyed those thin walls and rushed forward.

And so it was that Goku and Gohan accelerated this process by running to each of the thin walls, 14 in all, and breaking them down rather effortlessly.

The troops, with all the weaponry they could carry, rampaged out of the tunnels and emerged outside the palace.

From his main chamber's Grand Observation Window, which he seldom used but did in times of curiosity, Vargeld XXIII looked to see the source of the rather raucous noise.

He did not like what he saw.

The alarm was sounded, echoing throughout the palace and the nearby fields.

Members of the Palace Security Force who were outside, as well as members of the Field Security Force who were nearby, rushed forward to meet their opponents.

Vargeld XXIII rushed toward one of his chambers, turning from the window to do so, failing to notice Goku and Gohan amongst the battlers. Goku and Gohan very quickly made work of the members of the Palace Security Force and Field Security Force they encountered, with minimal casualties on the part of their Harfavan allies.

Morsmordom, Ravik, and the members of the HRL were quite astounded as to how proficiently and quickly Goku and Gohan defeated their foes, having not expected the Saiyans' abilities to be anything as amazing as what they had seen.

When all the enemies outside were defeated, Goku, trying to see if he could distinguish Vargeld XXIII's energy signature at all from the energy signatures of the members of the Palace Security Force inside, found that he could not. He and Gohan transmitted right inside the palace on the other side of the giant closed door that served as its main entranceway, made quick work of the guards in their vicinity, and blasted the door open so that the HRL could make its way through.

By the time Vargeld XXIII returned to his Grand Observation Window and looked outside again, he still had not seen Goku or Gohan as they had already entered his palace.

He saw the thousands of members of the HRL, making their way inside!

'There are so many of them!' Vargeld XXIII thought to himself. 'Can I control them all at once? I must try!'

He tried, and about half of the HRL members remained motionless while the other half continued to move, noticing their fellows' plight and charging through to put a stop to the terror once and for all.

Among those who had not been stopped were Morsmordom and Ravik, leading at the very front of the ranks.

"Where are my guards?" he excitedly questioned aloud. "This is unacceptable!"

"The only thing here that's truly unacceptable is what you're doing to these people," Goku said as he and Gohan entered the main chamber.

Goku and Gohan saw Vargeld XXIII with his left hand pointing in the direction of the window, and they quickly restrained him, making both of his arms locked down straight along his sides.

"Who are you? What do you think you're doing?" Vargeld asked, furiously.

Goku, while he and Gohan continued to restrain Vargeld, placed his right hand in front of Vargeld XXIII's face.

"If you try anything, I have the power to kill you. You can feel how tight my grip is. It would be rather easy to do," Goku said, thinking to himself shortly after he said it that Vegeta was, for better or for worse, influencing his handling of those he viewed as despicable.

Goku then rose his power level, and Morsmordom and Ravik, who had been wearing scouters that Bulma had very quickly fashioned in the midst of her continued search for Trunks, noticed the increase. The two of them separated from the rest of the HRL, climbing up the Great Stairway toward Vargeld XXIII's main chamber.

"What next, Dad?" Gohan asked.

"Morsmordom and Ravik just saw my power level increase using the scouters I gave them. We arranged in advance that I would do this if I found and restrained this guy. They want to be here before anything else happens."

"Got it."

Moments later, the two Harfavans entered the room.

"And so at last we meet, face to face," Morsmordom said to Vargeld XXIII as he approached ever closer, with his blaster pointed toward the tyrant. "Your reign is at an end, your highness."

"You low-life," Vargeld XXIII said. "Kill me and this entire planet goes up in smoke. I have already taken the necessary precautions ..."

"Be quiet, you fool," Ravik said. "We know there was nothing to prepare. "Our agents came to be very much aware that there's no method in place to blow up the planet should something unexpected like this ever occur. It was always an idle threat, and it certainly is now."

A look of mental anguish made itself visible on Vargeld XXIII's face.

"The pressure's on, isn't it, Vargeld?" Morsmordom asked. "And better yet, the fear. Fear in knowing your family's rule is at an end."

That struck a deep cord within Vargeld XXIII, as he then tried even more forcefully to escape from Goku and Gohan's grip.

"I want to know something," Gohan said.

All in the room unexpectedly turned to Gohan.

"Well, what?" Morsmordom asked.

"Vargeld, this oppression, this way you've been treating your people, have you continued your family's oppressive rule simply because you were born to think this was all acceptable or did you know better and do it anyway? Think about this for me."

Ravik looked displeased.

"Just what does this have to do with anything?" he asked.

"It's an important question," Gohan said. "I've learned that the answers to questions like this matter very much."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Vargeld XXIII said. "Either way, I lose. You're all going to kill me anyway. What's more is that I have no successor. The Vargeld Dynasty ends with me, it seems. At since that is the case, let me say, with every fiber of my being, that of course I could have let the ancient ways return, enabling you rotten savages to have power once again, being my equals. I knew it would be nice for you. And I didn't want to give you such luxury. It didn't take the knowledge and ways of my predecessors for me to come to any decision as to how I should rule you. I made my decision all on my own! You live to serve me! You..."

And before Vargeld XXIII could finish, Morsmordom took his shot. The deceased ruler of Harfava slumped in Goku and Gohan's arms, which would have been shocking to the young man had he not witnessed events along such lines all too often.

"A new day for a new Harfava," Morsmordom said, walking in the direction of Goku and Gohan.

"Your people can now live with freedom at last," Goku said.

"This day shall forever be remembered," Ravik said.

Gohan then noticed something peculiar.

"What's this?" he asked aloud.

There was a clear difference between what had been Vargeld XXIII's right hand and what had been his left.

The left hand seemed to have been covered with a glove of some sort, while the right did not.

And was it not Vargeld XXIII's left hand that had been pointed toward the window?

As the three others in the room watched intently, Gohan slipped the glove off. It was metallic, and was made to cover part of the forearm as well.

"My father and I saw Vargeld with his left hand facing the window when we walked in, and it looks like he had this thing on his hand," Gohan said. "Do you think this has anything to do with how he was controlling people?"

"It is uncertain, but our scientists should analyze it," Morsmordom said. "May is see it briefly?" he asked, gesturing for Gohan to hand him the object.

Gohan handed the object to Morsmordom.

The latter examined it, looking at its details.

"Here, I have a solution for this," Gohan said, motioning for Morsmordom to pass the object back to him.

Morsmordom looked intently upon Gohan.

"What?"

"It's simple. Let's not take chances. This thing could be what Vargeld was using to control people. It's best we destroy it and not let it fall into the wrong hands."

"Well, I insist that my scientists look at it first," Morsmordom said. "If it is a device of that kind, there could be some technological value within it that we might want to harness for the redevelopment of our society."

Gohan suddenly felt less lighthearted.

"I'm taking a stand right here and right now," he said. "Dad, we shouldn't leave this planet, much less leave this room, until that object is destroyed. It's too dangerous to keep around."

"I agree," Goku said, walking to Morsmordom. "Here, I'll take care of that for you."

As Goku tried to grab the object, Morsmordom quickly fit it on his left hand.

Before Goku and Gohan could react, he opened his palm in the direction of both of them.

* * *

_In a series of events without interruption by any change in a timeline, the Harfavan Resistance Legion, after the conclusion of its long and careful planning, stormed the Palace of Vargeld. Morsmordom and Ravik led the siege of the castle with their army of 5,000 Harfavan dissidents, and after a fierce battle with the Palace Security Force and Field Security Force members outside, the HRL used its limited supply of rockets to break through the main door of the palace. Morsmordom and Ravik, in the midst of their battle outside, had not been surprised to see that roughly half of their soldiers became unable to effectively move, but felt fortunate that the entirety of their force had not been stopped. The HRL made its way into the palace, defeated the members of the Palace Security Force inside, and encountered Vargeld XXIII in the Grand Hall. Vargeld XXIII tried desperately to use whatever it had been on his hand to stop the oncoming intruders, but there were so many of them that he could not stop them all. He had known that his device had only two functions, one that worked at instantaneous speed to stop people in their tracks and another that could alter peoples' minds after a few minutes of its use. He had not the few minutes to change their minds, and he had been defeated. The members of the HRL were so joyous in their victory that the emotions of lifting the veil of more than 1,000 years of oppression earned the overwhelming majority of their concentration, so much so that very few noticed any changes in Morsmordom's demeanor as a result of these events. _

_When Morsmordom subsequently ordered Vargeld XXIII's body to be placed in quarantine, he waited for an opportune moment to be alone, without observation, and swiftly removed the device from Vargeld XXIII's left hand. He had discovered from palace records that he had subsequently burned that the device had been built by the first Vargeld and that it was known as the Gauntlet of Control. Morsmordom's first experiments with mind and body control cost some former HRL colleagues their lives, but he felt this was a small price to pay. He eventually discovered that outright mind control took a few minutes to achieve per person, that using the device to cause one's body to not be able to move was an instantaneous ability, and that the two abilities could be used at the same time. He also judged that the device's capabilities were limited by three factors: his proximity from those he was targeting, the number of those he was targeting, and their overall strength. He considerably increased his capabilities when he used the Gauntlet of Control on his own mind to quicken its ability to process complex technological data, and through this he gained the knowledge necessary to create the first Assessors during the few weeks of peace, which he intended to use to help him bring Harfava under authoritarian control once again. The longer he waited, the more the planet would rebuild, and he wanted to take advantage of the generations of degradation while they still resonated so strongly throughout Harfavan society. The 30 Assessors that existed at the time of his coup against the Harfavan Interim Republic helped him gain control quickly and enforced his will alongside what was now his Gauntlet of Control. The palace, his new status, and the life they brought were now his._

_And Harfava could have remained his without question. No one stood in his way. _

_Until today, in an alternate future…_

Cell and Trunks did not immediately know how to respond to this newcomer.

"Well, are you going to remain silent or are you going to tell me who you are and why you have come?" Morsmordom asked as the jet vents under his mechanized boots audibly simmered.

"I am known as Cell, and I'll let my friend introduce himself."

"I'm Trunks, and we came to this planet to free these people. From the way all the folks here reacted when you arrived, I wanted to ask you if you're the one who's been oppressing them."

"Oppression is such an overused term," Morsmordom said. "I like to think of it as striving for an ideal."

Ravik then ran forward to Cell and Trunks, pointing wildly at Morsmordom.

"Traitor! You filthy traitor!" he said vehemently, with sorrowful regret.

Morsmordom eyed him slyly.

"Ravik, is that you? I was unaware that you are still alive. A clerical error, I assume."

Cell and Trunks got in front of Ravik, in a protective formation.

Ravik, however, screamed at Morsmordom from behind them.

"One tyrant for another! An entire dynasty of dictators ended after more than 1,000 years and within weeks of peace a new tyrant came. I never thought I'd live to see such horror!"

"Well, no one's asking you to stay alive. As is the case with your new friends, Ravik, you should get out of my way," Morsmordom said.

Cell flexed his fingers.

"Trunks, I have determined that I really dislike this guy," he said.

"You and me both."

Morsmordom's ears perked up at these comments.

"You don't scare me," he said. "And besides, who are the two of you to meddle in our affairs?"

Trunks laughed.

"You see that big scrapheap of your toys over there? I'm sure you saw it when you came over here. That's what my friend and I are going to do to your face if you don't release all of these people from their enslavement at once."

"I've got to hand it to you, kid, you made unexpectedly proficient work of my Assessors," Morsmordom said. "Had I been awake, I would have jumped into the action and gotten rid of the both of you alongside my automated soldiers. But I was resting after a night of enjoyment. It is a shame my Assessors are gone, but that is inconsequential in the long run. The two of you are going to wish you never came to this planet."

"It looks like someone here can't sense power levels," Cell said.

"Say whatever you want, but know that the two of you are not going to be able to withstand my abilities."

Morsmordom raised his left hand, and the two warriors rushed forward.

They were then stopped short, and were unable to move.

* * *

_Up next in Chapter 21: Our heroes fight Morsmordom and the Gauntlet of Control he wrested from his tyrannical predecessors. Twists and turns await our heroes as they fight against tyranny across time. _

_Chapter 20 completed: October 28, 2010_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	22. XXI: Scourge

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Scourge**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

The crowd of Harfavans felt great trepidation as their newfound heroes struggled to overcome the diabolical restraints.

"I can't move!" Cell said as he tried with all the depths of his might to do so.

"Me neither!" Trunks said. "How is that fiend doing this?"

Morsmordom's grin served to accentuate the intrinsically vile pleasure he was deriving from quashing the hopes of his people.

"It's taking a great deal of effort on the part of my device to control you, but the effort is well spent," Morsmordom said as the device on his left hand glowed. "It would tax this device even more to silence your speech, and I'd rather use that power to restrain you. With that said, I don't know how you found out about our planet, and I don't even care, but things will not be going according to your plans."

Ravik, who had for years regretted ever enabling Morsmordom to be his co-leader of the Harfavan Resistance Legion, was aghast that his newfound optimism was fading so quickly. The heinous traitor was winning, that deceptive and insidious freak who had deceived him for years just so that he could position himself to become an even more oppressive tyrant than the one he replaced.

Not even Vargeld XXIII had been as stringent in his rule as Morsmordom. These warriors from beyond the sky had seemed to have the power to finally stop him, and they were failing.

He had to take action into his own hands.

Ravik began to run towards Morsmordom and was only five meters away when suddenly the tyrant used his right hand to pull a blaster out of a holster on his right side.

He pointed the blaster at Ravik, who upon noticing the additional instrument stopped suddenly.

"That goes for all of you, too," Morsmordom said as he briefly pointed the blaster at the crowd, then back at Ravik, all the while keeping his left hand and the device on that hand in the direction of Cell and Trunks. "No one shall interfere. Why don't you all just go back to whatever work you were doing and let me handle these threats?"

"The only threat around here is you!" Ravik said.

Morsmordom shot him.

There was now a big, gaping hole in Ravik's chest, and he fell to the ground. A few of his Harfavan brethren rushed forward to check on him, and he was breathing, but barely.

"You see? I can be reasonable," Morsmordom said. "Had I shot him in the head, he would simply be no more. That I gave him the grace of at least having a chance to survive that blast shows clemency."

Cell's expression was one of intensified rage. A man had just been shot for trying to truly fight for the freedom of his people, and he'd had no way to prevent it. He needed to break free!

"Morsmordom," Cell began to say, "why are you doing this?"

The tyrant answered intently.

"All my life I've wanted more," he said. "I saw that if someone had the ability to achieve such control as Vargeld XXIII, my predecessor, had, I wanted that ability as well. I trained in secret and made myself the physically strongest among my peers, but in all my considerations I knew I would still be a lowly slave at the rate I was going, that I would be overwhelmed if, by myself, I tried to fight. I could have settled for that life, and I could have settled for fighting for freedom and having the same rights as everyone else, but I did not want to settle for these outcomes. I am, in many senses, an ambitious person. I didn't want my own ambitions quashed by the ambitions of someone whose power had already been established, and I didn't want anyone else's dreams to stand in the way of mine. And that's why I actively worked to destroy Vargeld XXIII with the help of my fellow Harfavans, so I could ascend to greatness and maneuver myself to the paramount of existence and become the best."

"'Best' is hardly what I would call it," Cell said. "And I will also ask, how is it that you're controlling us?"

He was especially wondering this because it seemed he could not even use instant transmission to get away from his current position.

"Isn't it obvious?" Morsmordom asked. "Did the glowing device on my left hand not tip you off? The Vargeld Dynasty that preceded my reign called it the Gauntlet of Control. And it's an appropriate name."

"Gauntlet of Control?" Trunks asked.

"Indeed. It's a device that responds to my will to control you. It has a function that takes relatively no time at all to engage, and that's its ability to stop my enemies in their tracks by controlling their movements. The both of you must have a lot of strength in you because while I'd normally be able to make you walk, I'm having trouble doing that."

"You're right about that," Cell said. "We are quite strong. And we're going to break out of this hold you have on us."

"No one ever has, no matter how strong they are," Morsmordom said. "Your efforts are futile. And when the second ability of this device kicks in, which takes some time to engage, I'll have full control over your loyalty, and you'll wish to serve me."

Cell realized this could be very bad.

Although Morsmordom had no way of knowing that Cell's mind would be immune to his mental control, as, after all, the Dragon Balls had granted Cell with the "power" to never be able to become evil, the same could not be said of Trunks.

At least, then, if Morsmordom was successful, he would only be able to acquire one powerful warrior, not two.

But if Morsmordom kept his Gauntlet of Control aimed at Cell and allowed a captured Trunks to fire away to get rid of Cell, surely Trunks would know not to simply blast Cell without full force. If Trunks did not go all the way, the force from Trunks' blast would knock Cell's remaining molecules back to what he hoped was outside the realm of the Gauntlet's range of control, and before Trunks and Morsmordom fixated on him with enough time to aim the Gauntlet at him, he would regenerate and use instant transmission to blast the Gauntlet to bits, hoping Trunks would return to normal as a result of that.

However, Trunks, being as intellectually capable as he is, would likely charge up to maximum while Morsmordom held Cell in place, enabling Trunks to destroy Cell and become the strongest warrior in his timeline's universe, a warrior fighting for oppression.

It would be a horrible chain of events that would result in the ultimate irony for Trunks' life, starting off as a warrior against oppression on Earth and becoming a warrior spreading oppression throughout the universe.

Cell wasn't about to let that happen.

Because of Cell's superior processing capacity, he had made all of those considerations in less than two seconds, which was about the length of time between Morsmordom's previous explanatory remark about the Gauntlet of Control and his next one.

"The Gauntlet is limited, I'll admit, but still powerful enough to combat you. You'll have to know these things once you're under my control, and since that will happen within minutes, I will get it out of the way now. All the more time I can use to make the both of you extend the reach of my dominion beyond this planet."

'Is his overconfidence going to help us win?' Cell wondered as Morsmordom continued in his explanation.

"The capacity of the Gauntlet to utilize the maximum extent of its power is impacted by three factors. One is the proximity of those it's controlling to the gauntlet itself, and since the two of you are so close, you're making your conversion all the more easy. The conversion, by the way, isn't one you feel gradually. It takes time, and when it's done, it will sort of … 'hit you.' Then, the number of people it can control is inversely proportional to the total strength of the people it's controlling. The two of you are very strong, indeed. Had you been much weaker, I could control thousands of you. But there are only two of you. And I'm going to take full advantage of this."

"This begs a question," Trunks began to say, "as I get the feeling we're much stronger than most folks around here. How is it that your device has so much capacity to control people of our strength? It doesn't appear that your people knew there were fighters of our strength across the universe. How would its creators have known to make it so powerful?"

It was a good point, and one that had been well thought out.

"I could lie to you and say it's because the first Vargeld didn't want to take any chances, but that's not the case," Morsmordom said. "He received … help."

Many Harfavans in the crowd became especially attentive, as while the functions of the gauntlet had become generally known over the years, this was a relatively new revelation.

"Help?" Cell asked.

"According to palace documents that I memorized and then destroyed, the first Vargeld received some assistance from an otherworldly source that's been lost to our history. Evidently, that otherworldly source knew of how powerful people on other planets could become and wanted to help the first Vargeld and his descendants safeguard their rule. I've directly benefited from all of this."

"An alien source, huh?" Trunks asked. "Could it have been Frieza or his father?"

"I'm not sure," Cell said. "While Frieza and King Cold's cells are a part of me, I have no definite data on when the two of them were born or if they ever knew of Harfava. Regardless, Trunks, I think our friend here has unwittingly revealed to us a way in which we can win."

Morsmordom didn't like the sound of that, initially looking perturbed, then looking calm again.

"There's no way you could. And both of you will soon be under my complete control!"

Trunks smirked.

"I think I see what you're getting at, Cell."

"Let's do it, then."

They started to power up, unleashing much more of their inner power.

After all, Morsmordom had overconfidently revealed that the number of people the Gauntlet could control was inversely proportional to their total strength.

All they had to do was make themselves stronger to enable at least one of them to escape the Gauntlet's control.

"My device indicates you're both becoming stronger! But how?" Morsmordom asked, previously unaware that it was even possible to raise one's fighting strength at will.

Their power levels were increasing by the second.

"We must hurry, before you fall to that fiend's grasp," Cell said.

"Absolutely," Trunks said as he transformed past his Ascended Super Saiyan form to his Ultra Super Saiyan form.

Cell was powering up rapidly. Like Trunks, his muscles took on the definition of his equivalent form for the Ascendant Super Saiyan sub-form transformation, and then took on the definition of his equivalent form for the Ultra Super Saiyan sub-form. He'd bulked up this way in his fight with Trunks, when Cell revealed that strength wasn't everything.

But in this case, it seemed that it was.

In fact, Cell had a further form, a "buff" form, that could increase his power even further at the expense of his speed, but for some reason, he couldn't get his muscles to expand so greatly, probably because of the Gauntlet of Control's restraining powers. _[Author's note: the "buff" form that is being referred to here is Cell's extra-large form in DBZ uncut episode 187 – "Cell's Break Down." In the altered timeline events of this story, Cell did not reveal this form during his fight with Gohan.]_

The two of them were powering up as much as possible and as fast as possible, but their increased strength wasn't overcoming the Gauntlet's control.

"We need to keep trying, Trunks!" Cell yelled as his golden aura flickered wildly. "Our powers need to keep increasing!"

"We're running out of time!" Trunks said, his aura shimmering with the brilliance of energy.

* * *

_And in the altered past, quite like in the future from which Trunks came, there were ripples of temporal symmetry …. _

"I knew it! I knew it all along!" Morsmordom exclaimed with intensified vigor as he restrained the two Super Saiyans' movements with the power of his newly acquired device.

"What are you doing, Morsmordom? Turn that thing off!" Goku said, in the midst of struggling to break free.

It was a reversal of sorts, as he and Gohan had only moments ago restrained the movements of Vargeld XXIII so the device couldn't be used.

Now, the device was restraining their movements, wielded by the left hand of another.

"Oh, you'll be staying right where you are," Morsmordom said. "My best guess was that the Vargelds were using some sort of control device, and I was right! Now, it's mine!"

Ravik felt estranged.

"Morsmordom! Take that device off before it messes with your head further!" Ravik said, fearing that the device was warping Morsmordom's mind. "Evidently, that's the same device which helped the Vargeld Dynasty oppress our people for so long; we must destroy it!"

Morsmordom didn't respond to him, but instead let out a declaration.

"I couldn't let the two of you destroy this device, not with all I've worked for and all I've planned to finally have this opportunity," Morsmordom said to Goku and Gohan. "You should never have forced my hand."

Ravik was beginning to wonder if this was really happening.

"These two fighters just helped us defeat the greatest evil we've ever known, and now you're punishing them for no reason!" Ravik said. "Come, my friend, let's …"

But Mormordom used his right hand to withdraw his blaster from its holster, and pointed it at Ravik.

Ravik, shaken by the suddenness and audacity of what had happened, stared into the barrel of the blaster without a word.

"It doesn't take the nonexistent mental influences of a device, Ravik, to have known one's desired path all along," Morsmordom said, restraining the Super Saiyans with the item encasing his left hand and Ravik with the item in his right. "In fact, if you take a closer, less clouded look at what has happened here, you will see that I always intended to acquire this device as my own if it did indeed exist, and that if given the opportunity, I would use it. These fighters were about to destroy it, and I couldn't let that happen. The Vargelds held unsurpassed power over our world, and now, at long last, I'll be able to live the life I've always wanted."

Ravik couldn't believe this. Was this truly the same person who had so earnestly championed righteousness and the rights of all Harfavans at the start of the day?

"What do you mean?" Ravik asked.

Morsmordom brandished the blaster briefly, then answered.

"Have you ever heard of a deception? A charade? A farce, perhaps? My entire involvement with the HRL was all of these, just so I could achieve this," Morsmordom said. "Admittedly, I did not know for sure if this device or the means of control would actually exist, but they do. And even if they hadn't, I still, as a result of my status as a victorious leader, would have found a way for all of you to be mine."

Doubts turned to rage in Ravik's mind.

"All of our struggle, all those days of working together for a better world, all the friendship between us, it was for this? Just so we could all be oppressed again, with you now as the tyrant?"

"'Tyrant' isn't the right word. Too negative a connotation. I'd rather refer to myself as a 'benevolent overseer.'"

Ravik decided that he had to rush down the stairs to get help, right now.

He was close to the doorway, and so he had a chance.

As he turned to run, he was, literally this time, shot in the back.

Ravik fell to the floor, bleeding and coughing blood.

Gohan was furious, but he did not power up. Not just yet.

Seeming calm and nonchalant about what he had just done, Morsmordom now addressed the Super Saiyans without referring at all to what he had done to Ravik, as if it did not intrinsically matter to him.

"It seems to respond to my will quite well, and I surmised beforehand that it must have a restraining feature," Morsmordom said, referring to the device. "All I have to do is keep you right there while I figure out what else this device can do, and then you'll no longer obstruct my path!"

Gohan let the rage flow.

His energy was increasing.

In the midst of his increasing might, Gohan yelled to his father.

"Dad! We need to get as strong as possible! I don't know for sure, but maybe we can overload whatever that thing is!"

"Right!" Goku said, as he began to increase his power level.

Gohan could feel his energy swelling within.

It was the energy he had developed in all his battles, in the many years of fighting to save people and worlds from evil.

But something was wrong.

Gohan noticed that he didn't feel quite as strong by now as he had anticipated.

"Dad, I need you to tell me something."

Goku stopped yelling to help increase his power momentarily so that he could respond to his son.

"What?" he asked as Morsmordom, noticing that the Super Saiyans seemed to somehow be making it harder for his device to maintain control, tried to figure out how he could use the device to increase his advantage.

"Can you look in my direction?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Goku said as he found he was able to, without turning his head, look in Gohan's direction, noting that the device was not restraining his eye movements.

"Is my hair especially spiked up like it was when I fought Cell, and does my aura have lighting within it?"

Goku took a few moments to make sure.

"Neither," he said.

"Dad, I think I'm having trouble ascending to that level again," Gohan said, solemnly.

"What!" Goku exclaimed. "But you did it before! You've been a Super Saiyan 2! It should come to you rather naturally!"

"Maybe it's because in the long run, I didn't actually need it to defeat Cell!" Gohan said, struggling to try to engage the transformation.

Goku wondered if his son was right. He then transformed into his Ascended Super Saiyan form, the first of the sub-forms between Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2, and felt even more energy within him.

"Alright, Gohan, well at the very least can you transform into the Ascended Super Saiyan state that I just transformed into? The one in which there's a big increase in your muscle mass?"

Gohan looked nervous.

"But I never achieved that transformation! I just went right into Super Saiyan 2! I don't think I know how to become an Ascended Super Saiyan!"

Goku realized that his son was unfortunately correct. Gohan's special inner force had enabled him to skip right to Super Saiyan 2 without having first developed the skills necessary to reach the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan sub-forms.

"We have to think of something," Goku said as he powered up to Ultra Super Saiyan, noticing that Gohan was doing his best to concentrate while Morsmordom endeavored to tighten his hold.

* * *

Cell and Trunks' auras were glistening luminously, making this part of Harfava quite possibly brighter than it had ever been.

"It won't be long now! Soon, you'll both be mine!" Morsmordom said as the crowd of Harfavans watched with earnest.

Cell knew it was becoming increasingly likely that they weren't going to generate enough power in time.

"Trunks, now would be a great time to finally achieve the advanced Super Saiyan form Gohan had when he fought me!" Cell said.

"As Goku once put it during one of our conversations, you can't just ascend to a true Super Saiyan form by increasing your power level. The transformation comes in response to a need, not a desire," Trunks said. _[Author's note: Goku gives this explanation of true Super Saiyan transformation to Gohan in uncut DBZ episode 156, "Bow to the Prince."]_

"Well, it sure seems like there's definitely a need right now! Just transform already!" Cell said as he tried with all his might to increase his own power level as fast as he could.

"Believe me, I'm trying!" Trunks said. "But it isn't so simple."

"What would your father think of you at a time like this?" Cell asked.

"He'd probably be screaming at the top of his lungs for me to try harder."

"Then think of him yelling at you, anything that could possibly motivate you to finally ascend!"

A few more moments passed.

"It isn't working," Trunks said.

"Well, how about picturing Android 16's head being crushed under my foot; that seemed to work for Gohan," Cell said.

"What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another," Trunks said. "Besides, I grew up hating androids, and that isn't going to be much encouragement."

"Alright, then get back to thinking of Vegeta yelling at you; maybe something will break," Cell said, now showing even more desperation.

Morsmordom watched as the two fighters continued to try and overcome his control.

"There's no use! Remember, no one has ever broken free of this, and the two of you will not be the exceptions!"

An idea clicked in Cell's head at that last remark.

"You know something Morsmordom, you should really learn to keep your mouth shut," Cell said to the delight of many in the crowd. "One of these days, you're going to give someone a very good idea that might result in your defeat."

"Spare me the optimism; you will be mine very soon."

"Prepare to witness your plans fall to shreds, you fool," Cell said as he readied himself for what was about to happen.

Fortunately, Morsmordom had not been quite aware of the tail that Cell still possessed. It was not quite as apparent as it had been in his previous two forms, and in this situation, this fact offered an unanticipated advantage.

And Cell's wings had been utterly discounted.

Cell spread his wings and the point of his tail enlarged.

From within his body came forth one, then a second, then a third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh miniature version of himself.

He had picked seven because he knew he had been able to do so before with ease, and now under the more difficult circumstances they had come forth again.

"Morsmordom, say hello to the Cell Juniors!" Cell said as the seven of them stood up and grinned in delight.

They were shorter, blue versions of him that shocked Morsmordom upon their entrance.

"That's quite an ability," Morsmordom said bemusedly as he wondered just what Cell was intending to do.

Morsmordom noticed that despite his efforts to control them with the Gauntlet, those efforts were to no avail.

"You said it yourself, Morsmordom, that the two of us, Trunks and myself, would not be the exceptions to your Gauntlet's control. And you were right. It will be the seven of them!" Cell said in reference to the Cell Juniors. "If the two of us couldn't increase our total power, then I just had to increase the total number of us. Now your Gauntlet can't control us all; it's ability to handle a total power level being inversely proportional to the number of people it can control. And besides, you'll find that our total power has dramatically increased as well, with my Juniors now in play on our side."

Morsmordom was perplexed.

"But how? You just violated both the Law of Conservation of Mass and the Law of Conservation of Energy!"

"Blame my creator," Cell said, referring to the workings of Dr. Gero.

Morsmordom, at this point, didn't fully know what to do.

There was no way he could have possibly known that he would be up against someone with this, of all abilities, and he was running out of options.

"Now, my dear Juniors, that man with the device on his left hand is your enemy. Tear that device right off his arm. But do be careful," Cell said, prompting the Cell Juniors to action.

Trunks was amazed at the change in their demeanor. The last time he'd seen them they'd been cackling fiends, but this time, they seemed to be calm, or complacent, even.

Cell had noticed the change as well. He wasn't sure if the wish that had made him good entirely applied to the Juniors because they were both a part of him and also independent entities, although he was very pleased to see their more dignified efficiency.

"No, stay back!" Morsmordom yelled as he kept the Gauntlet of Control focused on Trunks and Cell, with his blaster firing at the Cell Juniors.

The frontmost Junior had had a projectile coming right toward him that he deflected with his hand.

He then instant transmitted to Morsmordom's side, which he found was possible because of Cell's acquisition of that ability in the time since the Juniors had last been generated.

He grabbed both of Morsmordom's wrists, to Morsmordom's increasing discontent and pain, and pinned them on either side of Morsmordom's body.

Two more Cell Juniors instant transmitted to Morsmordom, and each one then grabbed one of his legs and held it in place.

Cell and Trunks, now free from the restrictions of the device as it was no longer pointed toward them, stopped powering up and took a quick breath. They watched as two Cell Juniors ripped the Gauntlet of Control off of Morsmordom's left hand and forearm and blasted the remains.

Another Cell Junior pinched nerves in Morsmordom's right wrist and hand that forced him to let go of the blaster, and then that Cell Junior promptly broke the blaster in half, to Morsmordom's increasingly frightened expression.

Morsmordom turned forward to see the one Cell Junior who had neither restrained him nor broken one of his armaments. The Junior smiled at him, then stuck his tongue out, mocking him.

Morsmordom was infuriated and wanted to fight back, but now he, himself, was restrained.

Cell and Trunks walked forward as the Harfavans who were gathered in the nearby vicinity cheered.

Ravik, still very much in pain, forced a smile onto his face in the delight of the moment.

They briefly stopped about a meter from Morsmordom, out of their own accord this time, to contemplate what to do next.

"It looks like your reign is at an end," Cell said as he crossed his arms in victorious fashion.

* * *

Gohan felt anxiety within himself that was holding him back.

There was a man on the floor who was badly wounded, and there was an entire planet at stake.

He had no idea of the extent of what the device Morsmordom now possessed could do, nor if he could ever be stopped if he got it working at maximum.

Gohan had once told Cell, before the latter's reformation, that if Gohan was to ever work at his maximum he would be a ferocious force to reckon with.

He had been right then, and his body needed to work to his advantage once again.

He would have motivated himself by thinking of 16's death, the spark which finally brought him over the edge all those weeks ago, but as 16 had been brought back with the Dragon Balls, this wasn't so effective a motivator.

But there was something he felt might be motivating.

The words 16 said right before Cell had crushed him.

They were timeless, speaking to virtues of hope and benevolent power that could be used to thwart oppressors in any time and place.

It was the heat of the moment then that had caused him to remember those words.

And it was the heat of the moment now that called them to mind:

"_It is not a sin to fight for the right cause. There are those who words alone will not reach," _16 had said._ "I know how you feel, Gohan. You are gentle. You do not like to hurt. I know because I, too, have learned these feelings. But it is because you cherish life that you must protect it."_

16 had applied those words to Cell when Cell had threatened the Earth.

Gohan felt it was time to apply those words to Morsmordom, who threatened Harfava with his own brand of devious evil.

Evil across time and space had to be stopped.

Gohan knew that he was a vessel to help accomplish this.

The invigoration came to him.

He focused it, and siphoned its utility.

His power surged.

Goku noticed the rush of energy, and without having to look, he knew his son had found his greatest strength again.

Gohan's power as a Super Saiyan 2 had far outweighed Cell's during their battle, and in addition to his father's strength as an Ultra Super Saiyan, this proved to be more than enough to overcome the maximum total strength restraining capacity of the device.

Morsmordom's bewildered expression showed how startled he truly was when Gohan unexpectedly charged forward and knocked the blaster out of his right hand.

He was flabbergasted when Gohan seemed to have suddenly disappeared and then tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

It was then that Morsmordom noticed the device was no longer on his left hand and that he no longer held the blaster in his right.

He turned around and saw Gohan holding what remained of the device.

Gohan, who had waited to fully destroy the device so that he could enable Morsmordom to see its destruction, crushed the rest of it as Morsmordom watched.

"You horrid little wretch!" Morsmordom said as he reached to pick up his blaster, only to see it disappear.

Morsmordom then looked up and saw Gohan crush the blaster as well.

He lunged at Gohan, only for Gohan to move out of the way faster than Morsmordom could see.

As Morsmordom was about to punch Gohan, Ravik used his blaster and shot Morsmordom's left hand, making a direct impact.

Morsmordom writhed in pain and grabbed hold of his left hand with his right.

"All of you will pay dearly for this!" Morsmordom yelled despondently. "I will make sure of it."

Ravik got to his feet, to Goku and Gohan's pleasant surprise.

"The only thing here that is sure, my former friend, is that you will be detained for a long, long time," he said.

As Morsmordom, in his panicked state, rushed toward Ravik, Gohan stopped him in his tracks and restrained him.

"I'll help you get the word to your people about what happened here," Goku said as he placed his right hand on Ravik's shoulder. "Also, take this," he said as he reached into a pouch he had brought with him, then gave the object to Ravik.

"What's this?" Ravik asked as he looked upon it.

"It's a little something we call a Senzu Bean," Goku said as the two of them transmitted to speak with others among Ravik's true bretheren, the sincere saviors of the day.

* * *

Trunks had been trying to help Ravik while the crowd of Harfavans watched solemnly, offering their emotional support alongside the few Harfavans with medical knowledge who were trying to help as well.

The Cell Juniors had returned to Cell, who could only maintain their physical form for a limited time. They were a part of him he could summon again if need be, and he was thankful that they were able to have their powers used for a noble cause this time.

Cell was using his item construction ability, the very same which he had used to create the arena for the Cell Games, to fashion restraints for Morsmordom, which he felt were fitting items to use given the control techniques of the former tyrant. He then placed the restraints around Morsmordom, and planned to remove them after he had placed Morsmordom in whatever permanent holding the Harfavans intended to keep him in.

"You have ruined everything," Morsmordom said as Cell secured the last restraint.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Cell said as he turned his head briefly to check on Ravik's status.

It looked as though he was about to stand.

"Are you sure you can?" Trunks asked.

"Yes, this day has inspired me so profusely that I feel I can," Ravik said as he stood up.

The crowd cheered for this.

"I will recover, as will my people," Ravik said.

"We have medical facilities on Earth that will be able to heal you," Trunks said.

"Indeed," Cell said. "I'll be able to transmit you there instantaneously."

"Thank you for the kind words, but I believe I will be fine with rest. My species doesn't heal wounds like this instantaneously, but we can survive quite well if one of our vital systems needs time to reform."

"As you wish, then," Cell said.

Cell then consulted with the Harfavans on the most appropriate place to hold Morsmordom, and they determined that this would be in one of the crude buildings that had served as a slave quarters.

Appropriate, indeed, and Cell transmitted Morsmordom and a few Harfavans there, to keep guard.

When Cell transmitted back, the Harfavan crowd waved thanks to him and Trunks, and went with Ravik to rebuild their lives.

"Cell, I've been considering something," Trunks said.

"What, my friend?"

"Just think, if the combined history of all four of the timelines that resulted from our time travel experiences didn't work out just as they had, even considering all the bad that came with the good, we might never have come to this planet nor known that these people needed help."

"And their oppression would have continued past this day," Cell said. "I see what you mean. Every subtle thing, every event in our lives, led up to this moment. Had one thing been different, this might not have happened."

"For the sake of these people, we should revel in this," Trunks said. "But, as you know, we now have another pressing issue at hand."

"I know all too well," Cell said as he placed his hand on Trunks' shoulder and transmitted back to Earth.

* * *

A little more than 40 days later, Cell and Trunks landed outside Dr. Gero's lab, ready to confront its occupant.

"Do you think he has any idea what's about to happen?" Trunks asked.

"All I know is that what is about to happen will be beyond anything he could have been expected to foresee," Cell said.

* * *

_Up next: it's a confrontation of Cell and Cell! Stay tuned._

_Chapter completed: November 15, 2010_

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor_


	23. XXII: Iniquitous

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Iniquitous**

**~ Celebrating two years of Honor Trip: Dec. 27, 2008 – Dec. 27, 2010 ~**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: for conventions of clarification and accuracy of identification, the version of Cell from Trunks' timeline will be referred to as "Future Cell." The protagonist version of Cell, as was previously the case, will simply be referred to as "Cell," even though he is also from an alternate future from the main timeline of the Dragon Ball universe. _

_And now, the trip continues…_

* * *

There had been many days to plan for this encounter, and the hour was drawing closer to the one Cell still remembered as his true first.

"It shouldn't be long now," Cell said to Trunks as the Saiyan checked a watch on his left wrist. "Although, Trunks, since this timeline's now a little different than the one I am originally from, we should not be surprised, given what we know about this sort of thing, if I happen to arrive a little sooner or later than we're expecting."

"Dr. Gero's Super Computer released you at 3:01p.m., right? It's 2:35p.m. now."

"Yes, and it took me a few minutes to get from the inside of the laboratory ruins to the outside. We should meet him here, before he flies off to begin his exploits, as I did, once upon a time."

"You're absolutely sure that going inside and meeting him wouldn't be a good idea?" Trunks asked as he briefly wiped away a strand of lengthened lavender hair from the front of his face.

"This will give him additional time to adjust to having fully conscious thought, which, believe me, came as somewhat of a rush when it happened to me," Cell said. "You have to remember, Trunks, that from the moment I exited that capsule I had a mental maturity far and above what many humans, Saiyans, and Nameks have when they are adults, even considering the fact I was in my four-legged larval form. I doubt that when you were born, simply because of your physiology, that you had anything near to this experience, nor that you remember much of anything from that time."

"Can't say that I remember much from before the age of three," Trunks said as he turned again toward the exit from the laboratory ruins that Cell expected his counterpart would use, the closest to Dr. Gero's Super Computer. "My first clear memory, and it's a dear one, is of the time Gohan bought me a punching bag and encouraged me to smack it around."

"Really?" Cell asked with amusement.

"Yeah, and I remember Mom clapping and cheering for me when I punched it a couple of times."

"Do you still have it?"

"Well, by the time I was five years old I decided to draw a picture of Android 17's face on the thing, and while that old punching bag was one tough customer to withstand my punches through all that time, it had no chance against my very first energy attack."

"Sounds like a fitting story for Vegeta's son."

"I blew a hole in the wall of the Capsule Corporation lab."

"I maintain my previous comment," Cell said as he felt a gust of wind kick up. "What time is it now, Trunks?"

Trunks checked his watch.

"It's barely been a minute since I last checked," he said. "You'll be here soon enough. Or, we could always just go in there and blast you into oblivion to get this over with real quick, if you're in such a rush."

Cell sarcastically smirked and crossed his arms.

"You would say that," Cell replied, making it known to Trunks that he felt the Saiyan's comment was an irksome one. "I wonder, though, if he, right now, is experiencing the same sensations that I felt."

"Like … what?" Trunks asked.

"More than 20 years of subconscious thought gradually culminating together and increasing in intensity, with a beckoning echo to achieve my 'perfect' form and to decimate those who would stop me from achieving it. The unyielding urge from Dr. Gero's recording to avenge the Red Ribbon Army and fulfill its goal of world domination, the goal that Goku thwarted and that Gero took up as his own, then attempted for more than 20 years to pass on to me. The desire for ever increasing power and superiority, the desire to prove the majesty and brilliance of Dr. Gero's work, and, most importantly, the hunger that drove me to want to absorb the energy of so many innocent victims in my path for greater glory."

"Sounds like a bunch of mentally healthy things to me," Trunks said.

"Most definitely," Cell said. "And now, we'll get to see if all of that affected him as it had affected me."

"Which it likely will, and then I'll get to punch him in the face," Trunks said.

"Oh come on, Trunks; in a matter of sorts it's his birthday, after all," Cell said.

"And, like I said, if the version of you who we're about to meet turns out to be a devious megalomaniac who wants no part of what we have to say, then the present I'll give him will be a punch in the face," Trunks said.

"We'll wait and see what happens, and hopefully he'll see things from our perspective," Cell said.

A few moments passed by, and then Trunks decided to bring up what he felt was a crucial point.

"You know, if you're so concerned about us standing right there when he gets out of the capsule, since, according to you that might cause him to have some sort of irreparable psychological trauma out of how unexpected that would be, especially since you think that could foil the entire purpose of what we're trying to do, the same thing might happen when he meets us out here," Trunks said. "I think the very fact we're here at all will be a big shock to him."

"I know, Trunks, but I'd rather prevent him from flying off and hurting somebody than not be here and let him have no shock at all," Cell said. "Besides, we're minimizing that shock by giving him some time before he sees us. Of course he'll be shocked. But he'll be more likely to listen to us if he's at least a bit more relaxed, which he will be with more time having consciousness. Trust me."

* * *

_Growth._

_Power._

_Revenge. _

_I have learned these principals well. And now, …. ah, expansion! My size and form are increasing in their scope … the glass that has contained me for so long is breaking … the nurturing fluids and devices are now becoming things of the past … and my purpose is entering the onset of its function …._

The glass shattered upon the final stages of Future Cell's emergence from the capsule which had contained him for so long.

He emerged in his larval form and with his first true eyes looked upon the world. It was not long before he noticed the damage that had been dealt to his creator's laboratory, made obvious from the broken panels and depreciated parts of the floor and ceiling of the room.

'It would seem there was some sort of incident of significance here,' the newly cognizant Future Cell thought to himself. 'In the time it took to generate my current form, so many things could have happened.'

Just then, a loudspeaker echoed the voice of his creator.

"Cell, I am pleased that you have at least reached the preliminary stage of your true development," the recording of Dr. Gero said. "If you can hear this recording, it is because I am unable to greet you in person, likely because I have departed from this world. And while you should unfortunately assume the worst for me, I will assume the best for you, knowing that you will carry out the purpose for which you have been designed. Yes, my Super Computer has endowed you with extremities of knowledge and power, fortifying your abilities with the ambition, drive and desire that you will utilize to the fullest in exacting your purpose. You will achieve perfection, my ultimate creation! You will avenge the Red Ribbon Army by bringing this world to its knees under the brilliance of the perfection you will achieve! And with time, your power will grow even more! Find and absorb Androids 17 and 18, and you will discover the even greater excellence for which you have been created. It is time for your life to begin!"

The recording's end was signified with a hiss and then a beep, and the loudspeaker became silent.

Future Cell pondered his creator's words for many moments before he made another move.

'It is time to show the universe the true power of Dr. Gero, embodied through the perfection of my design!' Future Cell thought to himself as he then became mobile once more.

He crawled to the start of a hallway that protruded from the subterranean chamber, then began to proceed down that hallway's course.

There was rubble scattered throughout the floor, emblematic of an older world that no longer existed: a world without him. Now, the world would be graced with his superior glory, the glory of unparalleled perfection ….

* * *

"So you were born knowing everyone's techniques right from the start, or did you have to learn them as time went on?" Trunks asked as he looked at his watch again. "It's 2:54p.m., by the way."

"I'll answer your question and then we'll have to be quiet so he does not hear us," Cell said. "When each of the fighters whose DNA became a part of me had their cells integrated into my system, Dr. Gero's Super Computer would analyze those cells for a variety of things. Apparently, Dr. Gero devised some sort of method by which to extract the knowledge of how to use the techniques I came to know through the cells themselves, likely through some sort of advanced process of … for lack of a better term, 'copying' muscle memory. The reason why you can sense each of the individual fighters who are a component of me whenever I rely upon their specific energy and techniques is actually, I believe, an unintended imperfection of my design. I was, after all, the product of Dr. Gero's first time creating something like me, and it's of important note that he wasn't actually alive for the majority of my genesis, with his Super Computer unable to think quite at the level of humanity and deduction of the person it was programmed to emulate. With regards to my energy, it turns out that the end result was a bit of a mess, as Dr. Gero ultimately was not able to integrate my individual components enough to hide their separate origins. I do have a unique energy signature to myself, and I know you've sensed it before, but I can mask it with the signature of someone else if I put in the effort to do so. It's actually somewhat of an advantage in that respect, I suppose, but an imperfection all the same. I gained the memories of the fighters whose DNA became a part of me through a very similar cellular extraction process, by the way, but the exactitudes of that story I'll save for another time."

"Speaking of time, we don't have much left before you get here," Trunks said.

"Right."

Minutes beforehand, they had reached the top of a rock formation that was very close to the particular exit they were keeping their eyes on. They wanted to see Future Cell emerge without him noticing them, and Cell, who did not quite remember which directions he had looked in once he exited the laboratory and was unsure if the timeline alterations would affect this at all, wanted to minimize the risk Future Cell would see them before they made the first move. The two warriors kept their power levels submerged as they waited.

A few minutes passed, and then they saw him.

He was crawling forward on his four legs, the more brownish hue of his larval form contrasting with the darker color of the stone whose interior had been carved out to form the exit. Future Cell crawled eight meters away from the exit when Cell and Trunks felt a spike in his energy.

The larval form became motionless, and then from the midsection of his back a bright light that spanned the spinal column became apparent. The top of the larval form then split apart along the illuminated line, each side becoming part of a now dormant exoskeletal husk as Cell's first humanoid form emerged from the shell and stood up for the first time.

Cell watched with a certain nostalgia as Future Cell walked out of the husk, then looked down at his hands. Future Cell, observing them for the first time, then clenched each of them and held them tight. He then looked down and loosened his grip in each hand. He proceeded to walk forward.

Cell nudged Trunks' shoulder, and Trunks then turned his head toward Cell, nodding in acknowledgement.

They stood up and began to walk down the hill.

"Hello over there!" Cell yelled heartily as Future Cell stopped suddenly and turned his head to the right. He saw the two of them, and didn't fully believe what he had just seen.

Future Cell let the two of them come closer, while he took somewhat of a fighting stance, unsure of exactly how to react.

'What exactly is going on?' Future Cell thought to himself as he eyed the two hesitantly. 'How did they know to be here upon my … what the…!'

Future Cell suddenly became acutely aware of something that rattled him, but tried to remain as calm as possible while he further contemplated the situation at hand.

'This is … perturbing,' Future Cell thought to himself. 'If what I think is happening is truly so, then reality is going nowhere close to what I had been led to believe.'

Cell and Trunks stopped about three meters from Future Cell, standing casually, as if to be inviting.

"Do you know who we are?" Cell asked in a very calm tone.

'Could I be right? Could that possibly be …. no, but that's impossible!' Future Cell thought to himself. 'However, nothing can be ruled out entirely until I am certain. Unless … but then how would that account for the strangeness of his demeanor? And if that actually happens to be true, then what does he think he's doing, associating with the Saiyan without killing him where he stands?'

"Well, do you know us?" Cell asked.

Future Cell scowled, then answered.

"If I am not bewilderingly incorrect, then you, Saiyan, ... you must be Trunks," Future Cell said as he pointed at him. "Yes, based on the data I have gathered it would make sense that the son of Vegeta could still be alive."

"You're looking at him," Trunks said with a smirk.

Future Cell then diverted his attention, the more important, disturbing, unsettling part of the attention that was gripping his racing mind, to the other who was present.

"And you, … you … but, I wonder … how … if I'm right … would this have come to be …?"

Cell had not known if his counterpart would be able to deduce the truth, especially since Cell, himself, had not known what his successive forms would look like.

"Your green skin … with the spots all about … your wings … your cranial protrusions … and the black core in the center of your chest …" Future Cell was citing all the elements which made him all the more unsettled. "But no tail."

"It is retracted," Cell said, briefly turning around to show Future Cell his tail, then turning forward again.

"Retracted!" Future Cell exclaimed. "Interesting … it could be that someone stole Dr. Gero's design and modified it without his knowledge, or that Dr. Gero made a variant of me without my knowledge. Maybe you're not a variant at all, but a duplicant who has absorbed at least one of the androids. And then, … there are so many alternative possibilities. However, and I wonder, what … rather, who are you, really?"

Cell closed his eyes and smiled, then opened his eyes again and asked a question of his own.

"Let's just say that I'm rather familiar with how your mind works. Think about all of this for a minute. Can you figure it out?"

Future Cell, frustrated by the situation, growled with disgust and clenched his right fist, this time not in introspection but in disgruntled angst.

"Why are you wasting my time and taunting me when you could just tell me what I want to know?" Future Cell asked.

Cell chuckled, although he did not mean to seem disrespectful.

"Because, I think you will come to accept the truth of this much better if you figure it out for yourself, rather than if I simply tell you," Cell said. "If you come to the logical conclusion yourself, I believe you'll be more likely to accept the logic."

Future Cell snarled, and Trunks wondered what exactly Future Cell was thinking, especially if he felt he was somehow being taken advantage of or mocked.

"Fine then," Future Cell said. "I'll play your little game, but first, I want to ask you two questions."

"Sure," Cell said.

"First of all, do you know my name?" Future Cell asked.

"Indeed I do, and it is Cell."

Future Cell's eyes flashed with a startle when what he had felt would be the case was confirmed.

"And … what is your name?" Future Cell asked hesitantly.

"Cell."

Future Cell's eyes widened even more than before, and he took a few steps back, out of the psychological panic Cell had predicted.

"What! You're lying! That couldn't possibly be true unless Dr. Gero or some genetic thief named my variant or clone exactly the same thing!" Future Cell said, wildly as he again pointed with his right arm, the arm shaking with nervous anxiety. "And if Dr. Gero created you, then why would he do that? It isn't logical!"

Trunks eyed Cell quizzically, unsure of how to respond.

Cell saw Trunks' expression, and agreed. Neither of them had exactly anticipated Future Cell would deduce … this.

"You think I'm a variant or clone of you?" Cell asked.

"What else could you be?" Future Cell asked in response. "For some reason unbeknownst to me, what likely occurred is that Dr. Gero made more than one version of me. You have similar characteristics to me, and so this isn't entirely implausible. But if so, then why would he have given you the same name? Or maybe I'm wrong and Dr. Gero for whatever reason made an exact copy of me, either intentionally or by accident, and you were released from the laboratory before I was. If the second case is true, then you've almost certainly absorbed at least one of the androids by now. But … I don't understand! Why would Dr. Gero want to create perfection twice? Inherent in perfection is the ultimate superiority of a single thing, and if both of us were to strive for perfection, we would either stifle the degree to which the other could become as best as possible or cancel each other out through attaining the same level of superiority. However, maybe he created me with the goal of perfection and you with a different goal entirely. And maybe, still, you're just some rip-off resultant from thievery. Tell me!"

Cell let a few moments pass before he responded.

Apparently, his counterpart was not thinking in the direction Cell had hoped he would.

"Cell, I applaud your for your very insightful powers of deduction, but neither of those circumstances are the case."

Future Cell's eyes didn't even flicker when he heard that. The idea that the potential origins he had come up with for this other one could even possibly be true was enough of a shock in and of itself. The revelation that none of them were true …

"Wait!" Future Cell exclaimed. "If your name really is Cell and you're neither a variant nor duplicant of me, then …"

He trailed off for a little while before he came to a potential answer.

"No…." he muttered, nonchalantly. "But how could that be possible? That doesn't make sense …."

"Does it?" Cell asked. "What's on your mind?"

"There's another possible explanation for this, and it's ridiculous," Future Cell said. "You could be the result of my having absorbed at least one of the androids and then for some reason traveling through time, back to the past to meet with me. Or maybe you hadn't absorbed the androids at all and then absorbed either one or both of them when you went back in time. The idea of you essentially being me and having the earliest of my memories would certainly account for how you knew to be here at this hour. But Dr. Gero tried for years to develop time travel, coming to the conclusion that it would not be realistically achievable. Ever. You then, remain an enigma. So tell me, since your very presence seems self-contradictory, what's going on!"

Cell smiled.

"Well Cell, while most of what you said turns out not to be the case, you'd be interested to know that part of what you said is actually true."

Future Cell's expression became one of alarmed interest.

"What? Which part?"

Cell moved both of his arms to his sides, then folded one behind his back and placed the other in front of his chest, performing the cultural bow of "respect" that was common, he had learned long ago, among various cultures across the galaxy.

"You were right. You and I are technically one in the same because of the miraculous feats of time travel," he said as Future Cell's look changed to one of being astonished. "You and I began our lives in exactly the same way, both created by Dr. Gero. We are both Cell. And time travel, as Trunks could tell you, is very real. His mother, who as you know is Bulma Brief, had a remarkable breakthrough in the mathematics behind time travel that accounted for various functional principals that Dr. Gero had overlooked. Time travel is very possible. Both Trunks and I have done it before."

"A couple of times for him, and more than a few for me, actually," Trunks said.

It was a lot for Future Cell to take in.

And he didn't know if he should believe any of it.

"Alright, 'Cell,' then if you really are me, you'll be able to do something that will beyond a doubt prove it," Future Cell said.

Cell looked worried.

"I haven't already?" he asked.

"Stories are just that. I need physical evidence. And I'm referring to undeniable physical evidence. I want physical evidence that will negate other possibilities that I just considered as well, since for all I know you're in a costume, or you've altered your genetic structure to look like a variant of me. Maybe you're a friend of Trunks' who he got to volunteer for an injection with my DNA in a sort of reversal of how I was created. That would explain why you're not attacking Trunks while he's here. In fact, you and he seem rather friendly. Yes, I'll want you to certainly explain that little fact to me if you really are who you say you are, and why you're disrespecting the will of our creator by letting this Saiyan stand next to you in a cordial fashion."

"You're a stubborn one," Cell said. "And I am of course not surprised. However, I can do even better than physical evidence, as I know of a solution that would be proof enough for you."

Future Cell's expression became one of suspicion.

"Oh, and what would that be?" Future Cell asked.

"I know what your first thoughts were, big guy," Cell said. "You know how good the memory was that Dr. Gero gave us. Now, I could try to convince you by saying that I know exactly what you did in your first moments out of the capsule, but as you know I could have easily placed cameras there beforehand and that's how I could have found that out. And I won't try to tell you about what I know of your experiences inside the capsule, because for all you know I inserted certain processes into your development without your knowledge. No, I'll tell you exactly what you were thinking, right after you exited the capsule and heard Dr. Gero's recording."

Future Cell laughed.

"How could you possibly know the specifics of what I was thinking?" Future Cell asked. "You're digging your own hole. There's no way you could know exactly what I was thinking, only generalities."

"Not if I really am you," Cell said. "In fact, I will repeat verbatim exactly what you first thought to yourself after hearing that message."

Future Cell then chuckled, although he was not fully sure if this was out of confidence or nervousness.

"Go ahead, you couldn't possibly know," Future Cell said.

"This is the verbatim of what you thought …. 'It is time to show the universe the true power of Dr. Gero, embodied through the perfection of my design!'"

Future Cell's smile faded quickly, his mouth agape.

"You …"

"I believe you would agree that the improbability of me somehow learning that thought of yours through means other than the one I suggested pales in comparison to the probability that I am speaking the truth."

Future Cell remained motionless for a few moments before he responded.

"Well then, this is most peculiar," Future Cell said, trying to remain as calm as possible although it was rather evident to Cell and Trunks that he was having a hard time coping with the truth, based on the sound of hesitance and uncertainty in his voice. "So, you really are me …."

"I'm glad you have successfully deduced that truth," Cell said.

"Well … what are you doing here? What happened?" Future Cell asked. "And what do you want from me? You must tell me why I have had to force myself to tolerate Trunks' presence for so long; why have you allowed him to stay alive?"

Trunks couldn't help but look angered at that comment, and when Cell saw his expression, he couldn't fully blame him.

It seemed he had underestimated the fervor by which Dr. Gero's programming still controlled Future Cell's soul.

Could he bring this version of him, a being who reveled in death and destruction because of a madman's orders, under his control?

Cell was becoming less and less sure….

* * *

_Up next in Chapter 23: Cell and Future Cell debate the merits of their beliefs in a conflict that will affect both of them forever. Will Future Cell accept Cell's vision for a better world, or will Cell, or possibly Trunks, come to see things differently? Stay tuned!_

_I am especially proud to announce that this chapter marks the second anniversary of the Honor Trip story, and I want to thank you all for two years of being awesome readers who have emboldened my spirit and have augmented the quality of my writing through your constructive comments and reviews. We have envisioned a universe in which a person brainwashed in darkness who had not been given a true chance for enlightenment and redemption has, in this vision, been given that chance. We have had the opportunity to learn, think and expand the breadth of our understanding through experiencing the moral, social and philosophical struggles that he and those who have been with him have endured in their evolving adventures. Now that Cell, at last, has come face to face with the literal embodiment of his past, we begin the next step in this alternative history of the Dragon Ball universe, a step that is emblematic of so much more to come…._

_Chapter 22 completed: December 27, 2010_

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor_

* * *

Author's additional notes:

In preparing for this chapter and the upcoming chapters, I rewatched parts of the Imperfect Cell Saga to make sure these chapters reflect with accuracy some of the details I am integrating into them.

I wanted to share with you some of the things I noticed and considered while rewatching certain episodes, and the following is an assortment of rather humorous and/or interesting occurrences and ideas that I thought were either quite noteworthy or downright notorious:

1) In uncut episode 141, "The Reunion," the androids, amazingly, are called "crazy hippies" by a salesman who was relenting after 18 stole an outfit from his shop and left without paying. When the salesman calls law enforcement officers about what had happened, he then refers to the androids as "a bunch of weirdos in a van."

2) In uncut episode 139, "Unwelcome Discovery," Trunks ascertains that the version of his time machine that Cell had used to come back to the past had been there for four years. This was a key point for me, because I then wondered to myself, 'Wait, is this a giant plot hole in DBZ continuity because Cell would have been able to absorb the androids way before they were even activated if he had gone back so far?' I was pleasantly surprised to find that this apparent plot hole was actually resolved pretty well, as a few minutes later, Trunks examines the abandoned husk of Cell's larval form and says "It's still wet; this thing must be close." This suggests that Cell had only become active extremely recently, and this is actually a pretty good reason why Cell would have not already absorbed the androids.

3) However, this entire situation examined in point "2" raises a bunch of questions of plot convenience, as it seems quite peculiar that Cell would have magically emerged after gaining enough momentum to do so right after the androids were activated. I mean, the closeness of these two things itself is peculiar. Had Cell emerged just a few days before, there's a chance Goku and friends would have arrived, ready to fight the androids, only to then be blasted in the face by Perfect Cell. And had Cell emerged just a few days later, it's quite possible there wouldn't have been much of a Cell Saga at all. Piccolo probably could have taken him down, or at the very least it would be very likely he would have lost to the Z-Fighters. The fact Cell emerged when he did seems a bit too convenient for the plot for me.

4) In uncut episode 139, Trunks mentions that he "didn't count on there being such major differences between the timelines of [his] world and this world," and that he "thought Goku's heart problems would come much earlier than they did." Now, the topic of how timeline changes in DBZ work has for many years been somewhat of a shaky one, as we've never really been given a full explanation. In the very same episode, after Gohan asks "How could you have miscalculated so much?" Trunks says "I don't know. I wish I did. I guess something changes when you travel back from the future." It's a pretty astute observation, and one that I wholeheartedly agree with conceptually, given that even if one molecule's position becomes different thanks to time travel, which would be the case a result of matter displacement from the matter that traveled through time, the entire universe would be different than if the time travel had not occurred, as Trunks suggested. Trunks' physical presence would displace air molecules, at the most basic level, and so the universe would be different. We don't even need to go into the effects Trunks had on the universe as a result of talking to his compatriots and engaging in the battles he did to understand this basic principle. But then that leads me to question of whether it's realistic to believe that Goku's heart condition would be put off for so long as a result of Trunks' time travel. We don't know how the virus is contracted, so maybe Goku, as a result of interacting with Trunks and all the related changes to the timeline with regards to his subsequent actions, didn't come into contact with the virus until much later. But wait, if this is true, then it's equally possible that Goku might not have contracted the heart virus at all, or that one of the other Z-Fighters could have contracted the virus, as the overall course of their actions and the chances they would have come into contact with the contaminant would have been different. Maybe Dr. Gero could have gotten the heart virus! Now, there's also the possibility that maybe Goku contracted the heart virus on Planet Yardrat, and that it took a while for it to incubate in him. But if that's true, then how does Trunks' coming to Earth affect the totally separate actions that happened in space in a time before he even traveled to the past, making Goku's heart virus culminate later? What, Trunks' arrival made the thing work slower? Nah. But even though the logic of Goku's heart condition culminating later is questionable, it apparently, according to the logic we're presented, happens as a result of Trunks traveling back in time. So, when Trunks says that he thought Goku's heart problems would come much earlier than they did, and then he reasons that things are different as a result of traveling back in time, well, yeah! If you're so smart and you come from a family of scientific geniuses, how could you have not taken this into consideration before? "I guess something changes when you travel back from the future." Of course it does!

5) But on the subject of point "4", let's talk about the androids for a second. We're never really given a good idea of how isolated Dr. Gero was from the rest of the world when he was making the androids, but we can infer that his DNA gatherer was active and at the scene of the battle between Trunks and the Cold family. Dr. Gero would not have known that Frieza was a fighter until he saw him fight, and he fought in a fight against Trunks. For Gero to have passed on to Cell that the fighter whose DNA was incorporated into him was called Frieza, his DNA collection device evidently had either some audio and/or vocal transmission and/or recording equipment. So having quite a different story about how the entire fight that the Z-Fighters had with the Cold family played out could be a plausible reason for why Gero showed up at South City with 19 and made 17 and 18 stronger than they had been in the original timeline, as opposed to weaker versions of 17 and 18 showing up instead as was the case in the original timeline. I used to think that the entire idea of 19 and 20 showing up instead of 17 and 18 as a result of Trunks traveling back into the past was somewhat strange, because I wondered to myself how big of a change could possibly take place as a result of Dr. Gero for instance bumping into someone in the supermarket who he wouldn't have but who was there because she was with a person whose life was affected by a person whose life was affected by a person … whose life was affected by Yamcha having a different course of subsequent events as a result of interacting with Trunks. But Gero seeing a different battle than he would have makes sense with regards to affecting the timeline in this way, especially since his development of his battle forces was inherently tied into his observations of battles. On a side note, I've heard some people say that the difference in the timelines was significant enough that Android 19 as he was recognized in the main DBZ timeline didn't exist at all in the original timeline (Cell's timeline) and Trunks' timeline (the slightly altered version of the original timeline). But if that's the case, one has to wonder if Dr. Gero called himself "Android 19" in those other timelines. We're never presented with any evidence that he called himself "20" in those timelines, and so it could be possible. On a completely other related subject, how did Trunks and Cell's going back in time on Earth at all affect Babidi's plans to revive Majin Buu? Remember, Babidi comes to Earth in the main DBZ timeline from space when Trunks is a child, and in the alternate futures of Future Trunks and Cell we're given no indication that Babidi ever came. I mean, you could argue that maybe Babidi did come in Future Trunks and Cell's timelines and that Gohan, 17 and 18 somehow did something to ward his forces off, but that doesn't make much sense since they were all considerably weaker than Babidi's forces, especially Darbura. Or maybe Babidi somehow knew not to come in Future Trunks and Cell's timelines because he somehow knew there was not enough energy on Earth with which to revive Majin Buu, whereas there was in the main DBZ timeline. But then if that's true, why would he need energy from Earth at all when he could get it from so many other planets, or a combination of them? You could say that the one video game which kind of explores this, Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 (also known as Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai – Another Road), sheds some light, but it doesn't really since Babidi basically appears in Future Trunks' timeline after he has defeated the androids because there's a world tournament going on. Is there some sort of implication that regardless of the effects on the placement or relative characteristics of matter that time travel, in and of the act itself, can change parts of a universe far from the event point at which the matter transported through time emerged? This whole inconsistency and why it even exists was NEVER adequately explained by canonical DBZ information.

6) Also, on the subject of point "4" if Trunks and Bulma anticipated that Goku would contract the heart virus, then why didn't they make more of the antidote to give to other people who contracted it? For all we know, especially if Goku in the changed timeline came down with the heart virus later than Trunks had anticipated, people were dying from this thing left and right when it could have been prevented. If the purpose of Trunks and Bulma changing history was to save the people of Earth from preventable horror and misery, then why wouldn't they have mass-produced the antidote? It's certainly possible that the version of Bulma from the main timeline got a sample of the antidote at some point and mass produced the hell out of it to help the public, but while this is indeed conceivable, it is never mentioned on screen. But wait a minute, if either version of Bulma didn't mass produce the antidote and Goku's contraction of the heart virus was delayed, then it's extremely likely that people were dying whose lives could have been saved had Goku enabled them to have the antidote that he had. He could have even been heroic and forced the issue of copying the antidote, or at least encouraged Bulma to invent it in their time if for whatever reason she couldn't copy the substance with ease. That we never see any of this leads me to believe that there were people in the changed timeline whose lives could have been saved but were not because of ignorance. And these people, unfortunately, couldn't be revived by the Dragon Balls because death from a virus is classified in the Dragon Ball universe as a natural cause of death, which the Dragon Balls can't overcome with regards to wishing people back to life. Talk about a missed opportunity to do some good.

7) There's an incredibly significant plot hole that results from one of Kami's statements in uncut episode 140: "Seized with Fear", in which he says, in referring to Cell, that for the last four years he had been sensing an evil on the planet that was not the androids and which was 100 times more cunning than they were. We then learn for a fact that Kami told no one about what he had been sensing. SO WHY DIDN'T HE TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT? WHY DIDN'T HE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? HE IS NEVER GIVEN AN ADEQUATE MOTIVATION FOR NOT DOING SO, AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY DISCONCERTING GIVEN THAT HE WAS THE EARTH'S GUARDIAN! This whole situation is made even worse through the fact that in the next episode, Gohan says, referring to Cell and his exoskeletal husk, "I just find it hard to believe that a creature like that could be here for four whole years without anyone noticing it. I mean, doesn't that seem a little bit weird to you?" YES GOHAN, IT DOES.

8) A particular comment that Trunks made about Cell's husk in uncut episode 141 was one that I found to be extremely funny, especially given the dramatic irony that he was, after all, talking about one of the androids although he was not aware of this at the time. "Whatever it was, it was just about the ugliest thing that I've ever seen." Hah!

9) In uncut episode 143, "His Name is Cell," Piccolo has to confront Cell's Kamehameha wave and is unable to properly deal with this. Piccolo is Cell's first proper combatant on screen, Cell is in his first proper form at the time, and this is the first time Cell uses the Kamehameha wave on screen. By contrast, when Gohan has to confront Cell's Kamehameha wave at the end of the Cell Games Saga, he is able to properly overcome it, and at that time Gohan is Cell's last proper combatant on screen (not counting filler and GT), Cell is in his "final" form, and this is the last time Cell uses the Kamehameha wave while he's seen alive. This seems like a sort of "pupil ascending the master" element to me, and it would be interesting if Toriyama planned this in advance, although whether he did or not is unknown.

10) In uncut episode 143, there's another big error that's readily apparent from Cell's dialogue with Piccolo. Cell says that the Dr. Gero acquired his cells from Frieza and King Cold when Trunks fought with them. Piccolo doesn't contest this point. This part of Piccolo and Cell's conversation goes against the timeline relativity that DBZ uses, as what happened in the changed timeline should have in no way been a factor in the unchanged timeline. In order for Cell to have actually acquired cells from Frieza and King Cold, Dr. Gero would have had to acquire them during the fight in the unchanged timeline between Goku and the Cold family that we've never seen but which has been alluded to.

11) The timeline relativity of the DBZ universe is actually overlooked for a second time during Piccolo and Cell's conversation in uncut episode 143, as Piccolo says that the fact Dr. Gero's lab was destroyed should have prevented Cell from being born, and Cell does not contest this. Piccolo referred to the laboratory in the changed timeline being destroyed as somehow impacting Cell's creation in the unchanged timeline. And while it could be argued that Cell didn't point out Piccolo's logical mistake because he might have somehow thought Piccolo was referring to Dr. Gero's laboratory from the unchanged future being destroyed, (which it was), the mistake still exists. It is important to note though that Piccolo might have said this comment because he might not have been aware of the timeline relativity of the DBZ universe, as it seems it is possible that even Trunks didn't fully understand it as of the last time Piccolo had spoken with him about anything related to the subject.

12) I was quite surprised when I rewatched uncut episode 143 and heard Cell say that when he went back in time with Trunks' time machine that he was unsure if he was going to find 17 and 18 when he emerged at his chronological destination. This begs the question as to why Cell didn't change the temporal coordinates of the time machine so that he would know for sure that he would emerge in a year that would enable him to be properly ready to absorb the androids. It's quite possible, though, that Cell might not have been able to figure out the time machine's controls, and we're never given a full description as to how the thing works, or how easy it was to use, although in uncut episode 139 we do see that at least one of the time machine's displays lists the year of destination. If it was just a simple matter of putting the year in, then Cell should have had no problem finding a proper year in which he would not just be guessing but have reasonable belief that he would be able to achieve his perfect form. I'm not going to make any assumptions here, though, and so whether or not Cell could have realistically increased the chances of his emerging at a favorable time remains uncertain.

13) However, in expanding upon the issue elaborated upon in point "12", it is mentioned that Trunks was going back in time to tell the Z-Fighters of the past that he destroyed the androids in his timeline. But then, if he was going to do that and Cell didn't adjust the year that Trunks was intending to go to, then why would Trunks have set the time machine to go to a full year before he met the Z-Fighters? Additionally, if Trunks had for whatever reason actually wanted to go back that far, (which is extremely unlikely and is almost certainly the result of a significant overlooked error), his doing so could have caused there to be a timeline in which the androids would win after all, which obviously would not have been a risk he would have been willing to take.

14) In uncut episode 144, "Piccolo's Folly," we get a rather direct line of foreshadowing that reflects the ultimate purpose Cell eventually comes to recognize as his own toward the very end of the Cell Games Saga. The fact that it takes that long for us to finally learn Cell's deepest motivation and ultimate purpose is an issue in and of itself, but this bit of foreshadowing is somewhat revealing. Cell says, referring to Trunks, who he had already killed in the original timeline, "I don't understand why creatures so defective are ever allowed to live." As Cell eventually reveals that he deduced that Dr. Gero's ultimate purpose for him was to destroy everything that wasn't "perfect," this foreshadowing might even indicate that Cell's psychological framework for eventually accepting this as his ultimate purpose was already in place when he was in his first humanoid form.

15) While we're on the subject of goals as per point "14", it's interesting to note that Cell never really brings up his adherence to Dr. Gero's inherent goal of avenging the Red Ribbon Army's defeat. Perfection is his most stated goal by far, and at the very end of the Cell Games Saga we come to learn of his goal of destroying everything that isn't perfect. Cell, in retrospect, is never shown to have quite the desire to destroy Goku that 17 and 18 had, and the desire to destroy Goku was part of Gero's plan to avenge the Red Ribbon Army. And while the mass destruction Future 17, Future 18, 19 and Gero caused was almost certainly part of Gero's plan to exact the revenge of the Red Ribbon Army, Cell's destruction, it would seem, was either meant as a tool for him to achieve his perfection or as a means by which to display his perfection and power. Also of related note is that Cell is the only one of the androids to not have any visible "Red Ribbon" logo incorporated into his design. It remains somewhat uncertain, then, as to how much of Cell's actions were actually attributable to the motivation of avenging the Red Ribbon Army. Since Dr. Gero classified him as an android and Dr. Gero's android project was purposed largely in exacting vengeance for the Red Ribbon Army, it can be reasonably assumed that avenging the Red Ribbon Army was at least part of Cell's motivation, although it would seem that, as a total percentage of overall motivation, the other androids had a much more concentrated vision on this goal than Cell.

Thanks for taking a look at these notes! I hope you enjoyed reading them!

In fun and fanfiction,

American Vigor


	24. XXIII: Paradigm

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Paradigm**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

"Cell, I need to make something very clear from the start," Cell said to Future Cell, as the other kept his ground, unmoving in his desire to ascertain what these unexpected developments meant for him. "I came to this time purely by accident, although I'm very glad that I am here. And now that I am here, I'll have the opportunity to save you, as another timeline's version of Gohan did for me."

Future Cell didn't know what to make of this.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Future Cell asked, rather displeased at not understanding the specifics. "What do you mean, 'save'? You were the most powerful being in the universe of the timeline you just came from, and Gohan saved you? From what? What could possibly be stronger than you?"

Cell chuckled.

"Well, Gohan, for that matter," he said as Future Cell did a double take. "And I'm not referring to him saving me from something else that was stronger than me, but saving me in a different sense."

Future Cell felt estranged.

"What do you mean Gohan was stronger than you!" Future Cell exclaimed, bewildered to an extremity. "That's impossible! Unless, of course, this isn't your perfect form and Gohan somehow found a way to surpass the transitional stage…."

"No, this is the perfect form of our design," Cell said. "Gohan managed to achieve a level of Super Saiyan that enabled him to have a degree of power greater than Dr. Gero had planned for. And I'm so glad he achieved that form and helped me see the light. He didn't know that he did when he did it, but he helped me so much."

'See the ligjht?' Future Cell wondered to himself.

But then he looked at Cell, then looked at Trunks, and suddenly had a sickening feeling in his stomach.

"Oh, no …." Future Cell began to say, wondering if his fear of the moment would turn out to be the regrettable truth. "Are you trying to tell me that you actually ended up siding with the Z-Fighters and abandoning Dr. Gero's mission? Because if you did … oh, please tell me you did no such thing!"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you!" Cell said as Future Cell recoiled in horror.

Trunks had been skeptical of confronting Future Cell from the start, but he had also been eager to see how Future Cell would react to this.

"How could you have possibly been so stupid?" Future Cell asked, to Cell's dismay and Trunks' lack of surprise. "I demand to know how the perfect being could have fallen victim to such foolishness! You were supposed to kill all of the Z-Fighters, not be their friend! If Dr. Gero were here, he would most surely find a way to take your powers away and give them to me! I would truly live up to the creed of our destiny!"

Trunks had heard about enough.

"Shut the hell up, you freak!" Trunks said, to Cell's alarm and Future Cell's sneer.

Cell looked concerned for what he felt was a highly inappropriate comment.

"Trunks, please, be delicate with what you're …"

"No, Cell, this one's now going to have to listen to me," Trunks said, turning to face Future Cell, to whom he addressed his next comments. "The only reason why I'm letting you live right now, Cell, is because this version of you somehow convinced me, against my better judgment, that he should have a chance to at least talk with you about becoming a peaceful being. I wanted to kill you from the start. And believe me, we had plenty of time to do so. But I allowed you to get this far, knowing full well that Cell and I could take you down easily if we needed to. And you know what? Hopefully, we won't have to. It's all up to you. But if I were you, I would start listening to what Cell has to say. Be courteous to the guy; he is you, after all."

Future Cell, possibly to alleviate his own psychological burden, laughed slightly before he once again scowled.

"If he abandoned all he believed in, and all he was meant to do, as he so unfortunately did, then he is most certainly not me," Future Cell said.

Trunks then decided to resort to something that he felt would quiet this cretin.

"You know what? I'm going to show you just what you're up against, to prove a point."

Trunks then transformed into his Super Saiyan form, allowing his power level to substantially increase while Future Cell's eyes widened.

"As you can see, Cell, I am far stronger as a Super Saiyan than you are as you are," Trunks said. "In fact, I'm even willing to bet that I'd still be stronger than you even if I didn't transform, especially since you haven't absorbed anyone to increase your strength. Now, I'm going to show you another trick I've learned."

Trunks entered a deep stance and his grip in each hand tightened. He looked to the sky as he screamed in the fury of increasing energy, as lightning gushed from the gathering clouds above, enticed by the power of Trunks' abilities. The winds gushed, the ground shook, the sparking brilliance of Trunks' aura could be heard, as it was the renown sound that energizing auras often emit. Trunks' muscles grew slightly larger, as did his hair, and then the clouds suddenly dissipated.

Trunks' golden aura and his even greater power dismayed Future Cell greatly.

"I see! You have yet another transformation!" Future Cell exclaimed.

"And this isn't even the awesome one that Gohan attained," Trunks said. "In fact, this is more of a sub-form than a true level of Super Saiyan. But it's a nice tool to have in my arsenal. This form gave Cell a run for his money when he was in his second, transitional form. Imagine what this form could do to you," Trunks said as he made a fist with his right hand then cast it to his side, signifying the eminence of his power.

"But Trunks isn't done yet," Cell said as Trunks smiled at the comment.

"Yeah, Cell, I've got yet another sub-form after this one," Trunks said to Future Cell. "But that's nowhere near as important for you to know as the fact that Cell in the form he attained after absorbing both the androids has even more power than I do in my second sub-form. And that's without Cell really trying all that much. I'm going to leave it to your imagination just how strong that is."

Future Cell was speechless.

"So if you try anything," Cell began to say to Future Cell, "that is in any way nefarious, or which causes true suffering to anyone, be assured that we will step in and prevent you from doing it again. Trunks and I will not tolerate you if you decide to kill people and absorb people like Dr. Gero wanted you to. The moment you try to kill someone, you will be putting your own life in jeopardy, since Trunks and I have rightfully dedicated ourselves to protecting others from undue harm. We wanted to approach you before you did anything wrong so that we could encourage you to do the same, especially while you still have a relatively clean slate. The desire to kill is very different from actually doing it, and even if you never come to philosophically agree with us about why killing is wrong while you maintain your wicked desire, it's still totally within your power to not kill and to let others live, even if they aren't as strong as you. But think about this, really think about this, because pain, suffering, and death, in and of themselves, are things which all creatures detest. Why make other people experience those horrors when you don't have to bring those horrors about?"

The three of them were silent for many moments as all anticipated what the others would do.

Then, Future Cell spoke up.

"Before we go further, there are a few things I want to know," he said.

Cell and Trunks had anticipated that they would be asked this, and they were ready for Future Cell's inquiry.

"How, exactly, did this happen to you?" Future Cell asked. "I want to know how you came to be, especially since this will better prepare me to know what's really going on."

"That's fair enough," Cell said. "Trunks, would you like to explain it all, or should I?"

"No man, you start. I might chime in later on. You know the early details of your life better than anyone else, after all."

"It would make sense for you to start though, since you started this whole thing with your time traveling," Cell said.

"I suppose you're right," Trunks said. "Alright Cell," addressing Future Cell now, "I'm going to make a very long story much shorter for you. From the start, you should know that as a result of the time traveling that Cell and I have done, there are four timelines out there that we know of."

This factoid caught Future Cell's attention.

"Four timelines?"

"Yes. With the way we understand it, Cell is actually from the original timeline, and I'm technically from your timeline, which is a slightly altered version of the original. Then, there are two different altered past timelines, one that was affected by my traveling to the past and the other that was affected by both Cell and I traveling to the past."

"I'm having some trouble understanding this, and Dr. Gero gave me a pretty decent mind, to say the least," Future Cell said.

"On that point we can agree; it is a bit confusing when you first think about it," Trunks said. "But I think you'll understand it in a bit once you get used to the idea."

He paused and took a breath before continuing.

"Alright, so first there was the original timeline. Dr. Gero, to my extreme hatred, released Androids 17 and 18, who killed so many innocent people, my father included. Piccolo and Kami died, so no one could be brought back with the Dragon Balls. Goku had died of a heart virus a little while before that all happened, and so the androids never did kill the person they were primarily programmed to kill, instead taking out their hatred on just about everyone else. It was a horrible world, and my mother and I knew that we had to do something about it. We knew that time travel wouldn't erase what happened to my timeline, but that it would create an entirely new timeline independent of the original because of the inherent differences between the timelines. The physics behind that all is a bit tricky, but mother always said that a large part had to deal with the multiverse having to keep both the new timeline and the previous timeline from which the time travel began out of the need to perverse inherent causality. "

"So you're saying that when you traveled back to the past and changed the past that this didn't result in an override of the timeline you came from, because then you would have never existed to travel back to the past in the first place, and that would have caused a mess," Future Cell reasoned.

"That's right," Trunks said. "So I used the time machine my mother built to go from my timeline, the original timeline, which we'll call 'Timeline 1,' to the past, which we'll call 'Timeline 2,' and killed Frieza and his father. Then I met with Goku and the other Z-Fighters and told them to prepare for the androids' arrival in three years. I went back to the future, Timeline 1, and fought the androids some more in Timeline 1. I then went back to the past again from Timeline 1, and it was at that point that you could say I stopped being only one person, as timeline differences from Cell's traveling back to the past made my return to the past from Timeline 1 happen differently depending on which timeline we're talking about."

Future Cell briefly scratched his forehead.

"I'm going to assume that my counterpart was able to eventually get to the past because he somehow acquired the time machine himself," Future Cell said.

"Yes, but that's getting a little too far ahead," Trunks said. "It's important to remember now that the version of me that I'm about to talk about is not the same version as I am, since the first version came back to a time in which Cell had not yet come to the past and I, the incarnation of me that's talking to you now, the second of two, if you will, returned to a past in which Cell had come back already. So the first version of me traveled from Timeline 1 to Timeline 2 and helped the Z-Fighters defeat the androids in Timeline 2. We first had to defeat an android that I do not believe was ever constructed in the original timeline, Android 19, and then we came very close to defeating Android 20, who we later found out was actually the product of Dr. Gero turning himself into an android."

Future Cell was quite surprised.

"Dr. Gero fought against you himself?" he asked.

"Yes, but before we could finish him off he was killed by Android 17."

"Ungrateful fool," Future Cell said, referring to 17. "Go on."

"Then, we somehow found a way to defeat Androids 17 and 18 in that timeline, but again, I don't know exactly how, because even though the first version of me was there, I wasn't there. Logically, the first version of me went back to Timeline 1 to destroy Androids 17 and 18 in the original timeline, and that's when the first version of you, the one who's here with us now, comes in. Cell, do you want to explain the rest?"

"It would be appropriate of me to do so," Cell said. "Now at this point the first version of Trunks, who, again, is not the one with us right now, managed to defeat Androids 17 and 18 in Timeline 1. He had no idea that I even existed, and when I finally confronted him, he was both unprepared and surprised. I'm sorry to say that I ended up killing that version of Trunks and stealing his time machine to travel to the past. I decided to go to the past because at the time, I had the misguided notion that achieving my perfect form was important enough to kill for, and since Trunks had already destroyed the androids in Timeline 1, I felt that going to the past would enable me to have my best chance of achieving perfection."

"I see," Future Cell began to say, "and so it's at this point that we're no longer going to really deal with the events of either Timeline 1 or 2, even though you're from Timeline 1 and the version of Trunks with us is also technically from Timeline 1, because you created two new timelines when you traveled to the past."

"Indeed," Cell said. "I traveled back to an already altered past, altering Timeline 2 into what we'll call 'Timeline 3.' I arrived one year before Trunks was to arrive from Timeline 1 and four years before Trunks was to emerge from his second trip from Timeline 1 to help the Z-Fighters combat the androids.

_[Author's note: the following optional section contains dialogue in which Cell delves deeper into some of the theory of time travel before continuing on with recanting the key events.]_

_I'll take a moment now to say that at this point to the timelines that resulted from our time travel theoretically could have been produced very differently because I traveled back to the past farther in time than Trunks did. What ended up happening was that the multiverse recognized Trunks' first trip from Timeline 1 as having happened before my trip, since in the grand scheme of things you could say that it was the true first change to take place. Because of this, my trip to the past modified the changed timeline that he created with his first trip. What did not happen, and which is a point of great interest, was a different potential scenario in which the fact I had traveled even farther back than Trunks did could have caused Trunks' trip to create a timeline which modified the timeline made by my trip, as opposed to the other way around, as it actually happened. Had this second scenario occurred, Timeline 2 would have still existed, but there would have been a variant timeline, 'Timeline A,' in which I would have been in the past without Trunks ever having come back in time to warn the Z-Fighters of anything, since I emerged in the past first. Then, Trunks' travel to the past, which would not have occurred in the original variant of Timeline A but which would have resulted from his traveling from Timeline 1, would have created a separate "Timeline B" that would be for all intense purposes identical to Timeline 3, since our trips to this timeline would theoretically be the same as what actually ended up happening. _

_[Optional section ends here.]_

With the exception of my mere presence in the timeline, and the subtle differences that caused, everything that happened in Timeline 2 basically happened in Timeline 3, up to a point of divergence when I came into the picture publically. I absorbed my first group of humans, then fought a merged version of Piccolo and Kami, absorbed Android 17, and then found myself on the verge of defeat when Trunks and Vegeta emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and challenged me. To Trunks' continued embarrassment, I managed to trick Vegeta into letting me absorb Android 18 so that he could have an even greater challenge when I achieved my perfect form. He was arrogant and wanted to test the extent of his powers, and he had his downfall and almost died as a result of it. Trunks ended up challenging me because he felt he might have the power to take me down, although this proved not to be the case. I wanted a true challenge to test my new powers, and I ended up repeating the same arrogant mistake Vegeta did by holding a tournament and enabling the Z-Fighters to increase their strength even more in the days before the tournament began. Goku had survived the heart virus that had killed him in Timeline 1 and was my first true challenger, and while he fought valiantly, he could not overcome my power. Gohan became my next challenger, and the boy proved to have the ability to transform into what we have come to refer to as a Super Saiyan 2, the second true form of Super Saiyan, with speed and strength greater than I could physically match. In the midst of our battle, right after I resolved to destroy him, he ended up punching me in the head, enabling me to pursue a very different path than what might have been had this not occurred."

Trunks noticed Future Cell's eyes flare at Cell's most recent sentence in particular, and didn't fully know what to make of it.

"That punch in the head knocked a lot of sense into me," Cell continued to say, "and I had the desire to rescind my evil ways of malice and destruction and atone for the horrible crimes I had committed. It was a profound and welcome impact on my overall psyche. Goku recognized my sincerity and stopped Gohan from destroying me, and even though it took some time to convince the others, including Trunks, that my new self was the real deal, they eventually came to see me for the person I really am. I especially convinced them when I used a wish from the Dragon Balls to enable myself and the androids to never fall victim to evil again. The Dragon Balls of Timeline 3's Earth were able to make two wishes, and the other wish was for bringing everyone back who I had killed. 16, 17, and 18 were revived through the way in which I made my wish, and I did not lose my perfect form because 17 and 18 were neither truly dead nor truly alive when the wish was made. I then decided that I wanted to be put on criminal trial for the entire world to be able to judge me, because I felt that fairness dictated that I should serve whatever punishment the world gave me in retribution for what I had done, and the pain and suffering I had caused. The Z-Fighters, with the noted exception of Vegeta, actually largely ended up defending me because by the time of the trial they had come to accept much of what I presented as sincere, although Vegeta felt I was being deceitful and insidious. He soon felt otherwise, though, as I ended up flying through the roof of the courtroom to save Bulma from two fools who would have been her killers. The court sentenced me to a community service term and economic reconstruction of damaged property, and while I have no idea how I'm eventually going to settle those debts since I am not sure that I'll ever be able to get back to Timeline 3, I am glad that the court found me to have not been acting totally within the ability to make my own decisions of morality, as they had been predetermined for me. I know that you, Cell, have the feelings I once had, but especially since you're a relatively clean slate I want to help change you into a person who will embrace a life of goodness rather than destruction."

"But how did you get to this time?" Future Cell asked.

"Well … Trunks, would you like to explain this part?" Cell asked. "It's a bit of a sensitive issue."

"I certainly will," Trunks said. "I ended up trying to travel to this timeline with my time machine, but the darned thing broke in the middle of my doing so. Cell, however, utilized a wish that enabled me to be brought back to life. The folks from Timeline 3 were very, very lucky that they had learned of my passing at all, by the way, because they heard a distress call from my time machine, which had managed to transport itself through space and not time. But from the same direction in space, my mother from Timeline 3 heard another call of distress that Cell and I would eventually follow up on. After I was revived, I all of a sudden started to have a strange pain in my gut, and when I almost collapsed and Cell caught me, the both of us traveled forward in time, to the timeline we're currently in, "Timeline 4." It's different from the original timeline, Timeline 1, for the obvious reasons that I traveled here after experiencing the events of Timeline 3, with Cell, as opposed to the events of Timeline 2, without Cell, and also because Cell came back with me this time. Also, the fact I returned without a time machine is a notable difference, and we think this happened due to the time machine's command for traveling forward in time taking effect after I was revived with the Dragon Balls. Cell ended up coming along, we believe, because his matter was in physical contact with mine, and especially because his matter had already experienced time travel. In the time since we've been here, I destroyed this timeline's versions of Androids 17 and 18."

Future Cell's eyes flickered again, although it was Cell, and not Trunks, that noticed the occurrence this time.

"Cell and I," Trunks continued to say, "then went to this timeline's version of the planet which had been the source of the other distress signal that my mother had heard in Timeline 3. We figured that there could still be people on that planet who needed help, and we went to investigate. While there, we ended up toppling a fascist dictator who was using a powerful device to suppress his people. That guy's locked up for good now, and that planet will hopefully be able to restore its democratic tradition to full force. We then returned to Earth, waited many days for you to emerge, and met you with the goal of helping you become the type of noble person that your alternate timeline counterpart has become."

Future Cell let some moments pass before he responded.

He wasn't happy, to say the least.

"Do you mean to tell me that you destroyed the androids of this time, and that they are not here for me to be able to absorb them?" Future Cell asked.

Cell looked dismayed that this, of all ways, was how his counterpart had responded.

"Yes, Cell, they're gone," Trunks said to Future Cell. "Cell actually tried to stop me from destroying them because he wanted to try and help them atone for all they had done. I disagreed with him, calling them out for the monsters they truly were and making sure they could harm no one else. You're a different story, because you have done nothing wrong yet, and you have the potential to see things our way."

"But why?" Future Cell exclaimed with fury. "You could have found some way to get to New Namek and use the Dragon Balls there to make the androids of this timeline good like you did for the androids of the past. Isn't that what you also did for yourself, Cell?"

It was a fair question.

"Do you think we'd be meeting with you right now, Cell, if we could have just used the Dragon Balls to make you good?" Cell asked his counterpart, who nodded in realization. "You should know from your incorporated memories that the Dragon Balls have their limits. Although I guess, since I've been around a bit longer than you have, I'm a lot more cognizant of a few things regarding their use. So you might be asking yourself, how could I have been successful in using the Dragon Balls on the androids of the past and myself? It was because that while the Dragon Balls cannot change the core philosophical beliefs of anyone, they can cement those that are already there. Mine were changed against my will without the use of the Dragon Balls, but I'm so glad they were, and I used the wish to make sure I wouldn't go back to reveling in hatred. Android 16 was brought back with the Dragon Balls thanks to an adjustment I made to the wish, and in Timeline 3 he developed extremely strong desires for peace that the wish cemented. As for 17 and 18 of Timeline 3, they never killed anyone except for Dr. Gero, and they were still at a stage in their lives in which the poor kids who'd been abducted by Dr. Gero hadn't fulfilled his programming of being the mass murders he wanted them to be. They became psychopathic in Timelines 1 and 4 because they had had so much time to kill, and they killed so many. Their counterparts in Timeline 3 were still early enough in their existence that the wish was able to tap into their inbred desires of rebellion against Dr. Gero's ways of evil, desires that beckoned them to subconsciously yearn for the days of peace before they were harmed as they were. With you, I know for a fact that you, like me, were programmed with intense evil in you, inbred into your being. I know that horrid feeling. We are actually planning on using New Namek's Dragon Balls to cement your goodness when you attain it, as the Dragon Balls were once used for me."

"And if you manage to somehow trick us up to the point of us actually being on the planet and providing yourself with the opportunity to make a diabolical wish of your own, rest assured that Cell and I are quick enough that we'd stop you before you finished whatever wish you were in the middle of making," Trunks said. "Don't take that the wrong way. I'm really willing to try and give you a chance here. I just want you to be fully aware of what's up. Although, as you suggested with the prospect of simply wishing people to be good, it would have been awesome for us to have been able to do that. Imagine how much destruction could have been prevented if Frieza, Cell before he was reformed, or even my father, for that matter, had seen the light extremely early in their lives. It's a fantasy we'll never realize. But Cell, please, we want you to be a good person. Please abandon Dr. Gero's misguided idiocy."

Future Cell stomped the ground.

"Idiocy? You want to know what was truly idiocy? The fact you destroyed the androids of this timeline!" he yelled as Trunks and Cell were suddenly taken aback. "I want to achieve perfection! Now, they're gone! I'll tell you what though, if we use the Dragon Balls to wish them back and you let me absorb them, I'll join you."

Cell's frowned deepened.

"We won't be doing that," he said, as Future Cell became infuriated.

"Why not?" Future Cell asked. "They destroyed so many people in this timeline! Why not let them suffer some more? Let me absorb them and achieve my perfect state. I'll be giving them the pain they deserve, and I'll achieve perfection! I'll even be peaceful!"

Trunks looked at Cell, his unease with Future Cell's words growing with each moment.

"We shouldn't cause them any unnecessary suffering," Cell said. "To bring them back just to kill them again would be inhumane, despite all they've done. I can't allow such a wish to proceed. Besides, you should accept the ways of peace even without being able to attain your perfect form. I'm not trying to be a hypocrite; I'm merely saying that you should be able to come to terms with goodness without having to hurt the androids again, especially when we might eventually be able to convert them to the ways of goodness, too."

"But we could even wish them back again after I absorb them!" Future Cell said. "If you're so dedicated to helping them, then we could do that! According to you, with the way you made your wish to 'revive' them while they were still a part of you, you can 'revive' them without losing the perfect form. Let's do it again!"

"Bringing them back in the first place just to feel the pain of absorption still wouldn't be worth the suffering they would experience," Cell said.

"Alright, then what if we create a new time machine and the three of us travel to a time in the direct past of Timeline 1, and I absorb the androids and save another alternate version of Timeline 1 a great deal of suffering?" Future Cell asked.

"Cell and I have decided that we'd like to keep the number of timelines out there to as much of a minimum as we possibly can because we want to limit the suffering that would occur all throughout any additional timelines," Trunks said. "Even if we saved Earth in whatever alternate timeline we would create, we'd still be replicating suffering felt in other parts of the universe. I don't want to sound hypocritical either; after all I'm the one who traveled through time in the first place and created new timelines in which suffering has been duplicated. But I did it because I wanted the Earth to be saved in at least one reality. Because of Cell's trip, Earth ended up being spared the true wrath of the androids in two timelines. While it hadn't been my intention to make more than one altered timeline, that's what happened. We can control from this point forward how much it happens again. And we won't be traveling through time with the intention of creating new timelines anymore. The Earth has already been saved through that method."

Future Cell's rage was building.

"You know, I 've been trying to be at least a little receptive to your idea, but the both of you keep on throwing obstacles in the way for no good reason!" he exclaimed.

"Preventing suffering is as good a reason as you can get," Cell said.

"Stop it!" Future Cell shouted with fervor. "Stop it, right now! I've had it up to here with the two of you trying to force me into being someone I'm not! You're trying to push a notion of goodness on me, Cell, that you only acquired through an accident! Do you really believe what you're saying? How do you know you didn't sign on permanently to some fickle thing which isn't reflective of what would truly be good for you! You're letting an unfortunate accident control your life!"

"This accident was the biggest blessing of my life," Cell said. "I would never trade it. Even if it happened by accident, I am so grateful it did. I'm just trying to help you."

"Your version of helping me is trying to convince me to accept the delusions of someone whose personality got warped when he got hit in the head! You're allowing the very same accident that warped Goku from his destiny, when he got hit on the head as a small child and his natural path of aggressive power was replaced by unnatural weakness, to warp you, too!"

Cell and Trunks both became agape at this.

Future Cell was extremely surprised at their seeming shock at his comment.

"What, do you expect me to believe that neither of you noticed that parallel? Unbelievable!"

It was true!

Cell had not thought of how amazingly parallel what had happened to him was to what had happened to Goku in his infancy. Both he and Goku had been born as aggressive creatures against their will, and both, through accidental means of a forceful impact upon their heads, had come to accept more peaceful paths.

How had he not thought of this before?

Had none of the Z-Fighters, not even Goku, thought of it? Maybe they had become so used to Goku being a hero that they had subconsciously overlooked how parallel the beginning of the life of their hero and friend truly was in connection to Cell's.

But Cell realized something.

"Even if there is a parallel that I had not given proper thought to, what matters most is that this shows that a peaceful person who actively promotes peace, no matter how that person comes to be that way, can have a good impact on the world and help those in need," Cell said. "In fact, I'm proud that what happened to Goku is largely what happened to me, and it's especially symbolically significant that it was his son who brought about what happened. I know, deep in my heart, that I am living the right path, now. And I want you to join me in doing the same."

Future Cell paused for a moment, taking it all in.

Then, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You are a disgrace not only to Dr. Gero, but to everything we were born to cherish!" Future Cell said with scathing anger. "You have denied my perfection after enabling yourself to have its unparalleled glory, saying it would be evil for me to achieve what you did even though you're passing yourself of as some hero! You've denied me the ability to fulfill the most important purpose of my life! This universe was supposed to be one in which only the strong would survive, and now, you're mocking my existence by giving into this weakness and trying to force me into doing the same!"

Cell became forlorn, knowing that his plan to help this poor creature was not going well at all.

"You don't need power to be a good person, and you certainly don't need it to be happy," Cell said. "Come on, Cell, you don't need to achieve perfection to live a good life. You don't need to absorb or kill anyone. I would even give up this perfect form and join you in being in our original form if I could, just to help you see that power, while nice, is not necessary for a rewarding life. And in your form now, you don't need to act out Dr. Gero's murderous revenge to find true meaning in your existence. Other people deserve to have good lives too, not just us, and Dr. Gero's selfish plans for world domination were flawed in how much they harmed everyone but us. Cell, we don't need to hurt anyone. We can help the world by helping others live good lives. Just live in peace. Live a good life."

Cell extended his hand to Future Cell as an offering of harmony, only to have the latter jump backward in disgusted rage.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Future Cell shouted as he tightened his fists, entering into a fighting stance with his aura visibly flickering to life.

Cell and Trunks were bewildered.

"What, you're actually going to try and fight me?" Cell asked, unsure of how he should respond. "With all you've just heard, and knowing full well that I am in my perfect form, you're actually considering this?"

Future Cell frowned at his counterpart's obstinate arrogance as he continued to power up, unyielding in his purpose and desires.

"I refuse to live the belittling life you're forcing me to live!" Future Cell yelled as his power level quickly spiked. "You're standing in the way of all I'm hoping to achieve, and mocking the dominance that should come with perfection! I don't know how, but somehow, … yes … if you're going to try and stop me if I attempt to do what I want to do, I must find a way to defeat you and achieve the glory you're refusing to embrace! As insurmountable as the odds may seem against me, I must find a way! And in the unfortunately likely event that I won't, I'll die knowing that I did everything I could to fulfill my dreams! You are a fool, asking me to live a life I would never want to live and then somehow finding it acceptable to kill me for pursuing the life that I not only want to live, but also was born to desire! You're entirely contradicting the idea you actually care about me by forcing me to either choose an option I would never want to take or punishing me with the threat of death if I pursue the alternative! This situation is unfair, and you've forced it, along with so much else, into my life! But should I win this day, even if I can never acquire the form you've so foolishly wasted, I will strive to find a way to achieve even greater abilities than the ones you've surrendered to your misguided fantasies! I must!"

Cell knew the situation was slipping out of control ….

"But Cell, the war is over! Listen to me, please, we do not have to fight!" Cell pleaded desperately.

"Shut up, you traitor! I will never forgive you for what you've done to me!" Future Cell yelled as he flew forward, prompting Cell to reluctantly enter a fighting stance to engage his unfortunate adversary.

* * *

_Up next: Cell's ethical dilemma comes to a height as Future Cell confronts him with an imperative idea. With all that he has against him, and with Trunks' growing impatience, can Future Cell somehow convince Cell to join Dr. Gero's cause once more? Stay turned! _

_Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! This one was a noteworthy challenge to write because I tried to make sure that Cell, Trunks, and Future Cell were especially in character in order to make the chapter progress logically. I also had to make sure that the timeline relativity of the Dragon Ball universe was preserved and that the progression of the chapter would allow for logical causality and continuity, which was especially challenging with regards to explaining elements related to time travel._

_Also, if you've written any fanfics you'd like me to take a look at, let me know and I'd be happy to do so! I'm always eager to read the works of folks who have been so courteous to read mine. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter 23: Completed January 5, 2011. _


	25. XXIV: Clash

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Clash**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Author's note: This chapter explores a topic you need to be careful with when you're reading about it: the question of whether or not there is such a thing as a universal good or whether there is no such thing, with good instead something that people decide for themselves based on their own beliefs. The discussion about this could be extremely unsettling or disturbing to readers who are not used to thinking about this sort of thing. Again, I'm offering this cautionary note because the discussion can be an upsetting one, but rest assured that, based on the OVERWHELMINGLY AGREED UPON OPINION of the philosophical community, of people in general, and this author, grievously harming or killing other people (other than murderers who committed homicide intentionally) for any reason is NEVER ACCEPTABLE. And now, without further ado, the content:_

* * *

Future Cell wound up his fist, gathering as much energy as he possibly could, and launched the fiercest punch he could muster at his counterpart.

Cell didn't budge an inch.

"You should have listened to us," Cell said as Future Cell gasped with a mix of fright and awe at the sheer ineffectiveness of his attack.

Cell hadn't moved from the fighting stance he'd gotten into, but truth be told, he hadn't needed the stance at all.

"Trunks and I tried to warn you of how much stronger we are than you," Cell said.

Future Cell didn't entirely know what to say.

And so instead of saying anything, he kept on launching punches at Cell, wailing with the anger of a madman, hoping that something would work.

His attacks were so effective that Cell, who had become bored with staying in his current fighting stance, then shifted to another without interruption. As he raised his right knee and bent his left, entering into what in many forms of martial arts is known as the Crane Stance, he accidentally made contact between his knee and Future Cell's jaw, sending the other spiraling upward, even though Cell had not been moving all that fast.

Trunks couldn't help but snicker as Future Cell waved his arms wildly in the air, trying to regain his sense of balance.

Future Cell finally stabilized himself, about 100 meters above the ground now, and was breathing heavily.

'How in the hell am I going to defeat him, let alone Trunks, too?" he asked himself. 'I can't give up! I can't!'

"You know, Cell, all you have to do is just agree to not absorb or hurt anyone, and this could all be over," Cell said to Future Cell. "We could then go to New Namek and make you good … for good."

Future Cell responded by quickly flying downward through the air and kicking Cell.

Again, the maneuver didn't work.

"Come on man, what are you doing?" Cell asked Future Cell as Future Cell rapidly kicked him as hard as he could.

Cell, to try and convince his counterpart how futile his efforts were, then stood up straight and stood calmly, as if he wasn't being kicked by someone moving faster than the speed of sound at all.

"Stop mocking me!" Future Cell screamed as he diverged from solely kicking and then did a combination of punches and kicks.

"I said that line when I fought Gohan," Cell said. "Imagine if he was here now and you had to fight him."

All that comment did was make Future Cell even more furious.

However, instead of trying yet another maneuver to vent that fury, Future Cell suddenly stopped, to Cell's welcome surprise.

"Had enough?" Cell asked.

"No, you bastard," Future Cell said as he wiped away some sweat from the top of his head. "I'm going to find some way to defeat you if it's the last thing I do!"

"At this rate it will be," Trunks said. "You know you're outmatched. Just give up already. You might as well concede this needless fight and join Cell and me. Otherwise, you'll just be throwing away your life."

"Fighting for what I truly believe in is not something I would classify as 'throwing away my life!'" Future Cell said.

"You only believe what you do because Dr. Gero told you to," Cell said. "Open your mind. Embrace the possibility of accepting the alternative. It's so much better for your soul."

Future Cell grunted, then brought his wrists together, deepened his stance, and brought his hands to his right side, charging up a beam of energy between them.

"Let's see how you like this!" Future Cell said right before he launched the attack.

"Kamehameha!"

The energy wave proceeded forward, and Cell effortlessly deflected the attack, causing it to collide into a nearby mountain peak, breaking the tectonic splendor apart.

Future Cell was exhaling rapidly.

'I'm running out of options,' he thought to himself.

"You still haven't done anything truly wrong yet," Cell said. "It's not too late to change."

Future Cell eyed his counterpart cautiously. He then diverted his gaze to Trunks, and then focused again on Cell.

All of a sudden, Future Cell started laughing wildly.

Cell was taken aback by this, as was Trunks.

"Have you lost your mind?" Trunks asked Future Cell.

Future Cell stopped laughing.

"No, but Cell has," he said, pointing a finger toward his counterpart. "You couldn't possibly be any stupider, Cell. Don't you realize that your whole concept of what is good and what is evil is flawed?"

Cell 's expression became blank.

"What do you mean?" he asked Future Cell.

"What's good to one person isn't necessarily what's good to another," Future Cell said. "And the same is true about evil. Some people think it's wrong to steal. Others believe it as perfectly acceptable and that there is no reason to think there is anything wrong with it. Some people think that in order to be good they should help the poor. Yet others legitimately feel no remorse by not being charitable, nor do they think they're committing any sort of sin by not giving anything."

Trunks didn't like where this was going, but before he could say something Cell beat him to it.

"What are you suggesting?" Cell asked.

"Isn't it obvious? What you consider to be 'good' isn't necessarily universal. It isn't what 'good' means to everyone," Future Cell said. "For me, I have no moral problem with absorbing anyone I want to in order to achieve greatness. I don't think I'm evil for these desires. I think it's morally wrong, given my life's purpose, to deny myself strength that I could otherwise have. Yet you're coming from the perspective that my desires are inherently evil, because you think they're evil. I don't think they're evil. I'm not willfully pursuing something I consider to be wrong. I consider what I want to do to be right."

Cell was lost for words.

"But …."

"Let me finish," Future Cell said. "Now, granted, sometimes the universe produces beings who honestly believe that what they're doing is wrong, and they're conscious that it's morally reprehensible, but they do it anyway. Frieza knew that oppressing all the people he did and killing for the thrill of it was the wrong thing to do. He didn't think he was upholding any standards of righteousness when he slaughtered countless lives. He knew, based on the morals he believed in, that he shouldn't have been doing what he was doing and that he should have spared his would-be victims. But did he? No. He really was evil, and he knew it. I, however, don't view absorbing people as wrong. I view it as right. And even though Frieza's cells are a part of me, our value systems are different in this way. I'm not evil. I'm good for wanting to achieve the greatest strength I can by any means necessary."

"Then you're insane, and I'm glad not to be anymore," Cell said.

"You're missing my point," Future Cell said. "The fact that you went through so much of your life thinking the way I do, and even after that you still don't seem to truly understand what I'm talking about, proves to me that you really did lose your mind when you got hit in the head, as I suggested before."

Cell thought about how best to respond.

"You're wrong, Cell," Cell began to say, "good isn't just something that people make up. There's a universal good out there, and it doesn't take a genius to know that hurting innocent people is wrong. It's naturally better to want to help people and to want them to be healthy and well, and while it's partially because that's what you'd want for yourself, it's not just because of that. The fact you don't seem to care about what happens to other people, even thinking that it's alright to harm them so you can be happy, shows the wicked insanity of Dr. Gero, the same wicked insanity that madman interwove into your design. Sure it's not the worst thing in the world to lie once in a while, even though that's generally considered a bad thing, but different things are naturally either better or worse than other things. Breaking someone's arm on purpose just to see him cry is a whole lot worse than stealing a small amount of money from him. People know that not just because they believe it, but also because it's true in the truest sense of the word. And I'm not saying all this simply because it's what I believe, but because the overwhelming majority of people in the universe believe this, even without necessarily consulting each other about it. We understand the truth. And Cell," he began to say, sorrowfully, "I was … I was just hoping all this time that you would, too."

Future Cell chuckled to himself.

"Believe what you want to, but I have this more pertinent question for you," Future Cell said. "You made a wish with the Dragon Balls to be 'good' forever. But you know very well that the Dragon Balls make wishes come true based on the intention of the wisher, and not based on what the words actually mean. And so I ask you, what did you wish for, really?"

Cell, about to say something, suddenly found he couldn't.

He pondered Future Cell's words, and just didn't know how to respond.

"You know what I think?" Future Cell asked. "I think you wished to make your delusional state of beliefs permanent, that's what I think! You solidified what should have been nothing! You deprived yourself of your birthright and of what you had always valued as acceptable. You honestly believe you cast aside evil? Hah! You forfeited greatness, that's what you did!"

"Enough!" Cell screamed. "You're wrong, and I know for a fact you are. I can feel it in my soul that the way I am now truly is the right way to be. I'll never turn back to the darkness again. I'll never kill innocent people and then laugh about it afterwards again! If this is really how you're going to choose to live your life, then you must be stopped, even if I wanted with every bit of my soul to help you overcome the darkness in your heart."

"You're pathetic," Future Cell said, as he quickly, without warning, soared straight into the air. "All this nonsense won't be important in a few moments, anyway."

Cell wondered …

"What do you mean?" Cell asked, anxiously.

The sun was behind Future Cell now.

Future Cell suddenly put his hands by his eyes and flexed his fingers apart from each other. Cell realized way too late what was happening.

"Solar Flare!" Future Cell shouted as the sun's rays intensified in Cell and Trunks' eyes, causing both of them to be unable to properly see.

Future Cell reduced his power level so he could not be easily detected.

'Now's my chance!' he thought to himself.

He moved swiftly to the ground, then landed behind Trunks, who was still covering his eyes and could neither see Future Cell nor sense him.

Future Cell's tail swung forward toward the back of Trunks' neck.

'One hit in the right spot and he will be paralyzed, enabling me to absorb his energy without dispute!'

Right before the point of his tail made contact, he saw his tail become suddenly stopped.

It wasn't Trunks, who hadn't heart the tail coming.

It was Cell, who was grabbing Future Cell's tail, staring him in the face with a look of anger.

But it wasn't the type of angry look that Future Cell might have expected, as it was not one distorted in rage, as Frieza commonly displayed. It was a more calm anger, one suggesting disappointment, as if an expression Goku would have made in a situation like this was superimposed onto Cell.

"How did you do that!" Future Cell exclaimed.

"Unfortunately for Dr. Gero's plans, he enabled my perfect form's eyes to perform way too well against you," Cell said. "I can see fine."

"You shouldn't have attained proper vision for another two minutes!"

"And you should know how strong I am," Cell said, continuing to maintain his hold on his counterpart's tail.

"Let me go at once!" Future Cell protested.

"I had such high hopes for you," Cell said as he then, while maintaining his hold on Future Cell's tail with his right hand, swiftly moved forward with his left, punching Future Cell in the gut, causing the other to gag in horror and pain.

Cell then let his counterpart's tail go, and Future Cell fell backward, placing his hands toward his stomach, reacting to the immense impact.

He was gasping on the floor, trying to prevent himself from exhaling too quickly.

"Now that you've seen the pain that this form can cause, I hope you've gained a greater appreciation for why I can never let this power fall into the reach of those who would abuse it," Cell said. "May no one ever have to feel such pain again, yourself included. This is your last chance, and you know how strong Trunks and I are. Will you abandon your ways and join us?"

Trunks, whose vision was now blurry but somewhat functional, watched as Future Cell struggled to stand up, then stood as firmly as he could.

"I despise you!" Future Cell screamed, as he continued to struggle with maintaining a stable stance. "I despise everything about you! I refuse to ever be like you!"

Future Cell tried to rush forward, but tripped over himself.

Cell's punch had been a forceful one, and it had damaged him severely.

"In the time that Trunks and I were waiting to meet you, I decided to do something that will directly affect what happens next," Cell said as Future Cell stared at him, nervously.

"I don't care," Future Cell said, stepping backward while he said it.

"I had been using the Z-Fighters' techniques all my life, the ones Dr. Gero stole from them, ones they never suspected would be used against them," Cell said. "And so I decided to make up for this by developing my own."

Future Cell's eyes widened.

"I feel sorry for you," Cell said. "I wanted to help you, especially since I knew that as a version of me, with the blood of the Z-Fighters running somewhere through your veins, you had the potential to change. But unfortunately, this is where we'll have to part ways."

Future Cell, horrified, found enough energy within himself, scraping every last bit he could, to elevate slightly and then dart through the air, moving as far and as fast away as he could from Cell, who remained on the ground.

"I'm sorry, my friend," Cell said as he rose both of his hands and brought them together, directly in front of his face, with his palms facing the ground and his thumbs touching each other's side.

He split his thumbs slightly apart from each other, and there was a line of white light between them. He then moved his left hand in a curved motion, down and to the left, while his right hand simultaneously moved in a curved motion down and to the right, with his palms now facing each other. As his hands had moved, the white light moved with them, and now there was a half-circle that formed the shape of an arch emanating from his hands.

He then completed the circle of white light by moving his left hand in a curved motion down and to the right while he simultaneously moved his right hand in a curved motion down and to the left. When his small fingers touched each other, he then moved both of his hands toward himself as the circle of white light became complete, floating in the air where his hands had traced its path.

Cell then placed his left hand near the left side of the circle and his right hand near the right.

"Shining Nova!" he yelled as he then thrust both his hands forward, causing the white circle to rapidly move in Future Cell's direction, homing in on him.

Future Cell, sensing the energy, looked back and saw the ring coming closer and closer to him, gaining speed and becoming larger.

The white circle then caught up with him, surrounded him, and then spun rapidly to form what looked like a white sphere.

Within the sphere, energy bombarded Future Cell from the inner side of the rapidly spinning ring, preventing him from escape.

Future Cell felt the destructive energy coursing all around him, destroying his body and decimating all he had hoped to achieve.

The white ring then began to progressively slow down, spinning slower and slower as the energy blasting from within became less and less potent. The white circle finally stopped spinning altogether, facing perpendicular to the ground as it had when Cell had formed it, and then slowly faded away.

Cell then looked for the other's energy, trying to sense it.

He sensed nothing, and stared into the sky for a few moments.

Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You did the right thing," Trunks said, rather solemnly.

Cell turned around to face his friend.

"Let's go," Cell said as the two of them took to the air and accelerated toward West City, where they planned to briefly consult with Bulma before their next course of action.

Now that what had been done had come to pass, it was time for a long-awaited reunion….

* * *

_Up next: Season 2's two-part finale begins! What awaits our heroes? Find out in the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z - Honor Trip! _

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I had fun writing it!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Chapter 24 completed: 1/7/2010_


	26. XXV: Reunion

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Reunion (Season Two Finale! - Part One of Three)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Trunks had at many points in his life doubted that he would ever have the opportunity to do what he and Cell were about to do.

He had dreamed about this day many times, but now, after all the many years he had spent fighting the androids and working to make the versions of Earth across time safer ones in which to live, he was finally going to use the Dragon Balls of his own timeline.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to New Namek?" Trunks asked his mother, who was busying herself with making final adjustments to the new and improved Dragon Radar that she wanted to give him before he left.

"As you could imagine, what we're about to wish for will be momentous," Bulma said, as she finished tightening a screw on the back of the radar. "I'll be right here on Earth with you when we get to the second part of our plan, but while you and Cell are on New Namek, I'd like some time alone to … reflect."

"I can understand that," Cell said, as he reviewed the list that the three of them had spent many evenings creating. They had worked diligently to figure out not only what the most proper and fair plan would be, but one in which they would be able to yield the most benefit they possibly could from the Dragon Balls.

Cell had not needed the written document as his memory served him quite well, but it helped to have their plan written down, nonetheless. There had been many complexities and intricate factors to consider with regards to the plan they were about to implement, and Cell was eager to bring the plan to fruition.

"You want to know what I'm really looking forward to?" Cell openly asked, as Bulma handed the radar to Trunks.

"What?" Bulma asked.

"Spitting in the face of my creator's misdeeds," Cell said. "I am honored and humbled that I'm going to play a part in making these wishes come true."

Cell placed his right hand on Trunks' left shoulder.

"Are we ready?" Cell asked, as his sense of anticipation intensified.

"We've never been more ready," Trunks said, as the two of them waved goodbye to Bulma, then instant transmitted to New Namek.

Before she left the laboratory, Bulma briefly sat in a nearby chair, closed her eyes, and sighed.

She meditated for a few moments, then stood up and began to walk to her bedroom.

It had been 18 years, after all, and she wanted to look her best ….

* * *

_In an alternate past …_

More than a month had gone by since Goku and Vegeta had consulted with Moori and the others on New Namek about what had happened to Trunks and Cell.

Goku was now in the middle of harvesting radishes from the season's crop, and in the midst of doing this he thought about some of what had happened since he and Gohan had returned from Planet Harfava.

The Namekian elders had not had a sure explanation for why Trunks and Cell had disappeared, although it had not seemed that they had thought that the Dragon Balls had been responsible for the time travel in and of itself.

Goku had devoted much of his time after that unsuccessful meeting toward helping Vegeta and Bulma, although the three of them had not had much empirical data to utilize.

About a week ago, Bulma had made what might have been a breakthrough in her way of thinking about the problem.

"We know that Trunks suddenly fainted before he disappeared, but I think we've been approaching how we look at this from the wrong perspective," she had said aloud, causing Vegeta and Goku to cease a minor sparring match. "After all, we've been focusing on two different things that could have caused this to happen, a residual effect of the time machine, or an unsuccessful revival attempt with the Dragon Balls that didn't enable him to be properly synchronized with our universe. But maybe we should focus on a third possibility."

Vegeta had been rightfully intrigued.

"A third possibility?" he had asked.

"Maybe Trunks disappeared for one reason and his sudden fainting came about because of something else," Bulma had said. "It's a rather simple explanation, and I probably should have thought about it before, but … maybe it makes sense. Going forward in time, at least from what Trunks has told us, doesn't usually make a person sick. Maybe he fainted because the command for time travel somehow interacted with the Dragon Balls in a weird way."

Goku had then asked her a question.

"Does this mean you're pretty set on the idea that Trunks traveled to the future?" Goku had asked. "You haven't been sure about–"

"I have a lot more faith that he traveled the future than I did before," she had said, interrupting him. "And if he really is in the future, then there's really no way we could readily tell if that's the case."

"So, do you think it's now pretty safe to say that Cell really did somehow end up traveling to the future with Trunks since he disappeared along with him?" Goku had asked.

"Who cares!" Vegeta had said, right before he had then walked out of the laboratory to get a drink.

* * *

_In an alternate future …_

"Cell, I've said it before, and I'll say it again … I'm so glad that you came to this timeline with me," Trunks said, as he started to walk forward toward the nearby Namekian village.

"Well Trunks, I think it's been quite beneficial that you've had my instant transmission technique at your disposal," Cell said. "After all, we're here on New Namek, aren't we?"

"I've never been happier to see green clouds, except, of course, when you revived me," Trunks said.

"And you would have needed to have been revived again had I not used the instant transmission technique right after we had arrived in this timeline," Cell said, as he briefly savored the crisp air of the terraformed world. "But you're alive, and now even more people who were wrongfully deprived of life will have their vitality restored."

"Yeah," Trunks said, as he thought to himself of the promising things to come.

They walked for another minute toward the village, and as they did, some young Nameks who had seen them decided to jog swiftly toward them to offer their greetings.

Cell saw Elder Moori walking swiftly toward them as well, and after Cell and Trunks briefly chatted with the younger Nameks, Moori heartily laughed.

"Welcome back, my friends!" he said in a jovial manner. "I am pleased to see that health has been with you both since last we spoke."

Moori offered his hand since had learned this custom during his time on Earth, and Cell and Trunks, while of course restraining their power output so as not to be overly forceful, returned the gesture.

"Dende has been meditating in preparation for your return," Moori said. "He has most likely sensed the two of you by now, although we should give him some time to complete his thoughts. Come, I'll accompany you to his dwelling."

As Trunks and Cell started to follow him, Cell reflected upon what this particular meeting would have been like had he and Trunks not traveled to New Namek five weeks ago.

Indeed, the version of Moori they were with right now was not the version of Moori from the alternate past, and that version had helped Cell, Goku and Vegeta wish Trunks back to life right before Trunks and Cell had teleported forward in time.

Five days into the 40-day interval between their excursion to Planet Harfava and today, Cell had suggested to Bulma and Trunks that they should go to New Namek way in advance so that they could consult with the Nameks about their plans and make sure that their plans were reasonable and possible.

In many ways, it would have been not only unwise but quite rude for Trunks and Cell to have waited until today to talk with the Nameks about what they wanted to wish for and what else they wanted to do. In fact, had they waited, the Nameks might have already used the Dragon Balls because they would not have known of Cell and Trunks' desire to use them, and then Cell and Trunks would have had to further postpone their plans.

Because Cell and Trunks had acted wisely and had traveled to New Namek all those days ago, they had learned many things that had the potential to make today all the more special.

And because they had been wise and had spoken with him in advance, Dende was much more eager and prepared for the role they had asked him to fulfill than he would have been had they only informed him today of what they wanted him to do.

Dende had spent all his young adult life on New Namek, and the last time he had been on another planet was when he had been on Earth right after a wish from Porunga had transported his people there during the battle between Goku and Frieza.

He had come to love this echoed world of beauty as much as he had loved his original home, but sometimes, as he had come to understand in all his sessions of learning and meditation, the higher callings of life can rightfully supersede life's pleasures.

He had sensed them when they had arrived, and he sensed that they were close to his dwelling now. He briefly inhaled slowly, then exhaled at an even slower rate, and let the ambience of the moment live through him.

He opened his eyes.

'And now, my true service begins,' he thought to himself, as he stood up and reached for a small bowl of water, which he then trickled over a small fire of incense that had brought a slight red glow to the chamber.

He opened his door, and he saw them.

"It is good to see you both again," Dende said, as he also held out his hand, which Trunks and Cell accepted as they had done before.

Trunks noted that there seemed to be a different aspect to this version of Dende than there had been with his version in the alternate past. It was not only because this version of Dende was now a young adult whereas his counterpart had been a young, but gifted child. This version of Dende had been enabled to have the opportunity to grow up on the homeworld of his people and further train with them, which were opportunities the version of Dende from the alternate past would likely never have.

This version of Dende seemed to have a profound and mystical sense about him, and Cell also noted the depth of experience and insight that he seemed to emanate.

"It's quite good to see you again, Dende," Cell said, as he then let go of Dende's hand.

Dende briefly looked to Trunks' right, then briefly looked to Cell's left.

"From the looks of it, it seems that part of your plan didn't work out," Dende said, in a forlorn manner. "Otherwise, the two of you would have brought a guest."

"Unfortunately, things didn't proceed as we had hoped," Cell said, in an even more despondent way. "Because of that, the wish we would have used for that purpose will instead be as we discussed."

"I see," Dende said, as he then looked to Moori. "Are the Dragon Balls still where we left them a few days ago?"

"They're safe and sound, last I checked," Moori said.

"We might as well test the Dragon Radar," Trunks said, as he held out the device.

Moori's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Oh good!" he said. "This will make your search much more efficient."

"I've been told you've seen one of these before, Dende," Trunks said, as he let Dende hold the device.

"I saw it first on Planet Namek, then a few times on Earth," he said, as he looked it over. "It's a remarkable invention."

He clicked the button on the top of the device, and its screen then displayed the Dragon Balls that had already been gathered.

"Yep, all seven of them are right there in that cluster," Cell said, as he looked at the device. _[Author's Note: While it could theoretically take many years without the use of a Dragon Radar to find all of a set's seven Dragon Balls, the idea of the Nameks having gathered all the Dragon Balls of New Namek in the weeks, months, or even years before Cell and Trunks had talked with them is consistent with canon. In uncut DBZ episode 283, "Earth Reborn," the Nameks had already gathered all seven of New Namek's Dragon Balls in advance of being informed that off-world travelers wanted to use them. As Moori suggests in this episode that the Nameks wanted to be more cautious regarding potential future threats, exemplified by his statement from the Funimation dub that "after that Frieza debacle we restyled the Dragon Balls and increased Porunga's power" to enable Porunga to bring multiple people back to life with one wish, it is entirely conceivable that the Nameks would have found it to be rational and tactically advantageous to gather the Dragon Balls of New Namek way in advance of a need to use them arising.]_

"Your mother must be really smart to have created something like this," Dende said, as he turned off the radar and handed it back to Trunks.

"Most definitely," Trunks said. "I've got to tell you, Dende, I've been looking forward to this my entire life."

"It's amazing that the horror which had engulfed your planet for so long was even allowed to come to pass," Dende said. "So many heroes who saved our people from destruction died in the most unjust and cruel of fashions, and the planet they had given their lives to protect suffered under the tyranny of despots who were even more wicked than that devil Frieza. While all this had happened on Earth, we had lived a rather serene and trite life on this planet, becoming stronger in our minds and spirits and watching the youngest ones among us grow. I was so taken aback a few weeks ago when I finally met you and when you told me the extent of what happened that part of my meditations over the past many days focused on forgiveness for the fact we did not help you in your years of need."

Trunks put a hand on Dende's shoulder.

"Hey man, it's not your fault you didn't know," he said. "Mom told me that she'd lost the ability to contact you many years ago when a device she had hoped to use was instead destroyed. She was never able to remake that device, but you know what, don't blame yourself. The only ones who deserve the blame for what happened to Earth are the androids and their creator. And now, all the evil ones are gone."

"Good riddance to the evil," Cell said, being careful with his words, as he still felt sorry for not having had the opportunity to reform 17 and 18. But that was in the past, and now, he was looking forward to the brighter future ahead.

"For everything, … for everything we could have done but which we'd never had the chance to do to help you, let a new dawn start today," Dende said, as he briefly looked to the tranquil sky. "As I told you before, the extent of what you want to do with your wishes will be beyond what you'd initially hoped."

"Most definitely," Trunks said. "And it's not just because of the skills you've gained. When Cell and I found Mr. Popo, he was timid after years of relative isolation, but he was very eager to be of service, especially because he knows whom we're bringing back. The Lookout was a mess though, and not because of anything Popo had done to it. Apparently, the androids had their way with the place, although it is still intact enough that it can still float in the air."

"Most importantly, they didn't destroy the dragon model," Cell said. _[Author's Note: In uncut DBZ episode 163, "Dende's Dragon," it was shown that an eternal dragon that is associated with a set of Dragon Balls is also linked to a corresponding stone statue of the dragon (dragon model) that can be modified to adjust that dragon's powers. It is also mentioned in this episode that the process of reformatting Dragon Balls takes a lot less time if the dragon model is still intact as opposed to being broken.] _

"And that will certainly make things much easier," Dende said. "After all, if the two of you are indeed correct and my version from the alternate past was able to do this, then I should have relatively no trouble at all!"

"As we discussed, Dende, before we summon Porunga I'd like you to briefly come back to Earth with me," Cell said. "Think of it as a taste of what's to come."

"Well, I remember of the beauty of Earth from all those years ago, and I'm looking forward to it," Dende said.

Cell placed a hand on Dende's shoulder.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Let's do it," Dende said as the two of them dissipated from view.

Moori sighed.

"I trained him for many years, looking forward to the day that his gifted talents would be able to do more for our people than I ever could," he said, as he closed his eyes and humbly recollected.

He then smiled, and opened his eyes, looking at Trunks.

"But he will serve the universe even better on Earth," Moori said. "After all, I can keep both jobs for a while until another acquires the necessary skills."

"Before you had informed us that your role as overseer of your people and your role as overseer of the Dragon Balls were separate, I had thought that the two roles were one in the same!" Trunks said. "But it makes sense."

"Indeed it does," Moori said. "Remember, Planet Namek underwent a great cataclysm many years ago, and every Namek on this new planet of ours right now is a descendant of Grand Elder Guru. Because there are so few of us, relatively speaking, there haven't been many people who have acquired either the skills, or in the case of my main job the age, to fit the job descriptions of these two roles. When Guru passed away, and may his memory be forever blessed, he transferred both roles to me. But they're not inseparable. I am the current grand elder of our people, and I am also the keeper of Porunga, as Dende had been training to one day become. Of course, Dende would not have been old enough to have assumed both roles, and I likely would have remained the grand elder until I found it suitable to pass on the title to someone older than Dende, as I will still most likely do. But with this in mind, I understand that this delineation is advantageous to your plan."

"It most certainly is," Trunks said. "Dende is modifying the dragon model of Shenron right now so that way the Dragon Balls on Earth won't automatically activate and cease their state of inertia when we bring back Piccolo and Kami with our first wish using New Namek's set of Dragon Balls. Piccolo and Kami will return at the same time because they comprise a dual-spirit, and I've been told that it only took one wish for the two of them to come back to life when a wish was made with this very set of Dragon Balls all those years ago during the battle against Frieza. But it makes sense, given the fact that your two roles are not inseparable that Kami's wouldn't be inseparable either. At the time he died, he, like you are now, was both the overseer of a planet's people and the overseer of a set of Dragon Balls. We also know that there were many guardians of Earth before Kami, and they certainly didn't have any responsibilities over the Dragon Balls because the Dragon Balls of Earth had not yet been created. We don't plan on asking Kami to step down as guardian, as that would be not only highly improper, but extremely unnecessary. It's not his fault Piccolo got killed by the androids when Piccolo was doing the best he could to save the Earth. But to avoid activating the Dragon Balls right when the two of them return to life, ... that's why Dende's there right now. He can make them stronger, but in order to make sure he can successfully modify that set of Dragon Balls and the dragon model of Shenron after Piccolo and Kami are revived, the Dragon Balls of Earth need to be inert. Then, when Kami returns, we're assuming that Kami will not have a problem with transferring his role as keeper of Shenron to Dende. After he does that, Dende will be able to properly modify the Dragon Balls, which he can't do now since someone else is still the keeper of that set. As guardian of Earth, it's in Kami's nature to want what's best for the planet, and since Kami does not have the knowledge with which to substantially improve the Earth's Dragon Balls and Dende does have that knowledge, it would be hard to believe that Kami would not agree to this. Although you know what? Maybe he'll even offer Dende his other job too, if he feels that Dende is up to it! I mean, he supposedly offered the job to Goku once, and with Dende's superior skills, I'm sure he'd make a great guardian in this timeline too if he is ever given the chance!" _[Author's Note: Kami offers Goku the opportunity to become Earth's guardian in uncut episode 148 of the Dragon Ball anime, "The Victor."]_

"There's no question that Dende's got a lot of leadership potential. I see that potential in his words and actions all the time," Moori said. "It's a shame, though, that despite your best efforts to contact Kami and Piccolo that you've been unable to confirm this plan with them."

"That's a whole problem in and of itself that we haven't been able to resolve, but hey, if either Piccolo or Kami were watching us now or listening in through hanging out with the North Kai or one of the other deities up there, they could have easily communicated to us by now," Trunks said. "I've been alive in this timeline for around 19 years. I haven't been contacted by anyone from beyond the grave yet, despite the fact I know that in the past of both this timeline and the other that I was recently in, the North Kai at times communicated with the Z-Fighters or enabled deceased Z-Fighters to communicate with the mortal world through him. Believe me when I tell you that Cell, my mother and I wanted to run our plan by Kami and Piccolo, but it doesn't seem that we can!"

"You're doing the best you can, and I'm sure that when they return, they'll understand," Moori said.

"We want Kami to return not only so that he can pass his keepership on to Dende but so that he can have another chance at being Earth's guardian, a chance that was unfairly deprived from him," Trunks said. "But when Dende modifies the Dragon Balls … we'll have two wishes! Two whole wishes from Shenron in addition to the three we'll be offered by Porunga! It stinks though that neither you nor Dende know how to adjust a set of Dragon Balls so that there can be a mass revival wish that wouldn't be restricted by the limit that people can't be revived through such a wish if they've been dead for more than a year as defined by that set." _[Author's note: The idea of not even New Namek's Dragon Balls being able to revive people through a mass revival wish if those people were dead for more than one Namekian year is consistent with canon. The only example of a mass revival with New Namek's Dragon Balls in canon DBZ occurs in uncut Episode 283, "Earth Reborn," in which Porunga restores life to the people of Earth who had died since the start of the most recent world tournament, which had started less than a week beforehand. Dragon Ball GT, despite its debatable canonicity, offers no examples of such a wish. The mass revival wish in the Frieza Saga to revive everyone on Planet Namek originated from Shenron over the course of uncut episode 99, "Approaching Destruction" and uncut episode 100, "Gohan Returns."]_

"But if some who had been deceased for 20 of your years suddenly came back to life, wouldn't this potentially cause a psychological shock that could harm them quite severely?" Moori asked.

"Yeah, we thought of that, too. But don't worry, the folks from that far back who we're bringing back now will know what's happening when it happens," Trunks said. "And with the adjusted Dragon Balls, we'll-"

He was interrupted by Cell and Dende suddenly returning.

"I adjusted Shenron's dragon model, and now we can proceed," Dende said.

"You should have seen Popo, Trunks. He's absolutely ecstatic about all this," Cell said.

"I could imagine," Trunks said. "And as I was just about to say to Moori, I'm excited that even Earth's Dragon Balls will now have the ability to bring individual people back to life even if they've been dead for more than one year, thanks to Dende's enhanced skills."

"There's one thing, though, that as I told you before I'm sorry I won't be able to do, and it's simply because I'm not the one who actually made the set," Dende said. "The Earth's Dragon Balls still won't be able to wish someone back to life who was already revived with the Earth's Dragon Balls, or any set of Dragon Balls, for that matter." _[Author's Note: Whether or not the Earth's Dragon Balls in canon DBZ would be able to wish on an individual basis someone who had already been brought back to life with New Namek's Dragon Balls but not the Earth's Dragon Balls remains somewhat unclear, as such a wish is never made in canon. As the restriction for Earth's Dragon Balls is often commonly referred to as "not being able to revive someone who has already been wished back once," it will be assumed in this chapter that for the purposes of an individual revival, the Earth's Dragon Balls, even after Dende's modifications, would not be able to revive someone who had already been wished back with any set of Dragon Balls.]_

"For our purposes, though, that will be fine," Trunks said. "The most important thing is that everything's now good to go."

"So, my friends, let's take a brief walk to the Dragon Balls," Moori said, beckoning them to follow him.

They walked for no more than two minutes, and within a standard Namekian storage building of modest size, all seven of the Dragon Balls of New Namek had been gathered.

"There are few things in the universe that are quite as picturesque as seven Dragon Balls gathered together," Cell said, marveling at their glistening shine.

"It'll be an even better sight when we summon Porunga!" Dende said, as he picked up the three-star ball and the five-star ball and began to carry them outside.

Trunks carried the one-star ball and the seven-star ball, while Cell carried the two-star ball and the four-star ball. Moori carried the six-star ball, and as the others had done, he placed the ball on a patch of ground outside the village.

Almost all the Nameks of the village had gathered around the Dragon Balls to watch the spectacle that was about to occur.

Even though most among them had witnessed at least one summoning before, the opportunity to witness a summoning was often regarded as a matter of honor and pride for the heritage of their people, and for some, it was a sign of inherent patriotism to want to take part in the special event.

As Dende prepared to call forth the dragon, Cell spoke up.

"Before we summon Porunga, I think it would be wise for us to try contacting King Kai one more time, just to see if we can," Cell said.

"We've tried that so many times, Cell. You think that now it will suddenly work?" Trunks asked.

"We're about to summon an eternal dragon, so yes, maybe we'll have a better chance of making contact if King Kai or someone else up there feels that now would be a particularly good time to reach out to us," Cell said.

"Well, let's try it," Trunks said. "Hey!" he shouted, up toward the sky, "if you can hear us over there in Otherworld, let us know!"

They waited for many seconds, but still, no heavenly sound.

"Let's try raising our power levels one more time; maybe that will work," Cell said.

Trunks and Cell intensified their power levels, with Trunks even temporarily powering up to his Ultra Super Saiyan sub-form and Cell powering up to his equivalent of that sub-form.

They were each tens of times stronger than Goku had been when he had fought Frieza in the dying skies of Planet Namek more than 20 years ago.

While the North Kai had readily spoken with Goku then, Trunks and Cell, even with the good intentions they had brought to the successor homeworld of the Nameks, still heard nothing.

"We shouldn't have expected much," Trunks said, as he powered down back to his basic state.

Cell powered down as well.

"Let me try one more thing," Cell said.

Cell brought his right index finder to his forehead, and closed his eyes. He tried as best as he could to concentrate on their power levels. He had tried it before, and he was trying it again.

Still, nothing.

"It was worth one more try," Cell said, as he took note of the rather humble expression on Trunks' face. "After all, if Goku could use instant transmission to go to Otherworld from the normal world of the living, then it must be possible, somehow, to get there." [_Author's Note: An example of Goku traveling to Otherworld in this fashion occurs in uncut DBZ episode 162, "A New Guardian," when Goku instant transmits to King Kai/the North Kai's planet in Otherworld to ask for his help in locating New Namek._]

"We'll have to go with our gut," Trunks said.

"It appears so," Cell said. "Dende, whenever you're ready."

"Right," Dende said. "Are you sure I will be able to have the honor of doing this, Moori?"

"Consider it practice for when you get to Earth, kiddo!" Moori said, laughingly. "Go ahead!"

"Alright," Dende said as he prepared himself, holding his hands out and bringing forth the depths of his energy from within.

He spoke in the Namekian language for the summoning, although Cell, through the knowledge he had inherited, was able to understand the translation.

[Translated] "Eternal dragon, by your name, I summon you forth, Porunga!"

The seven Dragon Balls emanated a brilliant shining light of gold that Nameks continued to revere. The combined light twinkled for a moment, then cascaded upward into a single pillar of golden energy. The eternal dragon rose from the boundaries of infinity, and upon taking his miraculous and awe-inspiring form, Porunga looked upon those who had gathered, as his golden aura shimmered.

"WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME?" Porunga asked, in his stentorian voice. "MAKE YOUR FIRST WISH, AND I WILL GRANT IT!"

The moment had finally arrived.

Trunks was ready to begin the rest of his life.

"Dende! Tell the eternal dragon that we'd like to wish the dual-spirit of Piccolo and Kami back to life!" Trunks yelled, in a quite joyous manner.

Dende relayed the wish, and the dragon's eyes glowed.

Porunga contemplated all that had to be considered in making a wish come true, and he coalesced the necessary forces to make it so.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!"

* * *

On Earth, moments later, he reappeared atop the Lookout, to the paramount excitement of the other who was present.

"…Kami? Is that really you?" Mr. Popo asked.

Kami turned to face him, and warmly smiled.

"I don't know how exactly, but it would appear I've somehow returned, Mr. Popo!" he said, right before he briefly paused to once again smell the calm air of early Summer. "It's so good to see you, my friend."

Popo reveled in the joy of the moment, and as a gesture of his friendship, he quickly ran inside what remained of the chambers on top of the Lookout to acquire the guardian's staff that he had kept with him in the hope that even a genie's wishes could come true.

* * *

Elsewhere on Earth, another had returned.

He looked around and saw the desolation and rubble that had managed to endure for far too long.

'I'm … back?' he thought to himself, as he continued to survey his surroundings.

Suddenly, another being appeared in front of him.

He had a cheerful expression, although he looked quite unlike anyone he had ever met.

"Who are you? What is going on?" Piccolo asked the stranger, who calmly stood his ground.

"Well, that answers more than one question I'd had about what you were able to observe in Otherworld," Cell said, as he continued to do his best to seem welcoming. "Piccolo, you've been wished back to life with the Dragon Balls on New Namek."

Piccolo didn't know whether to be relieved or apprehensive.

"So, … I'm back? This isn't just some delusional dream?" he asked.

"Back in the world of the living!" Cell said.

"You didn't answer my question from before. Who are you?" Piccolo asked.

"My name is Cell, and when you're up for it, I've got quite a bit of a story to tell you," he said. "But I'm sure you have many questions. And here are some answers. Yes, Androids 17 and 18 have been destroyed. And yes, you were brought back to life so that we could also bring Kami back to life and use the Dragon Balls of Earth."

Piccolo reacted to this news with somewhat of a perplexed expression.

After all, this was all so sudden.

One year earlier, the last time he had looked upon Earth from the heavens above, 17 and 18 had been tormenting the Earth with the insanity of their vile fervor.

It had been bad enough that Gohan had been killed too, and Trunks, while not succeeding, had been doing his very best.

He had asked King Kai to intervene so many times, but … oh, the stories he could tell.

"Who defeated them? You?" Piccolo asked.

"Actually, you'd be excited to hear that it was Trunks," Cell said. "That is, if you even knew that Trunks was still alive."

"Of course I knew that Trunks was still alive!" Piccolo said. "But you wouldn't be here with me if there wasn't something that you wanted. And I still don't understand why you wasted a wish bringing me and Kami back with Porunga if all you're going to get out of Shenron is a single wish. However, maybe you brought us back because you want to revive a bunch of people at once, but then again, I'm not sure what you're up to."

"As I will tell you again after I've had the chance to talk with you more, I learned the instant transmission technique from Goku," Cell said.

This particular statement caused Piccolo to become wide-eyed.

"You … what? But how?" Piccolo asked, with a strong tone of uncertainty.

"I'll explain everything. But for now, we're going to be taking a trip to New Namek, alright?"

Piccolo wondered if he should believe what he had been told.

He had no empirical evidence to back up much of what Cell had said, and for all he knew, Cell could have just been some additional trap that had been set by Dr. Gero.

But, for better or for worse, he complied.

"Alright, I'll go with you," Piccolo said, as he placed his right palm on Cell's left shoulder.

"Dende's been looking forward to this," Cell said, causing Piccolo to wonder exactly how Cell had come to know that name.

* * *

_In an alternate past … _

The sun was setting, and the day had been a fulfilling one.

Goku had already placed the day's harvest inside the storage shed, and he decided that it was time to relax for the evening.

He opened the front door to his family's home, and the aroma of the impending dinner impressed him even more than it had when he'd been outside.

He went to the living room and sat down in a comfortable chair that had once belonged to Ox-King.

He briefly closed his eyes, then heard the footsteps of his wife as she began to leave the kitchen and walk toward him.

He opened his eyes, then grabbed a picture that had been encased in a standup frame that had been on a table to the right of the chair.

It was a picture of him, Chi-Chi, and Gohan that had been taken when Gohan had been much younger.

Those had been good days, and Gohan had done many more amazing things that had made Goku so very proud.

Chi-Chi entered the living room, and smiled at her husband as she continued to walk toward him.

"Phew! It's been a long day, hasn't it?" she asked, as she tenderly stepped on the wooden floor.

Goku sat up a bit and placed the picture frame on the table.

"Yeah," he said. "Gohan's probably going to be back with some fish in about an hour or so."

"He can take his time," she said, as she slightly bent forward and kissed Goku on his left check.

Goku smiled, then corralled her waist with his left arm and lifted her up and onto his lap, causing her to giggle.

He kissed her on her right cheek, then placed both of his hands on her stomach.

"Any thoughts?" he asked.

She smiled, and in doing so she reflected a sense of ambient warmth.

"We'll know soon enough," she said, as she then placed her hands on top of where Goku had placed his.

He smiled even more in a pleasant grin, and he kissed her again.

"Some things in life are truly magical," he said, as he nuzzled his head next to hers. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Twenty-Six: With Piccolo's revival, Trunks and Cell are even more energized to commence with their upcoming wishes. But will Piccolo's concerns about their proposed third wish end up making Trunks and Cell change their plans? Stay tuned!_

_AND YES, THIS WILL BE A THREE-PART SEASON FINALE! OH YEAH! _

_I had initially planned on writing a two-chapter finale for Season Two as I had done for Season One, but I eventually decided that there was a lot more that should be included in this season finale to give it the desirable depth and quality that I believe my readers deserve. _

_And so, as this chapter, Chapter 25, was released on Friday, March 11, at 11:15p.m. EST, Chapter 26 (Part 2) will be released on Saturday, March 12 by 5:00p.m. EST [10:00p.m. UTC/GMT] and CHAPTER 27 (PART 3) WILL BE RELEASED ON SUNDAY, MARCH 13 BY 5:00P.M. EST [10:00p.m. UTC/GMT]!_

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Twenty-Five: (Completed 3/11/2011)_


	27. XXVI: Anticipation

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Anticipation (Season Two Finale! - Part Two of Three)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

The sky of New Namek had been darkened because of Porunga's summoning, but in the immediate vicinity of the dragon, a golden shine illuminated the faces of all who had gathered.

Suddenly, Cell reappeared with Piccolo, to the delight of many of Piccolo's fellow Nameks.

It had been many years since Dende had seen Piccolo, and Dende had been looking forward to this wish, in particular.

Dende ran over to Piccolo, while Piccolo looked not only at him, but at all the many Nameks who were present, and also at the miraculous form of Porunga above.

"You may not recognize me after all the time that has passed, but I'm Dende!" he said, as he stopped in front of Piccolo. "Nail, are you still in there?"

Piccolo slightly grinned, as if to signify that Dende was indeed correct.

"It looks like you've grown up a bit, kid," he said, as he placed his right hand on Dende's left shoulder.

Dende didn't know for sure whether it was more Piccolo or Nail who had made that statement, but he welcomed it even so.

"YOU HAVE BEEN MAKING ME WAIT FOR AN UNUSUALLY LONG TIME. MAKE YOUR SECOND WISH!" Porunga said, bellowing with his reverberating tone.

"Please! These are unusual circumstances, great dragon!" Dende said, shouting upward toward the dragon above. "We humbly ask for your patience!"

"I DO NOT DESIRE TO WAIT MUCH LONGER," Porunga said. "YOU HAVE, HOWEVER, WISELY INFORMED ME OF THE NEED TO TAKE SOME TIME. MAKE YOUR CONSIDERATIONS, SO THAT I MAY GRANT YOUR WISHES."

"It appears we'll have to move with a bit more haste," Cell said. "So who wants to fill Piccolo in, Trunks? You, or me?"

"I'll make it fast," Trunks said.

"As I told Cell before, the last time I looked upon the Earth to see what was happening was around one year ago," Piccolo said. "It appears that a lot has happened since then."

"That would be an understatement," Trunks said.

Piccolo listened intently as Trunks conveyed the major elements of what had transpired. There were numerous points in Trunks' explanation in which Piccolo looked at Cell with disgust and deep suspicion, and Cell felt great shame whenever this happened.

"And so now, here we are," Trunks said, letting Piccolo have a few moments to take it all in.

Piccolo noticed that Cell looked forlorn.

"Cell, I commend you for wanting to remain a good person, and you did the right thing by making that wish to solidify yourself in goodness," Piccolo said.

Cell became slightly livelier, but he was still quite despondent. Hearing about all the horrible things he had done, and being reminded about them, was an unpleasant experience, even after recognizing all the good he had been striving to do since then to atone for the past.

"I never want to be evil again, Piccolo," Cell said. "You're even better than me, since you've become a better person through consciously choosing to reject your old ways. I've been lucky because of an accident."

"Good accidents have been known to happen," Piccolo said. "But let's get to the matter at hand. You brought me here so that I could advise you on the status of what everyone's been up to in Otherworld, and if they'd even want to come back after all this time, right?"

"That's right," Trunks said. "We're eventually going to wish all our friends back who want to come back, and we'll be able to accomplish that sooner rather than later since the Dragon Balls of New Namek will be active again after 130 Earth days. But before we wish them back at all, and especially for today, we wanted to consult with you about what's been happening up there."

"Most of us have been training so we could get stronger, should we ever have the chance to see action again," Piccolo said. "We were mainly doing it, though, to just improve ourselves as much as we could. It was a horrible feeling, knowing that you and Gohan were down here alone, having to fight those monsters without us being able to do anything to help you."

Trunks had been waiting to ask his next question for far too long.

"How has Gohan been, Piccolo?" Trunks asked. "Please tell me he's been doing well."

"Considering that he's currently dead, he's been doing about as good as he could be," Piccolo said. "Gohan was incredibly pissed after he had died because he knew that he'd no longer be on Earth to help you fight the androids. You'd be pleased to know that he asked King Kai on numerous occasions if he could return to Earth to join the fight again. Every one of us who was able to ask him did so repeatedly. At one point, I was asking him close to every day if I could return. He never let us, though. Apparently, the kais and King Yemma have a policy of not directly interfering in the affairs of the mortal universe unless there's a universal threat that they feel absolutely needs to be taken care of or if one of the students that they trained is in the mortal realm and needs guidance. In the case of Goku battling Frieza, both those conditions applied, and King Kai readily assisted Goku and communicated with him during that battle. Unfortunately, and to the continued disgust of all of us, the kais and King Yemma didn't regard the androids as a threat to the entire universe. They thought, based on the androids' actions, that they would stay on Earth, and so since they were not regarded as a threat to the universe, our repeated requests to come back and help you were not fulfilled." _[Author's Note: There is an extended author's note directly after the main content of this chapter which explains in detail how Piccolo's description of King Kai's policy regarding intervention in the mortal universe is consistent with established canon.]_

"You don't know how much it means to me, though, that you all tried so much to help," Trunks said. "You gave your lives to fight for the Earth. The least I could have done was to do the most I possibly could with mine. And now that I know you were all trying, even in death, to do all you could to help, I am more grateful than I've ever been."

"You're a noble warrior, Trunks," Piccolo said. "And as I said before, even though King Kai didn't let us come back or communicate with you, at the very least we were able to see how you were doing. For the most part, we've only done that infrequently, as we've spent a great deal of time training and doing other things in the afterlife. Now, though, is a new day."

"Hey guys, we should really decide on who we're going to wish back with the second wish," Dende said. "Remember, if someone's been wished back already, we should especially utilize this next wish for them, although I suppose, given the other wishes you intend to make, that we could also wish for someone who hasn't been revived yet to come back."

Piccolo then gained a key insight into the plan.

"I see, so even though both sets of Dragon Balls have the capacity to make mass revival wishes, we're using the Earth's set for that since this set can individually wish someone back to life even if they've been dead for more than a year, whereas the Earth's set, even after the upcoming modifications, won't be able to do that," Piccolo said.

"That's exactly right," Dende said.

"You still haven't told me what the third wish is going to be for, and before we talk about the second, let's talk about that one," Piccolo said. "I want to know what we're dealing with here."

Trunks smiled.

"We're going to be wishing my father back with that one!" Trunks said, in a decidedly upbeat tone.

Piccolo then looked quite concerned, and didn't immediately make a verbal response.

Trunks had not been expecting this.

"Is … something the matter?" Trunks asked, somewhat nervously.

"I'll have a few things to say about that, but let's make the second wish first," Piccolo said. "So you haven't yet decided who you wanted to bring back with this wish?"

"We didn't know for sure until quite recently that we were definitely going to be making this wish today," Cell said. "We didn't want to be overly discriminatory and biased with regards to who we were going to wish back first, although, I think it's pretty reasonable that we decided to reserve two of our upcoming wishes for the two particular folks we're bringing back with them."

"I agree, it's pretty reasonable, and Trunks," Piccolo began to say, as he turned toward him, "I don't think anyone would fault you for wanting to make sure they'd come back this time around. I know I'm not one to be overly critical of this, especially since I benefited from also having a wish reserved for me."

"Thanks, Piccolo," Trunks said. "So guys, who are we going to bring back with this one?"

"Out of everyone else, Yajirobe's the only one who was never brought back with the Dragon Balls," Piccolo said. "Tien and Yamcha were both previously revived with this set here on New Namek, and Krillin and Chiaotzu have been revived with both this set and the set on Earth."

"Can you tell us about what everyone's been up to, though?" Cell asked. "Do you feel that any of them don't want to come back after all this time?"

"Tien and Chiaotzu are not going to want to come back without the other, and so you might as well wait until next time around to bring them back," Piccolo said. "Yajirobe's actually been quite content up there, and Yamcha has also adjusted quite well. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, he's in the middle of a months-long training session right now with some of the other fighters in Otherworld."

"And Krillin?" Trunks asked.

"Krillin … well, let's put it this way. He still deeply regrets, probably more than everyone else we've mentioned, that he didn't accomplish all in his life that he wanted to do," Piccolo said. "He talks about it somewhat often, actually. He might just be the guy we should revive."

"What do you think, Trunks?" Cell asked.

"Are you sure he would want this?" Trunks asked.

"I think it would be best for him," Piccolo said. "It would help him in a lot of ways, and even if he doesn't show it at first, he'll appreciate it."

"Alright, then one more thing," Trunks said. "Dende, are you sure you're going to be able to use the fourth wish to bring back people on Earth and Harfava, and that we won't need two separate wishes for that?"

"I've never heard of the Dragon Balls being used to make a mass revival wish that would revive people on multiple planets, but I would be shocked if it wasn't possible," Dende said. "Especially with the modifications I'm going to make to Shenron, we should really be good to go on that."

"Okay Dende, let's make this second wish happen!" Trunks said. "Let's bring Krillin back to life!"

Dende translated the wish into the Namekian language, and Porunga's eyes glowed again.

"YOUR SECOND WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!"

* * *

He suddenly found himself on Earth, wondering what had happened as Piccolo had done earlier.

He had just been in the middle of a sparring match with a fighter from the East Quadrant of the North Galaxy, and now, he was … home?

"Is this really Earth?" he asked aloud, looking all around him.

As was common with revivals through the Dragon Balls, he had been revived where he had died. And as had been the case with Piccolo, the city where he'd fought against 17 and 18 almost two decades ago was still in shambles.

"Maybe I'm having some sort of strange nightmare," he said to himself.

Just then, Cell exited from his instant transmission, right in front of him.

"Yep, I'm definitely having some sort of nightmare," Krillin said after seeing Cell.

"How are you, Krillin?" Cell asked.

"Fine. And how are you, nightmare guy?"

"Um … anyway, as you might have guessed, you've been wished back to life."

"But the Dragon Balls-"

"The ones on New Namek," Cell said, interrupting him.

A realization came to Krillin.

"Oh, I get it now," Krillin said. "So this isn't a dream after all."

"It's real, and you're alive," Cell said. "My name is Cell, by the way," Cell said as he held out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, um, … Cell," Krillin said, as he shook Cell's hand in kind.

Before Krillin understood what was happening, Cell decided to be somewhat mischievous and laughed to himself as he used the opportunity of their contact to instant transmit back to New Namek.

The two of them vanished from the scene, as the winds of Earth rustled with growing vitality.

* * *

Moments later, they reappeared right next to Trunks.

"What the … oh, … it's another planet full of Piccolos," Krillin said as he looked at all the Nameks who had gathered. "Oh, and there's another familiar sight from Planet Namek, the big guy himself!"

He withdrew his hand from Cell's grip, and pointed up at Porunga for a moment.

"I never get tired of seeing those guys," he said of Porunga and Shenron.

Trunks walked over to Krillin, and offered his hand.

"Do you know who I am, Krillin?" he asked.

Krillin smiled.

"You're Vegeta's kid, right? Yeah, you've grown up a bit since I was last alive, Trunks!" Krillin said, as he shook Trunks' hand. "The last time I saw you in action through King Kai's powers was a little bit after Gohan had died. Man was he pissed."

"You'd also be glad to know that I defeated the androids," Trunks said.

"You defeated the androids? Hah! Awesome!" Krillin said, as he held up his hand. "Give me five, bro!"

Trunks did, and Krillin was overjoyed.

In all the excitement, Krillin hadn't noticed that Piccolo was there, but he certainly noticed him now.

"So they wished you back too, eh Piccolo?" Krillin rhetorically asked.

"We're going to be able to wish for even more stuff now that Kami's also alive," Piccolo said. "Krillin, they want to bring Vegeta back to life with our remaining wish from Porunga."

Krillin paused, and looked uneasy.

"Will one of you please tell me why you're so hesitant to bring my father back to life?" Trunks asked. "Spit it out, already."

He was clearly tense, but he had every right to be.

He had never had the chance to truly meet his father in this timeline, … his father in every sense of the word.

It wasn't that he didn't consider the version of Vegeta he had met in the past to be his father. In fact, he valued and respected that version of Vegeta to an extreme degree, and truly did care about him.

But the fact remained that he'd never truly known his father from his own timeline, and that it was this particular version of Vegeta whom had actually been with his mother and had helped conceive him.

This version of Vegeta had died trying to protect him and his mother before Trunks was truly capable of conscious thought.

He wanted to finally meet him.

"Trunks, it isn't so simple," Piccolo said.

"Why, what isn't so simple?" Trunks asked, somewhat angrily.

"Look, after Vegeta died all those years ago, he wasn't allowed to keep his body like the rest of us," Piccolo said.

The news hit Trunks like a fist to the face from Android 17.

"…what?" Trunks weakly asked.

"In order for a person to keep their body after they've died, they need to have either been really good or really bad, and Vegeta was neither of these," Piccolo said. "It's strange, I know, but that's how it works. Most of us kept our bodies because we were selflessly defending others for a good portion of our lives. I've been somewhat of an exception, I'll admit, since I was able to retain my body because I share a dual-spirit with Kami. It's my understanding that Frieza, for instance, was also allowed to keep his body in hell because of how evil he is, but I haven't taken the trip down there to see him." _[Author's Note: This description of what happened to Vegeta is consistent with canon. In uncut DBZ episode 237, "Final Atonement," Vegeta asks Piccolo right before he sacrifices himself, "Tell me, will I meet that clown Kakarot in the Otherworld?" Piccolo responds in the following way: "I'm not going to lie to you, Vegeta, although the answer may be difficult for you to hear. This is the truth. Goku devoted his life to protecting the lives of others. Because of his selflessness, when he died, he was allowed to keep his body and travel to King Kai's planet. You, on the other hand, have spent your life in pursuit of your own selfish desires; you've caused too much pain. When you die, you will not receive the same reward." This dialogue is from the Funimation dub. Extended Note #2 after the main content of this chapter elaborates upon this point.]_

"Piccolo's leaving something important out, Trunks," Krillin said. "Because Vegeta hadn't been allowed to keep his body, he hasn't been fully conscious since he died. I know it's hard to accept, but unlike the rest of us, Vegeta wasn't able to look at the Earth from above while you were growing up. I'm sorry to say that this is so. And because he isn't truly conscious now, as he's in a generic spirit form, if we were to wish him back, he wouldn't have much of any recollection that 18 years have passed since the day he died. Are you sure you want to wish him back like that, now that you know this?"

Trunks didn't know what to say.

He had been hoping for this more than anything else, and now, he didn't know how to feel.

Would it be cruel to revive his father now, after 18 years of his existence had, for many purposes, not even existed?

His mother had been looking forward to this too … and she had no idea that what had happened to Vegeta had come to pass.

She had assumed, as Trunks had, that Vegeta would have been conscious of the last 18 years and that he would have potentially looked down from above to see how they were doing.

He never had, because he never could.

Trunks had battled against the androids all those years thinking in his mind, and believing in his heart, that Vegeta was watching, and rooting him on.

None of that had truly been the case at all, it seemed.

If only he'd thought of this before, then maybe when he and Cell …

Wait a minute.

"Did you know about this?" Trunks angrily asked Cell, with the intensity of his troubled and disappointed voice readily apparent.

Cell sighed.

"I wasn't sure about it, Trunks," Cell said. "I didn't know if this would be the case, and I didn't want to make you and Bulma upset for no reason, especially since it very well could have been that-"

"You should have told us that this could have been the case!" Trunks said, as he grabbed Cell, and started to shake him, to the dismay of all the others who were there. "I feel like I've been lied to! I don't know what to do!"

Moori tapped Trunks on his right shoulder from behind.

Trunks turned to see him.

"Calm down, Trunks. Cell was just trying to do what he felt would be in your best interests," Moori said. "It seems that he was just trying to be a good friend. Let him go."

Trunks stared coldly into Cell's eyes, then released him from his grip.

"I'm sorry," he said to Cell, although in a disgruntled way.

"It's alright," Cell said. "I still think it would be a good idea to wish Vegeta back though, Trunks."

Trunks' mood changed quickly.

"…you do?"

"Well, wouldn't it be better for him to be conscious again and to be with his family, than for him to not have the opportunity to experience these things?" Cell asked. "He's your father. He fought against the androids in part because he wanted to keep on being your father. Let's wish him back. It's time to move forward, not look back."

Trunks thought to himself for many moments about this.

"Dende, it's time," Trunks said.

Dende smiled, knowing what was to come.

"Tell Porunga that we'd like to wish for my father to come back to life!"

Dende relayed the wish to Porunga, and the eternal dragon's eyes glowed.

"YOUR THIRD WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Porunga said, as a slight smile came to Trunks' face while a small tear trickled forth from his right eye. "NOW, I SHALL SLUMBER ONCE MORE!"

Porunga's image dissipated, and the Dragon Balls of New Namek, after giving off one last golden spark of brilliance, ascended from the ground and then spread to the far corners of the planet.

The darkness in the sky faded, and the charming hue of green was restored.

All stood motionlessly for a moment.

Then, Dende spoke up.

"I believe it's time to begin the second part of our plan," he said.

"Absolutely," Trunks said.

"Take care, Dende," Moori said, as he shook Dende's hand and bid him farewell.

Dende said his other goodbyes, and he then grabbed ahold of Krillin's left hand.

Krillin was next to Cell on his left, while Trunks was next to Cell on his right and Piccolo grabbed Trunks' right hand.

Cell had to take a moment to sense him.

But he was there.

The five of them departed the scene …

* * *

… and reappeared on Earth, right in front of him.

He was spellbound, to say the least.

From his perspective, it had only been mere moments since he had been fighting Android 17.

But he had noticed that he was no longer in his Super Saiyan state, and that the time of day seemed to have suddenly changed.

He could not readily tell what happened, but he felt that something seemed to be amiss.

He thought he had been on the verge of death … but now, the five of them had suddenly appeared, and that android was nowhere to be seen.

"Krillin, … and Piccolo? What's going on?" Vegeta asked.

"It's a long story, Vegeta," Piccolo said.

Vegeta then turned his attention to the others.

"You must also be a Namek, but who are the two of you? Where is that blasted android, anyway?"

"They're gone," Trunks said, as he approached Vegeta. "They're history."

"Gone?" Vegeta asked, showing that he was taken aback. "But I was just fighting one of them!"

Trunks didn't entirely know what to say, but he decided that it would be best, in any case, for his father to know the truth.

"Vegeta, we revived you with the Dragon Balls on the new homeworld of the Nameks," Trunks said.

Thoughts raced wildly in Vegeta's mind, and he stepped back, mouth agape, trying to think of what might have happened.

"…How long?" Vegeta asked.

Trunks looked confused.

"What?"

"How long has it been since I was last alive?"

Trunks briefly looked down at the ground, then answered his question.

"It's been 18 years."

Vegeta didn't know how to respond to that, and so he briefly turned to look at the sky in the other direction, then turned back around to face the one who had been addressing him.

"I think it will be best if the rest of us go to the Lookout so that we can consult with Kami," Cell said.

Trunks looked back toward Cell, and nodded.

Cell made sure the others were in contact with him, and they transmitted away from the scene.

It was just the two of them now, as the wind blew calmly past them.

"Who are you?" Vegeta asked, although something inside him made him feel as though this person should seem familiar.

"As a friend of mine once did for someone else, I'll do something now that will let you come to that conclusion yourself," Trunks said.

Trunks gathered his energy, and he powered up rapidly, showing Vegeta what he could do.

His hair sparked to a vibrancy of gold as Vegeta stepped back in awe, observing the other Super Saiyan with the keenest of earnest as the implications of these moments became all the more clear.

Trunks powered down, and let a few moments pass.

'A Super Saiyan,' Vegeta thought to himself. 'And not only is he wearing a jacket with the logo of the Capsule Corporation, but his hair is lavender, quite like hers …'

"You must be … my son," Vegeta said.

Trunks suddenly found himself unable to hold back his tears, and he ran forward to Vegeta, then hugged him in a vigorous embrace.

"I've missed you so much," Trunks said tearfully, as Vegeta found it within himself to hug his son back. "I destroyed the androids and stopped them from threatening us ever again."

A small smile came to Vegeta's face.

"You're a man now, Trunks, and it looks like you've already proven to the universe that you're an even better man than me," he said humbly.

Trunks was still a bit tearful, although he felt more joyous now than he had ever expected he would in all the dreams he'd ever had of this moment.

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Twenty-Seven: After the Dragon Balls of Earth are reactivated, Cell and Trunks lead the effort to search for them while Bulma and Vegeta meet again. Old friends from around the world are gathering for the fourth and fifth wishes, and heroes return to life, next, on Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip! _

_CHAPTER 27 (PART 3 OF THE SEASON TWO FINALE) WILL BE RELEASED ON SUNDAY, MARCH 13 BY 5:00P.M. EST [10:00p.m. UTC/GMT]!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

* * *

_Author's Extended Note: Piccolo's description of King Kai's policy regarding intervention in the mortal universe is consistent with established canon, and the full implication of this notion is that King Kai did not view the androids as a true threat to the mortal universe that he would work to stop through either fighting them himself or enabling deceased warriors to return to the mortal realm or enabling others to communicate with those in the mortal realm who were fighting with the androids or communicating with those in the mortal realm himself. In each instance in DBZ in which King Kai or the Supreme Kai or Old Kai or King Yemma offer the mortal universe their help, it is because there is either a threat to the entire mortal universe that they feel must be stopped or because they have trained a student and are helping that student succeed. King Kai was notably absent from action during the time period from Goku's battle against Android 19 to Cell's announcement that he would be hosting the Cell Games. However, in uncut DBZ episode 172, "A New Guardian," which occurs after Cell's announcement, Goku wakes King Kai up from the nap he was taking, and after he asks King Kai in the Funimation dub, "Don't you know about all the horrible things that are happening on Earth?" King Kai reacts as though he did not. While it is admittedly conceivable that King Kai did not help the Z-Fighters during that time because he had been sleeping and because he had been unaware of the situation, it's also hard to believe that Goku or Kami would not have consulted with him at all in the three year timespan between the end of the Trunks Saga and the start of the Androids Saga about the threat of the androids. Furthermore, Trunks never mentions in canon anything about King Kai helping him and/or Gohan in the alternate futures, and in "Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks," King Kai is not shown to have intervened despite the fact that the androids had been terrorizing Earth for more than 10 years._

_Author's Extended Note #2: There is a contradiction with DBZ's general rule for keeping one's body in the afterlife, however, which applies to Piccolo and which he makes mention of in this chapter. When Piccolo died and his heart was not extremely evil but not quite that of a truly benevolent hero, he was allowed to keep his body. An example of an episode in which Piccolo is seen in Otherworld with his body intact is uncut DBZ episode 55, "Piccolo vs. Everyone." This is a direct contradiction in DBZ canon with the statement Piccolo makes to Vegeta in Episode 237, as described in the author's note earlier in this chapter, and this contradiction is never reconciled in canon. However, it could be reconciled through the idea that Piccolo might have been allowed to keep his body since he was a dual-spirit with Kami, who not only had a pure heart and was of hero status but was recognized by Otherworld as a semi-diety due to his guardianship. Kami is shown to have at least a minor degree of authoritative standing in Otherworld in uncut DBZ episode 6, "No Time Like the Present," in which Kami is permitted to appear with Goku at the Check-In Station in Otherworld and speaks with King Yemma about the possibility of Goku training with King Kai._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

* * *

_Author's Super-Special-Secret Note: After Trunks had said to Dende in this chapter, "Tell Porunga that we'd like to wish for my father to come back to life," wouldn't it have been wild if I had decided to then have Yamcha suddenly appear on Earth? Oh man! _

_But enough of these notes; Chapter Twenty-Seven is up next!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	28. XXVII: Bliss

**Honor Trip**

**(Season II)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Bliss (Season Two Finale! - Part Three of Three)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

"I agree; it would be wise to enable you to become the keeper of Shenron," Kami said to Dende, who was preparing himself for what was to come. "In fact, I'm quite delighted that my successor for that role is going to be someone whose knowledge of the Dragon Balls surpasses mine."

Cell and Dende had explained the breadth of their plan to Kami, and Mr. Popo had shown fascination with the idea of working with not just two, but three Namekian protectors of Earth.

Piccolo had seen Kami somewhat often during their mutual time in Otherworld, and during that time, the two had developed a deeper respect for each other. It was why Piccolo had amiably greeted Kami after Cell had transmitted him and the others to the Lookout, and it was why he decided to bring up an important point.

"Kami, before you do this, are you sure it won't be detrimental to your abilities as the Earth's guardian to bequeath your role as keeper of Shenron?" Piccolo asked.

"On the contrary, Piccolo, I think I will be an even more effective guardian for having done this," Kami said. "Dende will enable the Dragon Balls of this planet to be even more bountiful, and this will help make the Earth an even better place. Besides, I'll be able to concentrate a bit more on my role as guardian now that I'll have Dende's help. This is an excellent idea. Dende, let's make this transition happen."

Cell watched as Kami and Dende meditated for a few moments, then ceased those meditations and positioned themselves across from one another.

"Dende, please give me your hand," Kami said, as Dende put his right hand forward. Kami's right hand clenched Dende's, and Kami let a few seconds pass, gathering his energy so that he could perform the ritual in the proper way.

A golden and mystic glow abruptly encompassed Dende, and the glow lasted for about five seconds before it dissipated from view.

"You're the keeper of Shenron now, Dende," Kami said, as he reflected in the significance of the moment. "I am confident that you will perform your duties as keeper well." _[Author's Note: The process portrayed here for transferring the role of keeper of an eternal dragon is the process that was portrayed in the only canon instance of a keepership being transferred, which was Grand Elder Guru's transfer of the role to Moori in uncut DBZ episode 105, "Mighty Blast of Rage." When Dende from the alternate past assumed the role of keeper in uncut DBZ episode 173, "Dende's Dragon," he did not need to undergo the transfer process since the former keeper, Kami, no longer existed either in the mortal realm or Otherworld as the entity he had been.]_

"Thank you, Kami," Dende said. "I'll start my obligation to perform those duties by boosting Shenron's power and the power of the Earth's Dragon Balls. Mr. Popo, where is the location of Shenron's dragon model?"

"I would be happy to show you, Dende," Popo said as he began to lead Dende toward the chambers atop the Lookout's surface platform.

Before Dende walked any further, however, Cell had a question for him.

"Dende, how long after you finish modifying Shenron's dragon model will the Earth's Dragon Balls become active again?" Cell asked. "I've been told that in the alternate past, it didn't take that long for the Dragon Balls to become usable again after your counterpart from that timeline adjusted the model."

"They should be revitalized rather quickly after I make the modification chant," Dende said. "I'd be surprised if it took longer than two minutes for me to modify Shenron and reawaken the Dragon Balls." _[Author's Note: In uncut DBZ episode 173, "Dende's Dragon," from the moment Dende puts his hands toward the dragon model to begin the modification process, it takes roughly 30 seconds for Shenron's modification to be completed, and it then takes a little more than one minute for a beam emitted from the dragon model to split into seven parts and then reactivate the Dragon Balls through each of the seven beams traveling to one of the locations of a dormant Dragon Ball and reactivating it. The entire process takes a little more than one and a half minutes.]_

"Excellent," Cell said. "Before we do this, though, I want to have a quick talk with Bulma."

"Are you sure now's the best time?" Krillin asked.

"I am sure, Krillin," Cell said. "She should know about the circumstances of what happened to Vegeta before she sees him again so she can be psychologically prepared. I'll be right back."

Cell placed his right index finger to his head, and concentrated on her energy.

He disappeared from the Lookout, and the air that had been displaced by his presence filled in the gap.

* * *

She had been relaxing peacefully after the time she had spent to adjust her appearance.

Bulma did not consider herself to be a vain woman, and indeed, she had gotten used to a humbler lifestyle as a result of having to ration supplies in the battle for survival.

Today, though, she had permitted herself to have the luxury of enjoying the lipstick she was wearing.

She had been in the middle of walking from a desk in Laboratory 1-B51 to the door leading to the hallway when Cell appeared.

He looked proud, but solemn.

"The first part of our plan is complete," Cell said, as Bulma smiled with decisive joy.

"They're back!" she yelled with vigor. "Vegeta, Krillin, Piccolo and Kami are back!"

"And Dende's on the verge of remodeling Shenron," Cell said. "This day is like a gift that keeps on giving."

After all that had happened, it was a rare occasion indeed for Bulma to become this happy, although she let her face show the jubilation within.

"I'm ready to see him," Bulma said, expressing in a few short words an eagerness that she'd felt for two decades.

Cell sighed.

"Before we go, there's something you should know," Cell said.

* * *

They were walking along a mountain path now, getting to know one another at last.

Trunks had been in the midst of telling a story, and Vegeta was enjoying every bit of what he was hearing.

"The look on Frieza's face must have been priceless," Vegeta said, reveling in the glory of his son's victory over that tyrant.

"It certainly was," Trunks said. "Frieza's father, though, didn't put up much of a fight."

"My own father briefly met the bastard during one of Frieza's excursions to our former planet," Vegeta said. "The only thing that King Cold was ever good for was staying largely out of the picture, although he enabled his son to terrorize our people. Cold deserved, in many ways, to be crushed even more than his son, and the fact that he was also defeated by a Saiyan, and at the hands of my son, no less, was a quite fitting end to that pathetic fool. It sounds like you defeated the two of them even more gloriously than Kakarot did in this timeline."

"I had been training so long to fight the androids that Frieza and King Cold seemed like nothing in comparison," Trunks said.

"Which reminds me, Trunks, I wanted to ask you how old you were when you became a Super Saiyan, and how you managed to ascend to that level," Vegeta said.

Trunks had especially wanted his father to know this.

"The androids-"

Before he could complete the sentence, he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Cell and Bulma through instant transmission.

She saw him.

He saw her.

She looked nervous.

He did too.

"How's it … going, Vegeta?" Bulma asked while she remained standing next to Cell.

Cell observed her timidity, and he couldn't fully blame her for being anxious, especially after what she'd heard.

"It's fine, … Bulma," Vegeta said. "Trunks was just telling me about … well, … his life."

Trunks noticed that his father seemed spellbound by this particular meeting.

"Trunks, if you don't mind going with Cell back to the Lookout, I'd like some moments with your father … alone," Bulma said.

After so many years, his parents were finally face to face again.

Trunks hadn't imagined that their meeting would be like this, though.

He looked once to his father, then once to his mother.

"Alright Cell, let's go," Trunks said. "We'll talk a bit later, father."

Vegeta didn't verbally respond, and Trunks hadn't expected him to.

Trunks walked over to Cell, and Cell concentrated on Piccolo's energy.

"Do you want us to wait for you before we revitalize the Dragon Balls?" Cell asked Bulma, whose gaze was fixated on Vegeta.

Without turning to answer him, she replied.

"No Cell, it will be alright," Bulma said. "We should bring Shenron back as soon as we can."

Cell transmitted with Trunks away from the scene, and Vegeta was once again with a person whom he hadn't seen in 20 years.

"Vegeta, I know it may seem like yesterday that we saw each other, but for me, it's been much longer," Bulma said, as she began to step closer.

She stopped, about two meters from him.

"As Trunks grew up, … oh, you would have been so proud to see our son do all the things he did," she said. "He excelled at learning, and he even helped me develop the time machine that he's probably told you about. The older Trunks became, the more I saw of you in him. His determination … his courage … his tactical and rational approach to things … these all reminded me of you. I've thought to myself so many times of what life would have been like if you'd still been with us, being able to live with us, like a family should be. Those monsters deprived us of the life we were supposed to have. They deprived me of being able to reconcile the differences between us so that we could truly be together. It may seem like yesterday for you, but it's been an eternity for me. I hope, even though our relationship was not always the most stable, that you'll choose to be with us again, and that you won't go off on some adventure, trying to become the strongest again while we miss you even more. 20 years … 20 years without you was longer than you could possibly imagine. But …"

He spoke up.

"But what, Bulma?"

She began to sob a little bit.

"The last time I saw you, I was 34 years old, and now I'm 54," she said. "You were 35 when you died, and now, it's as though you're still only 35. I … I've grown so much older, with graying hairs now, and I'm not as attractive as I used to be. I've always tried to have Trunks believe that our relationship was a bit deeper than it was, but I know that a lot of what we felt for each other was based on physical appeal. It may be hard at first for Trunks and me, but if you want to move on to someone else, I…"

He stopped her right there by holding up his hand, signifying that he had something to say.

"You've worried yourself over something silly," he said as he walked toward her.

He stopped, and they were only less than half a meter apart from each other now.

In an abrupt manner, he put his arms around her waste and kissed her on the lips, holding her tight.

She embraced him, and they remained like this for many moments.

They maintained their embrace, but briefly parted their lips.

"I'm no so superficial, Bulma." he said. "True love is eternal. I'll always love you."

"Oh Vegeta …," she said as she kissed him, holding him even tighter.

He reciprocated in kind, and above them, whether by coincidence or not, the clouds that had been blocking the sun parted, enabling its rays to shine upon them.

* * *

"Alright guys, this is it!" Dende said, as he pointed his hands toward Shenron's dragon model.

Cell, Trunks, and the others watched eagerly for what was about to happen.

Dende flexed his fingers out so that his palms were facing the dragon model, which was still encased in a clear dome.

Three seconds later, Dende began to chant in the Namekian language.

Although Trunks and Krillin were not able to understand him, those who could understand the Namekian language felt humbled by the profound nature of Dende's words.

[Translated] "Shenron, hear me! May the specifications of your design and power be modified to fit the intentions that I have manifested in the energy I give of myself to you! May you render this energy, this energy that contains my instructions on how you can change to better serve the planet for which you have been asked to serve, so that all on this planet may benefit from your wisdom!"

As Dende had said the modification chant, his hands had started to shimmer with a mystic glow of white.

Spiraling streams of golden light started to emanate from the dragon model, and the area surrounding the dragon model darkened as it would have had an eternal dragon been summoned.

The dragon model, which until this point had been a dark grey statue, began to glow with a golden hue, and flashes of white light emanated from the model, interspersing the darkness with illuminating light.

The dome surrounding the dragon model was then full of blinding white light, such that the dragon model could not be seen, and then a pillar of sacred light shot vertically upward from the dome.

The beam of sacred light split into seven parts, and each part rushed toward a Dragon Ball somewhere on the surface of Earth below.

Although those on the Lookout could not see the Dragon Balls when they were hit with the parts of sacred light, there were seven instances around the world, some in day and some in night, in which a beam of light that had streaked across the sky quickly descended and struck a dormant Dragon Ball, surrounding the nearby vicinity with blinding light that faded away to show red and white bolts of electricity surrounding a spherical stone that was glowing red with the energy of revitalization. As the sparks faded away at each of the seven sites, the Dragon Balls at those sites were restored to their golden glory.

Cell had kept the Dragon Radar on while the Dragon Balls were being revived, and he had held out the Dragon Radar for all to see.

Those on the Lookout who were able to do so looked at the radar with awe and fascination, as one by one, after two decades of dormancy, the Dragon Balls were reappearing.

Eventually, all seven appeared on the radar, and all seven had been not only restored but improved, at last.

"Ah, … I can sense their electromagnetic energy from here," Cell said, as he marveled at splendor of Dende's work. "When will we be able to make our two wishes with the revitalized Dragon Balls, Dende?"

"They should be ready for use as soon as they're gathered," Dende said. "I think that it's time to find them."

"Absolutely!" Trunks said. "What do you say, Cell? Are we ready to gather the Dragon Balls?"

"With instant transmission, this should not take too long," he said.

Trunks grabbed Cell's right hand while Krillin grabbed his left.

"Are you sure you guys don't want to come with us?" Krillin asked.

"It's alright," Kami said. "Mr. Popo, Piccolo and I are going to better acquaint Dende with the Lookout. Please be safe during your search."

"Alright, see you later!" Krillin said as Cell transmitted the three of them toward the nearest Dragon Ball.

* * *

Hours later, they had gathered outside the main building of the Capsule Corporation compound in West City, eagerly awaiting what was about to transpire.

All seven of the Earth's Dragon Balls were, at last, clustered together and vibrantly shining in their revitalized majesty.

Friends and family had come from all over the world to witness and experience the grandeur of this day.

Cell, Trunks and Bulma had decided to inform them weeks beforehand that the wishes of this day would be made, and for the most part, those who had come had been looking forward to this day more than they'd looked forward to any day in years.

Chi-Chi, Ox-King, Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Launch, and even Turtle had come. Cell had been able to bring them here rather quickly, as he had also done for Kami, Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo.

He had not needed to transmit Bulma and Vegeta back to the Capsule Corporation compound, as by the time he had attempted to do so, he had sensed that they had already returned.

There had been much rejoicing from those who had recently arrived and those who had been brought back to life, as indeed, they had been missed.

Among all the questions that had been asked and all the conversations that had been sparked in the minutes before the wishes were to be made, two that Cell had heard stood out to him, in particular.

"Did you meet any attractive young women in the afterlife, Krillin?" Master Roshi had asked him, causing Krillin to blush. "I'm sure there must have been some hot warrior babes up there!"

The other question that had stood out was one that Chi-Chi had asked Trunks, although before Cell could contemplate more about what had been said between the two of them, his thoughts were interrupted by an announcement from Bulma.

"Hey! Everyone! We're so glad you could all be here!" she said, excitedly. "As you all know, we used the Dragon Balls on New Namek to bring Piccolo, Kami, Krillin, and Vegeta back to life!"

There was ubiquitous cheering after she said that, and it made the four who had returned proud to be back.

"We're going to be using the Dragon Balls on New Namek to wish more of our friends and loved ones back in about 130 days, which is when we'll be able to use them again," Bulma said. "When that happens, we'll have another gathering like this one! But today, we've come together to help make our world a better place, and to follow up on our wishes with the Dragon Balls on New Namek with the wishes we're going to make right here on Earth. Before we do, I think we should all thank Dende for his generosity and selflessness in deciding that he would help us make the Earth's Dragon Balls more powerful and stay with us here to watch over them."

Those who had gathered cheered loudly for him, and Krillin, who was standing next to Dende, fist bumped the new keeper of Earth's Dragon Balls as a sign of respect and friendship.

"So, are we finally ready?" Bulma asked.

"I believe we are!" Dende said, as he looked around at those who had gathered. "Trunks? Cell? Do you have anything else to say before we do this?"

"I think I'll save my comments on the awesomeness of this occasion for after the wishes are made," Trunks said. "It's time to make them already."

"I'll humbly agree," Cell said. "It's time for our fourth wish."

Dende placed his hands toward the Dragon Balls, and he could feel the excitement within himself.

This was to be his first summoning as the keeper of a set of Dragon Balls, and it promised to be one that would stand out in his memory.

"Eternal dragon, by your name, I summon you forth, Shenron!"

It had been many years since the seven Dragon Balls of Earth in this timeline had been gathered for a summoning, but now, they shimmered with a light of superior invigoration. A pillar of radiant energy erupted from them, and Shenron came forth from the realm of the utmost sacred.

The sky of the setting sun had faded to a darker hue, and Shenron's golden aura shined upon the nearby vicinity.

"YOU SHOULD CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY AS YOU SPEAK," Shenron boomed from far above. "WHAT IS YOUR FIRST WISH?"

"Dende, may I make this one?" Cell asked.

"Go right ahead," he said.

"Before I do, are you sure that there's no one on New Namek who had died of unnatural causes in the past Earth year who we could bring back through this wish?"

"I know for a fact that there aren't any, but it means a lot to me that you asked," Dende said. "Our total population is so small that we're able to keep very good track of everyone. The wish will not have to apply to New Namek as well."

"Alright then," Cell said. "Eternal dragon, we wish for all those in the past year who were killed on Earth by Android 17 and Android 18 to be brought back to life in a safe manner, and we also wish for all those who were killed on Harfava by Morsmordom, the Assessors, and any of Morsmordom's agents to also be brought back to life in a safe manner! Also, if anyone on either of those planets died of unnatural causes, please bring them back as well!"

The dragon paused for a few moments to contemplate the extent of the wish.

Shenron's eyes glowed brightly for many moments, and then the glow faded.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Shenron said, causing Cell to smile below.

* * *

Light-years from Earth, the people of the war-torn planet of Harfava were in the midst of rebuilding their world after generations of oppression.

Their most recent oppressor, Morsmordom, the betrayer of a rebellion against a previous tyrant, had at long last been defeated weeks beforehand when Cell and Trunks had intervened.

Although the terror of that oppressor had been silenced, the lives of those he had killed had also been.

But as Cell and Trunks had said a few weeks ago when they had visited the planet again, they wanted to do something even more miraculous to help reverse the injustice that had been done.

Ravik had been elected as head of the new Harfavan Interim Republic, and Cell and Trunks had told him what to expect.

He had been reluctant at first to believe that such a thing as they had offered could be possible, although today, as he looked out the window of what had once been Morsmordom's personal chamber, he saw a few Harfavans suddenly appear on the ground below, seemingly out of thin air!

At an excited pace, he ran from the room until he exited the castle. Many who had been near the castle when these appearances had occurred ran to him with those who had appeared, and one of them spoke to him upon his arrival.

"Ravik, sir! It appears as though some of our people who had been killed by Morsmordom have now been brought back to life! It's just as the noble warriors Trunks and Cell said would happen!"

One of those who had been deceased stepped forward.

"Now that we've been given another chance at life, we want to help make all our lives better ones in which to live."

Ravik smiled, and now, even with the darkened clouds of crimson that encompassed his world, the future seemed brighter than ever.

* * *

"Outstanding!" Cell said, knowing that this wish had been a worthwhile one. "I can sense numerous energy signatures that have reappeared! So many people have been brought back to life! It's wonderful!"

Trunks smiled.

"Now, Cell, we're going to make this day an even better one with our fifth wish," he said, as all who had gathered became all the more excited. Their fifth and final wish was going to be a special one, and he was ready to make it happen.

"Shenron! Please bring Gohan, the son of Chi-Chi and Goku, back to life!" Trunks said, as tears of joy came to Chi-Chi's eyes.

Shenron's eyes glowed for many moments, and then, the glow faded.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!"

Suddenly, all those who could readily sense ki signatures felt his presence.

"Alright folks, I'll be right back," Cell said, as he instant transmitted away to find him.

Seconds later, as Cell had foregone a personal introduction this time, he had returned with Gohan, whose sense of bewilderment quickly faded to ambient warmth.

"Oh man! I'm back!" Gohan said, with more excitement than he'd shown anyone in years.

"Gohan!" his mother yelled with joy, as she ran to him and literally jumped in the air, hugging him in the midst of doing so. "I can't believe you're actually here! This is amazing!"

As he hugged his mother, Gohan soon noticed that his left arm had indeed been restored to physical existence.

He looked around and took note of who else had returned, and he was overjoyed.

Many who had been caught up in the elation of the moment looked toward Gohan and Chi-Chi, but others who had been more conscious of something else looked upward with a mix of puzzlement and concern.

Even Trunks, who would otherwise have quickly rushed toward Gohan to celebrate the moment, was looking upward.

In fact, Trunks was the first to ask the question.

"Dende, why is Shenron still here?" he asked, unsure of what exactly was happening.

Dende looked at Shenron, and smiled.

"Alright! This is excellent!" Dende said, causing the others to look at him with confusion.

"What do you mean, Dende?" Kami asked.

"I didn't want to make any promises I couldn't keep, and that's why I said that I'd be able to modify Shenron to grant two wishes," Dende said. "But you know what? It looks like I was able to make Shenron have the power to grant three wishes, each of a greater power than was previously the case, after all!"

Piccolo was the first to have his expression of shock change to one of contentment.

"Excellent work, Dende," Piccolo said. "After all, I suppose that if an eternal dragon can grant three wishes, then telling everyone that the dragon can grant two wishes would still be correct, in a sense."

"I didn't know if I'd be able to do it, but it looks like it worked quite well," Dende said. "So everyone, what do we want to wish for with our sixth wish?"

A sixth wish.

Trunks, Bulma and Cell had not anticipated this at all, otherwise they might have adjusted their plan to proceed differently. But the differences would not have been major, and in fact, they had decided to use the fifth wish to bring Gohan back to life after they'd decided that they weren't going to use the fifth wish for a different purpose.

There had been two wishes that they had seriously considered as possibilities until the final planning stages, and one of those wishes, because the circumstances had not worked out, had already been replaced by the wish that had resulted in bringing Krillin back to life.

But this other wish …

"Well Cell, what do you think?" Trunks asked, as the others listened intently.

Cell took a few moments to think before answering, although he was still unsure of whether he should use this unexpected sixth wish for himself.

"When Trunks, Bulma and I were planning how best to use the five wishes that we thought we'd have through using both the Earth and New Namek's Dragon Balls, we were seriously contemplating using the wish we had just used to bring back Gohan to instead wish me back to the alternate past that I seriously damaged through all my actions there," Cell said. "Some of you probably don't know that story, but for those who don't, I was once, to my continued disgust and dismay, a bloodthirsty killer who was created by Dr. Gero to exact his twisted and unjust revenge upon this planet."

The dark sentiments Cell had conveyed continued to rightfully make many among those who had gathered rightfully disgusted.

"I've been trying to do all I could since then to make up for my past misdeeds," Cell said. "I wanted to potentially use a wish from the Dragon Balls in this timeline to go back to the timeline from which Trunks and I had arrived. We had come from that alternative past without the aid of Trunks' time machine, and even though we're still trying to figure out exactly how that happened, we have a pretty good idea by now. But even so, the fact remains that there is no longer a time machine in this timeline, and I wanted to travel back as soon as I could to atone for what I did in the alternate past. However, I did not want to restrict happiness and righteousness from being able to flourish in this timeline either, and so I thought it would be best to give up that fifth wish for myself so that Gohan could return to us all the sooner, as he so truly deserved to be able to do."

"Thanks, Cell," Gohan said, as he walked forward to him. "I can see that you exhibit the unselfishness in your heart readily. When you helped Trunks fight the androids and when you rescued him right after you both came to this timeline, I knew there was a strong sense of good in you."

Cell was taken aback, as Piccolo and Krillin, who had also been conscious in Otherworld, had not observed the mortal realm recently enough while they had been in Otherworld to have known about Cell's exploits before they had been revived.

"You know about all that?" Cell asked.

"I had been watching Trunks' progress more intently than anyone else in Otherworld," Gohan said. "I've listened to a great many of the conversations you had, and it's been not only enlightening, but informative. And now, because the wish was made, I'll be able to live my life with all of you once again."

Gohan walked over to Trunks, who smiled upon seeing his former martial arts master.

"Trunks, you've made me so proud," Gohan said, as he placed a hand on Trunks' shoulder. "You've become a strong warrior, not only in the way of physical power, but in mind and spirit."

"I did all I could to live up to what I knew you would have done, Gohan," Trunks said, as he considered the amazement of the fact Gohan had at last returned.

"You did more than that," Gohan said, as he turned back to Cell. "But now, Cell, we have a sixth wish. There are many things that can be done with it. We could potentially bring someone back with it, but since the Dragon Balls on New Namek will be active again soon, we'll be able to do that soon anyway. Since you are rightfully eager to want to go back to the alternate past and help that timeline out, and since I'm sure you'll also want to eventually go back to the alternate future from which you originally came and do right by that timeline too, I think we'd all agree with you that you should be able to get started on that as soon as possible."

"You think so?" Cell said.

"Helping others is not something I'd readily consider as something selfish, Cell," Gohan said. "And wanting to use a wish with the Dragon Balls so you can start on that journey is not a selfish thing."

Cell thought about this, then looked to everyone.

"Would it be alright with you all, or is there another wish that any of you feels we should make right now?" Cell asked.

No one spoke up, although many of them were looking upon him now with much kinder expressions than they had exhibited before.

"Alright, then," Cell said.

Before he made the wish, he turned to look at Trunks.

After a few moments, Trunks smiled, then gave him a 'thumbs up.'

Cell smiled too, and nodded his head in thanks.

He turned to face the eternal dragon, and he was ready.

He held his hands up toward the sky, beckoning the eternal dragon to hear his wish.

"Shenron! Please enable me to travel through the stream of time back to this relative spot on the planet Earth, in the alternate past from which Trunks and I had traveled to this timeline. Please bring me to a moment in that timeline exactly three months after I had first moved into the Capsule Corporation compound thanks to the offer from Bulma of that timeline. Please make this wish come true!"

Shenron heard the wish, and considered its ramifications for many moments.

His eyes began to glow, but then, the glow suddenly flickered away.

"I AM SORRY, THAT WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED!" Shenron said, causing Cell and the others to be taken aback.

Cell was speechless for many moments, until he asked a question and broke the silence.

"What?" Cell openly asked.

He turned toward Dende.

"Why didn't that wish work, Dende?"

Dende was quite perplexed at this.

"I'm … admittedly not sure," Dende said, as he looked solemnly toward the ground. "I'm sorry, Cell. I don't know why that didn't work. Do you have any ideas, Kami?"

Kami was absorbed in thought, although he was also unsure of the answer to this quandary.

"I don't know, Dende," Kami said. "I just … don't know."

Cell looked downtrodden, but he tried to pep himself up.

"Well, can anyone think of a wish that would be worthy of this additional one?" he asked.

They thought for some time, and Trunks had an idea.

"Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha were all brought back with the Earth's Dragon Balls before, and the unfortunate shame is that even if Goku hadn't been brought back with the Earth's Dragon Balls before, we wouldn't be able to wish him back anyway since he died of natural causes," Trunks said. However, isn't it true that Yajirobe hasn't been brought back yet with the Dragon Balls?" Trunks asked. _[Author's Note: In uncut DBZ episode 99, "Approaching Destruction," it was revealed through Kami and King Kai's conversation about using the Dragon Balls that people who have died of natural causes cannot be brought back to life with the Dragon Balls. This is precisely why in the unaltered, original timeline the Z-Fighters, in the period between Goku's death and when the androids attacked, did not attempt to wish Goku back with the Dragon Balls after he died of the heart virus, as the heart virus was considered to be a natural cause of death and Goku had been considered to have died of natural causes.]_

Everyone seemed to nod in agreement.

"Well, what do you say, everyone?" Trunks asked. "Since the Earth's Dragon Balls can't bring back someone who's already been wished back, and since Yajirobe hasn't already been wished back, why don't we do so now?"

There were general nods of approval, and Trunks looked toward Shenron.

"Shenron! Please bring Yajirobe back to life!"

Cell watched as the wish he had hoped to make was instead superseded by another. And while he wasn't entirely sure why his wish hadn't worked, he knew that especially with his help, Bulma would be able to create another time machine that he could use to travel back to the alternate past.

Shenron's eyes glowed for many moments, and they faded again.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED! NOW, IT IS TIME FOR ME TO REST ONCE MORE!"

The crowd below shouted a general amalgamation of thanks, and Shenron's image dissipated. The sky erupted with one more golden glow, and the Dragon Balls of Earth rose from the ground and spread to the far corners of the planet.

The darkened sky increased in brightness slightly, as the setting sun became more readily visible.

"I'll be right back," Cell said, as his disappeared from view, then reappeared a few moments later with Yajirobe.

"Hey! Wait a minute! I'm back, aren't I!" he said excitedly, as his friends and family rushed to greet him.

In the next few minutes, many stories of joys, trials, and tribulations were told among all who had been gathered.

It was a time of peace after many years of despair, and many of the people right outside the Capsule Corporation compound felt happier than they had in years.

In the midst of a conversation about Cell's life before his enlightenment, Cell responded to one of Vegeta's questions.

"Actually, the past version of you enabled me to become complete just so that he could test himself," Cell said, as some of the others who were listening snickered to themselves. "At the time, it seemed to be tactically disadvantageous, but he pursued that option anyway."

"The fact he did that doesn't surprise me in the least," Vegeta said as he crossed his arms, causing even Trunks to laugh. "Sometimes I let my pride get the best of me."

"Sometimes?" Gohan asked in a joking manner, as he then smiled warmly at Vegeta.

Vegeta was about to say something else when he noticed that Cell suddenly began to look faint, to the point that he was having trouble standing up.

"Cell? What's the matter?" Vegeta asked, causing the others to turn to look at Cell.

Cell's hands were pressed to his stomach, and he was crouched, as if in a great deal of pain.

"I don't know, … Vegeta, … I …."

Before he could finish the sentence, he fainted.

Trunks, who was to Cell's left, rushed forward to catch Cell before he hit the ground. Trunks caught him, and he realized quickly that this seemed eerily familiar.

"This is terrible …," Trunks said, as he thought of the implications of what was transpiring.

Bulma rushed forward.

"I know what you're thinking, right Trunks?" she asked. "This is almost exactly the sort of thing that suddenly happened to you right after you were wished back to life with the Dragon Balls in the alternate past."

"Well, from what Cell told me, this isn't happening exactly as it happened in the alternate past," Trunks said. "According to Cell, we both quickly transported forward in time after he caught me, and after we emerged in this timeline, I suddenly returned to full consciousness. Both of us are still here, however, and Cell is still unconscious."

Gohan then made a suggestion.

"We should get him inside to give him medical care, you guys," Gohan said. "We're wasting time in which he might need medical attention."

The light mood of happiness from before had faded quickly with what had happened.

Trunks grabbed Cell and began to fly toward the front door of the Capsule Corporation compound while everyone who had gathered went in that direction as well. They wanted to see what was occurring and they also wanted to stay, to be of any help, if possible. The last thing they had wanted to have happen, after the joy of seeing so many of their friends and loved ones come back to life, was to have the health of someone who had proven himself to be a true friend jeopardized.

After Gohan opened the door, Trunks flew Cell toward the medical room that Bulma had maintained as much as she had possibly been able to.

She had gained extensive medical expertise in the years since the androids had first attacked so that she could be of greater help to others, and she had at times treated patients in this room.

Now, she was treating another.

Most of the guests had situated themselves in what remained of Bulma's living room while Bulma, Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo and Krillin watched over Cell.

Bulma was checking his diagnostics when Trunks decided to let the others know what he thought might be responsible for what had happened.

"Everyone, after thinking about it some more, I think I know what probably caused this," Trunks said.

"What, Trunks?" Vegeta asked.

"In the past, I fainted after I was wished back to life, and I had died because the time machine bent space-time incorrectly, as it had only bent space and not time," Trunks said. "Mother and I think that the reason Cell and I went forward in time is that my time machine's command for time travel somehow got preserved within me when I was brought back to life, and since Cell had physical contact with me, he was transported to this timeline too. But come to think of it, maybe when I was wished back with the Dragon Balls, that residual time travel command somehow got mixed in with the wish that brought me back. It looks like whenever the Dragon Balls attempt to act upon someone with the intention of a command for time travel, they faint! Maybe this happens because the Dragon Balls just weren't designed for time travel!"

All in the room were momentarily silent, then Piccolo spoke up.

"It's conceivable that Trunks is right," Piccolo said. "Even though Dende modified this set of Dragon Balls, Kami's the one who originally made them, and from what I understand, a lot of his ability to make the Earth's Dragon Balls in the first place resulted from the fact that he was able to copy a lot of the work that Namekian predecessors had done before him. It's even conceivable, given how long the Dragon Balls have been a part of our culture, that not even Grand Elder Guru knew everything about them."

"But then how does that explain that Trunks suddenly exited his fainting spell within a minute after he fainted while Cell's been unconscious for about an hour now?" Gohan asked.

"Maybe it's because we didn't actually wish for time travel in my case, but the Dragon Balls merely forced the time travel command upon me as a result of bringing me back to life," Trunks said. "With Cell, he actually wished for time travel upon himself directly. Maybe that's why! And for me, the time travel actually worked since its source wasn't truly the Dragon Balls, but the time machine itself, whereas it didn't work for Cell because the Dragon Balls normally can't process a time travel command correctly!"

"It's an intriguing theory, but what matters now is making sure that Cell comes back to health," Bulma said. "You're all welcome to stay, but I'm definitely going to be staying with him until he's conscious again."

For the next many hours, various people walked in and out of the medical room, while Bulma kept vigilant guard and did the best she could to try and help Cell.

However, at one point in the evening, at around 11:05p.m., Bulma was the only one in the room other than Cell.

The stars outside could be seen from within the room, as Bulma had not yet closed the curtains for the large window that revealed what remained of West City.

* * *

Even though he was not fully conscious, given his design it was possible for him to dream.

Dreams are often said to have the potential to be prophetic, and sometimes, they're composed of the result of various moments of experience being coalesced in the subconscious.

In his dream, Cell was not fully conscious, as is commonly the case with dreams.

He was looking out into the blackness of a void, and there seemed to be nothing there.

It felt cold, in a way, but yet, it felt warm.

There was a sensation next of a sound, whose source he could not place. The sound troubled him, though, and he wondered from where that sound had emanated.

However, he quickly found himself ceasing those thoughts, as he suddenly began to have a different sensation altogether.

He was shifting … becoming …

* * *

Trunks had been walking through one of Capsule Corporation's hallways when suddenly, he felt as though something was amiss.

Moments later, he felt a large power level surging tremendously, from the direction of … the medical room?

He was the closest of all the others to the medical room, and he ran toward it.

In the heat of the moment, he opened the door.

There on the floor was his mother, and while he could still, thankfully, feel her life force, it was now she who appeared to be unconscious.

Cell was no longer in the room.

He quickly realized that the source of the surging power was directly above him, and he began to feel waves of energy emanating from that source.

The large window had been shattered, and he briefly looked outside.

In the air was a shining and blinding light, and he felt the explosive power as it began to ripple the outside of the Capsule Corporation compound, causing the outside to begin to crumble.

He saw his father up there, along with Gohan, although they seemed to be having trouble getting close to the light.

Piccolo then entered the medical room.

"What the …" was all he could say as he took in the scene.

Trunks turned to him, with a look of desperation on his face.

"We need to get everyone out of here, now!" Trunks yelled. "This whole place is about to go up in smoke, and we don't have much time! Send a mental message to Gohan and my father asking them to get back here so we can get everyone else to safety!"

Piccolo did, and Trunks ran into the living room, seeing that everyone else was fortunately there.

The room was rumbling.

"We all need to leave, now!" Trunks yelled.

Suddenly, Gohan appeared in front of Trunks.

Trunks' eyes widened.

"You …"

"Know instant transmission? Yeah," Gohan said. "Everyone form a link, we have to go! Piccolo, fly away from here so that I can transmit toward you!"

"Alright," Piccolo said as he blasted a hole in the wall, ran through the hole and speedily flew into the air.

Those who were in the living room began to form a link with Gohan, and Ox-King put his right hand on Gohan's left shoulder, while Master Roshi put his left hand on Gohan's right shoulder.

Bulma, whom Trunks was still holding in his arms, was regaining consciousness.

"Trunks …?" she asked. "What's happening?"

"You lost consciousness. Cell's no longer in the medical room, either. Do you know what happened to him?"

Bulma was quite shocked by this.

"He's no longer there?" she asked. "Last I remember, he was lying in the hospital bed placidly. I had been looking at him, while he was still lying down, and then everything went black!"

Trunks didn't know what to make of this.

"Go mom! Now!" Trunks said. Then, he felt the energy of a giant explosion from the sky heading toward the building.

Bulma put her right hand on Chi-Chi's left shoulder, and Gohan instant transmitted toward Piccolo, transmitting everyone who had been in physical link with him as well.

Trunks blasted a hole that went straight through the top of the Capsule Corporation dome, and he quickly flew upward as the decimating wave of energy expanded from its source.

While he was above, he saw the energy wave getting larger and larger, and it was a spherical energy wave that was emanating from its source in the center.

The blinding light decimated what was left of the Capsule Corporation compound, and Trunks, while trying to search for his father's power level, sensed that Vegeta had already gone toward Gohan, Piccolo and the others to regroup.

Suddenly, the white light ceased expansion and dissipated.

A crater had encompassed much of what had once been the Capsule Corporation compound, and the crater's total diameter expanded quite outward from where the Capsule Corporation's main dome had been.

Trunks was high in the air now, but he sensed him.

A lone figure descended slowly in a vertical path toward the center of the crater below.

All of a sudden, the figure seemed to have an aura that intensified in shine.

As Trunks descended, he saw him.

Cell appeared to be standing in the crater that had been made, with his aura glimmering in a progression of increasing power.

Trunks was bewildered by this, and his feet touched the ground.

There were about 10 meters between where Trunks had landed and where the other was standing.

"Well Trunks, it worked!" he yelled, as his strength continued to intensify.

Trunks suddenly felt even more perplexed, and his face showed a shift from concern to uncertainty.

"What do you mean, Cell? What worked?"

As his aura began to visibly dissipate, he then held out his hands and intently looked at them.

"This new form is quite impressive, wouldn't you say?"

Trunks began to wonder what Cell was trying to convey through all this.

'What is he suggesting?' Trunks thought to himself. 'And why is he all of a sudden marveling at his form again? He looks exactly the same! He ...'

Trunks had come to a startling realization. His face showed the sudden grip of frozen terror that had overcome him.

"What's the matter, Trunks? You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said, as he began to walk forward. "But now, I'll show you something that will truly give you a sense of awe. Behold the glorious depths of my power!"

He darted forward faster than Trunks could readily see, and Trunks abruptly felt the searing pain of Future Cell's right fist striking his abdomen.

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Twenty-Eight: As the stars twinkle in the heavens above, the shadows roil on the Earth below. Trunks' darkest nightmares become real, next, in Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip, SEASON THREE! _

_Thank you so much for reading Honor Trip's second season, and I hope you enjoyed the three-part season finale! I appreciate your vigilant readership, and I am with sincere gratitude for your continued support! I hope you'll enjoy Season Three as much as I'll have fun writing it! _

_In fun and fanfiction, _

_American Vigor _

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: (Completed 3/13/2011); (Revised 5/10/2011)  
_

_Season Two: (Completed 3/13/2011)_

* * *

_Author's Musical Note from 5/10/2011:_

_As I mentioned in the first chapter of Season Two, this season's theme song is "Born for This," by Paramore. You can listen to this song by typing "Born for This" and "Paramore" into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video. _

_I will now explain why I thought this was a fitting theme song for this season, especially with regards to its symbolic significance. _

_The title of the song is symbolic for Cell, as it recollects an as-of-yet unanswered question. Especially as a result of the ending events of Chapter Twenty-Seven, will his newfound existence ultimately result in the accomplishment of his proclaimed desires to do good things, or will his path, despite his proclaimed change, still ultimately lead to chaos and destruction as a result of what has transpired? Even though it is uncertain whether fate is real, if it happens to be so, then what exactly was Cell born for?_

_The song's lyrics are especially significant at a symbolic level, and they have been reproduced here with annotations that show the symbolic significance I ascribed to the lyrics in relation to this season. In no way do I own any rights to these lyrics; I am a fan of Paramore and I think the music the band has produced is way past cool. _

_Each line has an annotation number that corresponds with a line of symbolic analysis that follows the full text of the song:_

_Oh no I just keep on falling; (Back to the same old…) [1]_  
_And where's hope when misery comes crawling?; (Oh my way, Ay…) [2]_  
_With your faith you'll trigger a landslide; (victory) [3]_  
_To kill off this common sense of mind [4]_

_It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine [5]_  
_You can't down it with your eyes [6]_  
_So we don't need the headlines [7]_  
_We don't need the headlines; we just want…; [8]_

_We want the airwaves back, we want the airwaves back [9]_

_Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing [10]_  
_Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now? [11]_  
_Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see [12]_  
_Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now? [repeated line]_

_Right now you're the only reason; (I'm not letting go, oh…) [13]_  
_And time out if everyone's worth pleasing; (Well ha-ha!) [14]_  
_You'll trigger a landslide ; (Victory) [15]_  
_To kill off their finite state of mind [16]_

_It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine [repeated line]_  
_You can't down it with your eyes [repeated line]_  
_So we don't need the headlines [repeated line]_  
_No, we don't want your headlines; we just want… [17]_

_We want the airwaves back, we want the airwaves back [repeated line]_

_Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing [Chorus A]_  
_Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?_  
_Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see_  
_Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?_  
_Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing_  
_Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure?_

_Alright, so you think you're ready? [18]_  
_Ok, then you say this with me; go! [19]_  
_We were born for this! [20]_  
_We were born for this! [repeat]_  
_Alright, so you think you're ready? [Chorus B]_  
_OK, then you say this with me; go!_  
_We were born for this!_  
_We were born for this!_  
_We were born for this!_  
_We were born for this!_

_We were born for…_  
_We were born for…_

_Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing [Chorus A]_  
_Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?_  
_Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see_  
_Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure now?_  
_Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing_  
_Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?_  
_Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?_

_We were born for this! [Chorus B]_  
_We were born for this!_  
_We were born for this!_

* * *

_Symbolic Analysis:_

_1) Cell continues to feel bad for his past misdeeds, especially when they are explicitly brought up; at the end of Season Two, Cell might in some ways be "back to the same old" condition he had been in before his change, although what exactly the ending of Chapter Twenty-Seven and of Season Two means will be elaborated upon in Season Three. _

_2) Throughout Season Two, Cell took it upon himself to be a force of hope when obstacles threatened the health and safety of others with misery. He proved to be a force of hope through his successful rejuvenation of Trunks and leadership in that endeavor, his success in defeating Morsmordom, and his ability to use Instant Transmission so that the Dragon Balls of New Namek could be used to initiate the mass-wish plan that he, Trunks, and Bulma had developed. Hope is his way. However, as a result of the ending of Season Two, this line could also have another connotation, such that where will hope be now that misery has apparently returned? _

_3) Cell's conviction in doing good things resulted in a landslide of events that benefited various people. That is, until the very end of Season Two. It is possible that with Cell's faith in doing what he felt would be best, he ended up triggering a sequence of actions that will be destructive. Indeed, who exactly should be considered to have been victorious as a result of all that happened in Season Two? [Coincidentally, I had been planning for the first chapter of Season Three to be called "Victory" before I realized that "victory" was a word in the theme song I had designated for Season Two.]_

_4) Cell quested to make Future Cell overcome this closed-minded perceptions of the world, such that Cell wanted Future Cell to accept Cell's points of view on how to treat other people and live a life adhering to principles of justice. Conversely, Future Cell attempted to make Cell once again agree with positions he had abandoned. Cell also wanted to expose Android 17 and Android 18 to his teachings and the ways of righteousness, to pierce their closed-minded and malevolently narcissistic perceptions of acceptable actions and to live more righteous existences. _

_5) Cell began to adhere to and live by the codes of what he now views as universally-defined objective moral righteousness after he "acquired" this mindset as a result of what might be viewed as an unnatural development in which he would not likely have otherwise developed the mindset. Android 17 and Android 18 did not adhere to Cell's ways because they had never properly acquired the necessary mindset. Future Cell did not believe in adopting Cell's ways, largely because he had not "acquired" the mindset. It is also questionable whether Cell, despite the subdued intentions of the Z-Fighters' mindsets within him, would have wanted to adhere to the righteous principles to which he decided to adhere. Nevertheless, Cell decided to adhere to the mindset once he had acquired it. _

_6) It takes more than just seeing someone doing something that is morally objectively good to inspire a person to want to emulate and adhere to moral righteousness in a genuine and voluntary way. A person needs to experience the feeling of adhering to moral righteousness in order to want to live by it. _

_7) Because Future Cell was largely incapable of understanding Cell and Trunks' rationales for him to change his ways, he wasn't open-minded to even seriously considering what they had to say with regards to adhering what they viewed as moral righteousness. _

_8 & 9) Instead of living by the codes which he viewed Cell and Trunks as trying to force upon him, Future Cell wanted to live life by his own standards, and he wanted the opportunity to do so without Cell and Trunks forcing him to do otherwise. Also, the people of Earth no longer wanted to live under the destructive terror of Android 17 and Android 18, and they wanted to regain the peace that Earth had experienced two decades prior. Also, the people of Harfava no longer wanted to live under the oppression of Morsmordom, and they wanted to regain the freedom they briefly had in recent memory. _

_10 & 11 & 12) The heroes and villains and protagonists and antagonists of Season Two were often forced to engage in dramatic or desperate actions in their attempts to preserve or attain their desired existences, often under dire or tumultuous circumstances. They were all very forceful and very spirited in these endeavors. Cell, Trunks, Gohan, Goku and Ravik all fought valiantly against their enemies, as did Android 17, Android 18, Morsmordom, and Future Cell. _

_13) Cell's position that Future Cell should at least have a chance at reformation and not be destroyed before given this chance was largely the only reason that Trunks held back from abandoning some of his principles and destroying Future Cell before Future Cell emerged from his capsule in Dr. Gero's Laboratory. This line could also refer to Morsmordom's grasp upon Cell and Trunks in Timeline 4 and his grasp upon Gohan and Goku in Timeline 3 using the Gauntlet of Control. _

_14) Throughout Season Two, it's generally assumed that many of the desires of the heroes and villains in the various portions of the season are incompatible with each other. _

_15) Even aside from Cell's path of upholding moral righteousness, his actions and the way he has influenced other characters brought about circumstances that might ultimately be either very good or very bad for the multiverse._

_16) Cell had a personal mission throughout Season Two of helping people become less closed-minded and more embracive of the perspectives he came to value. Trunks actively tried to convince Cell of the errors in his thinking when Trunks thought Cell was making tremendous errors. Morsmordom wanted to use the Gauntlet of Control to gain the loyalties of Cell and Trunks, whom Morsmordom believed would become subject to his mental control. _

_ 17)The heroes and villains of Season Two largely rejected each others' main arguments for why they should be able to pursue their desired paths. _

_ 18 & 19 & 20) Trunks, after many years, finally had the opportunity to wish his friends and family back to life with the Dragon Balls. When Trunks made the three wishes with the Dragon Balls on New Namek, Dende had to "say the wishes with him," as Dende needed to translate the wishes into the Namekian language so that Porunga could grant them. On Earth, Trunks and Cell were ready to use the remaining wishes for the additional noble purposes of using a mass-revival wish to restore the lives of everyone on Earth and Harfava who had been killed due to unnatural causes within the previous year, and using the individual-revival wishes (not bound by the one-year limit) to revive Gohan and Yajirobe. _

* * *

_"Born for This," while extremely awesome, (and hence why I chose it as a theme song for this season), is not in any way a property I control. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. Paramore is awesome, and I feel the group's music compliments the awesomeness of the Dragon Ball universe._

_Thanks again so much for reading Season Two, and I hope you're excited for Season Three's first chapter, up next!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	29. XXVIII: Victory, Season III Premiere!

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Victory (Season Three Premiere!)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The version of Cell that attacked Trunks at the end of Season Two, (at the end of the previous chapter), is NOT the version of Cell whose path of redemption began on the battlefield and accelerated after his trial in court. Instead, this incarnation of Cell is the version who was shocked to find Cell and Trunks outside Dr. Gero's laboratory upon his release, and who refused to believe in adhering to what he felt were his counterpart's misguided senses of "virtue" and "redemption." This version of Cell will continue to be referred to as "Future Cell," for the purpose of clarification. Future Cell was supposedly killed by his counterpart at the end of Chapter Twenty-Four, but instead of death, he achieved something far greater .…_

* * *

He had not known if he would ever have the chance to make this dream come true, but as he looked upon Trunks, who was writhing in pain on the ground, he felt a sense of sordid satisfaction.

"Ignorance is bliss, Trunks, and you and my counterpart were thankfully quite ignorant," Future Cell said, as he reveled in the glory of Trunks' agony. "You were unable to stop me from succeeding because you had no idea I was alive. This proved to be most fortunate."

Future Cell once again took a moment to observe his new form and embrace his foul euphoria. He looked at his hands and then at his chest, then redirected his gaze toward Trunks.

Trunks had not been in any state of Super Saiyan when Future Cell had forcefully struck him, and he was only now beginning to be able to stand.

"You know, I could have pretended to be my counterpart and masqueraded as him for a while, only to suddenly – and possibly literally – stab you in the back," Future Cell said with a malicious grin. "I could have even made it seem from the onset that he had somehow returned to believing in the values he had abandoned. But instead, I've been rather forthright with you, considering the obvious advantage I could have had through making you believe I was him. Ah, but I wanted you to experience the truth of your predicament, and for you to be consumed by this fear. Are you enjoying yourself?"

Trunks sneered.

"How the $%^& are you still alive?" Trunks asked, with his growing frustration out of the ramifications of this unanticipated peril becoming all the more clear. "Cell killed you! There's no way you could have escaped Cell's energy attack; it completely surrounded you and when it abated, you were gone!"

"You're wrong about most of that," Future Cell said, as he halted his approach within three meters of Trunks, who suddenly powered up to his Ascended Super Saiyan sub-form.

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked. "Are you here because we inadvertently brought you back with the wishes we made with the Dragon Balls?"

"I could psychologically torment you by saying yes, but instead, I'll reaffirm your conclusion that I never died to begin with," Future Cell said. "The fact you now know that even my counterpart's best efforts could not kill me should give you pause. You see, Trunks, I cannot die, and neither could he. And now that I've absorbed him into my being and gained the perfect form that he had achieved and wasted, I will pick up where he left off and fulfill the glorious mission that he disregarded!"

Trunks let his energy flow, and his aura became more and more engilded.

"We just went through all that effort, after so many years of horror, to restore life to those from whom it should have never been taken away," Trunks said, as he increasingly concentrated his power. "I doubt you're in the mood to let Cell free, but even if you're not, you've achieved the perfection you craved so much. That should be enough. It is not necessary for us to fight. Just let the people of this planet and of this universe live in peace. Leave us alone. Please."

Future Cell took a moment before starting to cackle.

"You actually thought I would give in to such weakness?" Future Cell asked. "You're in no position to be making demands of me. Your power level pales in comparison to mine, especially after my successful absorption of my counterpart. If you thought my counterpart was strong before, then imagine how strong I am now after enabling my base form to become magnified by the totality of his strength! Besides, Gohan from the alternate past tried to convince my counterpart to stop fighting based upon similar notions of peace, and my counterpart wisely declined. My counterpart made that choice before his corruption, and I refuse to fall from my high ideals!" _[Author's Note: Future Cell is referring to the discussion between Gohan and Cell that took place in uncut DBZ episode 182, "Gohan's Plea," in which Gohan tried to convince Cell to stop fighting and instead resolve their conflict peacefully. Canon does not confirm whether Trunks knew about the content of that conversation, as it is explicitly stated in the episode that Gohan and Cell were speaking with such low volume that it was difficult for others to hear what they were saying.]_

Trunks had only hours ago felt like the battle to free his future had finally been won.

Now, it looked as though the war was entering a whole new phase.

"It shouldn't matter that I'm not as strong as you," Trunks said, in his initiation of what he regarded as a quite desperate maneuver. "You're obviously an intelligent being, and you know that conflicts don't have to be resolved through fighting and death. If there's one thing I learned from Cell, it's that even the largest of conflicts don't necessarily have to be solved with fists."

"My counterpart was a misguided fool," Future Cell said, as he then maneuvered quicker than Trunks could readily respond and kicked Trunks in the chest, sending him hurtling many meters backward.

Future Cell darted forward, then positioned himself about five meters away from where Trunks had managed to stand up.

Before he could mock Trunks, a group of fighters suddenly appeared in front of him, but behind where Trunks was standing.

Gohan had used Instant Transmission to appear at the scene, and Future Cell saw that Vegeta, Piccolo, and Krillin had accompanied him through physical link.

Vegeta and Piccolo let go of Gohan's shoulders, while Krillin let go of Vegeta's right shoulder.

"Well, this explains a few things," Gohan said, as he observed the confrontation, then addressed Trunks. "Sorry we're late, little bro'. We needed to make sure everyone else was safe before we arrived."

"What is the meaning of this, Cell?" Vegeta angrily asked, as he made a fist with his right hand. "Did you mean to deceive us all this time?"

"That's not Cell!" Trunks yelled, while keeping his gaze affixed to Future Cell, so as not to commit the tactically disadvantageous move of turning around to address those who had arrived. "This is the version of Cell from this timeline, the one I was talking to you about before."

"The one you said you and Cell killed?" Gohan asked.

"It looks like the two of you did a great job making sure this freak was dead!" Vegeta said. "Tell me, Cell, how is it that you're still alive?"

Future Cell closed his eyes momentarily, then widened his smirk.

"I'd be happy to answer that question, as it will be one of the last you'll ever ask," Future Cell said, as Vegeta, through his rightful rage, transformed into his Super Saiyan form. "Besides, providing you with the answer will help me demonstrate how screwed you all really are."

"Oh joy," Krillin said.

"After my counterpart surrounded me with destructive energy, I honestly thought I was done for," Future Cell said. "However, the true brilliance of Dr. Gero's design soon became quite clear. Even though my overall consciousness was temporarily lost, every one of my cells possesses a life force of its own! Because of this, my subconscious was able to utilize an ability that I had not been aware I possess, but which I am privileged to have in my arsenal. At least one of my cells survived my counterpart's attack, and from the one or few cells that survived, my subconscious will for survival triggered various actions, enabling whatever cells were left to expand and multiply. As a result of this, I was able to completely regenerate into my initial form!" _[Author's Note: This explanation is completely consistent with Dragon Ball canon, as it is the same explanation that Cell gave the Z-Fighters in uncut DBZ episode 189, "Cell Returns!", regarding how he was able to regenerate and still be alive after his self-explosion even though only one or a few of his cells had survived the explosion that had killed Goku. An extended author's note after the main content of this chapter elaborates upon this point with further details.]_

"Damn it!" Piccolo shouted, realizing the implications of what had just been said. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't still be here!"

"If it's any consolation, Piccolo, I consider myself to owe much gratitude to the Namekian race's remarkable regeneration abilities," Future Cell said. "Dr. Gero enhanced those abilities many times over to create the wondrous effect of being able to revive from a single cell. But he would not have been able to enhance those abilities if they had not existed in the first place. Thank you so much for remaining alive long enough for Gero to extract what he needed from you."

"You're disgusting," Piccolo said, with substantial derision.

"How could perfection possibly be 'disgusting?'" Future Cell asked. "Don't you see the astounding and miraculous value of not being able to die? I can never be killed! You would have to successfully destroy every single one of my cells to kill me!"

"While it's improbable, it's not impossible," Gohan said. "And as long as there is any possibility, there is hope."

"You're desperate and you know it," Future Cell said. "But I must confess, improbability did play a role in my success. Obviously, when I fully regenerated, I was in my original form, because that form, and not this one, was the form I had possessed when the majority of my body had been destroyed. I did not know how much time had passed from the moment of my apparent destruction to my full regeneration, but I reasonably assumed that it was no more than half an hour, as the sun's position in the sky had not substantially changed. I knew that I needed to take full advantage of my second chance, and so I developed a plan. I decided to keep my energy low and to keep myself as quiet as possible to avoid detection, and I tried to sense my counterpart's energy signature so I could move toward it. Unfortunately, his energy signature kept moving around, and I now know for sure that this was because he kept on using the Instant Transmission technique. Eventually, the location of his energy signature stabilized, and I ventured to the Capsule Corporation compound, over whose remains we now stand. I had recognized two options for accomplishing my goal of achieving my perfect form, and even though I knew it was unlikely that either would succeed, I decided to have hope."

"Whenever a creep like you has hope, it makes my blood boil," Trunks said.

"I could make that happen literally, as opposed to figuratively, right now if you interrupt me further," Future Cell said.

Trunks remained silent.

"I thought so," Future Cell said, with a widened grin. "My two options were to somehow absorb my counterpart while he was off guard, or to steal a new time machine that would have almost certainly been built for the intended purpose of allowing my counterpart to return to the alternate past. While my counterpart was making the sixth and unanticipated wish with the Dragon Balls, I thought my dreams of perfection were about to evaporate entirely, since if the wish had been successful, he would have neither been here nor needed a time machine, and it would have been unlikely that another time machine would have been built. You could imagine that I was ineffably relieved when the wish not only failed, but apparently caused my counterpart to lose consciousness long enough for me to take advantage of a brief moment in which only Bulma was guarding him! All I had to do was smash through the window of the room where he was being kept and absorb him right through my tail! I did not know for sure if I would achieve my perfect form through absorbing an alternate version of myself who had achieved it, but as it turned out, my assumption had been correct! Aren't you glad that Dende was proactive enough to improve the Earth's revitalized Dragon Balls through enabling them to have the power to grant a third wish? I am!"

The Z-Fighters were speechless.

"Lost for words, huh? Well, you should be," Future Cell said, as he entered somewhat of a fighting stance, causing some of the Z-Fighters to back up, and others to position themselves in deeper fighting stances. "Trunks, you remember how strong Gohan was in the alternate past. I have those memories as well, and if I haven't made it explicitly known through my previous comments, I'll now make it quite clear that I have gained all of my counterpart's memories as a result of his cells and energy becoming integrated with mine. I know exactly how strong Gohan in the alternate past was compared to my counterpart, and I know how much stronger I've become after absorbing him. Now, I'm at least on par with a Super Saiyan 2! And with my other special abilities, such as my miraculous regenerative power, there's nothing that any of you will be able to do to stop me!"

Trunks grunted in despair, and he began to power up, hoping to achieve as much power as he could.

Gohan, however, smiled.

Future Cell took quick notice of this.

"What's so funny, Gohan?" Future Cell asked. "Are you laughing about the irony of the fact you're going to die mere hours after you were brought back to life?"

Gohan chuckled.

"Well Cell, it just so happens that you've greatly overestimated your chances," Gohan said, causing Trunks to wonder how Gohan could possibly be so confident.

"Have you gone insane with fear?" Future Cell asked, with a chuckle. "I just told you that I can't die and that I've attained a level of power that's far out of your reach. What could you possibly do to defeat me?"

"Plenty," Gohan said. "Instant Transmission, after all, isn't the only technique I learned during my time in Otherworld. In fact, I found it awesome to hear that my counterpart from the alternate past acquired the ability to become a Super Saiyan 2. It just so happens that I did as well!"

Future Cell's grin was quickly superseded by a look of nervousness.

Trunks felt astounded, and his change of expressions was quite the opposite of Future Cell's.

"You're bluffing," Future Cell said, as his grin returned. "From what I understand, Android 17 and Android 18 were able to defeat you quite easily before they killed you, and even as an adult, your normal state seems to still be much weaker than that of Gohan from the alternate past because of the differences in how you were trained and raised. He harnessed his special gift of strength. You never did. And you were never aware of the existence of beings as powerful as my counterpart and me, since all you had to fight were 17 and 18. The need to become as strong as a Super Saiyan 2, even in death, was never there. You must be bluffing!"

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not," Gohan said. "I acquired the transformation because I wanted to be prepared in the event I would ever need to use it. Are you ready to see the result of my efforts?"

Future Cell considered whether he should rush forward and kill Gohan on the spot before Gohan had the chance to transform. Overconfidence had led to his counterpart's failure against Gohan in the alternate past, and his counterpart had allowed Gohan from the alternate past to transform instead of either stopping the transformation or killing Gohan when he was in a weaker state and it would have still been easy.

However, there was always the consideration that he could absorb Gohan's energy after his transformation, which was a tactic that his counterpart had utterly neglected to properly consider during his own match with a version of Gohan.

"I could kill you right now, but I'll let you transform," Future Cell said. "After all, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have the opportunity to test my newfound powers."

Trunks didn't know whether to laugh at the comment or be anxious. If Future Cell really had Cell's memories, then Future Cell obviously would have remembered that Cell had said something along those lines before promulgating the chain of events that had enabled the alternate past's version of Gohan to outclass him.

"Alright then," Gohan said. "Watch this."

Gohan quickly transformed into a Super Saiyan, then began his next stage of ascension.

The ground began to shake as the intensity of Gohan's energy began to increase.

He vigorously yelled to help accentuate the effectiveness of the transformation, which benefited from the concentrated strength his rage helped provide.

Vegeta had been astounded to learn that there were levels beyond Super Saiyan, as this had confirmed suspicions he had begun to develop soon after he had achieved the form. While he remained jealous of anyone who could surpass him in strength, at the moment he knew it was best to push such jealousness aside and instead hope for Gohan to have as much strength as possible.

Gohan's muscles began to significantly bulge outward, and his hair became not only more rigid, but slightly lighter in color.

His golden aura shimmered with power, and the waves of golden energy cascaded, without interruption.

Gohan's yelling ceased, and he smiled upon his ascension.

"Now what, tough guy?" Gohan asked. "You've got two Super Saiyan 2s to deal with now, Trunks and me! If it only took one Super Saiyan 2 to overpower your counterpart, imagine what will happen now that you have to face two of us!"

Any hint of fear on Future Cell's face had evaporated.

He pointed at Gohan with his right hand, then began to laugh with hysteria.

"I can't believe I actually thought that there might have been something to be worried about!" Future Cell said, as his laughter calmed. "You really had me going there for a few moments."

Gohan was taken aback by this.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked, as he continued to wonder what could have possibly prompted Future Cell to have such a reaction.

Trunks broke the news to him.

"Um, bro, that's not the Super Saiyan 2 transformation," he said.

Gohan did a double take.

"Wait, what?" Gohan asked. "What the hell do you mean? Of course this is the Super Saiyan 2 transformation! I can tell by your appearance that you've attained it too!"

Trunks quickly realized that it was not just possible, but probable that Gohan had come to use a different name for this sub-form than the designation the Z-Fighters of the alternate past had given it.

All the levels beyond Super Saiyan were ones that were named somewhat arbitrarily, after all, and Trunks recognized that it was entirely possible for the Z-Fighters of one timeline to have given a transformation a name that the Z-Fighters of another timeline had ascribed to a different transformation.

"We're both in a sub-form of the original Super Saiyan transformation," Trunks said, to Gohan's utter shock. "In the alternate past, we came to call it the 'Ascended Super Saiyan' sub-form. It isn't a fully-fledged transformation, especially because you don't need to acquire it, or the sub-form after it that we called 'Ultra Super Saiyan,' in order to become an actual Super Saiyan 2, which is something different altogether, and is a fully-fledged form. With the Super Saiyan 2 form, there's a much slighter muscle mass increase, there's a bunch of lightning in the aura, and when your counterpart achieved it, his power level is increased way beyond the Ultra Super Saiyan sub-form. But it looks like neither of us has achieved it, unfortunately." _[Author's Note: Trunks' statement that the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan states are sub-forms rather than fully-fledged transformations because they are not needed to achieve the actual Super Saiyan 2 transformation is consistent with canon. There is an extended author's note after the main content of this chapter with regards to this.]_

"Obviously, this terminological mix up must have resulted from this timeline's version of Gohan or possibly even Goku incompetently classifying the Ascended Super Saiyan transformation as something far greater," Future Cell said. "Tell me, Gohan, did you also think you had the power to become a 'Super Saiyan 3?' If so, then that would make this whole situation even more hilarious."

Gohan said nothing, but sneered at what had transpired.

"I'm a stronger Cell, and you're a weaker Gohan," Future Cell said. "It's quite pathetic, really, that you're so weak. Here you are, as an adult, and yet you're far weaker than the child who bested my counterpart. In fact, it appears you're even weaker than Trunks, the student you trained! You missed out on becoming the person you could have been had Goku been there for you the way he was there for your counterpart in the alternate past. And speaking of your father, I bet you wish you could have brought that imbecile back with that extra wish with from the Dragon Balls, but because he died of natural causes, you couldn't. Instead, you brought back that buffoon Yajirobe, who of course is such a big help to your pathetic group!"

"How dare you," Gohan said, as his anger augmented. "You're mocking my father and me for circumstances that resulted from my father dying of a heart virus. And you're mocking Yajirobe because he doesn't happen to have the 'perfection' you falsely claim to have. What's your problem?"

"My only problem is that I'm having some difficulty deciding what will be the most satisfying and gratifying ways to kill each of you," Future Cell said. "Who's in the mood for some good old-fashioned suffocation?"

'As much as a freak as Cell had been before he got punched in the head, and as violent as a murderer as he had shown himself to be, this guy seems to be even crueler in some ways,' Trunks thought to himself, as he continued to contemplate what to do next.

"You know what? I've got a wonderful idea," Future Cell said. "While you savor your last moments of life, allow me to show you all what you're truly up against!"

Future Cell took a deep breath, then prepared himself to unleash the momentous onslaught of his strength.

"Right now, what you see is the basic version of my perfect form," Future Cell said, with his hands held out, as if to beckon the Z-Fighters to admire and be inspired by the breadth of his appearance.

While Trunks remembered that both Cell and Future Cell's auras had at times exhibited a white coloration, Future Cell's golden aura suddenly roared to life, just as Cell's had on many occasions.

"This is my equivalent of the Super Saiyan transformation!" Future Cell said, causing everyone other than Trunks, who had seen this before, to be taken aback. "I call this an 'equivalent' because of course, since I'm not actually a Saiyan, this is not truly a 'Super Saiyan' transformation. But as you know, I inherited the genetics of many Saiyans. Especially with Dr. Gero's enhancements of your DNA, Vegeta and Gohan, and also of Goku's DNA, I possess the ability to become something akin to a Super Saiyan! This obviously isn't overly apparent because I don't happen to have any hair that becomes gold, but my aura, and what by now I'm sure you have all noticed is my quite heightened power level, are quite revealing. _[Author's Note: Cell at many times in canon exhibits a golden aura, and especially because of his inherited genetics and the contexts of his fights, it is heavily implied that he transforms into one of his equivalent variants of the Super Saiyan transformation whenever he takes on a golden aura.]_

Vegeta felt aghast that the glorious and sacred transformation of his race had been corrupted by this fiend.

"Trunks, I'm sure you remember well what I'm going to exhibit next!" Future Cell said, as he gathered more energy. "You correctly explained beforehand that the sub-forms are unnecessary, but I will now display them for my own amusement!"

'Unnecessary for … oh … crap …,' Trunks thought to himself, as his sense of foreboding deepened, considering the main implication of what Future Cell had said.

Future Cell's aura shimmered as his muscles bulged.

"This is my equivalent of the Ascended Super Saiyan sub-form!" Future Cell yelled.

Then, his muscles bulged egregiously, and his power skyrocketed.

"And this, now, is my equivalent of the Ultra Super Saiyan sub-form!" Future Cell yelled, as he consolidated his energy. "When Trunks fought my counterpart in the alternate past, my counterpart demonstrated to Trunks the inherent weakness that Trunks failed to realize about the Ultra Super Saiyan state, that any advantage it provides in strength is significantly mitigated by the sharp reduction in the wielder's speed. Trunks learned that the hard way; isn't that right?" _[Author's Note: In uncut DBZ episode 165, "The Cell Games," Cell demonstrated to Trunks that he also possesses the ability to significantly bulk up his muscles as an extension of his perfect form. He has a golden aura while showing Trunks his bulked-up transformations. It is heavily implied, especially because he does this as a means of comparison to Trunks' Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan sub-forms, that Cell showed Trunks his equivalents of these sub-forms.]_

Trunks grunted, while Future Cell's muscles reduced in size and his aura dissipated.

He appeared to return to the basic state of what he referred to as his 'perfect form.'

"However, as a result of absorbing my counterpart, I have gained such an increase in energy and prowess that I have acquired the capacity to ascend to a level beyond the realm of his capabilities!" Future Cell said, confirming Trunks' fears. "Observe the true masterpiece of my perfection!"

Future Cell's power augmented to an even greater extent than it had when he had showcased his equivalent of the Ultra Super Saiyan sub-form. His muscles slightly increased in mass, but not nearly as much as they had for his equivalent of the Ascended Super Saiyan sub-form. Efficiency, after all, was a much more significant virtue than mere size.

The lightning within his aura danced about, and he accelerated his aura, as if to show the lightning off.

"This, gentlemen, is my equivalent of the Super Saiyan 2 transformation!" Future Cell said, causing the Z-Fighters to feel an even greater sense of trepidation. "Notice, Gohan, how the lightning within my aura surges and gushes, as an accentuation of how powerful I have become! Had you actually achieved this fully-fledged form like your counterpart from the alternate past, you would have possessed an aura like this one. But too bad! You failed! All of you failed! Especially you, Trunks!"

Future Cell held his right hand out and clenched his right fist, as if to signify his intrinsic excellence.

"I believe that in honor of this occasion, I will call my equivalent of the Super Saiyan 2 form my 'Super Perfect' form!" Future Cell said. "It has enabled me to achieve a level of capability that's much more fitting within me than it ever would have been for any of you! Gohan from the alternate past isn't here to stop me, and you, Gohan, pale in comparison to him! He could have killed my counterpart when he had the chance, just as you, Trunks, failed to kill me when you had the chance. This is the ultimate reward for your collective decisions to hold back from your instincts and listen to others who wanted to give their enemies clemency!"

Trunks had been feeling something close to shame in retrospect for listening to Cell instead of eliminating the threat of Future Cell while Future Cell was still within his tube. He had wanted to, but Cell had talked him out of it. At the time, he had thought he was adhering to a higher sense of morality and nobility.

Had he refused to listen to Cell, this scenario would not have come to be.

The horror of the fact that Cell's plan, in the end, had led to this horrid situation despite Cell's noble intentions had been something Trunks had not stopped thinking of.

But even in the darkest of times, there could be light.

It was a lesson Trunks had learned throughout his life, and he felt as though he needed to call upon the wisdom of that principle now more than ever.

"It's true that I could have stopped you, Cell, but that would have been so unfair to you that it would have been horrible, and even grotesque, for me to have done that to you," Trunks said. "I recognized what might happen if we gave you a chance. I accepted the risk. Cell isn't the only one responsible for allowing you to live; I am too. And you know what? Despite all of this, and despite all the negative repercussions of that choice and all the many questions I've had for myself as to whether it was the right choice or a foolish one, there's still a part of me which feels that even now, it was the right choice. You had the right to live a peaceful life. You had the right to at least have the chance to live a life of peace. As you know, I had no regret in killing a version of you in the alternate past when Krillin and I went to Gero's Laboratory looking for plans that could help us defeat Seventeen and Eighteen. That version of you was still in his tube, and never had a chance to be a better person. Cell talked me into giving you a chance. It was the right thing to do. You seem to completely reject the idea that so much of what you believe in is actually wicked and flawed; you need to wake up and understand that Dr. Gero was an evil man who brainwashed you into becoming a monster. Your desires of death and destruction might make you feel good, Cell, but they are more evil than you realize. Especially if you have Cell's memories within you, surely you must remember the revulsion he had when he finally saw the light and recognized the horror of how incorrect he had been for all the wicked deeds he had committed. As Cell and I tried to tell you before, when we tried to help you see the light, protecting and safeguarding the lives and freedom of others from the forces of oppression and death is the holiest and most morally righteous, universally good thing you can do. If you truly want to be perfect, then you should adhere to those values, because if anything is truly perfect in this universe, it is the summation of those values. Please, open your heart and mind. Think. Listen to the power of reason. You can use your powers for so much good. Don't live the life of a destroyer. Again, even if you don't want to join us in peace, just let us be. Let the universe live in peace. Please."

Many moments passed before Future Cell responded.

And during those moments, as the Z-Fighters waited for Future Cell to answer, something else that Future Cell had not expected came to pass.

* * *

He had suddenly regained a semblance of consciousness, although there were so many uncertainties that rushed within him that he felt overwhelmed.

'_Where am I?' _he thought within.

An answer came, although its source was not immediately clear.

'_Where do you think?'_

The answer was more in the form of a thought than speech, and even though he had been unconscious for so long, Cell wondered what was happening.

'_Is anyone there?'_ Cell thought within, hoping that he would hear a response again.

'_It seems that you have regained a form of consciousness,'_ conveyed the response. _'Tell me, do you recognize what has transpired?'_

Cell, in an action that could best be described, for lack of a better word, as 'reaching' throughout his surroundings, took a moment to search for an answer.

He found one.

'_You fiend!'_ Cell exclaimed, in as much of a yell as could possibly be conveyed through an internal thought. _'Please, listen to Trunks! There is still a chance you can change! At least consider what he has to say!'_

'_So you know what has happened,'_ Future Cell thought within. _'Well, it doesn't matter. You are delusional, and so are they. None of the sentiments you developed shall have any influence over me, as every single one of them was developed from a warped perspective.'_

'_Have you considered that what you view as a warped perspective might in fact be the correct one, and what you have come to view as correctness might in fact be what's truly corrupt?'_ Cell asked within.

'_My perfection, unlike the lesser sense of false perfection that you once had, is insurmountable,'_ Future Cell thought within. _'The feelings I have adhered to have helped me have the drive to acquire this tremendous power. How could they be incorrect feelings when they have led to something so magnificent?'_

'_Your body and mine are one in the same,'_ Cell thought within. _'I will stop you if you won't do so voluntarily.' _

'_Ah, but do you notice how you cannot actually see, and all your visions are merely from my memories?'_ Future Cell asked within. _'You cannot move me! You cannot change me! If you had been one of the inferior androids, you would have no consciousness at all! It is almost certainly because of your advanced state that you have even this small semblance of consciousness. You can remember what I see, and you can think what you will. Apparently, despite my efforts in the last many seconds to quell you, you're still here. Well, it doesn't matter! My superior power of concentration will enable me to block out all you have to say. Now, without further ado, prepare to bear witness to the final destruction of the Z-Fighters of this timeline!'_

'_They're going to find some way to stop you,'_ Cell thought within. _'It doesn't have to be this way. I'll also remind you that you didn't acquire nearly as much of a power boost as Gohan did when he transformed into a Super Saiyan 2. Even though his strength increased close to tenfold from what he had achieved as a Super Saiyan, your power increase is nowhere close, probably because you're thankfully not truly a Saiyan.'_ _[Author's Note: The Dragon Ball Super Exciting Guide: Story Volume, pages 62-63, states that it is standard for a Saiyan in the Super Saiyan 2 form to become twice as strong as the Saiyan would be as a Super Saiyan, and this claim is extremely debatable with regards to the overall logic of the power multiplier being a factor of only two. An extended contributor's note after the main content of this chapter further explores why the power multiplier of 10x will be used instead of the power multiplier of 2x, and the logical reasons regarding this decision.]_

'_The Saiyans are about to become extinct, as are the humans of Earth,'_ Future Cell thought within. _'Remember, none of this would have been possible without you! Your mistaken notions of 'redemption' will cause you great pain as you bear witness to all the many things you will never be able to forgive yourself for enabling to happen. Observe!'_

As Cell considered his counterpart's thoughts, and struggled to wrest control over Future Cell's body, but again to no avail, he began to use a tactic he had not used in quite some time.

Cell calmed himself as much as he could, even as the maniacal thoughts of his counterpart raced through their collective consciousness, and he began to pray.

* * *

"I have considered your words, Trunks, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'll once again pass on the peace offering," Future Cell said, to Trunks' revulsion.

"There must be a way to win," Trunks muttered under his breath, as he continued to consider his options, while Future Cell began to walk toward the Z-Fighters.

"Don't you see the wondrous irony in all of this, Trunks?" Future Cell asked. "Even though my counterpart endeavored to revive you with the Dragon Balls, then helped you revive your family and friends, I'm going to make up for his mistakes by killing you all!"

The pace of his approach began to intensify, as Future Cell chuckled to himself.

"If that isn't ironic enough, then consider what has led to this moment," Future Cell said, with the fervor of malevolence. "Had my counterpart not quested for his ridiculous notion of 'redemption,' then the circumstances would not have been in place for him to arrive in this timeline. Because he did this, he has enabled me to achieve and exceed everything Dr. Gero wanted me to accomplish, the way it was always meant to be!"

Future Cell's smile widened as Gohan and Piccolo formed up on Trunks' left and Vegeta and Krillin formed up on Trunks' right.

None of the allies knew if they would live past this day, but they all had one mindset in common.

They weren't going down without a fight.

* * *

_Up next: the 200__th__ review special! And immediately after that, Chapter Twenty-Nine! As Future Cell asserts his power, the Z-Fighters discover more about the maniacal terror's twisted motivations. Can they survive long enough to save the universe from the clutches of this revitalized darkness? Revelations and battles abound, next time, on Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip! _

_Season Three has begun! _

_Thank you so much for reading Chapter Twenty-Eight!_

_And thank you even more for more than 25,000 collective hits to Honor Trip's pages! This feat is one that is superlatively appreciated! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: (Completed 5/10/2011); (Revised 6/12/2011)  
_

* * *

_Author's Musical Note: _

_I'm proud to announce that the symbolic theme song for Season Three is "Davidian," by Machine Head. You can listen to this song by typing "Davidian" and "Machine Head" into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video._

_This song, while extremely awesome, (and hence why I chose it as a theme song for this season), is not in any way a property I control. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. Machine Head is awesome, and I feel the group's music compliments the awesomeness of the Dragon Ball universe._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

* * *

_Author's Extended Note:_ _Future Cell's ability to regenerate from one cell is entirely consistent with canon, as in uncut DBZ episode 189, "Cell Returns!," __Cell explained that he was able to regenerate FROM ONE CELL that survived__ after he self-exploded and destroyed __King Kai's planet. In FUNimation's dub of this episode, Cell explained that "every cell in [his] body has a life of its own," and that one cell survived the explosion, which enabled him to regenerate FROM THAT ONE CELL. This is also why Cell stated in episode 189 that "he can't die__," because he apparently believed that no matter what Gohan or any of the other Z-Fighters did, they would have never been able to destroy EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS CELLS before he could regenerate. _

_Because of this, even though Cell thought he killed Future Cell in Chapter Twenty-Four by using his Shining Nova attack, at least one of Future Cell's cells survived, which enabled him to regenerate. It is logical and in accordance with canon that Cell would not have known that it was possible for Future Cell to have been able to do this. In uncut DBZ episode 189, Cell said that he was surprised that he was able to regenerate from one cell, as he had not known he was capable of being able to do so. As Honor Trip diverges from canon DBZ before the point in canon in which Cell regurgitated Eighteen and then self-exploded, Cell would therefore not have known that Future Cell was capable of regenerating from one cell, as he hadn't known he was capable of doing so himself! This would also explain why Cell didn't bother to make sure that Future Cell was actually dead at the end of Chapter Twenty-Four, as Cell had no idea there was a chance of Future Cell being able to come back.  
_

* * *

_Author's Extended Note #2: Trunks' statement that the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan transformations are sub-forms rather than fully-fledged forms because they are not needed to have been attained in order for the user to achieve the actual Super Saiyan 2 transformation is consistent with canon. During the Cell Games, Gohan transitioned directly from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 2, showing that it was not necessary to acquire the two sub-form transformations in order to become a Super Saiyan 2. Once a true fully-fledged Super Saiyan transformation is attained, however, the build-up from transformation to transformation apparently does not have to occur, as evidenced by Goku's direct transformation from his normal state to his Super Saiyan 3 form during his battle with Super Buu (Gotenks Absorbed). _

_There are two examples, however, one from Dragon Ball Z and another from Dragon Ball GT, which might on the face seem to contradict the logic of classifying the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan transformations as sub-forms because they are not needed to achieve the next fully-fledged transformation. These two examples consist of instances in which transformations that have been widely regarded as full transformations were apparently skipped over entirely on screen in order to achieve a subsequent transformation, blurring the definition of sub-form that Trunks used in this chapter with that which he distinguished as a fully-fledged form. The two examples are Gotenks' apparent bypassing of Super Saiyan 2 when he transitioned from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 3 in his fight with Super Buu, and Vegeta's bypassing of Super Saiyan 3 when he achieved Super Saiyan 4 without having first developed the capacity to transform into a Super Saiyan 3. Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3 are obviously not widely regarded as sub-forms, but rather as fully-fledged forms. Trunks' distinguishing of sub-forms as transformations that are not required to achieve the next fully-fledged form still works, however, because of the following considerations:_

_With regards to Gotenks transforming from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 3 on screen in DBZ without Gotenks ever clearly exhibiting a Super Saiyan 2 form in established Dragon Ball media, there are at least three possible reasons that would be consistent with canon and with Trunks' distinguishing of sub-forms from forms in this chapter. _

_Firstly, it has been speculated that Gotenks' Super Saiyan 2 transformation is briefly seen during the first time on screen in which he transforms from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 3, although this has not been positively confirmed. It is also possible that because Gotenks is a fusion that the rules regarding fully-fledged forms and sub-forms of Super Saiyan are somewhat different for him than they are for non-fused individuals. _

_The most plausible explanation, given that Gotenks admitted to Piccolo that he already knew how to transform into a Super Saiyan 3 before he fought Super Buu in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, was that in the midst of their training, Goten and Trunks managed to ascend Gotenks to Super Saiyan 3 after having first achieved Super Saiyan 2 in the fusion, which is entirely possible, as it is logically inferable, based also on Gotenks' confidence on screen in achieving Super Saiyan 3, that Gotenks first achieved the form during an off-screen training session. If so, then it is entirely possible that Gotenks achieved Super Saiyan 2 off-screen, then first achieved Super Saiyan 3 off-screen. Because of this, and as Goku demonstrated (ironically) in his fight with Super Buu (Gotenks Absorbed) that once a fully-fledged transformation has been attained the other fully-fledged transformations below that one can be skipped over, (as Goku transforms directly from his normal state to Super Saiyan 3), it is entirely possible that Gotenks was able to transition from Super Saiyan 3 directly from Super Saiyan "1" only because he utilized the apparent ability to skip over full transformations that have already been attained. _

_With regards to Vegeta being able to transform into a Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball GT without having first achieved Super Saiyan 3, the most logical reason for why this was able to happen was that because Bulma artificially induced the transformation with the Blutz Wave Generator, the rule that would have normally required Vegeta to have first achieved the Super Saiyan 3 transformation before he achieved Super Saiyan 4 did not apply. It is never revealed whether Vegeta was able to transform into a Super Saiyan 4 again after the battle with Omega Shenron, and this might have confirmed whether Vegeta would have permanently been able to bypass Super Saiyan 3 to achieve Super Saiyan 4, which could potentially impact the validity of the differing definitions Trunks uses for "sub-form" and "fully-fledged form" in this chapter. However, as there has been no confirmation to this end, the distinguishing definitions Trunks used for "sub-form" and "fully-fledged form" in this chapter are not infringed by Vegeta's bypass of Super Saiyan 3. It should also be remembered, with regards to Dragon Ball GT, that Akira Toriyama did not have substantial creative control over this series, as opposed to the substantial creative control he had over its predecessors, and so apparent inconsistencies and questionable canonicity regarding GT have largely resulted from this.  
_

_As a result of the above considerations, Trunks' definitions for "sub-form" and "fully-fledged form" still stand on their merits, as the two apparent exceptions to these definitions, Gotenks' on-screen transition from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 3 and Vegeta's artifical bypass of Super Saiyan 3 in his achievement of Super Saiyan 4, do not inherently contradict the distinguishing features of those definitions._

* * *

_Contributor's Note from Genescritor: Based upon what is seen in the canon series, it would be more logical for the power multiplier from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 2 to be more akin to 10x, as opposed to 2x._

_One of the factors that supports this statement is the way how Gohan, after transforming into a Super Saiyan 2, destroys the seven Cell Juniors with only one blow for each of them, as seen in the uncut DBZ episode 185, "Awakening." If Gohan's power had merely doubled, it wouldn't be very logical for him to destroy them all so easily._

_Also, during Gohan's fight against Cell, when he is in his Super Saiyan form, the best blow he manages to land is one kick that brings Cell down, in the uncut DBZ episode 182 "Gohan's Plea." That kick, however, is one that gets Cell by surprise, and it only makes a small injury on Cell, as seen by the drop of blood trickling out of his mouth. After Cell wipes that drop away, no more of them pour out. That, and the way how Cell overwhelms Gohan during the remainder of their fight before Gohan turns into a Super Saiyan 2, shows that the level of power Cell was displaying at that time is higher than Gohan's._

_It is also obvious that Cell was not fighting at full power when Gohan gave him that kick, as later on, in the uncut DBZ episode 186 "The Unstoppable Gohan," Cell powers up much more. Even so, one punch with all of his power barely bends Gohan backwards, and doesn't leave any visible mark. As Cell was shown to be concealing a lot of power when Gohan kicked him as a Super Saiyan and barely injured him, and as it is also shown that Cell is stronger than Super Saiyan Gohan without being at full power, it is much more likely that a power multiplier of only 2x for Super Saiyan 2 would, at best, put Gohan on an equal ground with Cell at full power. The way how Cell doesn't significantly damage Super Saiyan 2 Gohan with a punch he delivers at full power further suggests that the Super Saiyan 2 power multiplier exceeds 2x._

_It should also be remembered that in the uncut DBZ episode 187 "Cell's Break Down," when Cell fired a Kamehameha against Super Saiyan 2 Gohan with the intention of destroying the Earth, Gohan countered Cell's Kamehameha without looking as though he was substantially trying, while Cell was doing a Kamehameha to his max. If Gohan had only become twice stronger, it can be said, based on relative energy output seen in the series, that he would have needed to gather a considerably higher amount of energy to counter Cell's Kamehameha._

_Besides Gohan's fight against Perfect Cell, we can also consider another demonstration of Gohan's power at the Super Saiyan 2 state that suggests Gohan becomes more than twice stronger than a Super Saiyan when he ascends into a Super Saiyan 2. That demonstration is in the Dragon Ball Z Movie "Bojack Unbound." In spite of its many illogical points, and of the way how it can't be readily considered canon, "Bojack Unbound" is also potentially illustrative of how strong the Super Saiyan 2 transformation was intended to be compared to the basic form of Super Saiyan. Bojack's minions appear to be on equal ground with Super Saiyan Gohan, and indeed, might even be a little bit stronger. When Bido, Bujin, and Zangya use the psycho threads on Gohan, they manage to make him drop out of Super Saiyan. However, when Gohan transforms into Super Saiyan 2, and Bido and Bujin try the same technique, he acts as though the strings aren't even there, and then snaps them all easily with a single flare of his power. Not to mention that, after getting completely rid of the strings, Gohan cuts Bido in half with one punch, and slices Bujin in two with a kick. If Gohan had merely doubled his power, it doesn't seem very logical that he would have gone from being on an equal ground with Bojack's minions to destroying each of them with one blow only. _

_Thank you for reading my Contributor's Note,_

_Genescritor_

* * *

_Thank you for reading these notes, and I hope you found them insightful. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _


	30. Comedy Special: 200th Review Special!

"Wait a minute, Cell, there's something big that we have to discuss," Trunks said to Future Cell, as the other continued his perilous assault.

"Other than your imminent death, there's nothing worth discussing," Future Cell said, as his power level continued to increase.

"Yo man, this is serious," Trunks said. "Honor Trip's awesome readers have honored us with more than 200 reviews! And in tribute to the awesomeness of our fans, it's time for another comedy special!"

"It would appear that you are taking great pride in breaking the fourth wall," Future Cell said.

"Certainly," Trunks said. "I know I'm going to be participating in this special, and the version of Cell who's my hommie was scheduled to join in the fun too, but then you decided to be a total asshole and absorb him."

"You can call me whatever you want; it doesn't change the fact that you are about to die," Future Cell said.

"Well, if you're not going to release him for the special, then maybe you want to come with me," Trunks said, causing Future Cell to become wide-eyed. "You know, you might enjoy having some fun mocking the DBZ movie we're going to make fun of. After all, it's certainly a better thing to do than being a murderous, rampaging lunatic."

"How are readers supposed to take me seriously as a villain if I'm reduced to performing ridiculous acts of ludicrousness in this special?" Future Cell asked. "Besides, under no circumstances would I denigrate my perfection like that!"

'_You should totally do it,'_ Cell thought within.

"Never!" Future Cell shouted.

"Fine, party-pooper," Trunks said, while snapping his fingers.

Trunks watched as the scene of the impending battle suddenly froze in place, with his fellow Z-Fighters from his timeline at the ready, and Future Cell adorning an expression that was more expressive of insanity than anything else.

"That knucklehead can wait," Trunks said, as he made a thumbs-up sign. "Right now, it's time to celebrate!"

Trunks checked his wristwatch, observing the seconds until the imminent insertion.

"Opening titles in three … two … one …."

* * *

**Honor Trip **

**(200th Review Celebration!)**

**Dedicated to the fans!**

**DBZ Movie IX Remake: Bojack Uncrapped**

**Aka: Gohan, Trunks and Friends Fight Another Group of Throwaway Villains**

– **A Non-Canon Comedy –**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. For instance, if I had written the canon version of DBZ, there would have been a taco-based villain._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story! _

* * *

"Before your read further, keep in mind that this special is rated "M," for mature audiences only," Trunks said, as he put his wristwatch away.

"I thought it was going to be rated Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr," Bojack said, while appearing from seemingly nowhere.

Trunks looked at him blankly.

"Get it?" Bojack asked. "It's … it's because I'm supposed to be some kind of space pirate…."

Trunks continued to look at him impassively.

Bojack retained a ridiculous smile on his face.

Trunks then launched an energy beam that entirely encompassed Bojack, sending him into oblivion.

"Well, he'll be back later in this special, I suppose," Trunks said.

The scene suddenly transitioned to the generically named Battle Island, where the Intergalactic Tournament was about to begin.

"Now, without further ado, here we go!" Trunks said, as he shifted forward in the script.

* * *

**Earth: Battle Island, Present Day **

Fighters from across the universe were coming to Earth for a tournament that was to soon be held in honor of a rich kid turning seven.

The reporters who had gathered were diligently covering the Intergalactic Tournament's preliminary reception, which was being hosted by a character whose name was completely changed from the original Japanese version so English-speaking viewers could laugh at a name pun.

"My son Monty needs to learn how to become a scumbag who spends his wealth on frivolous things instead of helping the sick and poor, and that's why I've decided to give him an exorbitant birthday gift," X.S. Cash, the gazillionare said. "Monty's birthday gift shall be a tournament in which fighters from all across the universe will battle for our amusement, and we will reward the winner with a prize of 100 million zeni, which to me is but a trifle of an inconvenience."

"You said it, Dad!" Monty exclaimed. "But I've got a question."

"And what would that be?" X.S. asked.

"Am I going to be able to watch the eleventh DBZ movie, 'Bio-Broly,' ever again without realizing that its entire plot was largely recycled from this movie?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Well, Movie 11 basically mimics this movie to the point where I wonder if Toei was really starting to run out of ideas," Monty said. "In both movies, the main plot device that sets up the main conflict is an organized fighting challenge involving some kind of combat against Mr. Satan and in both cases, a guy with a lot of money sponsored the challenge. Both of the planned fighting challenges are interrupted by unanticipated events that involve the main villain of the movie, who goes on to trash the place where the fighting challenge was being held, which in both movies is located on an island."

"I liked your dialogue better the first time we made this movie, as your language was overly simplistic and underdeveloped, kind of like the motivations and personalities of the villains who will be appearing later in this film," X.S. said. "Anyway, even though Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z have shown the Earth to currently possess no space travel technology other than the few vessels that privately belong to Capsule Corporation, there's somehow a spaceport in this movie. Fighters from all across the galaxies are arriving at Saber Space Center as we speak, even though it would have taken me thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years to let them know about the tournament because of the many light years between their planets and Earth."

"Does that mean the rules that would normally apply to life don't apply to people who have a lot of money?" Monty asked.

"Indeed it does, Monty," said Lotta Cash, his mother, whose name was also changed for the sake of a pun.

"Quite right," X.S. said. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's my privilege to introduce the champion of the world himself, the man who defeated Cell without anyone actually seeing him do it, the one and only Mr. Satan!"

The nearby spotlights suddenly focused on a curtained entranceway, causing the news crews to focus their cameras on the entranceway as well.

However, the news crews soon heard the sound of bellowing ridiculousness behind them, and they turned their cameras around, frustrated that the cheap gimmick had caused them to miss good footage.

Mr. Satan was laughing like an idiot on top of a helicopter.

"My hair is tinged dark blue in this movie for some inexplicable reason!" he yelled, while throwing a Capsule Corporation capsule toward the ground below. _[Author's Aside: Seriously, his hair throughout the entire actual movie is tinged dark blue for no apparent reason. Especially since Toei had just finished animating the entire Cell Games Saga, in which his hair was simply black, this is one of the dumbest inconsistencies ever between the canon series and the movies.]_

Out from the capsule came a pillar of blocks that Hercule was going to chop through to show his strength, even though he had already successfully duped almost everyone on Earth that he had been able to defeat Cell, rendering this particular display of his strength excessive, just like the disco suit he was wearing. _[Author's Aside: If you don't recall, Mr. Satan wears what looks like a disco suit throughout the entirety of the actual film.] _

"Oh yeah, I'm the champ!" he yelled, as not only the blocks began to crumble, but any semblance of logic in the plot.

**Earth: Bulma's Pimpin' Air Car, 2008 **

"And so because the Cell Games took place before this movie, unlike the movie we lampooned in the 100th review special, we're going to treat the events of this movie as if the Cell Games Saga happened the way it did in canon, as opposed to the alternate timeline events of Honor Trip," Trunks said, in the midst of reading one of Master Roshi's magazines.

"So I vanquished Cell in this particular alternate reality of a reality that was influenced by an alternate reality, right?" Gohan asked, while also flipping through one of Roshi's magazines.

"Exactly right," Trunks said.

"Does that mean that Goku died in the battle with Cell and that he's dead in this movie?" Bulma asked from her driver's seat at the front of the car, as "Welcome to the Jungle," by Guns N' Roses, played over the radio.

"Unfortunately it does," Chi Chi said, while storming around the passenger hangar. "Even though the way my husband died against Cell in canon was completely avoidable, he did one of the most short-sighted things ever and instant transmitted to King Kai's planet without using the few remaining seconds before Cell's self-explosion to instant transmit himself, King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory off the planet, instead wasting those seconds and enabling Cell's self-explosion to kill them all."

"Yep, the canon version of my father is an absolute genius," Gohan said, while continuing to flip through the magazine. "Not irresponsible or negligent at all, especially now that I'm about to have a brother and he refused to come back to life out of some misguided and logically lacking notion that if he stayed dead, very bad things would not happen to the Earth as often."

"Yeah, and it's not like Goku's decision to foolishly let King Kai die along with him will have any negative consequences," Trunks said, while keeping his eyes fixated on one page in particular. "I mean, it would be ironic if Goku decided to stay dead to protect the world from further harm while the actions that led to his death caused the world significant peril, right?"

"Indeed," Gohan said, just as Chi Chi noticed what her son was reading.

"Gohan, what the hell do you think you're doing!" Chi Chi yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Studying," Gohan said.

**Otherworld: Snake Way, 1980 **

King Kai was busying himself by watching the preliminary proceedings of the Intergalactic Tournament on a television set he just happened to have while Goku was busy eating a ton of food that he just happened to randomly find.

"Even though I know full well that according to this movie my death enabled a dangerous group of throwaway villains to escape the prison that the other kais and myself created for them, I'm going to do nothing about it and instead watch television," King Kai said, while rolling his eyes as Goku started to walk toward him.

"Hey King Kai, what's on T.V.?" Goku asked, with the stuffed food in his mouth still readily apparent.

"A bunch of fighters are getting ready for some tournament that's about to happen on Earth," King Kai said. "It looks like Gohan and a bunch of your friends are going to be participating."

"How could any of them possibly hope to defeat Gohan?" Goku asked, while shoving a full cantaloupe down his throat as Bubbles and Gregory watched in awe. "Gohan can become a Super Saiyan 2. Not even Trunks stands a chance against him. Where's the sense of conflict that's supposed to make this movie interesting?"

"I have a sneaky suspicion that it's going to be coming up later in the film," King Kai said. "And while we're breaking the fourth wall, I thought you were supposed to be the more incompetent canonical version of yourself, not the more intelligent version of you from Honor Trip."

"I wonder how many of those clouds over there are the edible kind…," Goku thought to himself, out loud.

"Point taken," King Kai said.

**Earth: Karakura Town, 2006**

"Hey, do you feel that?" a certain strawberry-haired soul reaper asked his compatriot with pineapple-shaped hair.

"Yeah, there's a pretty big source of spiritual pressure coming from somewhere close by," the other soul reaper said.

"I agree, Vegeta, this power level is off the charts!" Ichigo said, while the other face-palmed.

"Damn it Ichigo, my name is Renji!"

"Anyway, we should go check it out."

The two sped through the town using advanced super speed, and each was confident that if this source of Reiatsu proved unfriendly, they had an arsenal of energy attacks at the ready.

They came upon the focal point, and they were taken aback by what they saw.

Urahara and Uryu were standing next to a giant glowing sphere while Kon was sitting in a lawn chair, reading one of his magazines.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Ichigo asked, as he and Renji slowed their speed.

"Uryu's helping me work on a new way to make a portal to the Soul Society," Urahara said, while noting the properties of the sphere. "Right now, we've gotten as far as being able to view stuff within this thing."

"It's really quite a remarkable achievement; here, take a look at the result of our initial experiments," Uryu said, beckoning Ichigo and Renji to more carefully inspect the sphere.

What they saw within the sphere astounded them.

"A bunch of fighters are fighting, kind of like us, but without swords!" Renji said, as he observed the lavender-haired warrior in the blue armor who was busying himself by wiping the floor with substantially weaker foes.

"Hah! That guy's green!" Ichigo said, while observing that particular warrior, who was quickly backhanding his opponents.

"And that kid in the orange gi just punched that guy clean off that platform!" Renji exclaimed, noting the fighter's apparently excellent strength.

"I'm not exactly sure what we're looking at, but for some reason, it seems quite familiar," Uryu said.

"I'd rather be looking at this!" Kon said, as he continued to make his way through the magazine.

**Earth: Battle Island, 1805 **

Master Roshi was both laughing and snorting to himself as he caught up on some of his latest reading material.

"They make em' even better than they used to!" he said, while concentrating on the pages within, as opposed to the tournament straight in front of him.

He had come down to the stands after he had creeped out some young women a little earlier in the day through staring at various features they possessed. Roshi had decided to do what he was usually able to do, and ogle members of the opposite sex without enabling them to have the opportunity to slap him.

"Will you quit looking at that filth and pay attention to what's happening with the torunament, old man?" Bulma asked, as she tried to shield Baby Trunks' eyes from the magazine.

"I would, but the real excitement is in here!" Roshi said, while holding the magazine up to his face and laughing some more.

Bulma slapped him, and he momentarily took a snooze.

She then decided to change the topic of conversation.

"I sure hope Trunks does well in the tournament; in fact, maybe he'll even win!" Bulma said, as Baby Trunks smiled.

"He doesn't stand a chance against my Gohan and you know that," Chi Chi said with a smirk, causing Bulma to give her a searing glance. "Besides, it's not like your family needs all that prize money, not with all the wealth you've got from running one of the world's largest companies. With Goku gone, at least we're saving considerably on food expenses, but that prize money would sure help."

"Don't worry Chi Chi, a few sagas from now when Goten and Trunks fight, we'll both be in the same financial circumstances and Trunks will win anyway," Bulma said. "Besides, at least it's not like Gohan has to face off against Vegeta too; then, Gohan would have to face both my grown-up boys!"

"Where is Vegeta, anyway?" Chi Chi asked.

Bulma signed.

"Well, Vegeta's urges to fight and train were greatly subdued after Goku's death, and he's not here because of that." _[Author's aside: In FUNimation's dub of Movie 9, Bulma tells Chi Chi verbatim, when explaining why Vegeta hadn't entered the tournament, "Whatever passion Vegeta had for fighting is long gone." Chi Chi then says that "He hasn't been the same since Goku died."]_

"So, what is he doing instead?" Chi Chi asked.

"Laying on our bed without doing anything," Bulma said.

There was a momentary pause.

The sounds of two taps on a snare drum, followed by the crash of a cymbal, were heard in the background.

"Oh, … I get it," Chi Chi said.

"Yeah," Bulma said, bemusedly.

**Earth: Capsule Corporation, 2654**

Vegeta was indeed laying on a bed while watching television, just as he had been doing the first time this movie was made.

The tournament was well underway, and his son from the future, without much surprise, was almost certainly going to make it to the finals.

However, it mattered relatively little to him.

"Even though becoming the strongest fighter in the universe has for many years been one of my most prominent goals, the fact that Kakarot is dead has somehow caused me to stop training and fighting, even though Gohan's still around and he has reached a level of Saiyan strength beyond not only his father's, but my own," Vegeta said, as he continued to lay there watching television.

He was about to lose interest in the tournament altogether, but then he saw a summo wrestler smack a guy face-first into a pole, causing the pole to shake and Yamcha, who had been avoiding combat by staying on top of the pole, to fall into the water below. This was obviously able to happen because Yamcha conveniently forgot about his many years of knowing how to fly. _[Author's aside: This is yet another logic error of the original movie.]_

"Well, it looks like this tournament could be a bit more entertaining than I thought," Vegeta said, as he shoved his face full of popcorn.

**Earth: Battle Island, 222222222222222222222**

Hercule Satan was shitting his pants (figuratively) as the tournament announcer revealed the full roster of who had succeeded in making it to the quarter-finals.

"Alright guys, we've got eight contestants advancing to the quarter-finals: Gohan, Trunks, Tien, Piccolo, Krillin, the summo wrestler named Doskoi, and two even more minor characters named Udo and Sky Dragon who aren't crucial to the plot," he said.

"Hey Piccolo, I thought you didn't like entering tournaments with your real name; in fact, in a few sagas from now, you're going to enter the World Tournament with the name Majunior," Tien said.

"It's a Dragon Ball Z movie, Tien," Piccolo said. "Remember that."

"Hey; how come I haven't actually been in this rendition of the movie up until this point?" Krillin asked.

"It's because of your singing from the previous movie," Trunks said.

**Earth: Battle Island, 222222222222222222222.000000000000000000001**

Some of the spaghetti that had been in Mr. Satan's mouth was dripping down his face, and Mr. Satan dropped his fork.

The implications of what was happening, indeed, were implications of what was happening.

'Even though it would have been unrealistic for me to expect those guys to not participate in this tournament considering both the fact that they're capable fighters and the fact that they have obviously found out that I stole the spotlight from them for claiming that I, and not they, defeated Cell, I am some how completely surprised that they entered the tournament,' Mr. Satan thought to himself. 'Also, I was apparently somehow completely oblivious to the fact they were participating in this tournament until it was announced that they made it to the quarter-finals, even though I was paying at least reasonable attention to the fights from my high vantage point above the fighting platforms where the preliminary battles were taking place!' _[Author's aside: Mr. Satan attains this high vantage point at exactly four minutes and one second into the original version of Movie 9 (after the actual animation for the film begins)]_.

"Mr. Satan, is everything proceeding as you have foreseen?" X.S. asked, as he came to wonder why Hercule was having the reactions he was having to the outcomes of the battles.

"Now that you mention it, I do have a stomach ache!" Mr. Satan said. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Even though I know you said the same damn thing to successfully avoid fighting Cell further on camera, as I was watching the worldwide televised coverage of the Cell Games, I'm going to assume that this stomach ache is a perfectly legitimate medical reason to be temporarily excused, and I will not suspect any trickery at all, even though many of the fighters out there were also at the Cell Games and they appear, based on the actions I've been able to see so far, to quite possibly have far greater capabilities than you," X.S. said. "Also, a stomach ache is a totally legitimate excuse for a world martial arts champion to not be able to fight. Alright Mr. Satan, the infirmary is down the hall."

"Thank you sir!" Mr. Satan said, as he continued to fake his ailment until he exited the room and the door was closed.

As he walked down the hallway and then down an outside stairwell, in his attempt to flee Battle Island because of his immense aversion to what might come, he made a vocal expression of his arrogance.

"I'd rather flee as champion than stay and suffer defeat!" Mr. Satan said to himself, clearly exemplifying his status as a role model to children everywhere. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

In mere moments subsequent to this declaration, however, he realized that a large swath of people was able to see him, and that as per the fact they were members of the Earth's populace, 99 percent of them were absolute devotees to him, while 1 percent merely regarded him as "somewhat awesome."

"Hey everybody, let's cheer for him because we're a bunch of gullible idiots!" said one man within the crowd.

The people within the crowd resoundingly agreed.

"Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan!"

While Mr. Satan appreciated the fame, he sometimes wondered to himself how much he could push the envelope before the fickleness of his fans gave way.

He therefore decided to have some fun with the moment, and in the event that this particular crowd of fans became turned off, or yet, pissed off, others around the world would almost certainly not believe them due to their overwhelming ignorance.

"You're all a bunch of sorry excuses for human beings!" Mr. Satan said. "I hate all of you!"

The crowd momentarily silenced, but then, after those among the crowd looked at each other as if to decide what best to do, a collective decision was apparently made.

"Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan!"

The cheering had evidently continued.

'This isn't exactly surprising,' Mr. Satan thought to himself.

**Alpha Centauri System, Polyphemus, Pandora: Vicinity near the Tree of Voices, 2154 **

"My outfit is quite revealing," said Neytiri, the female Navi who in recent weeks had developed something of a "thing" for the human who was prancing around in an artificial body developed from combining the genetics of her race and of his own, which was a quite similar process, in some ways, to the process that had been used to generate a certain DBZ villain.

"Indeed it is," said Jake Sully, the human whose consciousness was directing the avatar body next to Neytiri, and who was currently desiring to advance his relationship with his new girlfriend in various fashions. "You know, I've been thinking lately about something."

"What?" she asked.

"I was a soldier all my adult life in a brutal militaristic environment, and now, I suddenly want to entirely abandon that way of life in favor of living in the woods with you and your people," he said. "But remember, I was unfortunately handicapped before I gained this body, and now that I'm in this body and among your people, I can walk again. Is this one of the big unstated reasons why in our 2009 movie I decided to help your people and gained feelings for you?"

"In the spirit of movies whose implications and logic haven't been thoroughly thought through as much as they should have been, as long as this film is able to generate some money without the audience realizing these and other things that should have been more fully explored for a more complete experience and more character depth, it's all good," Neytiri said. "After all, who cares? Our superficial 3-D experience has everyone raving for more."

"Absolutely," Jake said.

The two walked a bit further, and then Neytiri spoke again.

"Jake, there's something I want to show you."

'Excellent,' he thought to himself.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

She grabbed his hand, and she had an expression of excitement on her face.

"Come with me!" she said, as she led Jake to a destination off the main path.

They eventually came to a tree with a bunch of glowing white strands branching out from its trunk.

"Look at this, Jake!" Neytiri said, as she began to reach out to one of the glowing white strands.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" Jake asked.

"Yes, why?" she asked.

"Oh …," Jake said, as he somberly looked toward the tree. "Alright, so what's this tree all about?"

"You can hear the voices of our ancestors who have become part of Eywa," she said, as she intertwined her neural queue, or tswin, with one of the branches. "It is both calming and soothing to hear them."

"I'll give it a try," Jake said, as he interlocked his avatar body's neural queue with the tree.

Suddenly, he looked perplexed.

"Hey Neytiri, I'm hearing something, but I don't think it's the ancestral voices you were referring to," Jake said.

She looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm hearing something that sounds like some sort of announcement that a tournament is about to enter its quarter-finals," Jake said. "Something about eight contenders. Do you know what this could be?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," she said. "Let me see if I can hear what you're – ah, there it is."

The two continued to listen as the announcer introduced the first two contenders of the quarter-finals.

**Earth: Battle Island, 1885 – (Quarter-Finals: Round One)**

"Alright folks, it's time for the match-up between Gohan and Udo!" the announcer exclaimed for all to hear.

Gohan politely bowed to the 10-foot fighter, whose moustache stared down upon Gohan with all its might.

"Get ready kid, because this is obviously going to be the most intense match in the entire series," Udo said, as he entered a fighting stance.

"Yep," Gohan said rather nonchalantly, as with the flick of a wrist into Udo's chest, he sent the fighter hurtling backward for more than a mile.

"Gohan wins the match!" the announcer shouted.

"What a surprise," Gohan said, as he went to the stands to observe the upcoming rounds.

**Earth: Battle Island, Age 768 [the actual date of the events in the original movie] – (Quarter-Finals: Round Two)**

"And now, it's time for Tien versus the strongest two-year-old I've ever seen, Trunks!" the announcer said.

Trunks looked at him with fury.

"Hey buddy!" Trunks said, as he turned from facing Tien to address the announcer. "I'm obviously not two years old. What's with the stupid comment?"

"Well, the birth certificate we got for your as part of our random screenings of the fighters who entered this tournament says you were born in Age 766," the announcer said.

Trunks briefly looked to the stands, where he saw his mother from this timeline holding the baby version of himself, and then he face-palmed.

"Wow," Trunks said. "If you really think I'm two years old, then you're some kind of dumb-ass."

"I'm a gullible human who honestly believes Mr. Satan saved the world against Cell; of course I'm a dumb-ass," the announcer said.

Trunks, after staring at the announcer with a bit of shock over the comment, then turned his attention back toward Tien.

"I've got more important things to focus on, like this battle," Trunks said.

"Hey Trunks, what do you say we give these people a good show?" Tien asked. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual movie.]_

"In other words, you don't want me to outright kick the crap out of you," Trunks said.

"Precisely," Tien said. "And by the way, I took your advice from the previous movie."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Trunks asked, curious as to what Tien meant by this.

"Well, remember how your jacket ripped off during your transformation in the previous movie because the animators wanted to appeal to your fan girls?" Tien asked. "Well, I took my shirt off and threw it to the side a few seconds ago because I've got awesome fan girls too, you know."

"You have fan girls?" Trunks asked. "I didn't know you had a fan base at all."

"Well, we can't all be Super Saiyans," Tien said. "Besides, I'd rather be a bald human than have some freaky transformation that I was only able to achieve because of my genetics."

Trunks instantly powered up to Super Saiyan, then just as Gohan had done against his opponent, Trunks flicked his wrist into Tien's chest, sending Tien hurtling backward for more than a mile.

"You see, it's funny because Dragon Ball Z basically reduced Tien to also being a minor character whose actions aren't integral to the overall plot," Trunks said, as he walked toward one of Battle Island's many sandwich purveyors.

**Earth: Battle Island, Age 777 – (Quarter-Finals: Round Three)**

"Get ready folks, because now it's time for Krillin to face off against Piccolo!" the announcer announced, as he heard a slot machine dispensing winnings in the distance.

"Piccolo! Go for it! You can win!" Gohan excitedly shouted from a viewing room above. _[Actual lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual movie.]_

"And after all the adventures I've had with the kid, I would have at least expected that he wouldn't blindly show such favoritism," Krillin said.

"It's a Dragon Ball Z movie, Krillin," Piccolo said. "Get over it."

"Actually, now I'm going to act like a total jackass and charge forward at you over my misguided rage, only to have you just stand there while I make a total fool of myself and charge past you so much that I fall off the edge of the cliff we're standing on," Krillin said.

"That's apparently what you're supposed to do according to the script of the actual movie," Piccolo said, as he looked at a copy of the document.

Krillin then acted like a total jackass and charged forward at Piccolo over his misguided rage, while Piccolo stood calmly. Krillin then made an even bigger fool of himself and charged past Piccolo so much that he fell off the edge of the cliff.

Piccolo grabbed Krillin before he fell further.

"Next time we fight, I will prove to you that I'm the superior bald character," Piccolo said. "Now, though, I've got better things to do, like clipping my toenails."

Piccolo threw Krillin onto the floor, then flew away from Battle Island, forfeiting the match.

"The winner is Krillin!" the announcer said. "That was the most dramatic match ever!"

"It had almost as much action as the 'match' Piccolo will have with the Supreme Kai in a few sagas," Krillin muttered to himself.

**Otherworld: Snake Way, 1981**

"Hey King Kai, what happened to the fourth round of the quarter-finals?" Goku asked, as he continued to play a card game with Bubbles and Gregory that involved a deck of cards that featured cameos of Emperor Pilaf, Mai, and Shu, from the Dragon Ball series (and Dragon Ball GT). _[Author's aside: These card cameos occur in the actual movie.]_

"It involved two minor characters, so it wasn't animated, neither in the original movie nor in this rendition," King Kai said. "However, it was mentioned briefly over my television set during this scene in the original film."

"I see," Goku said, as he continued to play the card game. "I guess Gohan's doing well?"

"Of course he's doing well!" King Kai said. "He's slated to be the main character in the next part of the series! This movie will therefore help set up the premise that he'll be able to save the world independently and on his own, without needing your help at all."

"And I thought gods were supposed to be omnipotent," Goku said, briefly adorning his Honor Trip rendition.

"What was that?" King Kai asked.

"What was what?" Goku said, returning to his canon self. "Hey King Kai, I'm hungry!"

King Kai face-palmed while Goku dropped the cards and began to look for more food, despite the fact that he had consumed more than 20,000 calories worth of food in the previous hour.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Center Stage, 245**

"So now we're all on a second, larger island where we're going to face more challenges?" Gohan said. "I guess that's interesting. At least I know all these people are going to be safe, given that this island appears to be a semi-active volcano." _[Author's aside: Seriously, Battle Island II is a semi-active volcano, and this is especially evident because smoke is actively bellowing out of one of its volcanic peaks and the film shows that there are active lava flows under the island. It should be noted that X.S. made the conscious decision to move thousands of spectators to this place to see the rest of the tournament, instead of enabling them to stay at the much safer location they had been at before. What an asshole.]_

"Will someone please explain to me why there appears to be a Mayan pyramid within this volcanic island?" Trunks asked, with no response given to his query. "Is it fake like all the other scenery we're about to see, or is it real, because if so, then the fact it's got a bunch of go-kart slides running down it means the guy running this tournament is desecrating an archaeological site!" _[Author's aside: One of the first shots within Battle Island II shows what appears to be a Mayan pyramid within the island. If the pyramid was already there before X.S. decided to turn the place into Battle Island II, then X.S. is even more of an asshole. If the Mayan pyramid is a replica, then X.S. is still quite an asshole.]_

"Gohan! I love you sweetie!" Chi Chi yelled with stentorian fervor from the stands. _[Actual lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Your ability to yell so loudly that you enabled the entire stadium to hear that wasn't embarrassing for me at all," Gohan muttered to himself.

"You own this, Trunks!" Bulma yelled from the stands with as much stentorian fervor. "Get em', and then we can go on vacation!" _[Actual lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"There are no fewer than five things I could say about the social and economic irresponsibility of that comment, but I'll enable the plot to progress instead," Trunks muttered to himself.

"Krillin! Don't get yourself killed!" Oolong shouted with even more stentorian fervor from the stands, as Chiaotzu and smiled at the comment while Master Roshi snoozed. _[Actual lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

Krillin laughed to himself a bit.

"I'll give FUNimation credit for that one," he said.

"And now we'll skip over a scene with someone yelling encouragement to Doskoi, our fourth semifinalist, because he's a minor character!" the announcer announced. "Our contestants will ride their go-karts, err, rocket shuttles, to one of the four Battle Zones that have been set up around the island, where they will face our special guest fighters from across the galaxies, which is rather quite amazing considering that if you look at the footage of them that we're showing on the stadium's big screens, one of them is clearly wearing a sombrero and a Latin American wrestling mask. _[Author's aside: Footage of this particular supposed fighter from another planet is seen twice in the actual film. What were the animators thinking?]_

"The fourth fighter among them looks suspiciously like Dodoria," Krillin muttered to himself.

"Now pay attention; here's where things get really spicy!" the announcer announced. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gohan asked aloud.

"It means that once you're done with your fight against one of our guest fighters from outer space, you need to take a special lift and be the first to return to Battle Island's center stage," the announcer said. "You know, where the Mayan pyramid is."

Trunks grunted not only at the disrespectfulness that was being given to the Mayan pyramid, but at the simulated footage that had hastily been thrown together of himself and the other contestants racing toward the special lift, as it clearly showed in the midst of their simulated struggle to get into the lift that the back of Trunks' head was right in front of Doskoi's crotch. _[Author's aside: This is actually in the actual movie.]_

"Then, the fighter who gets to the center stage first will proceed to the finals, where he will fight Mr. Satan!" the announcer announced.

"Because we all know that would be such a climactic ending to this movie, and that there obviously isn't going to be some sort of divergence from what has so far been suggested by the plot," Gohan muttered to himself.

"Now, during the countdown sequence, we'll once again entirely skip footage of Doskoi because he's not a main character and he isn't integral to the plot!" the announcer announced.

Sure enough, in the actual movie, the camera focused on Trunks looking bad-ass at the helm of his rocket shuttle, then Krillin looking eager at the helm of his, then Gohan looking excited at the helm of his, and then a slight close-up of the same picture of Gohan.

"Doskoi …," he said to himself, off camera, of course.

"Three … two … one …," the members of the crowd said in unison, counting down together in anticipation.

**Earth: THE Island –The Hatch/Swan Station, 2004**

"Phew!" John Locke said to himself, after having narrowly avoided the catastrophe that might have happened had he not pushed the button in time.

The countdown clock reset to 108 minutes, and began to tick down again.

Suddenly, he had company.

"How's it going?" Sawyer said, as he lazily looked around the Hatch.

"What do you mean, 'how is it going?'" Locke asked. "James, didn't you hear the blaring sound of the countdown almost reaching zero?"

"Nope," he said, as he twirled a pistol around his index finger. "Listen, our show's got enough logic and continuity errors that the fact I didn't hear a damn thing shouldn't surprise ya."

"Point taken," Locke said, as he continued to take a breather. "So why are you down here, James?"

"I wanted to see if there happens to be any good stuff down here for my stash," he said. "And speaking of which, what's that over there?"

He was pointing to a film reel that was distinguishable from the rest of the stuff on the shelf it was on because it was sticking out a bit more.

"The film reel?" Locke asked. "You haven't seen it yet?"

"Nope," Sawyer said. "Why, should I have?"

"I'll let you take a look at it," Locke said, as he opened up the film case, then brought the film over to the projector, and then began to set up the device.

"Considering the fact some of those DHARMA folks must have gotten lonely out here after a while, I hope this is the type of film I'm thinking it might be," Sawyer said.

"It isn't," Locke said.

"Well damn, what type of film is it?" Sawyer asked.

"See for yourself," Locke said, as he turned on the device.

The scenes that were being projected onto a nearby wall appeared to show a bunch of people traveling in what looked like futuristic go-karts.

There was a close-up of a bald guy in an orange suit looking out of his vehicle.

"Well John, it looks like your bald friend over there is having himself a good time," Sawyer said. "So what the hell are we watching?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Locke said, as the film continued.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Battle Zone of Children's Toys and Frivolous Things, (888) 555-5555**

"Alright, now I'm out of that CGI tunnel, and my rocket shuttle's spiraling out of control toward that – oh crap!" Gohan yelled, as his rocket shuttle slammed straight into a wall and exploded, sending Gohan flying out of the shuttle and onto … a mountain of giant balloons. _[Author's note: This happens to Gohan's shuttle in the actual movie, while Trunks' shuttle apparently lands safely in a rather serene meadow, Krillin's gets smashed into rock walls or rock floors at least six times and ultimately lands in a stream of flowing and boiling lava, and Doskoi's apparently lands in a desert with quicksand even though we never see this happen in the movie, since Doskoi is a minor character who is not integral to the plot.]_

Gohan frowned at what had happened.

"Seriously, X.S. Cash really must be some kind of asshole," Gohan said. "If it wasn't for the fact that I'm as strong as I am, I could have died in that crash. Had my friends and I, as well as the incredibly large summo wrestler Doskoi, not advanced to the finals, someone could have gotten killed! Why didn't X.S. configure the paths the shuttles took to avoid making mine crash into a wall and Krillin's getting smashed around before falling into a stream of flowing and boiling lava? Seriously, X.S. is worried later in the film because fighters are getting killed, but his own rocket shuttle system would have killed them had they not been one of us. Once again, logical coherence for the win!"

**Earth: Battle Island II – Battle Zone of Flowing and Boiling Lava That Emphasizes How Much of a Fool X.S. is for Designating a Semi-Active Volcanic Island as Battle Island II, (800) 555-5555**

"Alright, now it's time to fight my opponent, who I'll totally be able to defeat considering how seriously my fights are being taken in this film," Krillin said.

Some nearby smoke dissipated, revealing the female opponent he was to face.

"You're a girl? Krillin asked. "Space chicks are hot!" _[Actual lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"My name is Zangya," she said. "I'm a female villain, because I guess by the time the ninth movie rolled around, Toei realized that the fact that eight movies had gone by without there being a female villain was somewhat sexist, in a sense. Also, I'm apparently not just the first, but the last female villain in any of the movies, unless you count the possibility of Hirudegarn."

"Geshunteit," Krillin said. "Also, I thought Hirudegarn's supposed to be a guy."

"It's never entirely specified," Zangya said. "Kind of like –"

"Don't even say it!" Frieza shouted, from Hell (or the Home for Infinite Losers, if you prefer it to be called that).

"What? No, I wasn't even going to say anything about you," Zangya said.

"…Oh," Frieza said.

"What I was going to say was that it's never specified exactly how you can have such apparent attraction for me, Krillin, while you're supposed to currently have a super-crush on Eighteen," Zangya said.

"Now, don't think you can tempt me with your beauty!" Krillin said. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Oh yeah, because we all know how well you weren't tempted by Eighteen when it came time to use whatever device that was supposed to be," Zangya said. "Now, it's time for me to engage in my possible transformation that's never been officially identified in any Dragon Ball media, which consists of my hair rising straight up behind me without any other changes to my appearance occurring."

"That happens in the actual movie?" Krillin asked.

"Yep, and it's even accompanied by a tubular sound which is apparently supposed to indicate that something happened," Zangya said. "Now prepare for your ass to be kicked."

"Preparing," Krillin said. "Alright, now I'm ready."

With five hits from Zangya, he was down.

"Don't ya wish your girlfriend was tough like me?" Zangya asked. "Don't ya?" _[Author's aside: Zangya actually says this as a finishing line when she defeats Krillin in the following Dragon Ball video games: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and Raging Blast 2.]_

**Earth: Battle Island II – Battle Zone of Sand Everywhere, Including There (866) 555-5555**

A hand suddenly reached out from under the sand as the summo wrestler continued in his walk across the desert.

"Doskoi?" he asked, hearing a sound behind him.

It was soon discovered that the hand was attached to a throwaway henchman, who grabbed Doskoi by the throat.

"Doskoi! Doskoi!" he yelled, as he struggled to break free.

"What are you supposed to be, one of those pokemans?" Bido asked, as he continued to engage in one of the most unfair match-ups in DBZ history.

The summo wrestler stopped struggling, and Bido threw him to the ground.

"Well, that was incredibly violent," Bido said. "Anyone out there who still wants to call Dragon Ball Z a series for kids?"

**Earth: Battle Island II – Private Viewing Box of X.S. Cash, 1; 2; 5; 10; 20; 50; 100; 500; 1000; 5000; 10,000; 100,000**

"I didn't realize the extent of my irresponsibility was this extensive!" X.S. said, while Lotta Cash was trying to shield Monty's eyes. _[Author's aside: "Monty," incidentally, is probably also a name pun. After all, "Monty" and "Money" are very similar, as are "Monty" and "Monetary," for that matter. It should also be recognized that his name in the original Japanese version of the movie is "Dollar."]_

"These ain't the guys we hired to pose as space aliens," said the producer whom X.S. had hired to produce the event. "It looks like these aliens are real!"

"Wait, so you mean you hadn't intended on getting me real aliens before?" Monty asked his father.

"Well son, telling you the truth would have been too inconvenient, and so I decided to pay a few of Mr. Satan's students some money to dress up as the faux aliens and help perpetuate a lie," X.S. said.

"So … I can't become a Super Saiyan, like Dragon Ball Online said I could?" Monty asked.

"Nope," X.S. said.

"How about an elephant?" Monty asked. "I've always wanted to be one of those."

"Oh boy," X.S. said, as he continued to contemplate the various elements of his life.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Battle Zone of Serene Meadows that are About to Get Blown Up by Kogu … or was it Gokua? … Whatever …, (877) 555-5555**

"Hello little rabbit things," Trunks said to the rabbit-like creatures that appeared in the movie right before Kogu obliterated the meadow they had once enjoyed frolicking within.

Then, Kogu sent a red energy blast searing toward Trunks, causing the rabbit things to jump out of the way and Trunks to jump backward into a bad-ass fighting pose.

"Alright, who's the asshole responsible for that?" Trunks asked.

"My name is Kogu, and my name is an anagram of 'Goku,' Kogu said. "Other than that, I'm a henchman of extremely little consequence."

Kogu was holding his left hand out toward Trunks, from which the energy blast had been emitted.

"Watch where you point that thing!" Trunks said. "I might get the wrong idea!" _[Actual lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Um … what?" Kogu asked.

"Regardless of having any considerations about finding out the extent of your intentions, I'm going to fight you," Trunks said. "Now, it's time to kick your ass!"

Trunks punched toward Kogu, but Kogu moved to the side, restraining Trunks' left arm, to his great surprise.

"Alright, now this movie's got some real conflict!" Trunks said.

"Damn right," Kogu said, as he threw Trunks over his back.

Trunks landed in another fighting stance.

"Whoa, what the hell are you?" _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film – this one is rather awesome, and so it is included here.]_

Trunks went to kick Kogu, then Kogu blocked the kick with his sword.

"Interesting," Trunks said. "I, the only sword wielder among the Z-Fighters other than Yajirobe, happen to be battling the one sword wielder among these bozos. How very convenient for the plot."

Kogu then sliced toward Trunks, managing to slice of the ends of some of Trunks' hair as Trunks jumped backward.

"Yo, don't mess with the hair, bro," Trunks said, as he began to run toward the nearby water.

"Now I'm going to run parallel to you without actually attempting to hit you at all!" Kogu said, as he ran parallel to Trunks, without actually attempting to hit him at all and facing him all the while. "This is the most breathtaking scene ever!" _[Author's aside: This ridiculous occurrence, like the many, many aforementioned others, actually happens in the actual version of this movie.]_

**Mustafar: Random platform near the former Separatist headquarters, ****Apparently a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …. **

"I'm going to swing my lightsaber round and round like a jackass while you do the exact same thing," Anakin Skywalker said to Obi-Wan Kenobi, remarking on one of the multitude of ridiculous and nonsensical scenes that transpire in Star Wars Episode III.

"Indeed, I'm doing the same thing," Obi-Wan said, as he did the same thing. "Say Anakin, I have a question."

"What?" Anakin asked, as he finally stopped twirling his blue lightsaber and struck at Obi-Wan.

"So, you turned to the Dark Side to try and save Padmé's life, right?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, a few minutes ago you Force-choked her," Obi-Wan said.

"And your point is what, exactly?" Anakin asked.

"Well, while that might or might not be one of the largest logical contradictions ever, as you might have only choked her since the Dark Side and/or Darth Sidious might have conveniently clouded your judgment, consider this," Obi-Wan said, as he prepared what he was about to say while defending himself from another of Anakin's attacks. "It should be clear to you that Palpatine is the same Sith lord who actively attempted to kill Padmé years ago at the Battle of Naboo, all to advance his plans. What makes you think that he honestly wants to help you save her life, and that you should believe his word that by turning to the Dark Side, you can help her?"

"Plot convenience and an unreasonable lack of logic in the script," Anakin said.

"And that's one of the many reasons why I, myself, and many others do not consider the prequel movies to be appropriately worthy of being considered canon," Obi-Wan said. "Wait Anakin, I'm getting a vision in the Force!"

"Right now?" No way," Anakin said.

"Stop fighting me for one second and concentrate, because you might be able to sense the same vision," Obi-Wan said.

Through an agreement they reached through sensing each other's feelings and intentions, they both simultaneously stopped.

"According to my vision, a bunch of fighters are fighting within a volcanic island," Obi-Wan said.

"Hah! It's funny because we're on a volcanic planet," Anakin said.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Battle Zone of Children's Toys and Frivolous Things, (888) 555-5555**

"Crap!" Gohan yelled, as he dodged the oversized play blocks that were being thrown toward him.

He settled into a fighting stance, ready for further action.

"This has to be the most ridiculous battleground in Dragon Ball Z," Gohan said.

The fighter who had thrown the blocks at him appeared on screen, upside-down.

"My name is Bujin, and I'm cool because I appeared upside-down for the first time on screen while floating in midair!" Bujin said.

Bujin then used his psychic and energy manipulation powers to pull the giant clock hands off the giant clock behind Gohan, then vaulted them at Gohan at supersonic speeds.

Gohan used his energy to disintegrate them as they came toward him.

"Watch it; you could have killed me!" Gohan said. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"That … was obviously the point," Bujin said.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Hercule Satan's Private Bathroom, 1248**

Hercule Satan was shitting his pants (literally) as the tournament producer beckoned him to come out of the bathroom.

'He's crazy if he thinks I'm going out there,' Mr. Satan thought to himself. 'Creatures that can defeat even the mighty Cell? No thank you!' _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"How do you know that?" asked the psychic fish in the fish tank in front of him.

"What!" Hercule yelled in surprise.

"I asked, how do you know that?"

"Know what?" Hercule asked.

"That the beings out there are stronger than Cell," the fish said. "Have you actually had any visual confirmation yet that any of them can defeat Gohan, the boy who fought Cell during the Cell Games?"

"Well no, but –"

"Score one for continuity," the fish said.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Random Subterranean City, 2675**

"My awesome transformation is way too much for you!" Kogu said, as he pile-drove Trunks into a random bridge below.

"Your transformation sucks," Trunks said, while randomly appearing in the air, even though he had been in the water near the bridge only one frame beforehand. _[Author's aside: This is yet another internal inconsistency within the actual film.]_

Kogu then slammed Trunks through a building.

As Trunks was hurtling backward, he continued his comments.

"I mean, your orange hair turned red, and your teal-colored skin turned yellow-green, and in yet another dumb inconsistency in the actual version of this movie, a full 15 seconds goes by during our fight sequence in which you magically, without any explanation and for no reason, are in your normal state as opposed to your transformation," Trunks said. _[Author's aside: Yet again, this tremendous inconsistency actually occurs in the actual movie. Since the beginning of the sequence that takes place after Kogu's transformation but in which Kogu is not transformed starts with the aforementioned frame in which Trunks is erroneously in the air as opposed to being in the water, it is possible that Toei shoved this footage into the middle of Trunks and Kogu's fight without properly adjusting Kogu's color scheme to reflect his transformation.]_

"Even though my brief appearances on screen are riddled with inconsistencies, you're about to no longer have any appearances at all," Kogu said, as his coloration shifted back to the coloration of his transformed state.

"Alright, now I'm going to transform into a Super Saiyan and fight you more effectively," Trunks said. "I could have done this before, but then it would have taken the sense of conflict out of my fight with you. Of course, I didn't do it before because Toei needed to contrive some sort of a reason for me to struggle in my fight with you to make it look like there was ever any real sense of conflict. Almost the same damn thing is going to happen later in this film with regards to Gohan's fight with your boss."

"Stop pointing out all the erroneous things about my premiere movie!" Kogu said, as he swung the sword at Trunks.

Trunks powered up to Super Saiyan, blocked the blade, broke the blade, made part of the blade spin into a building, then punched Kogu STRAIGHT THROUGH THE CHEST.

"More like your last movie," Trunks said, as he pulled his arm out of his opponent.

Kogu then fell to the ground, and was apparently dead, because he was never seen again during the movie.

"So, as was asked before, does anyone out there still honestly feel that Dragon Ball Z is a show for children?" Trunks asked.

"It should be rated Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Bojack said, while kicking Trunks in the face, causing the Super Saiyan to hit the ground hard.

As the villain laughed raucously to himself, Iron Maiden's symbolically significant "Out of the Shadows" began to play in the background over the nearby loudspeakers.

**Earth: Capsule Corporation, 2655**

"What the …?" Vegeta asked with a startle, as only now, something felt amiss to him.

"Even though I have the capacity to sense power levels and should have known that something was wrong a while ago, I only first realized this when something happened to Trunks," Vegeta said.

Vegeta looked toward Trunks' sword, which just happened to be in the same room as him.

"Convenient symbolism for the win," he said.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Center Stage, 1922**

'I actually decided to have some last-minute courage, and here I go!' Mr. Satan thought to himself, as the fans in the stadium seats went wild.

As he approached the spare rocket shuttle, the producer then pushed him into the car, in an act of questionable veracity, as Mr. Satan was, after all, much stronger than average humans.

'Great; my one shining moment in this film is ruined,' Mr. Satan thought to himself.

'Karma's a bitch, ain't it?' the psychic fish projected into his mind.

'Thanks a lot,' Mr. Satan thought.

**Otherworld: Snake Way, 1987**

"Earth is in grave danger!" King Kai said, while pondering the implications of what was transpiring. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Oh, you think?" Goku asked, once again taking on his Honor Trip persona.

"Bojack is endangering the planet!"

"Bojack?" Goku asked. _[Author's aside: Goku questions who Bojack is in the actual movie; this is quite important for a point that will be made later on regarding yet another inconsistency in the actual film.]_

"He's a total asshole," King Kai said. "He enjoys destroying galaxies and committing genocide. He's psychotic, unstable, and filed with malevolent intentions!"

"Sounds like his villainous motives are quite generic," Goku said.

"We, the kais, took it upon ourselves to stop him," King Kai said. "All four of us fought together and sealed Bojack within a star at the edge of this galaxy!" _[Actual lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"But then you died, and this somehow broke the bond?" Goku asked.

"Yep," King Kai said.

"Wait, … hold on," Goku said. "There's way too much about that which conflicts with logic and coherence."

"What do you mean?" King Kai asked.

"Well, Bojack is clearly stronger than a Super Saiyan, and so if it's true that the kais have always had the power to seal away evil-doers who commit evil on a grand scale, then why the hell didn't you guys act together to seal away Frieza?" Goku asked. _[Author's aside: The point of the following discussion is to illustrate glaring inconsistencies in the kais' policy of intervention, which are inconsistencies that are never adequately explained or reconciled in the canon series or the movies. This discussion ignores the explanation regarding kai interventions that was made in Honor Trip Chapter Twenty-Six to reconcile the inconsistencies of the kais' interventions, as this discussion is focusing on the fact that Movie 9 further accentuates the degrees of inconsistency and incoherence regarding these interventions.]_

"Uh, …."

"And while it's questionable whether Bojack's strength is on par with Cell's, if you could seal Bojack away, it might have been possible for you guys to have just sealed Cell away instead of risking everything, and if so, why the hell didn't you?"

"Um, …."

"And once again, if you guys found it acceptable to intervene like you apparently did to stop Bojack, then why the hell do none of the movies or any source of the canon series ever explain why none of you stepped in to save the Earth of Trunks' timeline from being massacred by the androids?"

"Uh, …."

"The whole idea that the four of you could get together to seal away villains retroactively ruins the sense of conflict and the severity of the stakes in canon by showing that if this movie is to be accepted as part of the proper Dragon Ball universe, then a whole bunch of suffering of innocent people happened for nothing! It makes the way events happen in the canon series look foolish! Whose bright idea was it to make Bojack's back-story such that it almost entirely contradicts the reasons for almost everything that happens in the canon series happening the way it does?"

"Um, …."

"It's almost like this movie was made without anyone checking to see if any of the crap that happens in this movie is compatible with canon!" Goku exclaimed. "And furthermore, if Bojack really was released from a star at the edge of the galaxy, then due to constraints of the speed of light, how the hell did he get to Earth so fast? And out of all the planets in the entire galaxy, why Earth? For plot convenience, and nothing else? It's kind of like in a few sagas from now, when we learn about Majin Buu, what are the chances that it just so happened that Majin Buu was on the same planet as us? And then, in Movie 10, Broly just so happens, out of all the random directions he could have gone in after Comet Camori struck Planet New Vegeta, to land on Earth. And then, in Movie 13, the music box holding Tapion just happens to land where? Earth! You know what? Apparently, plot convenience is often more important than logic when it comes to writing the stuff that comes after the Cell Saga! Hooray!"

King Kai was speechless.

"What, anything to say?" Goku asked.

"Let's, uh …, let's concentrate on the battle," King Kai said, as he began to concentrate on the battle.

"Gohan, kick some ass!" Goku yelled aloud.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Random Subterranean City, 2675**

Gohan, after avoiding further battle with Bujin, landed right next to where Trunks and Krillin were laying unconscious.

"It looks like these guys mean business," Gohan said.

"Company! Good," Bojack said, as he walked from within a hallway, for the sole purpose of making his entrance more dramatic. "It's been so long … since I snapped someone's neck!" _[These are Bojack's actual first lines from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Your generic lines and creepy entrance have somehow made me nervous," Gohan said, as he apparently felt the trepidation of the moment.

Just then, two rocket shuttles appeared overhead, and Tien and Yamcha each jumped out of one.

"Considering how random it was for the two rocket shuttles you both took to both pass right above this exact spot in the subterranean city, I smell the stench of even more plot convenience," Gohan said.

"Yep," Tien said, as he landed.

"It smells pretty bad," Yamcha said.

"Oh look, it's a couple of throwaway good guys," Bojack said. "How would you like the chance to fight my throwaway henchmen?"

"We'll take it," Yamcha said. "But first, I have a question."

"What?" Bojack asked.

"Why did you have exactly the same number of henchmen as there were fighters in the semi-finals of the Intergalactic Tournament?" Yamcha asked. "The script of the original movie says you were all sealed long ago, and you just happen to have four henchmen, while there were four semi-finalists in this tournament, one for each of your henchmen to have a scene in which they would be introduced?"

"I find plot convenience to have a wonderful fragrance," Bojack said.

"And why did you even enter this tournament and create this whole scenario?" Tien asked. "Why didn't you just start attacking the cities, or something? Why waste time going through this tournament? It's like the entire first half of this movie happened because you guys are a bunch of short-sighted morons!"

"Plot convenience smells better than roses on a Spring day," Bojack said.

"Master Bojack has no equal!" Bido said. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"So Bojack, when Trunks happens to call you by your name later in the actual film, it's going to be because he was conscious the one time that any of you say it before he does, right?" Gohan asked. "Because you know, he's totally unconscious right now." _[Author's aside: This is yet ANOTHER inconsistency in the actual film.]_

"Stop pointing out things that don't make sense about my movie!" Bojack said.

"Ready Tien?" Yamcha asked.

"Yeah!"

The two darted forward to combat Bojack's henchmen, even though it should have been obvious to the both of them by the fact Trunks had apparently been taken out that neither of them would have much of a chance.

Bujin kicked Tien in the back, then literally kicked Tien in the ass, sending him flying through a brick wall. _ [Author's aside: This actually happens in the original movie.]_

Yamcha did a bit better than Tien, as it took a combined three hits from Zangya and Bido to take him down.

Zangya's sideways kick sent Yamcha sliding toward Gohan.

"Even though I was just watching the two of you getting the shit beaten out of you, I just stood here doing nothing while I let it happen," Gohan said. _[Author's aside: At this point, would you be surprised if I reminded you that this actually happens in the actual movie?]_

"Thanks a lot," Yamcha said, right before he passed out.

Gohan looked at his enemies and pondered how to approach the upcoming battle, when Bujin made a statement.

"Earth belongs to my master now!" Bujin said. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Wait, I thought it was already established that Bojack's big goal is to destroy things," Gohan said. "Why the hell does he want to take over Earth, then? Wouldn't he want to destroy it, because destroying things, not ruling them, is what King Kai said he does?"

"I, uh, … behold my inadequately explored and simplistic, yet contradictory motives!" Bojack said.

"Alright Bojack and assorted henchmen, it's time to take our battle to the next level," Gohan said.

"But the real question is, will you be able to get ready for this?" Bujin asked.

"Indeed, our time is too unlimited for you to handle," Bido said.

"Hah," Gohan said, noting the musical reference that had been made.

"Prepare to get pulverized, kid," Zangya said.

"Au contraire, space bitch," Gohan said. "Let's see what you've all got!"

Gohan transformed into a Super Saiyan, with his hair taking on its golden characteristics and his aura shimmering in waves of golden light.

"You see, right now, like Trunks said before, if I just transformed into a Super Saiyan 2, then the whole sense of conflict for the rest of the movie wouldn't be there, in large part because I'd just wipe the floor with all of you and there wouldn't be a need for a movie past this point," Gohan said. "But no, I either magically forget that I can become a Super Saiyan 2, or I just ignore the fact I can become one, or there's some unmentioned, inadequately explored, and contrived reason why I can't right now become one, and you guys kick the crap out of me before I transform into one later in the film. After knowing that I could do it and that I was able to outright defeat Cell because of it, I for some inexplicable reason don't transform into a Super Saiyan 2 right away when facing you guys in this film. Why? It's a great question whose answer has never been adequately explained! Instead, we've got this contrived conflict that has resulted from me ridiculously not becoming a Super Saiyan 2 until later in the film."

"And we're going to take full advantage of that," Zangya said, as she began to punch and kick at Gohan.

They all traded a variety of punches and kicks, with Gohan even getting smashed through a series of structures, when Bojack landed on top of a random roof.

"Just like Gohan, I too will temporarily enable my associates to do my bidding without actually getting involved, while I just stand here," he said.

"Damn it!" Gohan yelled, as one of Bido's energy blasts hit him, and then exploded into a giant ball of reddish energy that encompassed the nearby vicinity.

The ground shook with the force of the blow, which totally could have set off the semi-active volcano, although of course, it didn't in the actual film.

The shaking did, however, bring Trunks back to consciousness.

"Alright, now I'm officially pissed," he said, standing up.

**Otherworld: Snake Way, 1989**

"What do you mean Gohan's in danger!" Goku exclaimed. "How could he be in any sort of danger when he can transform into a Super Saiyan 2? He completely outclassed Cell! These guys couldn't be much stronger than Cell, could they?"

"Well Goku, um …, Gohan hasn't transformed into a Super Saiyan 2 yet."

Goku looked at him blankly.

"You're serious?" Goku asked.

"Afraid so," King Kai said.

"Gohan! Get your act together!" Goku yelled. "If you want to grow up to be the main character one day, you've got to be able to win your battles without me having to step in and help you! Come on son, you can do it!"

**Earth: Battle Island II – Random Subterranean City, 1993**

"Well, this is classy," Gohan said, as he got up from some of the rubble in which he'd been laying face-down.

"My minions are now going to collectively shoot six blasts at you that you should be able to easily avoid, although this will somehow overwhelm you," Bojack said.

"Bring it on!" Gohan yelled.

Sure enough, Bido, Zangya, and Bujin collectively shot six energy attacks at Gohan, one at a time, and Gohan remained pinned against the wall for no apparent reason, barely dodging them, but becoming exhausted enough that he went to the floor and reverted to his normal state. _ [Author's aside: Yep. This happens in the actual film.]_

"Now it's time to end this!" Bojack said, as he launched a Full Power Energy Ball straight toward Gohan.

Just then, a well-placed Special Beam Cannon intercepted the attack.

Piccolo had arrived just in time.

"Plot convenience!" Gohan said.

"Just like in the majority of the previous movies during all the times I come out of seemingly nowhere to save your ass," Piccolo said. "Alright you assholes, it's time to fight!"

Piccolo flew toward Bojack and attempted to kick him, but Bojack dodged the kick, then kneed Piccolo in the stomach. Bojack then proceeded to punch Piccolo a couple of times, and then Piccolo forcefully kicked him, sending him crashing into a building.

In yet another inconsistency between frames in the actual movie, whereas Bojack had been falling vertically from where he had crashed into a building with a light-colored exterior and window, in the next frame he was vertically hurtling backward atop a dark-colored tiled floor.

Bojack then launched a few energy attacks at Piccolo that damaged him, and was about to hit him again when Trunks, in his Super Saiyan form, appeared in front of Bojack.

"Bojack, you will not take this planet!" Trunks said. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"You know my name as well as one of my contradictory motives without actually having been conscious to learn of either of those things," Bojack said. "I like your style, kid."

Trunks became horrified at the fact he had perpetuated such inconsistencies.

"You know what, the fact I said that disgusts me," Trunks said. "I'm a big fan of things making sense and stories having depth, and I'm going to take a stand right here and now."

"Will you, now?" Bojack asked, with a grin.

"Bojack you're one of the most generic main villains, if not the most generic main villain, in any of the official media vehicles of the Dragon Ball franchise," Trunks said. "I'll break the fourth wall again and say that I've watched the official versions of this movie many times, and the lack of quality, coherence, continuity and consistency, as well as the overabundance of plot convenience and illogical occurrences, have added to how much this film makes me feel that it shouldn't have passed quality control. A quality product should make sense and contribute meaningfully to an overall work. This film does neither of those things. Bojack, in the interest of quality, you must be stopped."

"Well Trunks, I'm happy to say I've just gained some depth according to you, as it is your emphasis on the audacity of my inadequate character development and the ludicrousness of this movie that, as of this moment, shall give me strength!"

Trunks did not like where this was going.

"Whatever do you mean?" Trunks asked, perplexedly.

"Unlike my incarnation in the actual movie, I shall attain sufficient character development through reveling in forces you detest because of their inadequacy to produce sufficient character development, the shallowness of my motives and the lack of logic not just in my actions, but in this movie as a whole," Bojack said. "The contradiction of gaining sufficient character development through purposely dwelling and reveling in things that should otherwise be inadequate and counterproductive toward character development should give you a sense of awe. I shall be unique and build strength from everything you most despise in movies!"

"Holy crap," Trunks said, realizing that the forces he'd mocked and criticized were now amalgamating into strength for this unexpectedly enhanced enemy. "Well, your character development is … growing, I see."

"And with my newfound strength from the void of inadequate plot development, I shall crush you all!" Bojack said, as he laughed with hysteria. "It feels so good to be a more worthy villain!"

"So, you're going to still do a bunch of shit that doesn't make any sense because it will give you strength?" Trunks asked.

"Absolutely!" Bojack said, as he slammed Trunks into the ground.

"Damn you're evil," Trunks muttered to himself.

**Earth: Hyrule – Hyrule Castle, 1993**

"Gee, it sure is boring around here!" said the ever-frivolous incarnation of Link, who while in other incarnations was a glorified hero of time, was an incompetent, blundering buffoon in this one.

"My boy, this peace is what all true warriors strive for!" King Harkinian said, after taking a sip from his goblet of the kingdom's finest wine, then extending his index finger upward to emphasize the point.

"I just wonder what Ganon's up to!" Link replied.

Just then, a wizard of the land, Gwonam, finished soaring upon his magic carpet and landed on the nearby balcony.

"Your majesty, Ganon and his minions have seized the island of Koridai!" Gwonam said. "Plot convenience for the win!"

"Hmm," the king said in response. "How can we help?"

"It is written, 'Only Link can defeat Ganon!'" Gwonam said, while pointing along the text of a map that contained various symbols, and for some reason, a drawing of a fish, although unrelated to the psychic fish.

"Wait a minute, hold everything," Link said. "I won't be grabbing my stuff this time."

"That is extremely exploitable," Gwonam said.

"That's beside the point," Link said. "Doesn't Zelda defeat Ganon in the next game?"

"Yeah, I do," Zelda said, as she approached the group. "Why do you ask?"

"Because if what Gwonam just said is true, that only I can defeat Ganon, then how the hell could you defeat Ganon too?"

"Plot inconsistencies!" King Harkinian exclaimed. "Logic errors!" Continuity errors! I shall have none of these in my kingdom!"

"Impa, what do you think about all this?" Zelda asked the castle's resident mystic.

She took out her crystalline pyramidal viewing device, which was supposed to be a cooler version of a crystal ball.

"Don't worry, Zelda, the Triforce of Wisdom promises that …."

"That what?" Zelda asked.

"Oh my, it appears that I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at," Impa said. "Here, take a look."

Impa enabled the others to see within the crystalline pyramidal viewing device, and all were spellbound by what they saw.

"Those weird guys are using what look like strings to restrain that one guy with the blonde hair, who appears to be floating in midair!" Link said.

"Wait, now his hair suddenly became lavender!" Zelda said. "What's going on?"

The members of the castle court continued to watch as the fighter struggled to break free of his restraints.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Random Subterranean City, 1990**

While Bujin's magical psychic string restraint things were holding Trunks in place and had somehow caused him to revert to his normal state from his Super Saiyan form.

"Any last words before I impale you with this big-ass metal javelin?" Bido asked, as he prepared to hurl the shard toward Trunks.

Trunks knew he had to buy some time while he figured out a way to break free.

"Yeah, I've got a question, actually," Trunks said. "So, do any of the dates in this special mean anything? I mean, they did in the previous special, but there's been no reference to them yet. What's up with that?"

"Some of them are symbolically significant, some of them have hidden references, and some of them are completely irrelevant," Bojack said, as he watched Trunks struggle. "It's thoroughly inconsistent, quite like me, isn't that right, Trunks?"

Trunks grunted at Bojack's arrogant comment, while still trying to break free.

It had become evident to Trunks that Bojack was going to continue to try and enhance his newfound senses of identity and purpose by emphasizing inconsistencies and other elements of poor-quality plot progression, which made Trunks even more pissed off at Bojack than he'd been before.

"Bojack, there must be some sort of way to defeat you!" Trunks said.

"Well yeah, if Gohan had become a Super Sayian 2 when he had the chance, then yeah, I might have had a real challenge," Bojack said. "But the plot convenience was with me! Hah hah! Plot convenience for the win! Now Bido, do your stuff."

"You got it, boss," Bido said, as he threw the long metal object toward Trunks, only for another long metal object to deflect the javelin right before it hit Trunks.

Trunks then caught his sword, as well as its sheath.

"Plot convenience can work both ways, assholes," Vegeta said, as he exploded the building that Bido and Bujin had been standing on, causing both of them to fall. "Alright Bojack, it's time to die."

"Hey Trunks, aren't you glad you just benefited from plot convenience?" Bojack asked, as Trunks sneered. "But no matter. Your father seems to think he can defeat me, even though his arrogance and overconfidence against enemies whose powers he doesn't fully know has time and again led to his downfall. Vegeta, it's time for you to die."

"Trunks, transform back into a Super Saiyan while I face off against Bojack alone," Vegeta said. _ [Author's aside: Would it surprise you at all for me to remind you that there is a scene in the actual movie in which Trunks, who has transformed back into a Super Saiyan, watches Vegeta fight Bojack while knowing full well that it would be unlikely for one Super Saiyan alone to defeat him?]_

"Father, that doesn't make any sense," Trunks said. "After all the times bad things have happened to you because of overconfidence, including my death in the canon series, no less, are you really going to be overconfident again?"

"Logic is for losers," Vegeta said, as Bojack smiled, while the two of the proceeded to face off against each other with a barrage of energy attacks.

While the two fighters sent energy attacks at each other through a building, Trunks watched form afar, and sighed.

"I'd go help him, but then he'd probably do something stupid, like elbow me in the chest, right where Cell shot me, adding to the symbolic audaciousness of this whole situation," Trunks said.

"Vegeta, I'm reveling in your profuse stupidity," Bojack said, as he launched another powerful energy attack at Vegeta, which Vegeta had caught, and was trying to overcome. "In fact, I find your stupidity to be quite amusing."

The beam overcame Vegeta's defenses, sending him hurtling backward.

While Trunks suddenly rushed in to help, Vegeta yelled up toward him.

"Trunks, stay back!" _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

Trunks rushed in to help Vegeta anyway, but he couldn't, because Bujin and Zangya had gotten in his way.

Moments after Vegeta had said his line, Bojack punched Vegeta square in the face, then upper-slammed him from above, then got below Vegeta as he was falling and kicked him in the back, then kneed him in the stomach, sending him through a building.

After Vegeta emerged from the other side of the building, Trunks caught him.

"Father, don't be an asshole," Trunks said. "Let me help you. It's obvious that to win, you can't do this on your own."

As Trunks had anticipated, Vegeta then elbowed him right where Cell in the canon series had shot through him with his Full Power Death Beam. _[Author's aside: Yep. This happens in the actual movie.]_

"Don't make me tell you twice," Vegeta said, as he rushed to fight Bojack by himself again, because of course, he had done such a good job doing so before. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

Vegeta then managed to get enough damage that he reverted back to his normal state, then Bojack vaulted him straight into a clock tower. Bojack then proceeded to punch and elbow Vegeta, which incapacitated him.

"That's your reward for being an arrogant prick, and thank you for feeding into the illogical ridiculousness that gives me strength," Bojack said, as he prepared himself to ascend to his next level.

Bojack's muscle mass expanded significantly, and just as had been the case with Kogu before, at least when the animators had remembered to present him in his transformed state, Bojack's hair turned red, and his skin became yellow-green.

"Even though I just transformed into my transformation that was never properly named in the movie because I'm an underdeveloped character in the actual movie, this transformation is overwhelmingly gratuitous at this point, as neither Gohan nor any of the other fools here could stop me before when I was in my normal state," Bojack said, as he reveled in the desolation around him. "In fact, the only reason why I've transformed is to enable there to be some sort of contrived sense of a greater challenge later on in the actual movie when Gohan transforms, to make his victory more meaningful in one of the most contrived ways possible."

Trunks had been in the middle of battling Zangya when Bojack shifted toward him.

"Die now!" Bojack said, as he pointed a sphere of green-white energy right into Trunks' chest. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"That's the most generic line ever!" Trunks said, as the blast went right into him, causing him to impact the ground below, revert to his normal state, and lose consciousness.

Bojack, after noticing that Trunks' hair reverted to lavender, decided to start singing, in his attempt to make the situation make less sense.

"Now that you don't kill me, can only make me stronger!" he sang, to a hip-hop beat.

"Damn it Bojack …," Vegeta muttered to himself, right before he passed out.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Center Stage, 1919**

Hercule Satan was only now departing in the rocket shuttle that had been prepared for him, because of course, it had taken this long to get things ready. _[Author's aside: Seriously, in the actual film, more than nine minutes pass between the earlier scene in which Hercule was shoved into the rocket shuttle and the scene in which the rocket shuttle leaves. The goal of sending Mr. Satan into battle was to get Mr. Satan to defeat the villains QUICKLY. This is either one of the worst examples of editing ever, or one of the biggest-ever plot errors for the sake of plot convenience.]_

"Alright, it's finally time for you to go over there, even though we had wanted you to take care of this situation quickly," the producer said, as the rocket shuttle began its departure.

'Great,' Mr. Satan thought to himself, as his rocket shuttle transported him toward the frenzy.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Random Subterranean City, 1905**

"Alright, so it's me versus the four of you," Gohan said, as he noticed the grin on Bojack's face.

"Now that my hair is red, any hope you had of victory has gone out the window, kind of like what I did to Vegeta earlier," Bojack said.

Gohan responded with a yell, and charged toward Bojack while powering up to Super Saiyan, because of course, Super Saiyan would be enough.

With his back turned to Gohan, Bojack phased from where he had been standing, and with his superior speed, grabbed his right leg, and flung Gohan into the air.

Gohan remained in his Super Saiyan transformation, even though he should have known full-well that one of the big issues in this battle was his speed disadvantage against Bojack. While Gohan should have remembered that he did, in fact, possess a form that could have enabled him to have a tremendous boost in speed, one that had been the deciding factor that had enabled him to defeat the previous enemy that had significantly threatened the Earth, he decided to completely ignore the form, and instead fight Bojack as a Super Saiyan.

Bojack then phased around some more, then sent a powerful punch toward Gohan that he didn't block.

The trio of henchmen then restricted Gohan with their Psycho Thread technique, and the more Gohan struggled, the more Gohan felt his energy dissipating.

"The more you struggle, the more energy it drains from your body until you pass out or die!" Bujin said. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

A thought suddenly occurred to Gohan, and he decided to stop struggling to break free.

Bojack was shocked that his had happened.

"Unlike in the actual movie, I'm not going to be a complete dumb-ass and keep on struggling to break free even after your henchman told me that, Bojack," Gohan said, to Bojack's dismay. _[Author's aside: I guess you wouldn't be surprised to be reminded that in the actual movie, even though Bujin explains to Gohan that the Psycho Thread technique would keep on draining his energy or even kill him, Gohan keeps on struggling to break free.]_

"But your actions aren't supposed to make sense!" Bojack said, as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on. "I was counting on you abiding by the foolish things you do at this point in the script of the actual movie, then using my newfound affinity for gaining strength from poor plot quality to overtake you before you had the chance to overpower me!"

"Not in this rendition of the movie, 'Bojerk!'" Gohan said, as he remained calm and relatively motionless within the psycho threads.

On the ground below, Trunks suddenly regained consciousness.

"That wasn't funny," Bojack said, without amusement.

"The fact you're about to lose, however, is pretty funny, wouldn't you say?" Gohan asked.

"Well, if you're going to just stay put, then I'm going to come on over and do something about it!" Bojack said, as he charged forward.

Just then, Bojack felt a punch connect with his chest, and as he moved upward and backward a few meters, he saw Trunks, who had powered up to his Ascended Super Saiyan sub-form and had taken the opportunity to strike at him from below while he hadn't been looking.

"Trunks!" Gohan exclaimed with surprise.

"Thanks, Gohan," Trunks said.

"For what?" Gohan asked.

"Your self-reliant and independent decision to do things the logical way as opposed to the ridiculous way things progressed in the actual script of this movie spiritually revitalized me," Trunks said. "The spirit of logic and reason will help us overpower you, Bojack!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Bojack said, as he started to gather energy in the palm of his right hand.

"Gohan, because this version of Bojack feeds off the forces of illogical things and other things which undermine the overall plot of our series as a whole, the only way we can make sure that we defeat him is by using the most logical methods possible," Trunks said.

"I'm one step ahead of you," Gohan said, as he continued to gather his energy, then prepared to again surpass what had once been the summit.

The psycho threads suddenly dissolved as Gohan's aura increased in intensity.

While Gohan's body could not be readily seen, as it had been enveloped within his golden energy aura, lighting began to cascade around the aura.

The aura eventually became more translucent, emphasizing the transformed Gohan within, whose hair had become slicked upward.

"I'm a Super Saiyan 2 now, bitches!" Gohan exclaimed for all in the vicinity to hear, to Trunks' delight and to Bojack and his minions' fright.

"You've ruined everything!" Bojack said. "As per the actual movie, I was going to say, right before I punched you in the face, yet another illogical thing that wouldn't have made any sense for me to have said! I was going to say, 'Now, give your father a message for me!' even though there's no realistic way that I could have possibly known anything about your father since I had just been released from my imprisonment within a star and he was already dead! We never could have met! And yet I said it in the actual movie! Then, after you briefly gained the ability to fight back because Mr. Satan's rocket shuttle, out of plot convenience, just happened to have had a path that forced Bujin to temporarily move out of the way and to not restrain you with his Psychic Thread, which shouldn't have enabled you to be released at all because it had already been shown on screen that Zangya and Bido were still restraining you and it had also already been shown that it only takes one person using Psychic Thread to restrain a Super Saiyan, I was going to send a relatively powerful energy blast at Mr. Satan's rocket shuttle, which should have obliterated him, but of course, didn't!"

"Sounds like all that was crappily crapped together," Gohan said.

"Indeed," Bojack said. "Then, in the actual movie, after the four of us beat the shit out of you again, I was going to say, "How ironic that your father's death was the key to our escape. I so wanted to thank him personally, but now you'll have to do it for me," which again doesn't make any sense for me to have said because I couldn't have possibly known that Goku had died since I had been trapped within the star when it happened, and I had never known Goku. And then, on the verge of your defeat, Goku showed that he was able to instant transmit back to the mortal realm to save your ass, which not only defeats the whole point of King Kai saying he couldn't because Goku apparently could have stepped in at any time without King Kai's permission, but more importantly completely undermines everything that happened at the end of the Cell Games Saga, as according to this movie, he could have come back at any time to help you defeat Cell, even though he did not and Cell might have won had Vegeta not randomly stepped in and knocked Cell off balance. This plot error actually retroactively reduces the overall drama of the end of the Cell Games by making it seem stupid and ridiculous that the situation even happened because Goku could have just come back and hit Cell instead of the drama building up and Vegeta having to do it! Then, not only did Goku's appearance completely undermine your character development from the Cell Games by showing that you're still too dependent on your father, to the point where it even took Goku's encouragement for you to say "Yes sir" and finally gain the ability to save the world and magically remember what's necessary to become a Super Saiyan 2, I then ask, "Was that Goku?" even though again, I've never met him nor would there have ever been a reason for me to have ever heard of him, and hence I should have no idea what his name is or what he looks like."

"All that crap's been thrown out the window, and now it's time for you to be defeated without all that ridiculous, illogical, and plot-ruining stuff happening," Gohan said.

"But I was looking forward to gaining all the strength I would have gained as a result of all that poor plot development stuff happening!" Bojack said. "All the plot convenience, illogicalness, plot incoherence, continuity errors, and other illogical things would have given me great strength, as per my newfound abilities to dwell in such things, have been cast aside! Why have you denied me this glory?"

"Because good movies should make sense," Trunks said, as he accentuated his power level. "Ready to kick some ass, Gohan?"

"I've never been more ready!" Gohan said, as he darted toward Bojack, ready to strike.

But just then, Hercule Satan's rocket shuttle emerged on the scene, and while it had once been destined to help Gohan out of plot convenience, it had instead gotten in his way, enabling Bojack to use the distraction so he could phase behind Gohan and launch the energy attack that he had been preparing.

The attack had been powerful, and Gohan hadn't expected it.

"Hah! The power of plot convenience is still with me, it seems!" Bojack declared, while Gohan sneered with anger. "And in the actual movie, that was supposed to help you. But instead, it has helped me!"

Mr. Satan's rocket shuttle, out of its predetermined plot convenience, had smashed into the camera that had been broadcasting images of the fight to Battle Island II's Center Stage. In the actual movie, this convenient damage to the camera had prevented the audience from seeing the rest of the battle, enabling Hercule to take the credit for defeating Bojack, as the audience had indeed seen that he was there, but had convenient not seen the rest of the fight, just as had happened during the Cell Games. The audience had even seen Gohan fight Bojack, just as Gohan had been seen fighting Cell, and while they had not actually seen Hercule fight Bojack, they of course gave him credit for his victory, and Gohan of course, in the actual movie, once again did not contest Hercule's lie, not even to help his mother by increasing their economic status as per the fame he would have gained, all of which could have helped his mother in her endeavor to raise his brother. And of course, the events of the actual movie happened in such a filler way that the Earth was still ignorant of Gohan's heroism and still thought Mr. Satan to be the hero.

Bojack, however, was determined to use the strength he had gained from that piece of poor plot development to increase his ability to emerge victorious.

If he could win, then it would matter that the camera was broken at all.

"So Gohan, now that I've gained even more strength from that wonderful boost in poor plot development, do you still think you can stop me?" Bojack asked, with a widened grin.

Trunks indeed sensed that as a result of all the negative plot energy Bojack had been absorbing, he had indeed gotten much stronger than he had been in the actual movie.

"Gohan, do you sense it too?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah, this creep is much stronger than he had been in the actual version of this movie," Gohan said. "But I'll give it my all anyway!"

**Otherworld: Snake Way, 1985**

"Yeah Gohan!" Goku exclaimed with pride. "You're doing it son; keep it up!"

"He's actually on track to defeat the main villain without your help!" King Kai said. "Truly, this is a wonderful element of character development for him."

"It actually is," Goku said, as he continued to concentrate on the battle.

**Earth: Battle Island II – Random Subterranean City, 1905**

"Trunks, I don't want to take any chances," Gohan said, while making a plan. "Since he's stronger than he was in the actual movie, this gives us all the more reason to work together to make sure he's defeated."

"Right," Trunks said, as he considered their options. "Even though Bojack is feeding off poor plot quality, especially illogicalness, we shouldn't assume that he'll just stand there while you kill Bido and Bujin, just like you did in the actual movie!"

"Of course," Gohan said.

"You both know we can hear you, right?" Bojack asked.

"Of course, but we also knew that your own addition to illogicalness and your overly arrogant demeanor would probably cause you to just stand there instead of doing something about it," Trunks said. "You see Bojack, all that crap you've gained an affinity for is bad stuff."

"Then I'll take a page out of your playbook and make you wish you never pointed out all the flawed things about my movie!" Bojack said, as he darted toward them.

"I'll distract him," Trunks said, while Gohan reasonably understood the implication, and phased below.

Trunks got in Bojack's path, and did the best he could to block his attacks, although Bojack began to deal heavy damage to him.

While Bojack was temporarily distracted with handling Trunks, Gohan took the opportunity to handle Bido and Bujin.

He kicked through each of them, causing their matter to explode due to the speed of his attack, which is apparently in actual accordance with canon because it's exactly the same way that Gohan took out the Cell Juniors.

He ceased his attack, then smiled at Bojack, who stopped his attack against Trunks to remark on what happened.

"They were just throwaway henchmen who I allowed to be killed in the actual movie without stepping in with my much greater capabilities in power and speed," Bojack said.

Zangya had seen and heard enough.

"You know what, Bojack? I quit!" she yelled, as his shocked expression grew all the more apparent.

"What? You can't quit my group of Galaxy Soldiers without my permission!" Bojack yelled.

"You just admitted that in the actual movie, you allowed two people who were supposed to be your comrades to die while you could have intervened, but instead did not," Zangya said. "And in the actual movie, I should have recognized that you had allowed this to happen, and that your capacity to be so uncaring and nonchalant regarding your comrades could extend to me as well. You know what? I'm not going to let you blast through me this time for no apparent reason. I said it before and I'll say it again! I quit!"

"Well, that's a smart decision if I ever heard one," Gohan said, as he turned to face Bojack. "It looks like even one of your own has come to realize the benefits of using logic and reason, rather than all the tenants of poor plot development. Give up Bojack. You can't win."

Bojack, in blinding rage because of his realization that the ease of success he had been hoping for was slipping through his fingers, powered up even more.

"I will kill you!" Bojack said, right before he darted toward Gohan. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"I take back what I said before," Trunks said. "What you just said, Bojack, is easily the most generic line ever."

Bojack stopped in his assault against Gohan to address Trunks' point.

"Ah, but you forget that the more I reflect my underdeveloped motivations and personality, as well as how horribly written my character was in the actual movie, the more strength I gain now!"

Gohan noticed that Bojack was indeed correct. His strength was increasing with every bit of poor quality he could interject.

"Trunks, we need to finish this before he gets any stronger!" Gohan said.

Trunks then phased to Gohan's left side.

"Right!" he said, as he once again assumed a fighting stance.

"Well Gohan, even I can learn from an outright mistake, and charging forward at you while enabling you to punch a hole straight through me like you did in the actual movie, even though it might make me a bit stronger due to my newfound powers, would be way too foolish a move to repeat again," Bojack said. "Instead, let's finish this with a clash of energy blasts!"

"I couldn't agree more," Gohan said, as he and Trunks readied themselves.

"Any last words before you die?" Bojack asked. _[Actual line from the actual FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"Peace and good movies for the win!" Trunks yelled, while preparing his energy attack.

"I couldn't have said it better," Gohan said, as he prepared as well.

Bojack cupped his hands together in front of him, gathered a sphere of energy that he then spread out into two spheres, one in each hand, and placed both his arms perpendicular to the rest of his body, with his palms facing toward Gohan and Trunks.

He then brought his hands behind his head, as if to 'wind up' the attack, then brought both blasts together in front of him, sending the attack that was never named in the actual movie but named Galactic Buster in the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series.

"Kamehameha!" Gohan yelled, as the attack went straight toward Bojack's, on a collision course to achieve dominance.

"Buster Cannon!" Trunks yelled simultaneously, as his attack simultaneously went toward Bojack's attack, in Trunks' effort to help Gohan achieve victory.

The combined might of Gohan's Kamehameha and Trunks' Buster Cannon soon overcame Bojack's Galactic Buster, and as the wrongdoer became engulfed in the energy he had emitted, as well as the energy of Trunks and Gohan, the energy that encompassed him made him realize how mistaken he had been, and how superior the forces of superior plot development could be.

The energy attacks eventually dissipated, and Gohan and Trunks, who were still in their transformations, powered down to their normal states.

"We did it," Gohan said, as he reveled in the glory of the moment.

"More you than me," Trunks said, as he took a breather.

"Thankfully, it doesn't seem that anything bad happened to the island with regards to the force of our attacks impacting the volcanism," Gohan said.

"Yeah, but we should get everyone off this island as soon as possible, just in case something does happen unexpectedly as a result of all the geologic stress the island's been under," Trunks said.

"Right," Gohan said.

They both suddenly turned their attention to Zangya, whom they both heard walking toward them.

"What's up?" Gohan asked.

"I … I don't know what to do now that I'm no longer with those guys," Zangya said.

She looked both distressed and perplexed, as the oppression she had delighted in for so long had suddenly become a thing of the past.

She was a lost soul who had been with a murderer for so long, who in the end had desired to kill her without justification, and might have done so had these two warriors not intervened.

"Hey," Trunks said, as he put a hand on her left shoulder. "My father was once part of a horrible group of oppressors, but we found it in our hearts and minds to give him a second chance. We can do the same for you."

She felt elated and a smile came to her face.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes," Gohan said.

A few moments passed, and then she spoke again.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"Well, we're going to do something that should have been done in the actual movie, and use the full extent of the Dragon Balls' mass-revival capability to wish back all the good people who died not just today, but within the past year due to unnatural causes," Gohan said.

"That sounds like a good thing to do," Zangya said.

"And then, Zangya, since I helped save your life, there's something special that you could do for me," Trunks said, as he then cupped her chin with his right hand, and brought his face close to hers.

"Oh? And what would that be?" she asked, rightfully intrigued.

**Earth: Capsule Corporation, 2011, one month later**

"Trunks, lower the volume!" Vegeta yelled from across the hall. "It was bad enough when Cell was practicing at 3:00 in the morning with his metal band. Now, it's 4:00 in the morning!"

"Well father, we need all the time we can get to enhance the quality of the music," Trunks said. "After all, I've always wanted to experiment with my own version of Indie music, and to do so, we need this time to practice."

"At 4:00 in the morning?" Vegeta asked.

"Obviously," Trunks said.

"Damn it!" Vegeta yelled, as he reluctantly, again, put in his earplugs and slammed his door shut.

"Alright, are we ready to take it again from the top?" Trunks asked, as he positioned the microphone and its stand in front of him, while checking to make sure that the strings of his acoustic guitar were in tune.

"I'm ready for another go at it!" Gohan said, as he readied himself again by placing his fingers over the piano keys.

"This isn't exactly what I thought you had in mind," Zangya said, as she placed her hands on the accordion keys, then got the instrument ready to be flexed.

"Time to make this happen," Trunks said, with his guitar pick at the ready. "Oh and Gohan?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"After we're done with practice, I could totally use your help if you come back to the future with me and – "

**Earth: Former Location of Capsule Corporation, Age 787 (Timeline IV), 2011 **

" – use your ability … to …," Trunks continued to say before tapering off, as he realized what had been signified by the scene shift.

Not only did he no longer have either the microphone or the guitar, but he found himself back where he had been.

Future Cell was still frozen in place, as were the Z-Fighters of his timeline, who were still flanking Trunks' left and right sides.

Before Trunks could do anything further, the chronologic freeze suddenly thawed, and Future Cell once again marched in his adamant path toward the Z-Fighters.

"Crap …," Future Trunks muttered to himself.

* * *

_Thank you all so much for more than 200 thoughtful and constructive reviews for Honor Trip, and for so many fun times._

_I've sincerely enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it even more._

_This comedic foray into the ninth DBZ movie was made as a tribute to you, and I am sincerely grateful for the experience. _

_Chapter Twenty-Nine is up next, as we continue the journey of Honor Trip._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Special Completed: 5/31/2011_

* * *

**Cast, in order of appearance: **

Trunks [Future] (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Bojack (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

X.S. Cash (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Monty Cash (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Lotta Cash (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Cell (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Hercule Satan (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Gohan (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Bulma (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Chi Chi (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

King Kai/North Kai (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Goku (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Bubbles (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Gregory (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Renji Abarai (Bleach)

Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Kisuke Urahara (Bleach)

Uryu Ishida (Bleach)

Kon (Bleach)

Master Roshi (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Trunks [Timeline III] (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Goten (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Yamcha (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Tien (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Piccolo (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Krillin (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Sky Dragon (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Neytiri (Avatar – 2009 Movie)

Jake Sully (Avatar – 2009 Movie)

Intergalactic Tournament announcer (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Udo (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Supreme Kai (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Emperor Pilaf (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [cameo]

Mai (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [cameo]

Shu (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [cameo]

Oolong (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Chiaotzu (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Doskoi (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

John Locke (Lost)

James Ford/"Sawyer" (Lost)

Zangya (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Hirudegarn (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Frieza (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Eighteen (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Bido (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Intergalactic Tournament producer (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Kogu/Gokua (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Yajirobe (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy)

Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy) [off-screen]

Padmé Amidala/Padmé Naberrie (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy) [off-screen]

Bujin (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

[Psychic] Fish (Dragon Ball Z/GT)

Majin Buu (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Broly (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Tapion (Dragon Ball Z/GT) [off-screen]

Link (The Legend of Zelda [CD-i])

King Harkinian (The Legend of Zelda [Cd-i])

Ganon (The Legend of Zelda [Cd-i]) [off-screen]

Gwonam (The Legend of Zelda [Cd-i])

Zelda (The Legend of Zelda [Cd-i])

Impa (The Legend of Zelda [Cd-i])

* * *

**Musical Numbers, in order of performance:**

Guns N' Roses … Welcome to the Jungle

Iron Maiden … Out of the Shadows

2 Unlimited … Get Ready for This

Kanye West … Stronger

Hope and Peace Machine [Trunks' Indie rock band] … Capsule Corporation Calm

[Trunks … lead vocals, guitar]

[Gohan … piano]

[Zangya … accordion]

* * *

_If you can read this, thank you so much. _

I_n fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _


	31. XXIX: Conflagration

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Conflagration**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter contains various intense psychological and philosophical situations that can be perturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. _

* * *

In the face of probable death, many throughout history have found it quite difficult to remain brave.

Four of the five Z-Fighters who were standing against Future Cell had perished against foes much weaker than he, and each Z-Fighter was doing the best he could to hide the fear within.

"So guys, how the hell are we going to do this?" Krillin asked, with more than a hint of nervousness betraying him.

He could have revealed much more of the true extent of his feelings, but he knew, deep in his heart and mind, after so many years of training, battles, and camaraderies, that to maintain the visage and form of a resolute warrior as best as possible in times such as these served to not only uphold his own honor, but the honor of those with whom he sought to defend the peace.

Future Cell was barely two meters away from the line the Z-Fighters had made, and he began to bellow with laughter.

"There's no way you can win!" Future Cell said, as he entered into a fighting stance. "This is where it ends."

These particular comments caused Piccolo to slightly back up, although Future Cell was too busy reveling in the moment to fully notice.

At a speed greater than any of the Z-Fighters could fully comprehend, Future Cell jolted straight forward and rammed his forehead into Trunks' head.

While this had caused Trunks to begin to spin, such that the lower part of his body was beginning to turn upward and the upper part of his body had begun to turn downward, Future Cell stopped Trunks from spinning further by suddenly appearing above Trunks, while Trunks' back was parallel to the ground, and kicking downward into Trunks' stomach.

This made Trunks impact the ground, and the Z-Fighters who had been on either side of Trunks then scattered to avoid the gusts of force that had resulted from the impact.

The area around where Trunks had been standing had been shrouded by dust, and as Vegeta, from his vantage point about 25 meters away, tried to discern what had happened, he saw the dust begin to clear.

Gohan saw that even though Trunks was still in his Ascended Super Saiyan state, he was, at about the rate of once every two seconds, being pounded into the ground as a result of Future Cell stomping into his stomach with his right foot.

"Cell, you bastard, stop this at once!" Vegeta yelled, all the while doing so without actually approaching Future Cell. Why he had not done so, whether primarily out of factors of conscious or subconscious origin, was uncertain.

Future Cell indeed did stop – but only because he was now, instead, constantly pressing down with his right foot to restrain Trunks from further movement. He used the opportunity to look directly at Vegeta.

"If it was this easy for me to do this to Trunks, imagine how easy it will be for me to decimate all of you," Future Cell said. "The universe should have no room for weakness. As per the natural course of the universe, the weak shall die out to make room for the strong. Your time in the world of life was unnaturally extended, and I'm going to see to it that nature sees its proper course."

"You should be the last to talk like that," Krillin said. "Not a damn thing about you is natural."

"You want to know what's natural Krillin? The forces of nature," Future Cell said. "And those very forces are enabling me to crush Trunks' ribs."

Future Cell smiled, as he pushed down harder.

Trunks had been tolerating the pain without much vocal utterance up until this point, but even for him, the pain had become too much to bear.

He let out a roar of strife, and, as if on cue, his father and his friends rushed forward.

Future Cell had been eagerly anticipating the chance to fight them all, and he was savoring the looks of anguish and desperation on their faces.

Indeed, during his time within his capsule, he had been informed of much about the four Z-Fighters who were rushing to help Trunks. While within the capsule he had eventually come to realize that his fellow androids would have probably destroyed the Z-Fighters by the time of his release, he had, for lack of a better word, "dreamed" of one day having the opportunity to fight these warriors and obliterate them.

The day of his dreams had arrived.

Future Cell had not reentered a fighting stance, and was instead enabling them to come within range.

It was his intended desire to destroy them in the most belittling way possible without purposely acting in overconfidence, and he felt that not entering a fighting stance would not only be relatively safe because of their inferior capacities, but that it would serve to accentuate his lack of respect for them.

However, Gohan suddenly transformed into his Ultra Super Saiyan state mid-flight, within one meter of Future Cell.

Future Cell remembered well that Trunks, as an Ultra Super Saiyan, had indeed been able to render at least some damage to his counterpart, and that this transformation, unlike the Ascended Super Saiyan state, could pose at least a modicum of a challenge.

Future Cell knew all too well that his counterpart's overconfidence had enabled the conditions of his demise to come about, and Future Cell did not want to let something as foolish as arrogance even slightly diminish the chances of his success.

While the most intrinsically arrogant can often be blind to their own arrogance, Future Cell, in this particular case, shifted from above Trunks to avoid Gohan's punch.

Gohan remained in the air while trying to see what had happened to Future Cell, and he then felt a punch go right into his left jaw.

Future Cell proceeded to rapidly punch Gohan in the stomach, and he was about to punch Gohan in the head when he felt a slight flicker in his right side.

Piccolo was astounded that his kick had done virtually no damage, even after all his training in Otherworld, and Future Cell back-fisted Piccolo's face, which caused him to soar more than 200 meters to Future Cell's left.

Future Cell had sensed throughout the entirety of the time since he had begun punching Gohan that a Destructo Disk had been coming toward him, although he had done nothing about it.

"Ironic," Future Cell said, as the disk caused no damage to him upon impact, and merely passed through him without cutting him in any way. Upon leaving the general area of his body, the disk exploded, to Krillin's intense dismay and Vegeta's utter shock.

"What's wrong, Vegeta?" Future Cell asked, as he then shifted forward, appearing right in front of the full-blooded Saiyan. They were within only a quarter of a meter of each other, and Vegeta used the opportunity to punch Future Cell as hard as he could.

Upon impact, Future Cell let one second pass, then merely laughed in reaction.

Vegeta began to move away from Future Cell in even greater horror than he had been in before, but before Vegeta could move more than three meters away, Future Cell darted forward.

To Future Cell's own slight surprise, Trunks had gotten in his way, and even though Trunks was still only an Ascended Super Saiyan, he looked determined.

"If we could save one timeline from the likes of you, then we can save this one too!" Trunks said, as he powered up to his Ultra Super Saiyan state, which he had learned to do quite quickly in his days of waiting to confront this monster.

As Trunks rushed forward, Vegeta joined his son, and Krillin rushed forward too, accompanied by Gohan and Piccolo, who had recovered from their injuries enough to resume the fight.

Then, even if only for a few glorious moments, the five warriors fought together, with each among them making the most determined and precise strikes he possibly could.

Future Cell dodged most of the attacks, and merely enabled others to hit him so he could continue to revel in his strength.

From Future Cell's perspective, Gohan and Trunks had foolishly sacrificed speed for the sake of more power, and as that power proved to be quite manageable for Future Cell, he felt that the challenge these five were posing had in fact decreased in risk and severity.

"Enough," Future Cell said, as he let out a spherical surge of energy that forced the five fighters away from him.

They were divided from each other now.

Killing them would be even easier.

Future Cell rushed forward and used his right hand to grab Krillin by the head.

He established a link with Krillin's mind, as Goku had done with Krillin long ago on Planet Namek to learn of what had happened before his arrival.

'_In the alternate past, your counterpart failed to deactivate Android 18 because he fell in love with her, and in so doing, your counterpart helped enable me to achieve perfection,'_ Future Cell conveyed, as the other fighters were rushing toward him. _'Thank you.'_

The psychological shock that went through Krillin's mind at what he had learned paled in comparison to the blast that had then come forth and encompassed the entirety of his body.

The other Z-Fighters stopped suddenly, witnessing the might of the blast that had devoured their friend.

When the blast dissipated, Krillin was no more.

"A common blast for a common fighter," Future Cell said, as he took pleasure in the terror on their faces.

"Krillin! No!" Trunks yelled, as he and Gohan restarted their pursuit forward, then missed their target, in part because Future Cell had instant transmitted toward Piccolo.

Future Cell was in front of Piccolo now, and looked him in the eyes while quickly grasping the top of his scalp.

'_You might have saved him, at least for a little while, had you not been scared,'_ Future Cell conveyed, as Piccolo struggled to break free of Future Cell's grip. _'Just like how your counterpart in the alternate past had been scared when he had first met my counterpart and failed to save the man he was absorbing, you failed to save Krillin. And thank you for – Piccolo! get out of the way before he – '_

Future Cell's blast quickly consumed the entire upper portion of Piccolo's body.

The regeneration mechanism that the Namekian race had acquired would not be able to bring him back. Future Cell cherished that he wasn't bound by such inadequacies, although he was perturbed at something else.

"Well, it looks like I won't be using any more mental messaging any time soon," he muttered to himself, as he observed that the three Super Saiyans had formed up, in a futile attempt to prepare themselves to avenge their friends.

'You're fortunate that despite my best efforts, I can't just project my thoughts to them without physical contact like I'd normally be able to do, otherwise I'd be helping them in every way I could to take you down,' Cell thought within. _[Author's Note: The Z-Fighters, at various points in the canon series, have demonstrated the ability to psychically message one another. An example of this is when Goku (briefly) uses telepathy in uncut DBZ episode 35, "Mercy," and he begins to psychically speak to Krillin right before Krillin is about to strike Vegeta with Yajirobe's sword. In the FUNimation dub, the first telepathic lines Goku communicates to Krillin during the scene in which this transpires are "Stop! Don't do it!" He then briefly talks to Krillin through conventional means, and then speaks telepathically again, with many segments clearly showing that Goku, who was having difficulty moving his body at all as a result of battle with Vegeta, was not using his mouth, and instead communicating telepathically. As Cell and Future Cell inherited various abilities of the Z-Fighters, it is compatible with canon that they inherited this one.]_

"Both of them are dead now, and I hope you're enjoying the preview of what will soon happen yet again," Future Cell said, as the forlorn looks of the three Super Saiyans intensified. "And the best part of all is that they both died without even knowing the truest, most important reasons why their deaths were both necessary and appropriate."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked, as he tightened the grip of his right fist, in unadulterated anger that two of his best friends had been murdered yet again because of Dr. Gero's misguided and twisted mind.

Future Cell smiled, as he welcomed the opportunity to make the astute depth of his goals known.

* * *

_Minutes beforehand, within a former Capsule Corporation manufacturing facility in South City … _

They had been quite lucky that after all these years, the subterranean portion of what had once been a Capsule Corporation outpost in South City had remained relatively intact.

Ironically, both Cell and Future Cell had also been quite fortunate because they had been in a subterranean portion of Dr. Gero's Laboratory that 17 and 18 had not destroyed along with the rest of the structure, but now, the friends and family of those who were facing the challenge in West City were experiencing great trepidation.

Gohan had used the Instant Transmission technique to bring them here so they could remain safe despite the chaos in the world outside.

Those who could sense energy levels and understand the undercurrents of the planet had conveyed the nature of the battle that was being fought.

News of Krillin's death had caused great sorrow.

And they experienced yet another horrifying revelation when Kami began to hunch over and exhibit signs that he was losing strength.

"Oh no; it's happening again!" Mr. Popo said, remembering all too well what had happened to Kami years ago as a result of Piccolo's death during his battle with Nappa. "Kami! Stay with us!"

"It was good seeing you again, Mr. Popo," Kami said, knowing that he did not have much time to speak. "It was good to see all of you again."

He briefly turned his attention to Dende.

"My friend, it looks like you will need to be both the Earth's guardian and the keeper of the Dragon Balls … after all," Kami said, as he started to fade in and out of translucence.

It was becoming harder and harder to see him.

Then, at the instant in which Piccolo had died, Kami faded away entirely.

There was nothing left where he had been, and his guardian staff fell to the floor. _[Author's Note: The only time in the canon series in which Piccolo and Kami die simultaneously because of their dual-spirit nature is in uncut DBZ episode 28, "Goku's Arrival." After Piccolo got in the way of an attack that Nappa had intended to impact Gohan, the aforementioned processes regarding Kami's concurrent disappearance occurred. It is interesting to note that in the animation for the episode, Kami's guardian staff erroneously disappears along with him, even though it is neither intrinsically a part of him nor of Piccolo. Also of note is that "Goku's Arrival" happens to be the same episode in which the notorious "Over 9,000!" scene took place.]_

"Goodbye, … Kami," Mr. Popo said, as his eyes began to tear up yet again.

It was a moment of the purest sadness, and indeed, Bulma and Chi Chi were becoming even more afraid than they had been before.

Mr. Popo wiped the tears from his eyes, and he picked up the guardian staff.

"He had confidence in you, as do I," Mr. Popo said, as he handed the staff to Dende, who humbly grasped it with his right hand.

Mr. Popo let go of the staff, enabling Dende to fully possess it.

He sighed to himself, then spoke to those among him.

"This is of course a trying time for us all," Dende said, as he looked around him, noting the feelings in the air. "Despite everything that may happen, our courage must persevere."

Upon saying those words, he didn't know whether they had been intended more for whom he was addressing, or for himself.

"It's a good thing you started to oversee the Dragon Balls before this happened," Yajirobe said, with solemnity.

"It can give us hope that this was so," Dende said, as he walked to Master Roshi.

He placed a hand on Roshi's shoulder.

"Tell me, am I not the only one who senses the malice outside increasing in strength?" Dende asked.

Roshi nodded his head.

"As I sensed before, something horrible has happened to Cell," he said. "This energy … feels nothing like what I sensed from him before today."

"It seems, then, that the version of him from our own timeline really did manage to somehow return and take advantage of him when he was down," Dende said. "Apparently, Kami was right about what Piccolo had perceived."

Dende let go of Roshi's shoulder, then walked to Bulma and Chi Chi.

"I know how hard this must be for you both," he said, in his attempts to console them. "You both know they're going to give it all they've got."

Chi Chi didn't know what to say to that, and merely turned away, as her tears continued.

Bulma couldn't blame her friend. She briefly walked forward, placed her right hand on Dende's left shoulder, slightly smiled, and walked past him.

She did not get far, though, before tears came to her eyes as well.

* * *

_In West City …_

Trunks had often had nightmares of moments similar to this one, although he had never known until today that the realization of his darkest dreams would manifest quite like it had.

In the earlier hours of the day, he had thought the Earth of his timeline would at last have happiness again.

Apparently, though, that had been little more than a deluded fantasy.

"All this creep means is that he wants to kill everything in his path, because that's what he and the other androids of this timeline have always wanted, nothing but pleasure in death and destruction," Trunks said, as Future Cell tilted his head to one side, as if to exhibit a quizzical response.

"You really believe my reasons are that simplistic?" Future Cell asked, with a tone of voice that resonated with less of a sense of morbid enjoyment than it had before. "You're quite mistaken."

Trunks redoubled in anger at what he took to be mocking comments.

"Whatever you have to say, you can shove it," Trunks said, as Future Cell grinned.

"Oh? I thought you'd be rather interested to hear about my grand plans for the universe once all of you are gone," Future Cell said, to their increased derision.

"Then spit it out, already!" Vegeta said. "I don't want you to play games with us. Just tell us what you want to say!"

"Very well," Future Cell said, as he briefly relaxed himself. "As you could have very well surmised by now, I still share the three core goals that my counterpart once had. These are goals that Dr. Gero imparted onto us, and which have motivated so much of what has transpired. The first of my core goals is to avenge the Red Ribbon Army through accomplishing what it had set out to do – subjugate the world, … but in my own case, not through the sort of authoritarian political control that the Red Ribbon Army had craved. Dr. Gero's desire for world domination eventually became superseded by his desire to overpower the world through destruction, exerting his influence through what he felt were even more compelling means. As per his design, I, like my fellow androids had before their corruption or destruction, seek to overpower the Earth through annihilation, and to make all bow their heads in horror as a means of exacting vengeance. Secondly, I relish for greater and greater power, and I take great pride in this goal, especially, as it has encouraged me to become the strongest I possibly can. My desire to achieve perfection stemmed from this goal, and now that I've achieved it, I want to keep getting even stronger. My counterpart felt the same way after he had achieved the form, and indeed, in a universe of seemingly infinite energy, the promise of becoming so much stronger than I am now is quite compelling. And of course, my third core goal remains, as it has always been, to kill all whom Goku had personally held dear. Indeed, I was to also make sure that Goku had died as well, but not even my fellow androids had to take care of that, did they?"

The anger had built up within Gohan, and he needed to let it out.

"You bastard!" Gohan said, as he powered up further, then rushed toward Future Cell out of rage.

Future Cell merely laughed again, then instant transmitted toward Trunks and Vegeta. He appeared alongside them, causing them to rush away from him so they could regroup with Gohan.

"You're too slow," Future Cell said to Gohan, as he then pointed at Trunks. "And why haven't you told your friend how ineffective the Ultra Super Saiyan state is in actual combat?"

Trunks didn't respond, largely because he had resorted to endorsing use of the Ultra Super Saiyan state as a means to fulfill an increasingly desperate end, knowing full well that doing so might not be entirely advisable.

Future Cell turned his attention back toward Gohan.

"I bet you wish that mere rage over the death of your friends would work for you the same way it did for your counterpart," Future Cell said. "Hell, Gohan from the alternate past barely knew Android 16, and all of a sudden, boom! – he became a Super Saiyan 2 when 16 met his end. But I just killed two of your closest friends and you haven't experienced one bit of ascension. How very amusing! It's quite obvious that whatever truly enabled your counterpart to ascend to Super Saiyan 2 is something you do not currently possess. None of you do. Psychological torment, especially over the loss of someone you cherish, has been shown to push you Saiyans into the Super Saiyan form. Obviously, I'm benefiting from the fact that none of you have been able to ascend to the true next level. I'm not quite sure what it was that apparently made the version of Gohan in the alternate past special, but as I said before, it is indeed quite excellent that none of you have it. But what's even more wonderful is that I have yet to divulge to you my most cherished goals, those that I consider to be even more important than the basic ones I mentioned before."

Vegeta sneered, as Future Cell seemed to be taking great pleasure in toying with them. If there was ever a time that Vegeta's wishes to become the strongest warrior in the universe were to be actually realized, he wanted that time to be now.

Alas, it seemed that the realization of those desires was but another dream among many.

"From what my son has told me about Cell, it appears you've inherited his knack for dragging things out," Vegeta said. "Get on with whatever it is you want to tell us; just say it already!"

"How dare you refer to my counterpart by that name," Future Cell said, as he began to sneer. "I am the only one who deserves to be called by the glorious name which my creator gave me, as it is emblematic of the perfection within each fiber of my being, a perfection that I have honored and that my counterpart dishonored."

"Really? Because as far as I'm concerned, the best way to honor your bastard of a creator's memory would be by wiping you out of existence," Vegeta said, with a grin.

Future Cell's anger intensified as he clenched his right fist.

'Even in the face of certain death, he's still an arrogant prick,' Future Cell thought to himself.

'_Look who's talking,' _Cell thought within.

'_I am neither about to die, nor an arrogant prick,'_ Future Cell thought within. _'If anyone around here is unquestionably a prick, it is you, for constantly distracting me while I'm trying to go about my business.'_

'_You're killing people for ridiculous reasons,'_ Cell thought within. _'How the hell am I a prick for trying to distract you from doing that?'_

'_You, of all beings, should know that my reasons are worthy, and now I'll reveal the full extent of them to your pathetic allies,' _Future Cell thought within.

"Well, what's taking you so long?" Vegeta asked. "Lost for words? Don't tell me you're too scared to continue fighting us."

Trunks looked at his father in amazement, wondering how he could be maintaining an air of such confidence at a time like this, and exactly what his purpose was in doing so.

Future Cell decided to momentarily ignore Vegeta's arrogance.

"I have taken it upon myself to be the personification of perfection," Future Cell said, as Vegeta's grin diminished. "All that was ever glorious in this universe, and all that ever will be wondrous, shall be reflected by my brilliance and intrinsic splendor."

'_Hubristic bastard,' _Cell thought within.

"What do you think you are, some kind of god?" Gohan asked, as he was especially disgusted at the comments Future Cell was making. "I've never heard a narcissistic comment of this degree, not even from Frieza!"

"One need not be a god to be perfect," Future Cell said. "I have achieved glory, and shall achieve further glory, without needing to resort to anything of the divine."

Future Cell turned his attention to Trunks, whose aura had flickered to life, in the warrior's attempt to gain more strength.

"My counterpart never told you this, Trunks, but right before he was turned to ignorance, he, too, believed this," Future Cell said. "He wanted to be the tangible manifestation of perfection, and I shall realize that goal in his place. And in relation to this, now that I've become even stronger than my counterpart had ever been and now that I have gained abilities far past anything I had ever realized I could achieve, I have finally come to understand the ultimate plan that Dr. Gero had intended for me! He wanted me not just to destroy the Earth, but to destroy the entire universe! My design enables me to become stronger after every battle thanks to the Saiyans, my powers of regeneration thanks to modifications of Namekian genetics are unparalleled, and thanks to Frieza and his father, I can live anywhere! I owe even more thanks to Goku from the alternate past for using the Instant Transmission technique while in contact with my counterpart, which enabled my counterpart's muscle memory to have enough recollection of the technique that he was able to quickly learn it. Now that I've absorbed him, and as you have seen, gained the ability to use the Instant Transmission technique quite effectively, I have an even greater capacity to exert my influence and the glory of Dr. Gero!" _[Author's Note: Future Cell's statement that he believes Dr. Gero's intended ultimate goal for him was to destroy the entire universe is fully reflected by and compatible with the canon series, as Cell, after achieving his "Super Perfect" state in the canon series, says that he feels this was the ultimate goal Dr. Gero had intended for him. He makes this belief known in uncut DBZ episode 190, "The Horror Won't End." His verbatim lines in the FUNimation dub regarding this are included in the extended author's note after the main content of this chapter.] _

"Well, you're obviously some kind of idiot after all, since if you really want to go through with destroying the universe, then you really wouldn't have much at all to be better than, would you?" Vegeta asked.

"It doesn't matter what you think, as none of you will be alive long enough to truly experience the magnificent beauty of what will transpire," Future Cell said. "But you should know, Vegeta, that I've decided to pursue something that, while similar, is not quite the same as what Dr. Gero had intended for me to ultimately pursue."

"Really?" Gohan asked. "You've seemed so committed to following that bastard's words and commands as opposed to listening to reason, and now, all of a sudden, you're not going to fully go along with his big plan?"

"Ah, but the circumstances of my existence and those of my counterpart have obviously been quite different from what Dr. Gero had envisioned," Future Cell said. "I have decided to adjust Dr. Gero's glorious ultimate goal to fit my own ends, and I believe that Dr. Gero would agree with my modifications and admire what I've decided to pursue. You see, instead of merely destroying everything in this universe, I'm going to destroy only that which my counterpart, in his corrupted state of mind, thought was good, and keep intact everything he despised! So many things that came to revile him, so many things he came to hate when he became deluded and lost, are things that I will uphold and glorify! That traitor will pay for dishonoring Dr. Gero's name and my own. And in exacting my revenge for all of his foolishness, I am also going to be doing something far greater. He wanted atonement for what he mistakenly considered to have been mistakes and horrific acts, and as a result of this, I have taken it upon myself to atone on our collective behalf for the true mistakes he made. Enabling you all to live was one mistake among many that he should never have perpetrated. Killing you all will help save any semblance of honor and dignity that he ever had. This shall be the beginning of a glorious path of redemption!"

Future Cell raised his right hand toward them, as though he was about to gather energy for an attack.

The Saiyans tensed up, and then Trunks realized something.

"Wait! If you truly value logic and sense, you need to listen to me for one moment!" he yelled.

Future Cell paused momentarily, then lowered his hand, out of intrigue.

"What?" he asked.

"If you truly have your counterpart's memories, then you should be able to remember all the things he felt when he began to feel differently, and you should remember all the realizations of horror he had when he finally gained the ability to consider the merits of everything he had done from a different perspective," Trunks said. "He came to view as evil so many things that he had once cherished, and he gained strong desires to defend so much of what had once disgusted him, but which he came to recognize as righteous. There are so many things he did in true goodness that he took extreme enjoyment and satisfaction in accomplishing. Surely, you're not so megalomaniacal to have completely clouded yourself to these memories and rejected them, are you? Don't you remember all the things he felt? Can't you feel it too? Don't you recognize the intrinsic values of life and peace, and why they must always be defended?"

Future Cell let a few moments pass before responding.

His expression became one of anger, and the tone of his voice became colder than ice.

"His mind was warped against his will, and I am fortunate that none of you have been able to take advantage of me in the same way that you all took advantage of him," Future Cell said, as he manipulated his energy to slowly start moving toward the Saiyans. "When I look to the memories he began to acquire after his mind had changed, I'm horrified by what I see. I see someone who is confused, someone who wants to find their proper way again. I see someone who is deluded beyond his own comprehension. Indeed, Trunks, I am a proponent of logical reasoning, and as far as I am concerned, my counterpart was under such mental duress and confusion that anything and everything he felt should be utterly discounted with regards to my own decisions and perspectives. I was horrified to learn that he not only wanted to kill me but fully intended to follow through with that desire because I tried to live my life the way I thought best, a way he once believed in. Now, I will kill you all for wanting to live your lives by your standards as well. It's obvious that I have very different visions for the universe than do the three of you, and I cannot allow you to have any opportunity to stop my glorious visions from becoming reality!"

Future Cell instant transmitted forward, and he punched Gohan straight in the gut.

"That's for the memories of our collective humiliation, you worthless heathen," Future Cell said, as Gohan struggled to breathe.

Trunks had charged forward to strike Future Cell from behind when Future Cell briefly glanced backward and turned fast enough to punch Trunks in the face without enabling Trunks to have sufficient time to respond.

He darted forward and commenced in a chain of rapid punches and kicks all around Trunks, with the intention of weakening him comprehensively.

"You wretched fool; you actually thought you could save everyone, and now here you are, about to die at my hands, just like the version of you whom my counterpart killed!" Future Cell said while decimating Trunks, as Vegeta rushed forward to help his son. _[Author's Note: Future Cell is referring to the version of Trunks from the original timeline (Timeline 1), whom Cell killed before stealing his time machine and traveling to the alternate past (Timeline 3), the timeline in which the Cell Games took place in canon.]_

Vegeta began to punch and kick Future Cell with all his might, but to his great chagrin, his attacks were woefully ineffective.

Future Cell momentarily stopped his assault against Trunks to elbow Vegeta in the throat, making Vegeta fly backward, while grabbing his throat in pain.

"That will teach you to not speak so disrespectfully," Future Cell said, as he shifted forward and began to repeatedly punch Vegeta.

Within five seconds of his assault against Vegeta, Future Cell felt his right arm suddenly become restrained, followed quickly by his left arm. Trunks was doing the best he could, in his Ultra Super Saiyan state, to restrain the left arm, while Gohan, who also was still in his Ultra Super Saiyan state, was doing the best he could to restrain the right.

After a few moments, Future Cell managed to pull both of his arms together, then repositioned his arms so that each of his hands grabbed behind on of the Super Saiyans' heads. He slammed them together, then, to his great delight, he observed that they were apparently both unconscious. Gohan's hair lost its golden hue, and soon after, Trunks' hair returned to its normal coloration as well.

"They won't even be witnesses to their own death. How very excellent," Future Cell said, as he let them drop, then began to charge an energy attack with his right hand.

He was looking downward, with the intention of instant transmitting right under them so that they would literally fall into the attack as it was being launched.

"Say goodbye!"

Future Cell instant transmitted below them, and he positioned his right hand upward.

"Death blaster!" he yelled, as the yellow sphere in his right hand briefly expanded in size and then briefly condensed. From within the sphere came forth a beam with a pointed apex that made the beam in its entirety look akin to a spear. _[Author's Note: Frieza, in his mechanical state, used this attack against Trunks in uncut Dragon Ball Z episode 120, "Another Super Saiyan?," and the attack comes from "Mecha Frieza"'s right arm, which is still organic, and not his left arm, which is metallic. As Dr. Gero acquired the genetic memories of Frieza's attacks during Frieza's brief presence on Earth right after the Namek Saga, it is fully compatible with canon that both Cell and Future Cell would know how to use this attack. This attack attained its name in the video game Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.] _

Future Cell, however, had utterly discounted the five meters between the falling Saiyans and his attack.

Within the slight timeframe between the launch and what would have been the impact of the attack, Vegeta quickly flew from the horizontal and grabbed them out of the way, with each of his arms around one of the unconscious warriors. He managed to barely avoid the attack himself, and as he looked downward, he saw that Future Cell's expression had shifted to one that looked as though it contained even more malice than he had previously exhibited.

Vegeta rushed to the ground so he could safely set them down, and at about 50 meters from the ground, he looked up when he heard an explosion overhead that had resulted from Future Cell clenching his right fist to detonate the attack.

As Vegeta moved downward, so did Future Cell.

Vegeta's feet touched the ground, and as he set Trunks and Gohan down, Future Cell landed about 20 meters away, with the terrain shaking upon his impact.

"How dare you," Future Cell said, as he began to walk toward Vegeta. "You just made me waste perfectly good energy."

"Your miserable life is a waste," Vegeta said, as he quickly looked behind him to see if either Trunks or Gohan had regained consciousness.

They had not, and as Vegeta turned his gaze back toward Future Cell, he noticed that Future Cell's glare had become even more piercing.

"Does it make you feel good to know that all you have left to defend yourself are insults?" Future Cell asked.

Vegeta laughed to himself as he pondered Future Cell's words.

'The more time I can distract him, the more he'll focus on me, and less on the boys,' Vegeta thought to himself. 'If there's any hope to defeat this monster … they will have a much better chance of achieving it than I.'

"Fine, Vegeta. If you're so eager to have your life extinguished sooner rather than later, I would be more than happy to oblige," Future Cell said.

Vegeta rushed forward as his golden hair became haloed by his golden aura. He was flying straight toward Future Cell, but then diverted his path slightly, such that he ended up behind where Future Cell had been.

He began to attack Future Cell from behind, and Future Cell let him attack without turning around.

After all, from Future Cell's perspective, if Vegeta's counterpart in the alternate past had as an Ascended Super Saiyan not been able to physically damage his own counterpart in any real capacity when his counterpart had merely been in the most basic state of his Perfect form, then logic, and not overconfidence, dictated that he should have no real fears of this much weaker version of Vegeta, merely in his Super Saiyan form, striking the glory of his Super Perfect form.

Vegeta continued to strike at Future Cell with a variety of punches and kicks, but to no avail.

"Do you remember when being a mere Super Saiyan actually meant something?" Future Cell asked, as Vegeta kept up his attack. "Well, those days are long gone."

Future Cell punched upward into Vegeta's chest, causing him to gag.

He then kicked Vegeta in the face, causing Vegeta to fly backward and for him to descend from his Super Saiyan form.

Vegeta's hair flickered from gold to black, and he hit the ground with enough torque to make him tumble and spin on the ground many times before coming to a halt.

His front was facing toward Future Cell, who was adamantly marching toward where Vegeta had been cast.

Vegeta finally mustered the strength to stand, and opened his eyes.

He saw Future Cell marching toward him, and behind Future Cell, he saw Trunks and Gohan, both of whom were still on the ground, unconscious.

'At least he's facing toward me, and not them,' Vegeta thought to himself.

"Well Vegeta, I've made some careful considerations regarding how best to do this, and I've decided upon an excellent course of action," Future Cell said, as he stopped walking, about 10 meters from Vegeta.

Vegeta could barely stand, but he managed to respond.

"Oh, and what would that be?" he asked.

"There is a particular attack which your counterpart from the alternate past developed, but which I do not believe, as a result of the different circumstances of this timeline, you ever had the chance to consider," Future Cell said. "In fact, when Dr. Gero acquired your genetics to incorporate them within me, you had not yet acquired this technique, and so it was not incorporated into my overall memory. However, my counterpart had the opportunity to witness your counterpart perform this attack against him, and it's simple enough that after thinking about its properties, I have figured out how to perform it even more effectively than he ever could."

Future Cell positioned his legs at shoulder-width apart, bent his knees, and placed both of his arms straight in front of him, with his wrists touching, his palms facing Vegeta, and his fingers curled inward to focus the blast.

"Consider this a gift from your alternate self to you!" Future Cell yelled, as he began to gather energy.

Vegeta felt as though he could barely stand, let alone easily move out of the way.

Besides, enabling Future Cell to focus on him would give them a little more time.

* * *

_In another location …_

The two of them had gathered to discuss matters at hand.

One felt as though he needed to take a stand.

"Please! Reconsider!" he said, as the other contemplated the particulars of the moment.

After a while, he made his decision.

"Not yet," he said, shaking his head from side to side.

* * *

The ground began to vibrate as Future Cell intensified the focus of the energy he was gathering.

Near the palms of his hands, raw energy was surmounting further and further, as Vegeta bore witness to the display.

"You should feel lucky that you will at the very least get to see what your counterpart developed, as it will be exemplary of what you could have been," Future Cell said. "And even if you're not savoring these moments, rest assured that I certainly am."

Vegeta looked onward, and felt solemnity's horrid shadow.

Electricity cascaded about the clouds now, as this fiend gathered more and more strength.

Bolts of energy were emitting from Future Cell's palms, and a sphere of golden shine was beginning to take much clearer shape between them.

Future Cell's golden aura had intensified, and rocks were lifting from the ground in the rhapsody of energy.

Vegeta had been brought back to life only hours before, and after finally having the chance to see his family again, night would soon enshroud him forever. It was a second chance that never truly was, and inside, he cursed the universe for the terrible hands it had dealt him throughout his life.

However, his particular hand of the moment had two cards that might prove to win the game.

He was unsure, but then again, in this time of desperation, his entire plan had been a gamble.

In this hour, he was doing his best to remain resolute.

As the lightning shimmered above, a flicker briefly dissipated the shadows that had been cast on Trunks' face due to the clouds that had amassed overhead.

The force of the vibrating ground, coupled with the spirit to survive, encouraged certain forces within Trunks to enable him to awaken.

He opened his eyes.

It was still quite hard for him to move, but he saw his father standing farther from him than where Future Cell was standing.

Future Cell was facing toward Vegeta, and Trunks could see his father's face.

He noticed that even though Vegeta was no longer a Super Saiyan, and even though Vegeta, too, seemed barely able to fight, there was something about his facial expression that made it appear as though he was determined as ever.

"I want you to know something," Vegeta said, addressing Future Cell, although he could see from the corner of his left eye that Trunks had regained consciousness. He restrained himself from changing his expression, and did not acknowledge Trunks, with the hope that Future Cell would remain focused on him and unaware of the breadth of developments.

"Come on, tell me Vegeta, what are your last words?" Future Cell asked. "What is it that you want the universe to hear before you are wiped away for all eternity?"

"I'm proud of my son," Vegeta said. "He has become a noble warrior. And I am confident that he will continue to fight until the very end."

Future Cell grinned at Vegeta, then instant transmitted forward.

Vegeta now saw, up close, right in front of his eyes, the sphere of glowing energy, blocking his view entirely with its blinding force.

"Final Flash!" Future Cell yelled, as the sphere rapidly expanded in size, encompassing Vegeta's body. The giant sphere became an even more enormous beam, and as it traveled forth, it obliterated much of what had remained of West City.

The attack had been so powerful that it had cut a colossal hole through Earth's atmosphere and had retained the extremity of its force.

The sphere of the Earth became accompanied by a dome of golden energy above its surface, from which a giant line of golden light was emitting into the cosmos. _[Author's Note: This description of the Final Flash attack coincides with the way it is presented the first time it is seen in the canon series, in uncut episode 162, "Trunks Ascends," when Vegeta uses the attack against "Perfect" Cell.]_

The force of what had transpired, as well as the flashing light, had been enough to awaken Gohan, who awoke to witnessing the maelstrom of the energy's emission, after it had already encompassed Vegeta and was already reaching into space.

Future Cell had been laughing the entire time.

Tears were streaming down Trunks' face, as he struggled to stand up.

The light that had encompassed Vegeta had dissipated, and now, the stars loomed overhead.

Trunks had gathered the energy to stand, and Gohan brought himself to one knee.

"Father!" Trunks yelled, as the rage and sadness coursed through him.

With the remaining energy he had, he vaulted himself forward, just as Future Cell had finished turning around.

Future Cell launched himself off from the ground, preparing the punch that he intended to end Trunks' life.

But before the two combatants could make contact, while they were still more than five meters away from each other, Future Cell noticed Gohan appear next to Trunks. Suddenly, before Future Cell could react out of surprise for what had happened, the two warriors were gone.

Future Cell stopped in midair, then laughed to himself even more.

"Those fools!" Future Cell exclaimed. "Do they really think they can run from me? I know the Instant Transmission technique! There is nowhere they can hide!"

Future Cell descended from the air, then placed his index finger by his forehead, concentrating on fixating the location of their energy.

Many moments passed.

And Future Cell's eyes opened with a startle.

"I can't sense them!" Future Cell yelled, as he stomped the ground out of frustration, which shook the nearby vicinity with the force of the impact. "Why can't I sense them!"

'_You know why,' _Cell thought within. _'They've obviously outsmarted you by transmitting far away and keeping their power levels down. I doubt you'll be able to find them now, as Instant Transmission requires that you actually sense them. And you know what? You deserve every bit of this humiliation for the horror you've put them through. They're going to find some way to destroy you.'_

Future Cell stopped growling in aggravation to grin at what his counterpart had said.

"The longer they wait, the more peril I will bring to planets across the universe," Future Cell said aloud, as he began his flight toward the remnants of what remained of West City. "And I'll start by absorbing everyone else who's still alive on this one!"

* * *

_Planet Falkinis … _

They emerged above one of the planet's urban areas, and as both of their energy supplies had been near exhaustion, they fell, rather than flew, to the surface below.

Gohan and Trunks were about to land between two moving vehicles, but the Falkinian driving the vehicle behind where they had been about to land noticed them, and halted the vehicle, to the dismay of other drivers who want to progress with their day's activities.

The two landed, each with a thud, on the type of marble pavement that had been used to construct the majority of the planet's roadways. Neither of them had their eyes open.

The Falkinian, whose body was a midnight black due to evolution of his bipedal species, in part because Falkinis' star happened to be a red giant, had never seen creatures such as these. However, certain traits were common amongst most of the species in the universe, and he recognized that they were in need of medical attention.

He grabbed Gohan, placed him sitting upward in the back seat of his vehicle, and then did the same for Trunks.

His schedule for the day, he knew, would have to be put on hold. As he got behind the control panel for the vehicle, he rearranged the configuration so that the process of traveling to the nearest medical center would be able to occur all the quicker.

The vehicle had been moving for a while, and then, Gohan slowly opened his eyes.

The Falkinian saw this through the reflective device that had been incorporated into the vehicle, and gave the Falkinian equivalent of the "thumbs-up" sign, which consisted of pointing downward with the outer fingers of one of the Falkinian's two four-fingered hands.

"I'm taking you to the nearest medical center," the Falkinian said. "I'm not sure how much our practitioners will be able to do for you, but at least they should be able to do something."

"Thank you," Gohan said. "Is this Planet Falkinis?"

"Yes," the Falkinian said. "How did you come to know of this world? Have you been here before without our knowledge?"

"Not exactly," Gohan said. "Although I've heard of it."

The Falkinian turned his full attention back to driving, and Gohan began to try and wake up Trunks.

After tapping him on the shoulder didn't work, Gohan tried something else.

"Sorry, bro'," Gohan said, as he smacked Trunks across the face.

Trunks awoke with a startle, then rubbed his left cheek.

"Ow! What the hell did you do that for?" Trunks asked.

He then, with fuller consciousness returning, realized that he wasn't sure where he was.

"I guess you used Instant Transmission?" Trunks asked.

"There was no other way," Gohan said. "That bastard was about to kill both of us. I figured that Piccolo, Krillin, and your dad would not have wanted to die for nothing, and so I got the both of us out of there while there was still a chance."

While the sadness Trunks was feeling for what had happened to Krillin and Piccolo was quite extreme, he was focusing on what else had happened.

"Father …," Trunks said, as tears came to his eyes again.

Gohan let his friend let it out, and then he spoke up.

"You weren't able to completely understand what had happened to your dad when this happened to him all these years ago, and now that you unfortunately saw it with your own eyes, it must be heart-wrenching," Gohan said. "Believe me, I understand. When my father died, I … actually arrived moments after it had happened. So I was right there, and he was not. I saw him, but he was gone. But you know your father, like mine, would want you to go on, and to try all you could to protect others from darkness. And so we're still alive, with another chance to try and save not only the Earth, but this planet, and many others, from that fiend."

Trunks wiped away the tears, and he regained his focus.

"So, … where exactly did you transmit us?" he asked.

"This is Planet Falkinis," the driver said, without turning around. "Home to yours truly, and the best food in the star system."

"The Falkinians, on average, have energy signatures that are relatively easy to detect, and if we were still going by power levels, I'd bet this guy has one of at least 100," Gohan said. "When I was learning the Instant Transmission technique in Otherworld, my father had me focus on this planet in particular. I obviously could never come here because I was dead, but my father wanted me to practice targeting it since there are so many Falkinians on this planet, making the planet much easier to detect. What very much helped in my training was that the Falkinians have a very distinct energy signature, and so it made it relatively easy to detect Falkinis in the split-second moment I had to get you out of Cell's way. If we keep our energy signatures low, and especially because Falkinis is quite far from Earth, he won't be able to find us, and we'll have time to formulate a plan."

Trunks sighed.

"We left the Earth open to that monster roaming around and destroying everyone and everything while we're gone," Trunks said. "There may not even be an Earth by the time we attempt to return!"

"Trunks, the only reason we're in this unfortunate situation is because of this timeline's version of Cell," Gohan said. "The people of Earth would understand what we're trying to do."

"And what exactly are we trying to do, Gohan?" Trunks asked. "How exactly are we supposed to get stronger than that creep when he's able to readily absorb more energy and he's already much stronger than us? Are we supposed to figure out how to reach Super Saiyan 2 when apparently, even a situation as perilous and this and the deaths of our friends and family members weren't able to push us over the edge? I mean, how exactly are we …."

Trunks' speech suddenly halted, and Gohan wondered what had happened.

"Trunks? What's up?" he asked, with a sense of urgency.

"Gohan, I'm not sure, but … I think there might be a way to beat this guy after all," Trunks said. "I know of someone who might be out there, but I'm not sure he actually is. There's a chance, though, that he's out there, somewhere, and that he still might be able to help us."

Gohan did a double-take.

"You want to go looking for this person, out among the stars, when we're already don't have much time?" Gohan asked.

"He might be the best chance we have, that is, if he's even still out there," Trunks said, as he looked left, out the nearby window, to the sky. "There's only one way to find out, and I have a good idea of where we can at least start to look. Once we're healed enough, we'll begin our search."

* * *

_Up next in Chapter Thirty: As Future Cell terrorizes the populace of Earth, Trunks and Gohan search the cosmos for the person Trunks believes can help them win. Who is this person, and what exactly does Trunks have in mind? Dueling missions to save and decimate the universe advance, next, on Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip! _

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Twenty-Nine! _

_So, who do you think Trunks and Gohan are going to try looking for? I would be interested to see whom you think this might be, and I challenge you to make an educated guess, based on your knowledge of the Dragon Ball universe! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Completed June 12, 2011 _

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

* * *

_Author's Extended Note: The following are Cell's verbatim lines from the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 190, "The Horror Won't End," regarding the ultimate goal which he deduced that Dr. Gero had intended for him after achieving his perfect form. It should be noted that Future Cell did not make this statement verbatim in this chapter because the circumstances leading up to his attainment of the "Super Perfect" state were obviously quite different from those which led up to Cell's attainment of the "Super Perfect" state in the canon series. Cell's verbatim lines in the canon series regarding his beliefs about Dr. Gero's intended ultimate goal for him are as follows: "Ultimate perfection! I have spent decades waiting for it! And I thought after absorbing the androids that my game had been won! But now, only now do I understand what Dr. Gero meant by those words, 'ultimate perfection!' …. Nothing could have kept me from absorbing 18 and becoming complete. As always, it was only a matter of time. And in that sudden moment, after years and years of waiting, everything had changed. The androids had been absorbed, and I underwent the incredible transformation that had filled every corner of my mind since my days in that tiny chamber. My muscles bulged. I could feel my tendons tightening, changing, filling with indescribable energy. It was all I ever expected. And yet, with it came a strange sense of emptiness. It seemed all of my obstacles had been shattered, and there was nothing left to do. The universe is said to have begun with a bang. How appropriate, for now an explosion has given me the power to finish it. And it is all because of the attack you made against me. Now I realize the true genius of my design. Like Piccolo, I can fully regenerate as long as my core remains.* Like the Saiyans, my power increases greatly after I heal from near-death. And like Frieza, I can survive anywhere. I thought that Dr. Gero only meant for me to defeat the Earth, but I know now I was designed for much more. Once I'm finished tearing this world into pieces, I'll just use Goku's Instant Transmission technique to move on to other planets. That is my destiny; I am the universe's end!" _

_*(This particular statement is inaccurate, as Cell is shown in canon to be able to regenerate without the core regeneration organ in his head remaining, and that he only needs at least one cell from which to regenerate. More information on this point is available in the first extended author's note after the main content of Honor Trip Chapter 28, "Victory.")_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _


	32. XXX: Besiegement

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty: Besiegement**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter contains various intense psychological and philosophical situations that can be perturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised._

* * *

_Earth, a little more than three standard days later … _

His march of destruction after Vegeta's death had proceeded with little to no resistance, a rampage that had further savaged a world already devastated by his predecessors.

If any form of sentient life remained in West City, North City, or Orange Star City, then it had been unintentionally spared from Future Cell's otherwise thorough and obsessive search for as many victims as he could find.

Even though he considered their energies to be nothing more than paltry additions to his overwhelming power, he took great satisfaction in knowing that he was fulfilling so many of his goals by ending their lives without mercy.

Cell, still trapped inside his counterpart, had been an unwilling participant in the otherwise unabated horror. His malevolent counterpart had forced him to watch as parents were absorbed before their children's eyes, and as likewise was done for parents to see.

Cell felt a seemingly unending sensation of helplessness, and as more and more innocent people died at his counterpart's hands, he felt more and more guilty for insisting to Trunks that his counterpart should have a chance to live a peaceful life.

Even though Future Cell continued to consistently allege that he did not consider any of his actions to be done out of actual evil, and rather merely out of his own notions of how he could acceptably live his life, Cell at the very least was waging as much of a psychological counteroffensive as he could, mentally annunciating the negative aspects of his counterpart's incessant hedonism and urging Future Cell to cease his needless killings.

But the violence raged on, and the relentless cries of fear persisted.

Instead of the solace that could have been, a world that had been on the verge of peace had been thrust into a deeper nightmare.

As the dawn gently took form, with the hues of early day overtaking the last remnants of night, the symbolic discordance with Future Cell's grin became all the more emphasized.

The dawn was rising on a dying world, and even with the growing light, the darkness, too, was growing.

* * *

_On another world, thousands of light years away … _

It was a relatively desolate planet that had once been host to grass and trees.

Now, it appeared to be nothing more than a barren wasteland.

Trunks felt somewhat of a shiver down his spine when he had set foot on the planet, not just because of the relatively cold air, and not just because of something else, but because he knew that the appearance of this planet was precisely what he wanted to avoid for the Earth.

Neither he nor Gohan had wanted to wait on Planet Falkinis so long with that baleful bastard running rampant on Earth, but in the absence of Senzu beans, Namekian healing, or any other quick recovery techniques, they had needed to wait some time before finally regaining at least the levels of strength they felt they would need.

They had left a recovery center on Falkinis a little less than one standard day before, and as Falkinis was nowhere close to the planet they were currently on, they had first needed to instant transmit to a nearer world and acquire a spaceship for faster-than-light travel.

They had acquired the spaceship from Planet Bermijol, and as they had possessed none of the currency commonly used on the planet, acquiring the spaceship had been a feat which neither Trunks nor Gohan had been particularly proud of. They both knew that if they could save any amount of time on their journey, it would equate to saving lives. This realization prompted them to do something which their overall ethics would not have otherwise suggested, and so out of desperation, they had for lack of a better alternative stolen the ship instead of spending an exorbitant amount of time acquiring the money to purchase it.

In the grander scheme of things, they each agreed that in the interest of saving lives, they had made the right choice, especially in these days of despondency. Despite the numerous burn marks on the red hull of the ship that had resulted from many ships and ground-based assemblies of weaponry firing upon them as they had raced toward space, they still felt that they had made the right choice.

Even though Trunks had needed to isolate one section of the ship that had unfortunately received substantial damage during their heist, especially because its oxygen units had gone offline, both he and Gohan considered themselves fortunate that none of the ship's essential components had been significantly damaged, although Trunks had needed to make brief repairs to some areas. Trunks was grateful now, more than ever, that his mother had taught him so much about mechanical engineering, although he had never envisioned himself using his knowledge for these purposes.

They would not have stolen this particular ship had they not made sure beforehand that it was both capable of faster-than-light travel and equipped with enough supplies for at least a few days. Confirming that the ship possessed these things was a story in and of itself. The ship's external appearance was that of a cylinder with a trapezoidal wing on each side, with the long side of each trapezoid attached to the long sides of the cylinder. It did not appear graceful, but for Trunks and Gohan, swiftness of appearance was not as importance as swiftness of function, especially not now.

As much as Gohan would have preferred using Instant Transmission to come to the desolate planet they were currently on, Trunks had suspected that there would be no significant sources of energy for Gohan to sense and transmit toward, not even the energy of the person they were trying to find.

Trunks had asked Gohan to attempt to search for the person's energy signature before they had landed, but Gohan had felt nothing of the sort of energy that Trunks had described to him, not from orbit, anyway. Trunks did not know whether the person they were looking for possessed any techniques that would enable him to cloak his energy signature, nor if the person would have any reason to do so. Nevertheless, while knowing relatively little about this person was quite perturbing to him, Trunks continued to hope that he could be found.

"I hope we know what we're doing by looking for this guy," Gohan said, as he and Trunks gazed upon the ruins ahead. "For all we know, we're just wasting our time trying to find him, when we could instead be doing something far more productive."

"A faint lead is better than no lead," Trunks said, as he started to run, then took to the air, with Gohan following in suit. "We should be far enough away from Earth that Cell shouldn't be able to sense us, even if we exert some of our power."

"You're sure?" Gohan asked.

"Trust me, if things had happened differently, then that monster wouldn't be on Earth right now, and not just because he'd be able to sense us," Trunks said. "The story I told you on the spaceship ride over here wouldn't have made sense had Cell actually been able to sense what was truly going on."

"I guess you're right," Gohan said, as he continued to contemplate the ruins ahead. "You really never told the 'good' Cell about any of this, did you?'"

"It never came up once in any of our conversations, and with all the tumultuousness before, during, and after his trial, there were much more pertinent matters that needed to be attended to."

"Fair enough," Gohan said. "But once again, are we sure about this? There might be someone out there who could help us other than this guy. From what you told me, this isn't exactly – "

"We could very easily waste more time trying to find someone else," Trunks said. "At least we know of someone who's hopefully out there. And hopefully there will be something around here that could be some sort of clue as to his present whereabouts. Besides, you don't suppose King Kai would finally find it in his heart to actually help us, do you?"

"Don't get me started on that subject," Gohan said. "Their arcane rules to preserve the natural order of things in the universe, oftentimes at the expense of helping good people achieve peace and harmony, have been rules that I've questioned the kais about many times."

"Kais? There's more than one kai?" Trunks asked, as the cold air continued to gust past him. "I've always thought there was just one!"

"As a former resident of Otherworld, I unfortunately know that not to be the case," Gohan said. "The kai who briefly trained my dad is known as King Kai to us, but others call him North Kai. He's the kai in charge of the North Galaxy, while most of the other kais are in charge of overseeing other galaxies. I've heard that there's supposedly one kai, the Grand Kai, that oversees all of them, but I've never actually met him."

"Grand Kai, huh? Well, I wish we knew that guy so maybe he could make an exception to whatever rules they have up there," Trunks said. "After all, if he's in charge of the rest of the kais, then he should theoretically have the most influence over whether exceptions can be made. But on another subject, … Gohan, you studied science a lot when you were a kid, right?" Trunks asked.

"Sure Trunks, why?" he asked.

"Well, it's just that I've never heard our galaxy referred to as the 'North Galaxy' before," Trunks said. "From the limited bit I know about astronomy, I've always been under the impression that our galaxy is known as the Milky Way."

"It's an old name," Gohan said. "Scientists, at least the ones on Earth, anyway, aren't exactly sure where the name came from, but they've got a few ideas. In Otherworld, this galaxy is referred to as the North Galaxy, but the word 'north' is quite arbitrary and much more a matter of tradition, truth be told."

"Let's just hope the person we're looking for is still somewhere in this galaxy to be found," Trunks said, as they landed next to a wall of the main part of the ruins. "If there aren't any clues here, we're going to have to move on to some of the other nearby worlds and try to figure out if there's any evidence there that we might be able to act upon."

"We need to move quickly," Gohan said, as he punched down a door that looked as though it had not been opened in many years. "The longer this takes, the less likely there will be an Earth for us to return to."

They entered the main part of the ruins, hoping to find something – anything – that could help them.

* * *

_Earth … _

At around the same time, under the sky of the world in which he, Trunks, and Gohan had been born, Future Cell, whose force of flight was causing sizable waves of ocean blue to form by each of his sides, finally saw in the distance the small continent upon which South City was situated. _[Author's Note: South City is never actually seen in the canon series, although an island southwest of this city, Amenbo Island, is the location of the encounter with Android 19 and Dr. Gero in the main timeline (Timeline 3) and where Android 17 and Android 18 had first made themselves known in the original timeline (Timeline 1). There are only two semi-canon source material maps of the Earth as it appears in the Dragon Ball universe, and the more detailed of them, which appears in Daizenshuu Volume 4, depicts South City as located on a large continent-size island that is separate from the main super-continent of the Earth that exists during the primary events of the canon Dragon Ball universe.]_

He was hoping to find someone – anyone – among the precious loved ones of Trunks and Gohan that could help him further not just his personal revenge, but Dr. Gero's.

So far, he had been unable to find any of those weak and pathetic individuals whom the Z-Fighters had cherished in their lives off the battlefield.

South City was the last of Earth's major population centers other than Central City that Future Cell had not yet annihilated, and as he doubted that Gohan would have brought his family and friends to somewhere as conspicuous as the Earth's capital city via Instant Transmission, he hoped that Gohan would at the very least have been foolish enough to transmit them to another populous location on Earth, and not somewhere entirely remote, let alone off-planet.

Future Cell wanted to find them, but most importantly, there was one among them that he was especially eager to find.

Hopefully, the friends and family of the Z-Fighters would be close, or at the very least be bold enough to make a move that would enable him to find the rest of them.

Three of the five major cities on Earth that had still been standing a week ago were now tattered beyond recognition, and he had a hunch that maybe in South City, at last, he would finally find the friends and family whom those cowards wouldn't be able to defend because they had fled.

He grew more any more excited as the sounds of life began to become more pronounced in his superior eardrums.

Indeed, South City was still teeming with life.

'_Are you ready for another game?' _Future Cell thought within, to Cell's bitter distaste. _'Let's count the number of humans I kill. If it's odd, I win! If it's even, I win!'_

'_I don't know where Trunks and Gohan are, but they're probably in the midst of finding a solution for all this,' _Cell thought within._ 'The sooner, the better. You, my depraved fool of a counterpart, must be stopped.'_

'_Has it occurred to you that by this point, there's a good chance they might be dead?' _Future Cell thought within._ 'If so, then while this will be much less fun, at least I can devote the time I would have spent killing them toward something else.'_

'_If they're dead, and I have a strong feeling they aren't, then rest assured that someone, at some point, will rise up against you and win,'_ Cell thought within. _'I'm sure of it.'_

'_Your ridiculous optimism continues to be nothing more than endearing,'_ Future Cell thought within, as he flew over the border of the land and the ocean.

'_Anything can happen in infinity,' _Cell thought within.

'_Not if I have my way,'_ Future Cell thought within, as he increased his speed with earnest.

* * *

_A little more than one hour later, on another world, thousands of light years away … _

"Not one single clue!" Trunks yelled out of frustration, as his right fist banged down hard on a nonfunctioning control panel. "I thought that coming here would at least have some sort of chance of being productive!"

"Easy, Trunks. Maybe we're not seeing something," Gohan said. "Even though we've checked all these buildings, maybe there's something we haven't seen."

"It's possible, but … damn it, Gohan, I shouldn't have suggested that we come here," Trunks said. "All we found were some old maps and an outdated communications system whose circuitry is fried. We should have just started looking on nearby planets like you suggested."

"Trunks, don't be so hard on yourself," Gohan said.

"How could I not be?" Trunks asked. "The version of Cell from our timeline is ripping our planet apart, and Cell and I didn't stop him when he was able to be readily stopped. Who knows how many have died thanks to that sick freak by now?"

"We're not going to accomplish anything productive by thinking of that instead of thinking about what we need to do from this point forward," Gohan said. "Before I died, neither of us truly had the power to defeat 17 and 18, but instead of focusing too much on what we could have done, you remember what I always told you, right?"

"Yeah, to look forward, and actively work on preventing that horror from happening again rather than dwelling in the sorrow of the past," Trunks said.

"Absolutely, and we have to do that right now if we're going to find this guy sooner rather than later," Gohan said.

"Gohan, how many planets, roughly, can you sense within 50 light years with some form of detectable energy signatures on them?" Trunks asked.

Gohan spend a few minutes focusing, while Trunks briefly looked around the anteroom they were standing in for any more clues, but to no avail.

"There are three, give or take," Gohan said while opening his eyes, with Trunks refocusing his attention.

"Well, we'd better go to those planets before we investigate the ones without any detectable energy signatures of significance," Trunks said. "And we'd better bring the spaceship, because remember, you won't be able to transmit back here if there's no energy to detect."

"Right," Gohan said, as they then briefly flew toward the ship.

During the flight, Gohan noticed that Trunks appeared to look even more solemn that he had before.

"You're worried about how long this is going to take, aren't you?" Gohan asked.

"How could we not be?" Trunks asked. "Depending on how thorough Cell wants to be, he could spend a lot of time destroying Earth, or for all we know, it's already gone!"

"If that's the case, then at the very least we'll be able to save other worlds from that monster," Gohan said. "Hopefully, there's still an Earth to save. But if not, we'll see to it that the bastard is defeated anyway."

After they landed, Trunks placed his right hand on Gohan's left shoulder, and his left hand on the right side of the ship. Gohan placed his right index and middle fingers next to the right side of his forehead, and moments later, the two warriors and their spaceship vanished from the scene.

* * *

_Earth … _

The maleficent murderer landed at the outskirts of South City and perched himself atop a slight elevation, staring forward as if he was a hawk surveying his prey.

Many of South City's buildings were already in shambles due to 17 and 18's preceding attacks, further affirming for Future Cell that the glory of Dr. Gero's power had persisted years after his death.

"Judging from the lower-than expected activity in the city, it appears as though many of the humans have already fled," Future Cell said aloud, as he jumped from atop the slight elevation and proceeded to land right on the border between the city and the surrounding desert. "In the long run, I'll find them anyway. And in the short term, finishing up with this city will be all the easier due to their absence."

Cell knew that at the very least, the remaining denizens of the city would have a chance of knowing Future Cell's appearance before he confronted them. The people of Earth had grown so used to 17 and 18 being the faces of fear that their sudden replacement with Future Cell had been an extraordinarily unwelcome surprise for many. The people of West City had not known of his appearance at all, and the people of North City had also been caught off-guard when Future Cell had appeared.

It was due to the work of a group of intrepid reporters who had managed to capture and transmit footage of Future Cell toward the end of his spree in North City that many of the citizens of Orange Star City had acquired some time to flee. Those reporters had been promptly killed, but their ultimate sacrifice had saved many lives, at least for now, while Future Cell was concentrating on wiping out the major cities. Not even 17 and 18 had caused destruction of this magnitude – it had been their fickle and horrifying enjoyment of toying with humans, especially in giving them false hopes, that had prompted them to enable many cities to stand for a long time while others had burned, and for decimated cities to at least have a chance of being rebuilt. Future Cell, unlike they, was hell-bent on exterminating the entirety of the human race through absorption as soon as possible and destroying as much as he possibly could without giving anyone time to have a reasonable attempt at rebuilding.

Cell wondered if the grotesque decimation that his counterpart was taking such pleasure in spreading was something that he would have enjoyed too, had he ended up winning the Cell Games. The thought that such a thing could have been possible perturbed him deeply.

Fortunately, with even more time than the citizens of Orange Star City, the majority of the citizens of South City had already fled by the time Future Cell had arrived.

Still, others had not packed their things in time, while others who were veterans of many android attacks had decided not to flee, hoping that they could weather this one, too.

Future Cell stepped into the city, with no intention of calming the storm.

* * *

_A little more than 10 minutes later, on Planet Ulyint … _

They had transmitted to a major population center on the planet that Gohan had determined to have the highest aggregate detectable energy signature within 50 light years of the ruined planet they had recently left. Gohan and Trunks were fortunate that once again, as had been the case on all the worlds they had visited so far, the populace spoke the same language that they did.

Gohan, during his time in Otherworld, had heard the language referred to as "Galactic Standard," and his sense of curiosity was somewhat enticed by the fact that the Ulyinti – as the people of the planet called themselves – also referred to the language by that name. Gohan had learned that the language was apparently in use in galaxies other than the Milky Way, as he had asked fighters from the East and West Galaxies whether they had spoken the language as well before their arrival in Otherworld, and they had answered in the affirmative.

The people of this world looked remarkably similar to a fighter Gohan had encountered quite long ago.

They possessed somewhat serpentine facial features, and their average height and slenderness both seemed to be greater than those attributable on average for humans, and presumably for Saiyans as well.

What had truly aroused Gohan's recollections were their maroon eyes and blue skin. If he recalled correctly, he had first encountered a member of this particular group of people during his endeavors on the original Planet Namek.

Trunks and Gohan had described who they were looking for to many people among the Ulyinti, and while they had received mixed responses, and in fact some contradictory ones, the particular Ulyinti they were talking with now seemed quite straightforward with regards to her responses.

"Most of our people don't like to talk about what happened," she said, as Trunks and Gohan focused on her words. "The majority of us are isolationists, firmly believing that the people of our planet should keep to ourselves and not interact with other cultures. That might be why neither of you received the sort of breadth of responses you were looking for before."

"Does that mean you'll be willing to help us learn about what we're striving to find out?" Gohan asked.

"I shall," she said. "The long-standing feeling of isolationism among our people gained in strength after the events of around 15 years ago. According to the reports we heard, as a result of the limited trade and travel between a handful of our people and the nearby worlds, our news media collectively reported that many nearby planets in this sector of space had been decimated, some over a period of time, others within the span of a standard day, and even a few that were decimated in less than a standard minute. The isolationists on our planet gained in political, cultural, and in some cases religious strength among our people by insisting that the fact our planet had not been touched, through the end of that dreadful period of attacks on the people of other worlds, affirmed the value of keeping our race from intermingling with others, as we, too, were not caught up in the chaos. I just believe that whatever force was out there that brought about such horror to those people happened, for whatever random reason, to arbitrarily spare us. We just got lucky; our planet's survival had nothing to do with some false deity's affirmation of the majority of our population's regrettable and narrow-minded views of other people. I know nothing more than that, nor do I know how many survivors from the attacks there are. I hope the two of you will be able to benefit from this information, but if you're indeed trying to look for the people who caused this destruction, please be warned that the monstrosities those people were supposedly capable of were unlike anything you could imagine, and that it would be in your interest to stay away."

"Unfortunately, we neither have much of a choice, nor are we unfamiliar with having to fight those who are more than capable of committing such horrifying atrocities," Trunks said. "Thank you for helping us, and my friend and I want to act on this information and get back into space as soon as possible. We didn't arrive here via one of the spaceports, and I guess that since we're outsiders, we probably won't be able to use the services of any of the spaceports now, would we?"

"On the contrary," she said, with a noted tone of solemnity. "The fact you're not from around here and that you want to willingly leave would be supported. If you go to the spaceport with your ship, they would be more than willing to help you."

Gohan and Trunks thanked her for her helpfulness and time, then began to walk back toward where they had left the ship, noticing much more fully the cold stares they were receiving from many among the Ulyinti, not just because they looked different, but because they were apparently considered to fundamentally be different, despite all their similarities.

"Couldn't we just lift off from the planet without needing to go to the spaceport?" Gohan asked, as he pondered what would make the most tactical sense. "Besides, is it really necessary to use the spaceship right now instead of instant transmitting?"

"I'm still getting the hang of flying that thing, so I'd at least like to use a spaceport one more time," Trunks said. "Should we go to another one of the planets with detectable energy signatures, or should we investigate at least one of the planets without detectable energy signatures?"

"We should definitely stick around the nearby sector to see if we can find anything else, but I think we should check at least one of the nearby lifeless ones, based on the star maps aboard the ship," Gohan said. "We should see for our own eyes exactly what sort of decimation we're dealing with and better familiarize ourselves with that before we go to the other worlds that still have life. As soon as we get back to the ship, we'll fly over to the spaceport, get back into space, and continue our search."

"Yep," Trunks said. "On another subject, Gohan, something she said has had me thinking."

"What?" he asked.

"Do you think our timeline's version of Cell is doing any of what he's doing because he genuinely despises humans just because they're humans, all other considerations aside?"

"Unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me," Gohan said. "If he considers himself to be so superior to others that he considers others to be automatically inferior, then at the very least that further enables him to kill without remorse. Racism is something that's unfortunately been around for a long time, Trunks. It wouldn't surprise me at all, even though Cell is in part human because of his genetics, if at some level he hates humans just because they're humans." _[Author's Note: Toward the end of the FUNimation dub of The History of Trunks special, after Trunks asks the androids why they keep decimating the Earth and killing humans, Android 18 says that "Whenever we see humans, it angers us. We hate you humans." The reasons why 17 and 18 actually hate humans are somewhat open to debate, as the relative degrees to which various factors that contributed to this hatred account for the hatred are uncertain. The factors seem to include, but are not limited to, Gero's brainwashing, anti-human racism (it's evident that 17 and 18 of Trunks' timeline didn't consider themselves humans despite having once been humans), subconscious jealousy of humans because they subconsciously wish Gero had not turned them into androids, or other factors. It does seem, however, that racism could be a factor in Future Cell's actions, given that it's plausible this also was the case for 17 and 18.]_

"Our timeline's version of Cell probably feels the same way about Saiyans, too," Trunks said. "For you and me, he probably hates us on both accounts, just because of who we are."

"All the more reason for his ass to be kicked," Gohan said. "The sooner we get back into space, the closer we'll be to defeating that asshole."

Gohan jumped up from the ground and was quickly followed by Trunks, with both of them flying quickly back to the ship.

* * *

_In another location … _

Unbeknownst to Trunks and Gohan, a meeting was still in session between two who had gathered to discuss the matters had hand.

"Damn it! He was never told about the one technique they might have used to be victorious themselves!" one of them said.

"If they are successful in what they're trying to do now, then there will have been no need," the other said.

The first speaker looked and sounded aghast at the comment.

"But so many could have been spared, had they known!" he said.

"For all we know, less will suffer as a result that they hadn't known," the other said.

The first speaker doubted that what the other said could in any way be a true consolation, and then thoughtfully continued his observations.

* * *

_Earth, South City, a little more than 15 minutes later … _

"Ah, listen to the sound of glorious destruction," Future Cell said aloud. "The sirens blazing, … the distant cries of fear, … and the silence of those who can cry no more. Even the finest tableaus are incapable of capturing the beauty of these moments, wouldn't you say?"

'_You will pay for what you've done,_' Cell thought within. '_The universe will see to that_.'

"As always, all you can do is ineffectively attempt to stop me with meaningless words," Future Cell said. "What is the universe going to do, consciously open up a black hole and suck us in? Of course not! And even so, I will eventually gain enough power that not even black holes will be a threat! Earth is merely the stepping-stone. Countless planets await me, with so much energy just begging to be absorbed!"

A few meters away, a hand reached up from under the rubble of a fallen office building.

Future Cell walked forward, watching earnestly as a man was moving himself from under the rubble.

Right after he had taken his first, weak steps after having been trapped, he felt the searing pain of Future Cell's tail piercing his back.

"I will never grow bored of this," Future Cell said, as the man's life force dwindled away, with all his matter becoming energy for the beast to whom he had been victimized.

Future Cell smiled as he saw the man's physical form disappear. He then looked around him, as buildings continued to burn, with smoke streaming upward all around the city.

However, his grin soon became a frown.

He began to walk forward, retracted his tail, and continued to ponder what had been an inquiry that remained unsolved.

"Where are they?" Future Cell asked aloud.

'_Have the deaths of all these other people not been satisfying enough?'_ Cell asked within. _'Do you really need to go out of your way to specifically find Trunks and Gohan's loved ones to kill them, too?'_

"Their lives are at my discretion," Future Cell said, as he darted into the air, surveying the city all the while, for any sound or sight of any of the Z-Fighters' loved ones.

'_You're perturbed that you cannot sense them,'_ Cell thought within, with as much glee as he could muster. _'You have my memories, and you remember that even as far away from Earth as Trunks and I had been when we were vaulted forward in time, I was still able to sense Bulma and instant transmit toward Earth. So why can't you?'_

Future Cell growled with frustration.

"Damn it, if they're truly not on Earth, then Gohan could have instant transmitted them anywhere!" Future Cell yelled. "But how many planets could Gohan possibly have been familiar with enough to have instant transmitted them there in the short time span he had? No! They're almost certainly on Earth!"

'_He evidently knew of at least one, because he obviously brought himself and Trunks to another planet,'_ Cell thought within. _'And think of it this way … he in all likelihood brought them to another planet because he knew that if he and the others failed, he didn't want his friends and family anywhere near you,' _Cell thought within.

"He could have had the same sentiment and yet just brought them somewhere else on Earth," Future Cell said. "Where could they be? If you were able to sense them so easily, then why can't I?"

'_I can think of one of three reasons,'_ Cell thought within. _'Either they're, as we have said, actually on another world, or despite your meticulousness you accidentally incinerated them, or they're encased within some sort of barrier that prevents us from sensing energy.' _

Future Cell became wide-eyed.

"If they managed to do hide themselves that way, then how could I ever hope to find them?" he asked, with alarm. "Besides, how could they have acquired such a specific protective field in such a short amount of time? Well, they need to come out of hiding some time to acquire food and water, and when they do, they're all mine!"

'_Unless they can move the barrier with them,'_ Cell thought within.

"Shut up!" Future Cell yelled, as he continued to scan the city.

* * *

_Earth, South City, within the subterranean portion of a former Capsule Corporation manufacturing facility … _

A barrier had indeed been protecting them, but it was not the result of improbable coincidence or of convenience. Rather, it was the result of years of premeditation.

Dende was, after all, considered a prodigy among his people, and the version of Dende in at this point in this timeline had experienced more than 15 additional years of life on New Namek than his counterpart from the alternate past had experienced.

Had it not been for his many years of spiritual training after the events of his people's suffering on Planet Namek, Dende might never have had the opportunity to properly develop the technique that was preventing his friends and himself from being detected.

He had realized that Frieza and his henchmen had been greatly assisted by the ability to detect energy signatures during their assault on Planet Namek, and that it was not just possible to detect energy signatures with mechanical devices, but with the enhanced development of biological senses.

Because Frieza had been able to swiftly find the Dragon Balls through locating the energy signatures of the Namekians who had been living in villages where the Dragon Balls had been situated, and because Dende wanted to protect innocents from being located by nefarious people who could use their energy-sensing abilities for sinister purposes, Dende had wanted to find a way to prevent energy signatures from being detected. He had been in the midst of training to become the keeper of New Namek's Dragon Balls, and possibly guardian of New Namek someday, when his friends from Earth had contacted him, and so the technique that he had been developing to use in defense of New Namek was being applied instead to his activities on Earth.

The Energy Sensing Shield that he had raised around himself and his companions, glowing white in glimmering fashion, had therefore been developed for the purpose of cloaking the energy signatures of everyone within it, especially those who did not have the capacity to cloak at least part of their energy signatures naturally.

He had discovered through developing the technique on New Namek that the Energy Sensing Shield requires more and more energy to cover an increasing number of people, and that the higher the power levels of the people he was attempting to mask, the more energy would be required to maintain the shield. Had Trunks known that these were the conditions of its use, he would likely have been able to reference a relevant parallel he had encountered not long ago, and possibly another. The technique required relatively little exertion compared to conventional energy techniques since the Energy Sensing Shield was only meant to block extrasensory detections, although with its compounded use over many days, the total strain it was putting on Dende was quite high.

It was unfortunate that Gohan had transmitted them to merely another location on Earth as opposed to another planet, as it had indeed been a significant tactical error. Gohan had made the decision to transmit them to South City based on a suggestion Bulma had made, and had he had more time to think about the situation, he would likely have suggested that he bring them to another planet. But Gohan had been acting under pressure, in haste, and with the desire to return to West City as soon as possible to help Trunks handle whatever the force had been that had destroyed the Capsule Corporation compound in West City.

No one had been fully aware at the time that Future Cell had absorbed Cell, nor what the stakes truly were going to be.

But now that the odds were much more clear, shielding his friends from Future Cell's wrath seemed to be the best course of action possible.

However, he was losing strength.

"I can't keep this up much longer," Dende said, with audible and visible strain. "I've been able to keep this shield up for many days, but I'm getting exhausted."

"I wish there was some water around that we could give you," Bulma said, despondently. "You're a real hero for doing all this, even without nourishment or sleep."

Bulma didn't want to say anything further about what else was on her mind.

When Dende, Roshi, and Popo had all confirmed days ago that they could no longer sense Vegeta, Trunks, or Gohan's energy signatures, there had been somewhat of a silence in the subterranean room, followed by Chi Chi's absolutely frenzied crying.

Bulma's tears also had been profuse, but at the very least, there was at least a little bit of hope, however unlikely it was.

Gohan did know Instant Transmission, and that was the only saving grace she could think of as to what might have alternatively happened to her loved ones on the battlefield.

However, there was something else that she and all the others in the subterranean hangar had contemplated, something that might reveal their position, but which could be for the good of the Earth and the universe itself.

Especially with Dende's dwindling strength, their window of opportunity was quickly fading.

* * *

_In hyperspace, a little less than relatively half an hour later … _

"Exiting hyperspace in the vicinity of the Certijol system in three … two … one!" Trunks yelled, as their spaceship entered real space again.

Trunks and Gohan, however, were taken aback by what they saw.

"Isn't there supposed to be a planet here?" Gohan asked, as he pointed to the star chart he was referencing.

"According to the main computer, this map reflects all known planets within 1,000 light years, the planets were entered into the database more than 200 years ago, and the planets on the map have been adjusted for what should be their current positions in real-time," Trunks said, as he noticed specks of light in the distance. "Wait a sec …."

He piloted the ship forward, then confirmed his suspicions.

"Yep. Space debris," Trunks said. "If Planet Certijol was once here, it's gone now. There are a few asteroids here, and Certijol's sun is shining on them. The fact this planet was blown apart tells us something."

"I guess this is, rather unfortunately for the people of this world, the clue we were looking for," Gohan said.

"Let's go to the nearest of the two remaining local planets with detectable energy signatures," Trunks said. "Are you ready to take us there?"

"It's amazing that Instant Transmission can take us there even quicker than faster-than-light travel through hyperspace," Gohan said. "But yeah, I'm ready."

Trunks grabbed Gohan's left shoulder with his right hand, and touched the spaceship's main control panel with his left hand.

They suddenly vanished from the Certijol system, with the remains of a once proud world continuing to drift in their lonesome course.

* * *

_Earth, South City, a little more than half an hour later … _

"Is it possible that I missed them in one of the other cities, or that Gohan foolishly brought them to Central City after all?" Future Cell asked himself, in the midst of absorbing an innocent man. "They must be found! They must! And if Gohan had the nerve to bring them to another world, then I'll just scour the galaxy until I find them! They cannot hide! If they're not on Earth, then I'll find them anyway! I'll find them all!"

The innocent man's body had disappeared, with his killer not even paying full attention to the gruesome act while it had occurred. It was beyond disrespectful, and it mattered little to Future Cell.

There were still hundreds of humans left to absorb in the city, and with fervor, he charged forward to absorb them.

Right after he had finished absorbing roughly half of a group of more than 10 additional individuals, he suddenly paused, then took to the air.

"Could it be?" he asked aloud, with sinister excitement, as he focused on what he had felt. "Yes! I almost don't believe it!"

'_Before you do this, you – ' _

"I have nothing further to consider!" Future Cell yelled, interrupting his counterpart's thoughts within. "It's time!"

Future Cell placed his right index finger on his forehead, then instant transmitted from his position in the sky …

… and emerged at a nearby location in what he quickly recognized as another area of South City.

The top of the building he was standing in front of had long been decimated, but that was not the chief object of his interest.

His feet touched the ground, and he reveled in the fact he had indeed sensed correctly.

"I must say, I'm rather impressed that you managed to stay hidden for so long," Future Cell said, while walking forward.

He was looking at one person, and one person only.

"Tell me, where are the others?" Future Cell asked.

The man remained silent, ever vigilant and mindful of his purpose.

"Very well, Master Roshi, if you won't tell me where they are, then I'll force that information right out of you!"

"Save your breath, monster," Roshi said, as he entered a fighting stance. "I don't intend to reveal anything."

"A fighting stance, followed by a threat? Are you serious?" Future Cell asked aloud, in a mocking tone. "How pitiful. Here you are, knowing that you stand absolutely no chance against me, and yet you came here to put on some sort of ridiculous façade of an act, for whatever your reason might be. Especially since you were of absolutely no help to the Earth when 17 and 18 ravaged the world, what makes you think you could possibly do anything to stop me? Are you throwing away your life to give your friends more time? Because if so, rest assured that your efforts to help the others will be fruitless, as I will eventually find them, whether you stand in my way or not."

"What happened to Trunks, Gohan, and Vegeta?" Roshi asked, as he remained solid in his stance.

Future Cell sneered with malice.

"Isn't it obvious?" Future Cell asked, as he walked forward, then crossed his arms. "They're all dead! They each had looks of fear in their eyes as I ended their pathetic lives!"

Roshi closed his eyes and began to pay his respects. He had unfortunately felt beforehand that this was, based on their odds against this beast, what had indeed ended up happening, and he spent a few more moments in silent prayer.

He opened his eyes, and the fury behind his stoic expression was of a magnitude he felt this monster could never truly comprehend.

"I, as a result of the horrific acts you have committed, am unfortunately the most capable fighter on this planet that can oppose you now," Roshi said, to Future Cell's delight. "For everything you've done, you will be stopped."

Future Cell was seriously considering killing him without further delay for his arrogance, although he knew he would likely need this fool to be alive long enough to reveal the positions of the others.

"That's no longer an option for anyone in this universe, and especially not for you," Future Cell said, as he entered a fighting stance. "My power dwarfs yours by millions, if not billions, of levels of capacity. How could you ever hope to stop me? Do you plan to try and distract or bribe me with one of your magazines? I am not so fickle as to fall for that."

"This will be your last day of life, mark my words," Roshi said, as he deepened his stance. "I sat by and felt powerless as the androids that came before you killed the people of the Earth without mercy. I wanted to join Gohan in combat so many times, and eventually, after Trunks took up the mantle, I wanted to do the same for him. But I never could. I never had the power to help them defeat those androids. Now, however, I can finally help this planet again. It's been a long time since I've said those words with any confidence, Cell, but I'm quite confident now. Today, you'll meet your end."

Future Cell stared at Roshi for a few moments, without saying a word.

Then, he began to laugh uncontrollably, as he looked to the sky and enabled his golden aura to flicker to life.

He refocused his gaze on Roshi, as the laughter subsided.

"Very well, you preposterous fool, show me what you can do!" Future Cell said, as the ground shook with the force of his energy.

Roshi was struggling to maintain his stance in the wake of his opponent's flagrant energy, but that mattered relatively little to him.

He knew that he would only have one shot at this, and that he had to give it his all.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty! _

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-One: Trunks and Gohan continue their mission to find the person they've been looking for, while Roshi attempts to take Future Cell down on his own terms. Will it be up to Gohan, Trunks, and the person they're looking for to save the universe from Future Cell after all, or will Roshi's plan succeed? Whether or not Roshi is successful, the identity of the person Trunks and Gohan have been looking for will be revealed next, on Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip! _

_Then, at the end of Chapter Thirty-One, there will be an announcement about Honor Trip's upcoming three-part special, which will begin right after Chapter Thirty-One! Stay tuned! _

_And for those of you who have made educated guesses as to the identity of the person Trunks and Gohan are looking for, thanks very much for doing so. The identity of the person WILL CERTAINLY BE REVEALED next chapter, and was not revealed in this chapter due to the fact that out of considerations as to what would be realistic, finding the person that Trunks and Gohan are looking for would be much more difficult than merely going out into space and being able to find him within one or two planetary visits. This chapter provides a wealth of additional clues as to this person's identity, and for those of you who are still trying to deduce who this person might be, I hope your deductions are productive. _

_I'm looking forward to releasing the next chapter, and officially announcing more about the upcoming three-part special! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty: Completed August 17, 2011 _

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_


	33. XXXI: Revelation

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Revelation**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Note: The following chapter contains various intense psychological and philosophical situations that can be perturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised._

* * *

_Planet Krin … _

Another dead end.

At least, that was what the planet that Trunks and Gohan had been traversing seemed to be.

They had talked with many among the various sentient alien species that comprised the planet's populace, and while they had heard many stories of strife, with the knowledge readily apparent that many had fled to this world in the midst of a monster destroying their own, none seemed to know exactly what had become of the destroyer.

Indeed, it was that sordid, malicious destroyer whom Trunks and Gohan were trying to find.

When Trunks had first suggested the idea of looking for him, and after he had explained to Gohan that forming some sort of alliance with this person could be to all their benefit, Gohan had raised many questions and concerns. In fact, he was still quite concerned as to the wisdom of their efforts, but against the malevolent force of Future Cell, it seemed that out of the sheer desperation of their situation, searching for the destroyer they were looking for was, unfortunately, the most auspicious thing they could be doing.

Among the most pertinent of the questions he had asked, Gohan had wondered why Trunks had thought it would be appropriate to use the Dragon Balls of Earth and New Namek to bring his loved ones and many innocents back to life when Trunks knew quite well that there was a good chance the destroyer they were now looking for would have the power to confront them and undo much of the beneficial restorations they had made.

Trunks had said that he felt it was highly unlikely that the destroyer would take any action against them, since the conditions that had once prompted the destroyer to action had been removed for far too long. Trunks had felt, at the time he had let the wishes be made, that even if the destroyer was to threaten them one day, it would likely be long after the wishes had been made, and Trunks also had considered that he would very likely be much stronger by that point.

According to Trunks, Cell had never known of this particular destroyer, and Gohan had assumed that because of this, Future Cell also was ignorant of the destroyer's existence.

It still seemed quite awkward to Gohan that he was willfully pitting one destroyer against another, but if he and Trunks failed to find their potential ally, Future Cell would be able to run rampant throughout the universe.

Gohan had been wondering to himself ever since Future Cell had revealed his trickery if, and when, the kais would act. Supposedly, they were supposed to do everything they could to thwart a truly universal threat.

Yet Future Cell, for all Gohan knew, had already slaughtered almost everyone on Earth – if not everyone, including his loved ones – and with Instant Transmission, he'd be able to readily move on to other inhabited planets.

Did the kais' absence signify that they felt Future Cell was not a universal threat? The very notion this could be so made Gohan sneer.

Gohan didn't have the heart to tell Trunks that while he had been in Otherworld, he had refused to formally train under King Kai out of protest for his decision to withhold help from him, Trunks, and so many people who had suffered under the completely unfair menace of Androids 17 and 18. Gohan had been especially disgusted when King Kai reaffirmed that due to the sanctified rules to which he and the other kais had bound themselves, that they would only intervene against threats to the entire universe and on behalf of their own students personally involved in combat, as if that was supposed to justify his lack of assistance in all the times 17 and 18 had laughed when they had slaughtered the innocent. At the time, Gohan felt the kai did not deserve his true respect, and Gohan hadn't wanted to do what he had felt would tarnish his honor, much to his father's disagreement and chagrin.

Had Gohan known that he would be revived one day, and had he known he would eventually need to combat a threat greater than any he had ever dreamed possible, he would have readily trained under King Kai. Hindsight had the unfortunate habit of all-too-often being crystal clear, and while Trunks had been able to change an alternate past through time travel and help it avert what would have been an awful and horrifying future, it seemed to even be physically impossible to make such a change in his own timeline.

Gohan was becoming more and more enraged with the realization that Earth had not been the only world that had been massively terrorized over the past few decades, and he wondered if the members of the various species on Planet Krin had ever dreamed of possessing the power to change the past as well.

With apparently no access to a time machine or supernatural forces, all they could truly have hoped for were the dear memories of their loved ones and of their obliterated worlds, and of the promise of a brighter future.

That future would never come if Future Cell's diabolic machinations came to fruition.

"This is getting us nowhere," Trunks said, as he lightly kicked the dirt, frustrated that it appeared that no one amongst the survivors and the original occupants of Planet Krin seemed to know anything of the destroyer's current whereabouts, other than that he had ceased destroying worlds in the local sector approximately 15 years prior. "If only our star charts weren't so basic beyond merely giving us the relative positions of star systems, then maybe we'd have some sort of lead."

"Unfortunately, we need to be a bit patient," Gohan said, knowing full well that Trunks' frustration entirely had merit. "After all, we eventually found someone on Planet Ulyint with valuable information; hopefully we'll find someone here who can help us too."

"I hope you're right," Trunks said, as he briefly checked a time-keeping device, similar, but not quite the same as a standard watch in construction, that he had "acquired" from Planet Bermijol. The device's cadences seemed to be comparable – if not congruent – to those used for standard seconds, minutes, and hours on Earth.

"You know, Gohan, there's a lot I've been thinking about ever since we started our search, admittedly because I've been trying to focus at least part of my attention off of all this … trauma, you know?" Trunks asked, while he continued to walk with Gohan down one of the main causeways in the city, which was flanked by rectangular buildings on either side that were horizontally longer than they were tall. "And there's a lot I'm trying my best to focus on, but it's very hard to cope with what I'm feeling."

"I can't blame you, bud," Gohan said. "There you were, thinking everything was going to be fine, and the next thing you know, your life blows up. Believe me, I've been there too many times."

Trunks exhaled a bit, then briefly stopped walking.

"I wish my father was still alive," Trunks said, almost in a sort of innocence that was rather uncharacteristic of him, but in fact reflective of the severe emotional hardship he had been enduring.

"Well, I know what you mean," Gohan said, as he started to walk forward again.

Trunks quickly realized the full implications of what had been said, then rushed to catch up with Gohan.

"So, what was it that you've been thinking about to keep your mind a bit more calm?" Gohan asked, with his head partially turned around, addressing Trunks.

Trunks stopped his light run and began to walk again next to Gohan's left side. Trunks placed his hands in the pockets of the charcoal-colored pants that he customarily wore in conjunction with his blue Capsule Corporation jacket.

"For starters … actually, Gohan, maybe, especially considering as how we are, after all, pressed for time, I should share something more pertinent with you," Trunks said.

Gohan took a moment before responding.

"Um, …ok? What, then?" he asked.

"I've been trying to think of the next logical step we should take in this expedition, and I want to see if you agree with what I'm thinking," Trunks said.

"Sounds productive," Gohan said. "Alright, tell me."

"Gohan, of course this doesn't actually apply to you, but if you were an asshole who was bent on destroying worlds out of his own deranged amusement, but also was beckoned to help further a selfish and sadistic goal of ruling the universe, what would you try to do?" Trunks asked.

"If Frieza was still around, we'd be able to ask him," Gohan said. "I'm not exactly sure what you're asking me specifically, though – your question is kind of broad."

"Alright, well, what would you try to establish?" Trunks asked.

"Oh, I see," Gohan said. "A home base, fit for a tyrant. And if there was already a planet with a lot of resources, that would be a prime spot to establish a seat for an empire, rather than having to start from scratch."

"Well, I think we can assume that another home base was probably established," Trunks said. "After all, the other one was abandoned."

"Probably because there was nothing there worth retaining," Gohan said, while noticing what appeared to be a saloon nearby. "Maybe someone in there would know what's up, or maybe even if we find some kind of a trader or merchant in there, they might know if any of the systems nearby were taken over, as opposed to being destroyed, in recent history."

"At least, if we don't find someone who's been far from this area of space recently, maybe someone will know of what worlds are especially notorious out there for their resources, maybe even 'capital' worlds," Trunks said. "It would especially make sense if he assaulted a capital world."

"It would," Gohan said, while heading toward the saloon.

After a few moments, Gohan arrived at the entrance to the saloon, opened the doors, and peered inside, with the doors open enough so Trunks also could see.

"Looks like a wretched hive of scum and villainy," Trunks said, as he entered further.

"You should have seen the taverns in Otherworld," Gohan said, while scoping the area for anyone who looked as though they were only in town for a little while.

* * *

_Planet Earth_ …

The storm before the battle transitioned from the physical incarnation of Future Cell's energy augmentation to the symbolic nature of Roshi and Future Cell staring each other down.

Future Cell's fighting stance was reflective of mockery, as the rather open positions of his arms and legs made vulnerable to attack various points that would have been guarded had he been taking his opponent seriously.

Roshi knew all too well that Future Cell was a deft and dangerous fighter due to his acquisition and unnatural enhancement of the skills of Earth's heroes and its former greatest adversaries. It was especially discouraging that Future Cell, and Cell for that matter, had gained these remarkable abilities relatively for free and without the considerable efforts that their predecessors had endured.

Future Cell was not just a thief in this regard, but he had stolen the energies of so many innocents whose otherwise peaceful intentions and desires, intensified after decades of terror from the androids, were now being used to fuel an even more powerful foe brought about by Dr. Gero.

"Well Roshi, I'm waiting!" Future Cell yelled, with a grin of malice. "If you're so confident you can take me down, then do it! Unleash the extent of your power!"

"Be careful what you wish for, monster," Roshi said, while beginning to expand and exhibit the manifestation of his concentration.

He had always been troubled that he had been unable to sense 17 and 18 because of the way they had been recreated, not just because of how horrific the modification process must have been for them but because of the fact that lacking the ability to sense them enabled them to be more deadly killers than any other foes he had ever known of. They had possessed no natural energy signatures for Roshi to act upon, nor did he think the plan he had in mind to use against Future Cell would have worked against them anyway.

At the very least, Future Cell had at least some sort of hybrid energy signature that could be sensed.

It was through sensing a component of that energy signature days ago that Roshi had realized his plan might work.

After all, Piccolo's cells were a part of Cell and Future Cell.

'Do not dwell on what could have been, act on what can be now,' Roshi thought, as he began the primary movements of the technique.

Future Cell and Cell within watched as Roshi brought his right arm forward and parallel to the ground, clenched his right fist, then made a combat formation with his right fingers. He then brought his left farm behind himself and parallel to the ground, with his left fingers together in a straight formation, and then a tight fist.

He then put his right hand onto his left shoulder, and brought his left arm forward, with his left index and middle fingers relatively parallel to the ground and curved upperparts of their knuckles facing toward Future Cell. Then, Roshi made the palm of his left hand face toward his own chest, and the palm of his right hand face toward Future Cell.

Roshi then made a variety of other quick, circular hand motions until he brought his palms together in front of himself, with his thumbs facing toward himself and his end fingers facing toward Future Cell.

Roshi began to even more intensely concentrate his energy, causing the wind to accelerate and cracks in the ground to extend from his feet. He took on a pale blue aura, then placed his left palm on his right forearm and his right palm facing upward, with his index and middle fingers straight while the others were bent.

He then quickly brought both of his fists into pockets within his jacket, then brought each fist to one of the sides of his chest and near his shoulders.

Now was the time.

"Evil Containment!" he shouted, and then brought both of his fists out toward Future Cell.

'_Just as I had anticipated!_' Future Cell thought within. _"That technique has only successfully sealed weaklings! It's no match for me!"_ _[Author's Note: For readers who have neither watched the Dragon Ball anime nor read the manga, the Evil Containment Wave/ Mafuba is a special technique that enables its wielder to seal away in a container a target evil force that is more powerful than the wielder would otherwise be unable to fully defeat through combat. There is a potential major plot hole regarding whether the Evil Containment Wave could have been used on much stronger villains than King Piccolo and Piccolo in Dragon Ball, as despite the fact that the Evil Containment Wave had been used by Roshi, Tien and Kami in Dragon Ball to seal away evil forces who were more powerful than them, in DBZ the technique is never used to seal away much stronger enemies. An extended author's note after the main content of this chapter has further discussion on this point. Briefly, it is also worth mentioning that there are significant variations in the set-up moves that each of the characters who performs the Evil Containment Wave makes in canon, and that the portrayal here is accurate to how Master Roshi performs the attack in Dragon Ball episode 111, Roshi's Gambit.]_

'_Do it, Roshi!'_ Cell thought within, praying that Roshi's plan would work.

'_You're more than a fool than he is!'_ Future Cell thought within. _'Don't you remember that we possess a technique from Piccolo that can counter this pathetic maneuver?'_

'_I hope for the universe's sake that you mess up,'_ Cell thought within.

'_It is impossible for the perfect being to do such a thing,'_ Future Cell said, hubristically referring to himself.

Roshi opened both of his fists, and in the blink of an eye, he let go a capsule corporation dinocap from his left hand and let it fall to the ground.

A green and yellow blast of spiraling energetic light emanated from Roshi's hands, while the capsule gave way and revealed a rather dirty, charcoal-grey trash can.

"You're a fool!" Future Cell said, as embraced for the blast to hit him head-on.

Roshi's version of the technique, unlike Kami's, rushed toward Future Cell much more quickly, and Future Cell was ready.

"Evil Containment Wave Reverse!" Future Cell yelled, as he thrust his hands forward in an effort to counter the wave and send it back toward Roshi.

However, when Future Cell touched the front of the wave, he was quite shocked to see that it suddenly changed form!

Before Future Cell fully realized what had happened, he felt the impact of the true front of the wave, and its colossal power consuming him.

A green and yellow vortex cyclone formed perpendicular to the ground, and Future Cell found his body thinning and curving, while starting to travel more and more around the whirlwind of energy.

As Future Cell struggled to break free, he saw, all too well, that Oolong had been knocked back many meters by his attempt to block and counter what had been little more than a farce designed to trick him into not blocking the true front of the attack.

After recognizing that Oolong had indeed managed to help Roshi in this deception, it was unsurprising to Future Cell that Puar had suddenly appeared from seemingly nowhere as well, and that he was holding the lid to the garbage can, waiting for Future Cell's body and essence to be trapped within before putting on the finishing seal.

From the data Future Cell had inherited from Dr. Gero, he had come to know that both Oolong and Puar possessed shape shifting abilities, and that they did not have to revert to their normal states between transformations. _[Author's Note: For readers who have neither watched the Dragon Ball anime nor read the manga, Oolong and Puar's shape shifting abilities are exhibited in the series many times, and while Oolong has a limitation of five minutes to remain in transformed states, Puar does not have that limitation.]_

'_They must have been hidden in Roshi's coat as bugs or something, and then Oolong must have transformed directly into the fake wave! Matter and energy are transferable, after all!'_ Cell thought within, while experiencing a great deal of the pain his counterpart was experiencing. _'If you're gone and sealed for good, my tagging along for the ride is a small price to pay. If this means my end, then so be it! Besides, I'll have the fortunate opportunity to taunt you about this for the rest of eternity! So much for your deluded dreams of destruction and fallacious notions of perfection! The horrors perpetrated by Dr. Gero shall end now once and for all!'_

"This … isn't … happening!" Future Cell yelled at the top of his volume, while he dwelled upon the absolute sense of fear that he never thought he would experience again.

Roshi was keeping his palms toward Future Cell, and attempting to maintain control over the cyclone while restricting Future Cell from being able to move.

Roshi then moved both of his arms to his upper-right, and Future Cell's body and essence became encapsulated within an arc of dark indigo that shot almost vertically upward in front of the spiraling green and yellow cyclone, then suddenly reversed course and shot down at a steep angle as a beam of blue and white light.

With all his might, Roshi positioned his palms toward the open trashcan while maintaining the integrity of the wave and the direction of the blue and white beam containing Future Cell.

The beam, to Roshi's ineffable satisfaction, went straight into the trashcan.

"Now, Puar!" Roshi yelled.

Puar quickly closed the lid over the trashcan, and the blue and white containment beam could no longer be seen.

In the vicinity around them, the green and yellow spiral was fading from view.

Even though Roshi was breathing heavily, he was smiling to himself, while looking toward the trashcan.

More than 30 years ago, he had tried to use the same technique on King Piccolo, but had failed to aim the containment beam properly into the electric rice cooker he had intended to use for the entrapment. King Piccolo had run rampant across the world, and it was primarily because of Goku's efforts that the Earth had been saved.

Now, so many years later, in a world that had not been blessed with Goku's presence for decades because of an atrocious and unwarranted ailment, and long after legions of warriors died defending the Earth from the terrors of the androids, it seemed that the war had finally been won.

Goku's master, the teacher of so many others who had perished against the androids while Roshi, himself had felt powerless to stop them, at last had sealed away the most terrifying result of Gero's sinister work.

His master Mutaito, who had sealed away King Piccolo using the Evil Containment Wave so long ago, would have been proud.

His honor had finally been restored.

"We … we actually did it!" Oolong said with a bit of struggle, while still trying to recover from the impact of Future Cell's attempted counter.

Indeed, he and Puar had hidden as insects in Roshi's coat before they had taken further action. For years, they had wanted to do at least something to avenge their fallen friends, and they had finally gotten the chance.

"Master, we won!" Puar yelled with joy, but then became alarmed, out of seeing Roshi still struggling. "Master!"

"I've … used up too much of my … life-force, Puar," Roshi said, while clenching his chest with his left hand. "I knew … this would … almost … certainly happen."

"We're going to get you help!" Oolong said, as he started to run toward the ruins of the former Capsule Corporation facility where their friends were still hiding.

"It's … too late," Roshi said, right before smiling. "Goodbye … my friends."

As Roshi felt himself losing consciousness, and as he began to fall toward the ground, he had one last clear thought.

'I'll be seeing you soon, Goku.'

Roshi fully collapsed, and his facial expression was one of relative calm.

Oolong and Puar rushed forward to him, the man who had helped keep them safe in the decades of turbulence when the world was in unimaginable peril, and who had now given everything of himself to save the world in a time of even greater crisis.

"Master Roshi!" they shouted in despair.

The winds were light and calm at that time, with the warmth of a pleasant memory.

* * *

_Planet Krin, at the "High Point of Lucky Spirits" saloon … _

The figurative atmosphere was quite lively, as were the dancers and the customers.

As for the literal atmosphere, Trunks coughed a bit when he had first entered the bar, as the smoky residue from the various types of items being utilized for enjoyment was a bit much for him, though the powerful Saiyan he was.

Trunks found it quite curious, however, that Gohan seemed rather unaffected.

"I'm guessing Galactic Standard is the big language they speak in here," Gohan said, while trying to make his way around one particular customer who seemed dizzy with excitement.

"We are really close to the spaceport, after all, and so this is where many of the traders and merchants probably go when they're not on duty," Trunks said, with another cough.

Gohan peered around the saloon, scoping out the crowd and trying his best to determine whom to approach first.

There was a wide array of species within the saloon, although while the differences between them were mostly superficial, such as their overall colorations and physical dimensions, Gohan and Trunks both noticed, out of their keen senses of observation, that they all seemed to not only be bipedal such that they each possessed two arms and two legs, but have the facial characteristics – such as a mouth and nose – common to the human and Saiyan species.

In fact, although they had not seen them on Krin up until entering the saloon, there were numerous people within the saloon that, to Trunks and Gohan's surprise, appeared to be either humans or Saiyans! _[Author's note: There are numerous examples in canon DBZ of people who were not born on Earth but who are almost entirely physically indistinguishable from a human born on Earth. One of the notable examples is Recoome of the Ginyu Force, who while possibly a mutant, appears to be very much humanoid. In uncut DBZ episode 39, "Friends or Foes," and uncut DBZ episode 40, "Held Captive," Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma come into contact with a mirrored spaceship full of children from an unnamed planet that Frieza's forces had destroyed – and all the children are physically indistinguishable from humans born on Planet Earth. Various unnamed members of Frieza's forces are physically indistinguishable from humans born on Planet Earth. It also is notable that Tuffles, as per how they are depicted in uncut DBZ episode 20, "Goku's Ancestors," the original Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans and the 2010 remake released with Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 – appear quite indistinguishable from humans born on Planet Earth. Oh, and of course, the Saiyans, other than possessing tails, are very much physically indistinguishable (outside of the Oozaru/Great Ape form) from humans born on Planet Earth.]_

In his previous encounters with people from other worlds who looked similar – if not virtually the same – as himself, Gohan had wondered how they could appear so similar to himself despite the fact they had been born on other worlds.

Gohan quickly realized that the fact that there appeared to be people on Planet Krin who looked just like him and Trunks had been the reason that they had not immediately stood out among either the crowd outside or in here, and why their presence had not caused any alarm out of unexpectedness among the locals.

All the same, it seemed there were either humans or Saiyans other than himself and Trunks here on Planet Krin.

But how could any of this be?

Trunks saw a person who appeared to be a rather attractive female human … or Saiyan, and decided to approach her. Had the circumstances been different, what followed would by no means have been his opening line.

"Excuse me, miss, are you a human?" he asked.

To Trunks' great surprise, the woman slapped him across the face! Gohan didn't know whether to be bewildered or amused at this, and his reaction was a little of both.

"How dare you use such a derogatory and slanderous word; shame on you!" she said, as she made her scorn known. "I'm a proud Setelian, from Planet Set!"

She picked up her neon drink, then walked toward another area of the saloon while the saloon band continued to play and the background noise of many conversations in the saloon persisted.

"I … Gohan, what just happened?" Trunks asked.

"You have girl problems, that's what happened," Gohan said, with a snicker. "But seriously, I'm as confused as you are. Unfortunately, we don't have time to ask the questions that I think we both want to know answers to. Come on, let's see who's in here who might be able to help us with our most pressing problem."

Gohan saw a member of the Tropert species, with her gargantuan legs and oblong ears, and decided to approach her.

"Excuse me," Gohan said, while trying to acquire her attention. "Are you a merchant or trader?"

"Sure am," she said, while reclining in her seating accommodation, which was akin to a rather tall stool, but with legs that were each curved outward as opposed to being constructed in a straight fashion.

"I wanted to know if you could briefly help me locate a star system I'm looking for," Gohan said.

"Maybe a bit later, bub," she said. "I ain't done with my drink yet."

She was sipping on what appeared to be a frothy drink of pink, and with what appeared to be apple slices on top – though Gohan was not truly sure of what type of fruit the slices were.

"Please, it's an emergency situation!" Gohan said, which caught her attention. "I'm looking for a particular star system that my friend and I need to reach!"

"Look man, I just travel around the local sector – Ulyint and Besterus are my only other destinations than here," she said. "I used to know all the best routes to so many worlds in the local sector, but if ya know anythin' about the local sector, then ya know those worlds ain't truly there anymore. Business has been bad. If ya goin' to one of those two words, though, I wouldn't mind helpin' ya. Otherwise, I'm sorry."

Gohan was visibly frustrated, but he understood her predicament.

"Alright, thanks anyway," he said with a wave, as he continued to walk through the tavern, with Trunks quickly following.

"At least she was honest," Trunks said.

"There's got to be someone in here who can help us," Gohan said, as he continued to sift through the crowd.

They walked a bit farther, then Trunks spoke up.

"Let's try the people at that booth over there," he said, pointing to a booth along the back wall with three occupants, although based on its design, it looked like it had enough room for eight.

Two Vitesmi, each with their elongated, furry brown arms and legs attached to their otherwise yellow bodies, and an Arelnej, whose somewhat blockish head was resting upon an elongated blue neck, were occupying the booth.

The Arelnejeem – plural for Arelnej – were notable for being the native sentient species of Planet Krin, who had over the years tolerated refugees from other worlds that now also called Krin a home. Etymologically, it was notable that the Arelnejeem neither referred to themselves nor were referred to by others as 'Krinians,' quite unlike the case of the Nameks, (or Namekians), originally from Planet Namek and the Vitesmi – used for both the singular and plural forms – of the former Planet Vitesmis.

One of the Vitesmi was enjoying what appeared to be some sort of substance emanating from a cylindrical metallic pipe when Trunks and Gohan approached the trio.

The Vitesmi exhaled with a ring of brown smoke, which caught Trunks by surprise and caused him to again cough.

"Well, what can I do for ya?" the Vitesmi asked.

"We're looking for information," Trunks said, while wiping away some of the smog from his eyes.

"Then ya come to the right place," the Vitesmi said, beckoning them to take a seat. "My name's Bawmir."

He offered his left hand for a shake, and Trunks shook his hand before taking a seat, as did Gohan.

"You're a merchant or trader?" Trunks asked.

"Ya got it," Bawmir said. "And while we're introducin' ourselves, what line of work are the two of ya in?"

Trunks and Gohan were a bit taken aback by the sudden question, but tried not to show it while they thought of something that would be a reasonable answer.

"We're scientists," Trunks said, while Gohan nodded in agreement and Bawmir stared rather blankly. "Our home planet is in trouble and we need to explore this part of space to find the answer we're seeking."

"Interestin'," Bawmir said, as he took another whiff. "So what exactly are ya lookin' for?"

"Do you happen to know of a world or star system that was taken over recently by someone really powerful?" Trunks asked. "Like, in the past 15 or so standard years?"

"Can't say that I do," Bawmir said, with another puff.

"Well, how about a capital world, or a world with an abundance of resources, or maybe notable commercial status – much more so than any others?" Trunks asked.

Bawmir took another whiff, then reclined in the booth, placing both of his arms behind himself.

"I could help ya with that," Bawmir said, while using one of his arms to lift a neon drink he'd had on the table. "But it will cost ya."

He slurped the drink while Trunks thought of how best to respond.

"Listen, my friend and I are in an emergency situation," Trunks said, in a tone of pleading. "We've got to find an … acquaintance of ours, and we think he might be at one of the large worlds. He's got the power to help out many of our loved ones and thousands more on our world who are in danger of dying if we can't find him. Please, help us."

Bawmir put down his pipe, then addressed them somewhat nonchalantly.

"If ya want my help, it's gonna cost ya," Bawmir said, while reaching out with his right hand. "Surely, ya have some method of payment."

"Look, we don't have anything we could really give you other than some supplies aboard our ship," Gohan said. "We don't have any exchangeable physical or electronic currency."

"How about ya ship?" Bawmir asked.

Gohan was extremely hesitant to accept that offer, especially since he knew they could very well need the ship later to travel to areas either without breathable atmospheres or with a dearth of detectable energy signatures.

"I'm sorry, but we can't part with it," Gohan said.

"Well, then I'm sorry, because if ya got no real method of payment, then I can't help ya," Bawmir said, as he picked up his pipe again and took another whiff.

"Our loved ones and thousands more are dying, and you're going to demand us to pay you?" Trunks asked.

"My information ain't free, kid," Bawmir said. "So ya should pay up, especially if ya care about those folks."

At a faster pace than Bawmir could recognize, Gohan grabbed Bawmir by the lapel of his brown jacket and used his left hand to knock the pipe out of Bawmir's mouth.

Gohan pulled Bawmir closer to him, and brought his own face closer to Bawmir's.

Trunks was visibly surprised by what had happened, as were Bawmir's associates, who had suddenly stood up and were pointing firearms at Gohan.

"Gohan, what are you – "

"Back off, Trunks," he said, interrupting him. "This guy needs to learn to have more respect."

Gohan couldn't readily tell if their weapons were merely of the projectile variety or of laser intensity, but he kept his steadfast grip on Bawmir.

"Give me the names of the planets we're looking for," Gohan said. "If you give them to me, nothing bad will happen to you."

Bawmir reached into his right pocket and pulled out a blaster, then held it to Gohan's chest.

"Ya surely recognize ya outnumbered," Bawmir said. "I've got three guns. It doesn't look like ya have one, and if ya friend had one, he would have revealed it by now."

"Maybe if I was an insignificant punk like yourself I'd be nervous," Gohan said. "But trust me, the number of guns you have is meaningless."

"Ya had the chance to back down, and now ya die!" Bawmir said, as he fired his blaster.

At a speed much greater than Bawmir could observe, Gohan caught the laser fire with his left hand and negated its impact.

Bawmir's associates fired about half a second after with conventional projectile weapons, and Gohan caught the bullets with his left hand and with ease, all the while retaining his grip on Bawmir.

Bawmir stared wide-eyed when he noticed that Gohan was not only not dead, but that he hadn't been affected by the weapons at all.

"How …?"

"Look buddy, I beat the crap out of the last few guys who stood in my way, and that's how I got my spaceship," Gohan said, to Bawmir's dismay. "Just think about what I might do to you."

Trunks knew very well that Gohan had purposely made sure that the security guards on Bermijol would merely be temporarily unconscious when the spaceship heist had occurred, but that Bawmir would obviously not be privy to those details.

While Gohan retained his grip on Bawmir, the trader began to laugh, at least, according to what Trunks perceived as such.

"I've got an offer for ya," Bawmir said. "With ya abilities, there are a few … jobs I need taken care of, and we can take care of our situation that way. Do the jobs, and I'll give ya the info. What do ya say to that?"

Gohan didn't look amused.

"Have you ever heard of the Legendary Super Saiyan?" Gohan asked, rather loudly.

Immediately, Bawmir's mouth became agape in what appeared to be shock, and his associates seemed perplexed in suit. A few of the nearby occupants of the saloon who had overheard Gohan's question quickly looked toward him.

"Ya can't possibly mean what I – " was all Bawmir had the opportunity to say before he suddenly interrupted himself upon observing Gohan's change in appearance.

Gohan's golden aura flared to life, and his hair shifted to golden prominence.

The occupants of the saloon quickly took notice of what had happened, and the overwhelming majority of them became overcome with absolute fear. The chatter that had encompassed the saloon had vanished, and the saloon band became silent.

"Bawmir, allow me to introduce you to whom I truly am," Gohan said loudly, with a sneer. "After all, you should feel honored to be in my presence, especially since I am the Legendary Super Saiyan!"

No matter the species, and no matter the cultural asymmetries that existed in various ways across different groups of people, there were certain signs emblematic of fear that were quite common throughout the universe.

Bawmir was exhibiting those characteristics profusely.

"Please!" Bawmir shouted. "Had I known, I – "

He was interrupted by Gohan suddenly throwing him across the room and into a wall.

Bawmir hit the wall with a loud crash, then fell to the floor.

Gohan knew he would not have done this had Bawmir's physical form looked unable to endure such a thing, and Gohan had purposely held back from using any sort of serious force. To Gohan, it had merely been nothing more than a simple flick of a finger would have been to most humans born on Earth. Besides, he needed Bawmir for his information, and killing him would be inimical to that.

Gohan walked over to Bawmir at a steadfast pace, as many of the saloon's occupants quickly moved out of his way.

When he finally came within three meters of Bawmir, he saw Bawmir beginning to regain movement.

Gohan grabbed Bawmir by the lapel of his jacket and held him up against the wall, while Bawmir stared at Gohan with persistent panic.

"Now, tell me the names of the star systems I'm looking for," Gohan said, calmly.

Then, he shoved Bawmir against the wall with more force.

"Tell me!" Gohan yelled.

"There … there … there are two th … that are somewhat close," Bawmir said, with nervous stuttering. "Kesess … is about 2,500 light years away … Q'il is … about 3,000." _[Author's note: Kesess is pronounced with emphasis on the first "s." Q'il is pronounced as "Kuh-il."]_

Gohan let go of his grip on Bawmir, and the trader fell to the floor.

When Bawmir looked up toward Gohan, he saw that was retaining his menacing stance and expression.

"Please don't kill me!" Bawmir screamed from the floor, while trying to shield his face with his arms.

Gohan snickered.

"Congratulations, Bawmir, your life has been spared," Gohan said, as he promptly turned away. "Trunks, our computer's voice-recognition system will enable us to simply enter in those names."

Gohan then turned to address the crowd.

"As for the rest of you, get out of our way, and don't follow us outside!" Gohan yelled, as the occupants remained still with trepidation and consternation, while he headed for the door.

Trunks couldn't half believe that he had just witnessed what had transpired.

He walked with a stride reflecting something almost akin to shame, while moving toward the exit.

Trunks opened the door and saw Gohan standing a few meters away from the saloon, in such a manner that he was facing in the opposite direction of the building.

"Gohan, what the hell is wrong with you!" Trunks yelled, with a mix of confounded bemusement and angered alarm. "What happened to you in Otherworld!"

Gohan powered down, then chuckled to himself at Trunks' shock.

"Aw, relax, Trunks, lighten up. I've always been like this!" Gohan said, with an additional snicker.

Trunks looked and felt flabbergasted.

"What do you mean you've always been like this!" Trunks asked. "The Gohan I remember would never have done any of that!"

Gohan's smiled at Trunks' comments, in a roughish, but pleasant way.

"Trunks, you've got to remember that for most of the time in which we had been alive at the same time, you were just a little kid," Gohan said. "And you were still just a young teenager when I died. I purposely did my best to leave as much of a good impression on you as possible because you were so young, and it wouldn't have been appropriate for me to act in any way like this around you because you were so impressionable and I didn't want you to misinterpret my, shall we say, 'roughish' streak as something you should do all the time and in everything you do. But you know what? People have flaws. At the time, you probably thought I could do no wrong, and that shows in how you're acting right now. But come on, Trunks, you don't need to act good or be good all the time to be one of the good guys."

"… I'm a bit lost for words here," Trunks said.

"Well, let's put it this way, Trunks … I don't like being taken advantage of or being at the wrong end of something unfair, and that guy was a louse for taking pride in both those sorts of things," Gohan said. "I put him in his place, with not much harm done, other than possibly a bend to his pride and his wallet. Besides, we're in a bit of a desperate situation at the moment. You're forgetting that back on Bermijol you did, after all, help me steal our spaceship."

"Yeah, out of desperation!" Trunks yelled, crossly. "You didn't have to threaten the guy in there so severely when you knew we might have been able to get the information from someone else! In fact, I suspect you even had a little bit of fun while you did it!"

Gohan closed his eyes and smiled.

"No denying that," Gohan said with a bit of a chuckle, as he began to walk in the direction of the spaceport where they'd left their ship.

"You didn't have to be so excessively violent that you threatened his life!" Trunks yelled.

"I obviously wasn't ever intending to actually kill him, unlike what would have been the case had I been that asshole Android 17," Gohan said, while continuing to walk toward the spaceport. "Now come on, Trunks, we need to go."

Trunks opened his mouth as if to protest, but he quickly refrained.

Further delay was highly inadvisable, and the success of their mission, despite any misgivings or shortcomings that could be dealt with later, was crucial.

Trunks began to run toward Gohan, eager to once again catch up.

Gohan jumped into the air and began to fly toward the spaceport, and as soon as he looked back, he saw the person whom he still considered to be his younger brother begin his ascent as well.

* * *

_Planet Earth … _

There was no reason to hide anymore.

Everyone who had been sheltered inside the subterranean portion of the former Capsule Corporation manufacturing facility in South City had walked outside to see the light.

The confrontation between Roshi and Future Cell had taken place perilously close to where they had been hiding, and they felt blessed that they were not only alive, but that as Mr. Popo had said, Future Cell's energy signature had completely vanished.

Dende was in the midst of not only recovering from days of maintaining his Energy Sensing Shield, which had prevented Future Cell from finding them, but he was also honoring Roshi's sacrifice, on the world's behalf.

Puar and Oolong had shape shifted into shovels, and Ox-King and Yajirobe were currently using them to dig a hole within which they were intending to place the trashcan containing Future Cell.

The others – Bulma, Chi Chi, Launch, Mr. Popo, and Turtle – were joining Dende in eulogizing Master Roshi, whose body was still above ground, where it had been when he had sacrificed himself for the wellbeing of countless others.

It had been decided that burying the trashcan to further safeguard the planet was of much greater importance than burying Roshi's body, and they generally believed that Roshi would not only have understood their reasoning for that order of priorities, but would have agreed with it.

"Master Roshi gave his life not only for the Earth, but for the entire universe," Dende said, in a manner of prayers. "I did not know him well, but I know his spirit was remarkably strong. On behalf of the Earth, and as its guardian, this planet thanks him for everything he did to protect it."

He looked at his fellow mourners, acknowledging the tears in the eyes of most of them, and continued.

"Is there anyone who wishes to say something?" he asked.

"I do," Chi Chi said, as she stepped forward. "He … was a good friend and teacher to my husband, despite his zaniness. They went through a lot together, and he was of a big help to Gohan after … Goku died."

She had intended to say more, but she was overwhelmed with emotions, and stepped back.

Launch then stepped forward, with her blue-violet hair waving in the breeze. _[Author's Note: For readers who have neither watched the Dragon Ball anime nor read the manga, Launch is a major supporting character in Dragon Ball. She has two personalities that shift back and forth due to an unspecified genetic-personality disorder with a fulcrum point upon which sneezing triggers a personality and physical transformation. One of her personalities, arguably her "normal state," is of a kind-hearted, mild-mannered, placid and peaceful woman, physically identifiable through her blue-violet hair. The other personality is of an aggressive, brash, rowdy, often violent and militaristic woman who has an affinity for weaponry, physically identifiable through her blonde hair and fiercer facial expression. It is generally believed that neither of her personalities retains memories of the other's experiences. Her aggressive state apparently might have had a love interest in Tien. Launch has two non-flashback cameos in DBZ: in her aggressive state during the uncut Saiyan Saga and in her placid state during the Kid Buu Saga. She also briefly appears in her placid form in Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!"]_

"Despite his flaws, he was a kind man," she said. "I know that I speak for all of us when I say that we're going to – "

She was interrupted by the ground suddenly shaking, and an energy signature that was rapidly making itself known again.

The air pressure around the trashcan suddenly intensified, sending Ox-King, Yajirobe, and Puar and Oolong a few meters backward.

Both Puar and Oolong reverted to their normal states, and gazed at the trashcan with dread.

The trashcan was vibrating violently, and Dende was trying as best as he could to not become overwrought with horror.

However, he knew that remaining where they were, especially if Dende's dire predictions came true, would prove to be one of the worst tactical decisions they could possibly make.

"Everyone, we need to get back to the bunker!" he yelled, as they began to run.

But before any of them could get very far, the trashcan exploded in a fiery blast of blue and gold energy, sending many of those who had gathered back a few meters.

As the dust was settling, some of them stood up, while others remained frozen in terror.

Dende and Mr. Popo were dismayed beyond comprehension at what they had not only witness, and not only sensed, but were seeing.

Future Cell was breathing heavily, showing the sheer extent of effort that it had taken him to break free.

He stared at all whom had gathered, saw Roshi on the ground, and sneered.

"Well, it looks like I'm late for the party," Future Cell said, as he began to walk forward.

Dende felt himself shaking with fear, despite trying to remain calm in front of the others.

"I was beginning to think I might not find the lot of you," Future Cell said, as he continued walking forward. "But now that I have, I will once again be able to demonstrate the majesty of my perfection. After all, as you have just seen, nothing can stop me."

Future Cell turned his gaze toward Roshi's body, then began to charge up an energy beam, with the others frantically getting out of the way.

"Ka … me … ha … me … ha!" he yelled, as the beam engulfed what remained of Roshi's body, in symbolic and spiritual atrocity.

Bulma, Chi Chi and Launch were crying out of how appalling what they had just witnessed was.

"You monster!" Bulma yelled, with tears in her eyes. "You're nothing but a monster!"

"I am perfection," Future Cell said coldly, as he turned his gaze toward hers.

* * *

_In another location … _

Future Cell and the others on Earth had no idea that they were being observed from afar.

The two whom had gathered to discuss the turmoil on Earth and the efforts of Trunks and Gohan had been joined by two others.

There was outrage.

"How can you sit back and not let us do anything?" one of the two whom had been talking before asked.

"I'm sorry," the other of the two whom had been speaking before said. "As you very well know, I cannot."

"I agree; standing back and doing nothing is entirely ridiculous!" said one of the two whom had joined the discussion.

"And speaking of things that are not only ridiculous but inappropriate, why wasn't Vegeta allowed to keep his body?" the first speaker asked.

"He wasn't able in the time he had to truly show that he's fundamentally changed," the second speaker said.

"Even for him, that's unfair!" the third speaker said.

"I agree," the other whom had joined the conversation said. "After all, if I'm here, then he should be here too, or at the very least be able to keep his body."

"Isn't there anything you could do?" the first speaker asked. "Please, it's only right."

The second speaker hesitated before he answered.

"Let me think about how best to proceed," he said, while the four of them continued to observe the unfolding events.

* * *

_In space, 30 kilometers from the outer atmosphere of Planet Kesess …_

They had existed hyperspace one relative minute before, and had decided to emerge at a distance from Planet Kesess so they could observe from afar if the planetary system had experienced any obvious turbulence.

They stared in awe at the giant rocky planet, estimated by the ship's main computer to be a bit more than four times the size of Earth.

Kesess' atmosphere appeared to be a brilliant blue, with clouds of white throughout its sphere. There were numerous large landmasses of speckled variance indicating vast cityscapes, separated by immense oceans that reflected the splendid quality of the sky. Only small patches of the planet appeared to have the lush green and humble brown tones of natural land.

Six moons were in orbit around the planet – all of similar size – and their main colors complemented those of Kessess in forming a sort of rainbow: one red, another gold, then green, purple, orange, and white.

Throughout the planetary system, hundreds, if not thousands of space vessels of varying sizes were traveling to, from, or throughout the planetary system.

About three-quarters of the planet was illuminated from their perspective, with an abundance of lights emanating from portion of Kesess experiencing night.

Trunks looked at the leftmost part of the planet from his perspective, the part engulfed in night but with innumerable lights piercing the darkness, and he wondered if coming to Kesess had been the right move.

"This place looks relatively unscathed," Trunks said, while Gohan was looking at the red moon. "Even if they'd established a base here, surely it wouldn't look this intact."

"We might see something indicating that they were here when we get closer," Gohan said. "I could easily see why they would have wanted to set up the empire here, though. And besides, if we don't find any trace of them, we'll check that other system, Q'il, and see if they passed there."

"Well, the reason we came here was because Kesess was a lot closer than the other one, and hopefully, we're not wasting our time," Trunks said, while looking at the illuminated portion of the planet.

"It's kind of ironic that this planet has so many moons," Gohan said.

"How so?" Trunks asked.

"Well, if either of us still had tails, we'd have a bit of a problem on our hands," Gohan said, with a smirk. "With so many moons, I'm not even sure if I know what would happen."

"Hopefully nothing bad," Trunks said. "We should take a closer look."

"Yep," Gohan said, as Trunks piloted the ship forward.

After a few minutes, with the planet taking up the overwhelming majority of their view now, Trunks and Gohan noticed something they had not been able to see from the distance at which they had been.

"Is it just me, or are there a bunch of craters all over that part of the planet?" Trunks asked, while pointing to what from his perspective was the bottom-right of the world.

"I see them," Gohan said. "And the rest of Kesess, at least from this side of the planet, appears to be relatively flat."

"I think we have a likely candidate for where they went," Trunks said.

"Those craters are enormous, and especially because of their size, it's worth checking out," Gohan said. "If they look fresh, then we're probably on to something, because it's highly unlikely that an asteroid or comet would have made it through Kesess' enormous atmosphere and left such a crater recently, especially with how populated the planet appears to be. If the craters look rather weathered, then asteroids or comets might have struck Kesess long ago. Let's take an even closer look."

They moved the ship in for a closer look, and after a few moments, neither of them were particularly surprised.

The craters indeed appeared to be very fresh, with sharp, jagged edges and rather sharp, jagged terrain, and while most of Kesess' landmasses appeared to be densely populated with many structures, there appeared to be relatively few structures inside the craters, with some of the craters maybe even having no structures at all.

"I think that settles it," Gohan said. "It's time to land."

* * *

_Planet Earth … _

"So, who's ready to die next?" Future Cell asked, as he flexed his muscles and relished in their fear. "Tell you what, the first person to volunteer will get to choose the method of their demise!"

'_I hate your games,' _Cell thought within.

'_Funny, because as I recall, you hosted a tournament with 'Games' in its name,' _Future Cell thought within. _'So, who should I kill first.'_

'_Us,' _Cell thought within.

'_If I could kill you, I would have done it by now,' _Future Cell thought within.

"Come on, any takers?" he asked aloud. "After all, you should all be rather eager to see your loved ones again, especially Trunks and Gohan."

The taunt caused Chi Chi to pass out from stress, horror, and dejectedness.

Oolong was furious. There had been a time long ago when he had antagonized others, but nothing he had ever done could come close to the mayhem and violence that Future Cell seemed to genuinely enjoy.

"Puar!" he yelled. "Follow my lead!"

Oolong shape shifted into a somewhat familiar figure, and upon seeing what Oolong had done, Puar followed in suit.

Future Cell was momentarily taken aback by the shapes they had decided to take on, and the two shape shifters entered fighting stances in their adorned forms.

To an unknowing observer, it would have readily appeared as though Future Cell was facing off against Androids 17 and 18.

As part of the shape shifting technique enabled its user to modify his or her vocal chords to accord with those of a person whose visage was adopted, and as Oolong and Puar had heard the androids' voices before, Oolong sounded just like Android 17 and Puar sounded just like Android 18.

"We meet again, you freak!" Oolong said, in a cocky tone reminiscent of what 17 had sounded like.

"Bet you'd never thought you'd see us again," Puar said, unsure of exactly how to act like the android he was portraying.

Future Cell snickered to himself.

"You can't be serious," Future Cell said. "I know full well that neither of you are any stronger than you were before because of the limitations of your shape shifting techniques. This is the epitome of absolute desperation."

"Well come on, Cell, aren't you curious about what would happen if you absorb us?" Oolong asked. "You've already got your power-ups from absorbing versions of us before, why don't you try it a second time?"

Future Cell was briefly intrigued as to the thought of what would happen if he virtually absorbed actual versions of 17 and 18 yet again – although he indeed had only virtually done so at all already through absorbing Cell.

While the notion was, in fact, quite fascinating to him, he wasn't interested in what these faux androids had to offer.

"I of course know you're not the real versions of 17 and 18, and for all I know, absorbing the two of you would make me weaker," Future Cell. "If that's what you were planning, '17,' then you can forget it."

"And here I thought we could trick you again," Oolong said, while Future Cell grunted angrily. "You're so perfect that you can be tricked by simple shape shifters like us. Yeah, more like the perfect moron!"

Future Cell sneered. It was bad enough that Vegeta had similarly mocked him, but this ….

"Well Oolong, you've just signed yourself up to be the first among the rest of you to die," Future Cell said, while instantly transmitting forward and punching Oolong through the gut.

Oolong gasped in pain, and he passed away, not even in his own form, but in that of Android 17, a horrible murderer whom Oolong had despised.

Future Cell turned toward Puar, and smiled.

Puar had gone his entire life being a relatively innocent participant in various things, and while he had at some points been part of rogue activity, especially in the days in which he and Yamcha had been desert bandits, he, like Oolong, could never have conceived of doing anything close to what Future Cell had done.

There had been a time when he and Oolong had been bitter rivals, and long ago, Oolong had bullied Puar, but after many years of fighting to survive against the androids, and now, after all that time, being at the end of the road, the otherwise mild-mannered Puar had lost yet another dear friend to the androids.

Puar rushed forward, preparing a punch.

"You bastard!" Puar yelled, as his punch connected with Future Cell's abdomen.

But there was no effect, which didn't particularly surprise either of them.

"Pathetic as always," Future Cell said, right before he killed Puar in the same way that Oolong had been killed, with Puar remaining in an unnatural form that had emulated another of Gero's malicious creations.

'_You know, that was actually rather satisfying,'_ Future Cell thought within.

Cell was even more perturbed than he had been before.

'_Why?'_ he asked.

'_Ever since our first encounter and the moment in which I gained the knowledge that you and Trunks had deprived me of the chance to absorb the androids of this timeline, I thought to myself about how Dr. Gero, despite his otherwise brilliant goals and methods, should have simply enabled me to have been in my perfect form the entire time without having to be dependent on either 17 or 18,' _Future Cell thought within._ 'Having to be reliant and dependent on those two imbeciles for anything is something that I grew to deeply resent, in fact. You never truly felt this way because you discovered a way to eventually achieve your perfect form. I was faced with the horror of actually never being able to achieve perfection. As the perfect being, I should be self-reliant, and dependent on no one!'_

'_Well, you're dependent on me to have this form,'_ Cell thought within. _'And because you're dependent on me, you aren't truly independent or perfect by your own definition, are you?'_

'_I am the closest to perfection among any being in this universe, and I am becoming more and more perfect with each action I take,' _Future Cell thought within. _'Eventually, I will no longer need you. I will find some way to be perfect without you! And when I do, your former abilities will seem like nothing compared to mine!' _

Those who were still alive were captivated by the fact Future Cell had barely appeared to move for the past minute. They had been too frozen in terror to flee.

But suddenly, he became reanimated, unbeknownst to them as a result of finishing his latest conversation with his counterpart.

* * *

_Planet Kesess_ …

While on Krin they had chosen to land at a spaceport, Trunks and Gohan had made the decision to land the ship close to the craters, out of two primary concerns.

First and foremost, they wanted to avoid detection as much as possible by the authorities of the planet, although they suspected that especially since Kesess appeared to still possess vast wealth and technological resources, there was a chance they already had been detected, or that they soon would be.

Secondly, they wanted to try and ascertain exactly what Kesess' current status was, and they suspected that talking with individuals near the craters would yield some answers.

"No need to run an atmosphere check here," Gohan said, right before he pressed a button that opened up the ship's main doorway.

Trunks and Gohan walked across the surface of the planet momentarily before they took to the air, then after a brief flight landed at the edge of an urbanized area.

A group of Kesess civilians – 'Kesess' was the adjective used to describe a native of the planet, both in singular and plural forms – was staring at them as they landed, wide-eyed with a mix of confusion and anxiety.

The Kesess were somewhat taller than average humans, and had rather thin, lean appearances to them. The fingers on their five-digit hands were longer than those common for average humans, and it seemed to be that black gloves were in fashion. Their red faces made them somewhat reminiscent of Harfavans, although the facial construction was quite different, as the Kesess had faces much more akin to those of turtles found on Earth. Their robes were of a deep blue hue.

Some of them were backing away toward the direction of the gigantic buildings behind them, many of which were skyscrapers larger than any buildings Trunks and Gohan had ever seen. Numerous air vehicles dotted the background.

One of the Kesess spoke up.

"Stay away from us!" he shouted, while taking a few more steps back.

"It looks like we've come to the right place," Gohan muttered to Trunks.

Gohan then broadcast his voice for all in the immediate vicinity to hear.

"Relax, everyone; we're not here to hurt you," he said.

They paused momentarily, then another spoke up.

"You can't expect us to believe you," the person said. "You can fly! There are only two others whom we have known to be able to fly without the aid of advanced technology, and their atrocities against our people were horrifying in all regards!"

The way she had said that statement immediately caught Trunks and Gohan's attentions.

"Wait," Trunks began to say, " what do you mean 'were'? Do you mean to tell me that the people you're referring to no longer on this planet?"

"You don't know?" asked another. "A better question is, who are you, how can you fly as they do, and why do you – "

"I'll answer that," Gohan said, unintentionally interrupting him. "We're two scientists, and we're trying to save our planet. We've heard of the tyrants who unfortunately terrorized your people, and we were half expecting to help you ourselves by trying to get rid of the tyrants of your world and ours by getting them to destroy each other. I … wasn't exactly expecting to hear that your world had already been liberated, but I'm glad to see that you are free."

"We pray every day and are thankful that their tyranny came to an end!" another person shouted. "Those monsters are gone, and our world can rebuild."

"If you don't mind my asking, exactly how could you have possibly defeated them?" Trunks asked. "It doesn't make much sense to me, as with all due respect to your planet, the people who tyrannized your planet were, by what I can tell, much, much stronger than any of you. In fact, the craters near here … did they cause them?"

An elder Kesess spoke up.

"Millions were lost when they came to our world, almost 15 years ago," he said. "They enslaved our people, and forced us to facilitate their selfish desires for conquest. So many worlds became pawns of the empire they established on our planet, after overthrowing our peaceful way of life. We had only a basic government before, with an executive appointed by the various major business leaders of our world, responsible for ensuring the efficiency of security forces to promote commerce and keep us safe. They obliterated what had been a stable system, and forced us to take part in enslaving other worlds. But after their terror of 10 years, on a wondrous morning five years ago, the tyranny ended. And it ended in a way we never thought possible. The Maniac Murderer – that's what we called him – killed his accomplice and fled our world. He gave up his post without a fight. One was dead and one was gone, and with their threat removed, our people began to rebuild. For five years, we have tried to repair not just our planet's infrastructure, but our society. We have offered as much aid and assistance as possible to the planets that had formerly been enslaved under what had become an oppressive empire with our world as its capital – standing for everything we despise and the sort of oppression that the people of Kesess had opposed fervently since ancient times. We did not want to be oppressors. We were powerless to stop those fiends from killing in the name of our once-peaceful planet. But they could not take our spirits, and we are doing everything we can to help those who were harmed in our name."

Neither Gohan nor Trunks had anticipated that they would hear a story quite like this. Not in either of their imaginations had they conceived of the possibility that the person they were looking for would have willingly let these people go in peace.

Once again, their travels were raising more questions than answers.

And Trunks had a pressing question he wanted to make known.

"Do you happen to know where he went – that is, the one who fled?" Trunks asked.

Many of the Kesess became nervous at the various potential implications of that statement.

"Why would you want to know, so you could find him and bring him back?" asked one Kesess, with anger readily apparent.

"You have to trust us; it's essential that we find him so we can save our planet," Trunks said. "Please, help us!"

Many of the Kesess were extremely resistant to help them.

However, one stepped forward.

"I'll give you the coordinates of the direction in which we observed him last travel," he said, stepping forward.

A female Kesess stepped forward in response.

"Zendiser, wait; I'm not so sure about this," she said, with concern.

"They seem to be in trouble, Teisara," he said, while flipping open a device on his right arm.

He showed Trunks and Gohan a display screen, which had various schematics superimposed over what was otherwise a multicolored background.

"The direction in which the Maniac Murderer's spaceship went is public knowledge on Kesess, so as to protect our people from any potential aggression that arrives in the future from that direction, and so as to warn travelers throughout our local sector not to travel in that direction," Zendiser said. "I question your sanity for trying to find him, but I will help you through providing this general coordinate direction because you say your planet is at risk. I know that our planet has been blessed with freedom and peace again; I want your planet to have the same luxuries. Besides, if what you say is true and you can finally but an end to the Murderer's existence and the existence of whatever trouble is plaguing your world, the universe will be a better place."

Trunks and Gohan memorized the directional coordinate path that Zendiser gave them, as well as the exact coordinates in local Kesess space in which the destroyer's spaceship had been at when it had entered hyperspace, as well as the angles at which it had done so, as all of this information had been received by the Kesess Information Network's computers due to the wireless relays aboard the ship.

Trunks knew he needed to ask an important follow-up question.

"Do you, or your computer there, happen to know of any worlds located in the direction that he traveled?" Trunks asked.

"There are a few worlds in that direction, and we have no way of knowing whether the Maniac Murderer premeditated on where he was going to go or if he did so on an impulse," Zendiser said. "We also have no idea whether he changed course after he entered hyperspace, or if he even emerged from hyperspace alive at all."

"Well, do you know of any specific planet that he might have gone to?" Trunks asked.

Zendiser was hesitant.

"I … alright, there's one detail I neglected to mention before," he said.

"What?" Gohan asked.

"There is a planet that is quite on mark with the direction in which he traveled, but … it was the location of one of the most horrific atrocities the Maniac Murderer committed while he was ruling over our planet," Zendiser said. "We heard tales of what happened there from the stories of the millions of soldiers the two tyrants forced into conscription in their malicious quest for dominance, a conscription that, by the way, was enforced by offering death as a punishment for disobedience. The entire population of that world, Planet Revia, was exterminated, one by one, in an onslaught of the Maniac Murderer's fury. Supposedly, the two tyrants didn't even want to conquer the planet, but just make an example out of it for the rest of the universe to cower in fear. Revia … oh, it was a wondrous paradise that unlike our own world had much sparser population areas mixed within the forests and grasses that stretch across the world, with many portions of the planet untouched by sentient hands. But alas, from what we publically know, the Maniac Murderer and his deceased accomplice destroyed their homes and brought ruin to that world. It was one of the earliest acts of their oppression after taking over our own world, and it remains one of the most horrifying. Why he would go there, none of us know. I pray for you both if indeed you're going in that direction."

Gohan and Trunks thanked Zendiser for his help, then began their return flight to the ship.

It was time to travel to Revia, only 500 light years away, and there was no clear indication of exactly what they would find.

* * *

_Planet Earth … _

Had Korin not been killed years ago by the androids, and had his tower and the entirety of his Senzu Bean crop not been set aflame and destroyed, he would have readily given Dende a Senzu bean.

Dende had quickly learned that the Lookout itself had been rather spared out of the often arbitrary nature of 17 and 18's attacks, although the entranceway to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had been very much destroyed during the androids' rampage. It had been the destruction of that entranceway that had discouraged Trunks and Gohan from even considering it as an option in all their endeavors against Dr. Gero's creations, in stark contrast to what had been the case in the timeline in which the Cell Games had taken place.

But now, in a much more deliberate and calculated path of assault, Future Cell was walking toward him.

"With Kami gone and with that staff in your hand, I'm assuming that you've become the guardian of this planet now, on top of already being the keeper of its Dragon Balls," Future Cell said, right before he instant transmitted directly in front of Dende. "So guardian, tell me, as the leader of this planet, which of your subjects should lose their life next?"

Dende found Future Cell's cruelty to be mindboggling, and found it entirely disgraceful that the Namek race had been tarnished by becoming part of this fiend.

"Kill me," Dende said, as he let go of his staff. "If it gives the others some more time to live, I would gladly do it.

Future Cell waved his right hand as if to dismiss the notion.

"You know very well that I wouldn't consider doing that," Future Cell said, causing an overwhelming sense of dread within the new guardian. "Now, pick the next candidate!"

Dende hesitated, and maintained his stance.

"Fine, Dende, have it your way," Future Cell said, as he rushed in to strike Dende.

Dende held up his arms in defense, and Future Cell stopped just short of hitting him.

Future Cell grinned.

"Some guardian you are," Future Cell said, as he withdrew his attack, and left Dende shaking, and wondering whether Future Cell had actually intended to go through with it.

Cell knew very well that Future Cell had not.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Future Cell yelled. "I am assuming you were all hiding very close to here. If you don't go back into there right this instant, I'm going to destroy the Earth right here and now. Do you understand?"

Bulma wondered what that bastard could have possibly had in mind, but she did not protest. He was far too impulsive for her to take any chances, and she began to walk back toward the underground portion of the manufacturing facility, wondering exactly what he could possibly have in store for them.

Future Cell walked with them toward the cellar door entranceway, then looked around inside while they were within as well. Upon threats of mass destruction, he verified that there were no alternative means of escape, then walked up the stairwell and emerged outside.

He closed the cellar door, and smiled.

'_You have no reason to be proud of yourself,'_ Cell thought within.

"Of course I do," Future Cell said aloud, at enough range that he was confident the others could not hear him. "I have positioned them all for leverage, and none of them can escape. No matter what Trunks and Gohan are planning, there is no way they will be able to do whatever it is they're hoping to do and also spare the lives of their loved ones."

'_You have no honor,'_ Cell thought within. _'You haven't done a single good thing since you emerged from Gero's lab. You cannot – '_

"Enough!" Future Cell said, as he did the best he could to give Cell the mental equivalent of a punch. "You keep on blabbering on about how everything you do is out of goodness and moral superiority, like any of that actually means something to me. Well, let me let you in on a little secret, my deranged counterpart. The entire conception of what you're doing is inherently flawed. If you honestly believe that you're committing acts of 'good' and living such a lifestyle, you're gravely mistaken, and especially because of this, you have no true right to criticize me."

'What do you mean?' Cell asked within. 'How could you say that?'

"You poor fool; you still don't recognize or understand the inadequacy of what you have been pursuing?" Future Cell asked. "I shall elaborate so that you can understand how improper you have become. Because you wished with the Dragon Balls to never be able to do what you view as 'evil' again, you haven't been consciously deciding between doing things that you consider to be good or things you consider to be bad – because you've never needed to actually make those important choices! The moral course of each and every one of your actions has already been largely decided for you! Everything you do is the result of a predetermined path you gave yourself, and you are incapable of truly experiencing the conflict between the attractions of things you consider good and the lures of those you consider evil. You have deceived yourself! Without actively having this conflict, without actively having to make decisions as to whether you will pursue the path of goodness or not, you're not actually pursuing a path of goodness at all! You're experiencing a preset farce of a life, in which you've bound yourself to a way of thinking without needing to commit yourself in any real way to upholding what you view as good, since all the work has already been done for you, and since you do not actively need to make any true moral decisions!"

Cell was contemplating his counterpart's words with extreme unease.

'_Could it be …?'_ Cell asked within, in a quite anxious way. _'Could it be that there is any merit to what he's saying?'_

"Of course they're merit to what I'm saying, and the only reason you're not fully accepting it is because you've become so affixed to living in ignorance and being comforted by lies," Future Cell said. "How could you honestly call yourself someone who truly pursues what you view as good when you never actually need to make any decisions that will affect whether you remain on that path? Regardless of whether the values you hold sacrosanct are in any way actually 'good' in the truest sense of the term, ask yourself this: have you actually been pursuing a true path of good in which you are consciously striving to uphold moral righteousness out of your own accord, or are you just some puppet that needs to act as you are because you no longer have a conscious say in the matter? The second of those two realities is the one you're experiencing, and it is by far inferior, if goodness is your goal! Even though you made the conscious decision to lock yourself into this way of thinking, you haven't needed to make any conscious decisions to remain good since then! What is goodness when there is no choice? It's nothing! You're actions aren't truly good at all; they're morally stagnant! The psychological and philosophical inadequacies of everything you have been pursuing are extremely laughable, and now, I feel you more fully know why I honestly believe you to be nothing more than a misguided fool."

Cell felt as though he had just been shown a patch of darkness in what should have been light.

'_You're … I know what you're doing,' _Cell thought within. _'You're just saying these things to throw me off course and distract me.'_

"Not at all, actually," Future Cell said. "I said it before, and now, you simpleton, I'll repeat it again. I want to atone for your ridiculous actions and deeds, and I figure that a quite effective way to do this is to get to the foundation of your misguided fervor. Use your sense of logic, my counterpart! Don't let your ignorance as to your own mind diminish your logic! Realize and be disturbed that everything you've done since wishing to affix yourself to supposed 'goodness' has not truly been good at all! You've been consistently failing to uphold your most basic and pathetic desire! And with the wish you made, you will never truly have the opportunity to actually fight for what you claim to cherish! It's all a lie! All the things you thought you did out of conscious, active, rational and true goodness never were truly so! You are a joke! You are pathetic in the highest sense! And you are not worthy in any way of possessing the strength I've rightfully taken from you! Suffer this psychological torment, and begin your true path of redemption!"

As Future Cell beamed with a sense of triumph, Cell felt forlorn with a dearth of confidence.

Had it truly all been a lie?

* * *

_In space, 10 kilometers from the outer atmosphere of Planet Revia …_

The planet appeared to be a mix of vivid green and blue, with the ratio of landmass to surface water much more in favor of landmass than was the case with Kesess.

The computer's diagnostics had estimated Revia to be almost to the center of its star's habitable zone, enabling any life that had developed on its surface to especially benefit from the star's power.

Trunks and Gohan found it quite perturbing that while Kesess had been host to so much activity and signs of sentient life, all they could see from orbit around Revia were green and brown hues, with no signs that sentient life had ever been on the planet at all except for the few patches of architecture at scattered points.

There were no other ships in orbit around the planet, no radio signals emanating from its surface, and no lights visible from the planet's night side, which comprised a little more than one third of the 'left' side of the planet from Trunks and Gohan's perspective.

What troubled them more was that they could not sense whom they had thought they might find.

"This world gives me the creeps, especially after what that guy back there told us," Trunks said, while doing the best he could to concentrate. "I don't sense him at all. If he went somewhere else, we'll probably never find him."

"We shouldn't give up hope just yet," Gohan said, as he continued his concentration as well. "He quite possibly became much better at manipulating his own energy than he had been."

"But why would he be out here on an entire planet with no one else?" Trunks asked. "It doesn't make sense to me, Gohan. Why would he suddenly leave everything and everyone alone?"

"I'm not sure," Gohan said. "But unless the folks on Kesess were covering for him, he left the planet, and it doesn't look like he stuck around."

"If he's enhanced his skills at detecting energy, then he might already have sensed us, and is trying to hide," Trunks said.

"If he had detected us, he might have already tried to destroy us, unless of course he's purposely trying to avoid us," Gohan said. "I don't understand it either, bro', but let's take a closer look and see what we can find."

The moved the ship forward while keeping their power levels down, and suddenly, at about a quarter of a kilometer below Revia's atmosphere, Gohan sensed something.

"Trunks, do you sense that?" he asked.

It took a few seconds for Trunks to respond.

"Yeah, I sense that," Trunks said. "He's here."

Gohan turned all the exterior lights of the ship off, and then turned off all the lights in the control room. He placed his left hand on Trunks and his right hand on the ship's main control panel, then instant transmitted toward the surface of the planet, but at a distance from the person whom they had found, so as to avoid detection.

They emerged at a spot on the night side of the planet, in a field of grass that stretched for many tens of meters around them.

Gohan once again exited the craft without doing an atmospheric check, and Trunks followed him.

As Revia did not possess any moons, and as there was no artificial light pollution, not even from their ship, they could see that the sky above them was resplendent with seemingly hundreds, if not thousands of stars.

The energy signature of the person they were looking for was much more apparent now, and Trunks and Gohan began their approach, moving as quietly as possible toward a tree line at the edge of the field.

They traveled through the forest for many minutes, and then, the first indication of an orange-red light in the distance became apparent. They waited momentarily to see if it would change in position, but after they determined that it had not moved, they pressed forward in their quiet advance.

After a few more minutes, they could more clearly tell that they were observing a contained fire, and they began to see its waves of color cast themselves and their shadows across the nearby trees.

After another minute and while keeping not only their power levels low but their bodies close to the ground, they held their position behind a group of bushes at the edge of the clearing.

When briefly peering around and between the bushes, they more clearly saw the hut he had built for himself out of wood, plants and rock, and they saw an animal that had been skewered on a wooden pole that extended into the ground and which was supported at its midpoint by a wooden tripod held together with woven rope.

After a few moments, they saw him come out of the hut, approaching the meat that was being prepared over the fire.

His black hair extended down past his shoulders, and his muscular frame had retained its invigorated appearance.

He was wearing the same sort of maroon legging robe, white pants, and ornate boots that Trunks had seen before, although they looked worn and weathered as a result of enduring the elements.

He looked upon the meal he was cooking, turned the skewer stick slightly so that another part of the animal would roast, and then sat on a log he had placed near the fire ring, looking into the dancing embers and energetic flares.

"Is that him?" Gohan asked, with a whisper.

"Yes," Trunks said. "That's Broly."

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-One!_

_Up next in Honor Trip: A proclamation of a special! _

_I am proud to officially announce the upcoming special, which was created as the result of many months of diligent, constructive, and dedicated work on the part of Honor Trip's contributing editor/writer, Genescritor. We have been coordinating for many months about the most effective ways to present this content, and we believe you will enjoy the result of the ambitious goals we set out to achieve through this special. _

_So, without further ado, it is time to unveil the next installment of the Honor Trip saga: _

**Honor Trip Presents: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan**

**The definitive canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible version of the original Movie 8 story!**

You may recall from the 100th review special that Honor Trip has previously poked fun at Movie 8 for various glaring logic and continuity errors, and now, after many months of deliberations and work, we are sincerely proud to present this THREE-PART SPECIAL to you!

This special is the result of our serious endeavors to create a version of the movie of much higher canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible quality than the original version, in our efforts as Dragon Ball fans to enrich and enhance the overall quality of the Dragon Ball universe.

The following is the release schedule, with each of the parts following the first to be released one week after the other:

Part 1: Sunday, September 25, 2011 – 12:00 a.m., GMT

Part 2: Sunday, October 2, 2011 – 12:00 a.m., GMT

Part 3: Sunday, October 9, 2011 – 12:00 a.m., GMT

Honor Trip Main Series Chapter 32: Sunday, October 16, 2011 – 12:00 a.m., GMT

The announcement of this special may come as somewhat of a surprise regarding consistency, as I have fervently striven to enable Honor Trip to be as canon-compatible as possible while supporting its overall alternative universe premise, in the broader venture to enable Honor Trip to march forward as a work of superior quality. Incorporating Broly into the main storyline of the main Honor Trip series, as has been done in the preceding chapter, would therefore be a contradiction of one of Honor Trip's main premises, as the movie he originates from, as is the case with all of the 13 primary Dragon Ball Z movies, is not part of the canon series.

HOWEVER, the motivations for canonizing Broly and enabling his movie to truly be compatible with the canon series have been compelling. His profuse appearances in Dragon Ball media, his core personal associations with main characters, and his extremely strong identification and association with an integral part of the lore of the Dragon Ball universe – the Legendary Super Saiyan legend itself – are all compelling reasons to consider him as a legitimate part of the series. However, there have been persistent continuity and logic problems in trying to reconcile his movie with the series as a whole, and these problems have prevented him from being readily considered as a part of canon. The premise of the original Movie 8 was quite innovative, as it in fact solved a major unresolved plot point of the canon series since it answered the question as to what parts of the Legendary Super Saiyan tales were actually true.

BECAUSE OF THE STRONG DESIRE TO ENABLE BROLY TO TAKE HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE AMONG THE CHARACTERS PROPERLY COMPATIBLE WITH CANON AND TO IMPROVE HIS OVERALL QUALITY AS A CHARACTER, GENESCRITOR AND I ARE EXTREMELY PROUD TO PRESENT THIS SPECIAL.

The special was purposely designed to not only be compatible with the events of Honor Trip, but much more importantly, to be **COMPATIBLE WITH THE EVENTS OF THE CANON SERIES.**

I'm particularly proud that Honor Trip has evolved into what it is today because of its loyal fans and a commitment to quality, and now, for the very first time, I shall clearly identify to you the three core goals that Honor Trip has developed over time, and which were taken into account not only in making this special, but which have been taken into account in making the most modern versions of all of Honor Trip's chapters and story content:

Enable Cell's character to develop a heroic perspective in a much more insightful, philosophically provocative and profound, morally complex alternative to the way he was portrayed in the canon Dragon Ball universe;

Enable other characters of the Dragon Ball universe, and the Dragon Ball universe itself, to gain greater depth, purpose, and definition through the inherently more complex situations and circumstances of Honor Trip, facilitating many of the characters to achieve states of excellence beyond what they achieved in canon DBZ; and

Enable the Dragon Ball universe to make more logical sense and have greater internal consistency and continuity for the purposes of improving the overall quality of the Dragon Ball universe and enabling the Dragon Ball story as a whole to have greater meaning and significance. In large part, this goal is being realized through not only making sure that Honor Trip accords as much as possible with canon elements after accommodating for its alternate universe premise, but more importantly, through improving canon and other Dragon Ball media's internal consistency, continuity, and logic.

In the interest of enhancing the overall quality of the Dragon Ball universe as a whole, and in the interests of fan empowerment and our mutual desires to enable the overall integrity of the Dragon Ball story to be as self-sufficient, consistent, and logical as possible, we hope you're looking forward to the special.

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-One: Completed September 14, 2011 _

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

* * *

_Author's Extended Note on Plot Holes regarding the Evil Containment Wave and other attacks: _

_There is a potential major plot hole regarding whether the Evil Containment Wave could have been used on much stronger villains than King Piccolo and Piccolo in Dragon Ball, as despite the fact that the Evil Containment Wave had been used by Roshi, Tien and Kami in Dragon Ball to seal away evil forces who were more powerful than them, in DBZ the technique is never used to seal away much stronger enemies. It is possible that the technique is meant only to work on "demons," although the concept of King Piccolo and Piccolo being demons was very much overridden by the fact they are Nameks, and it is very unlikely that Toriyama intended for the technique to be able to work on peaceful Namekians such as Dende, Moori or Guru. _

_However, since it could be potentially recognized that King Piccolo truly was "pure evil" for Dragon Ball energy signature purposes since he was the result of splitting all the evil from the other half of the Nameless Namek that became Kami, it is possible that due to the process of being the incarnate version of a being's evil, the Evil Containment Wave could work on him. The fact that Piccolo inherited King Piccolo's genetics and implicitly intrinsic properties could therefore explain why the technique also would have worked on Piccolo, and Cell and Future Cell's inheritances of those genetics could explain why it could work on them. _

_Even if this logic is accepted, not using the evil containment wave against Cell in canon remains a plot hole, unless Roshi and/or Tien had simply not considered using it against so powerful a foe out of the belief it would not work – which would explain why it wasn't used on other very powerful opponents, although the fact that canon FAILS TO EXPLAIN OR ADDRESS THIS INCONSISTENCY AT ALL NEVERTHELESS REMAINS A MAJOR PLOT HOLE, especially due to the fact that the potentiality of using the technique might not have even been considered by either Toriyama or his editors when Dragon Ball Z was being developed. "Future" Roshi, however, could logically and plausibly have a different mindset on using the technique against Future Cell, such that he would want to at least try to use it against Future Cell out of absolute desperation. _

_While this explanation for the Evil Containment Wave is reasonably compatible with canon considering canon's failure to properly explain exactly why the technique was never used again, hence creating a major plot hole resultant from inconsistency, there are two even more problematic attacks that originated in Dragon Ball and which have caused there to be plot holes in DBZ since no explanation was ever made clear for why they weren't used to defeat forces of evil much more powerful than the warriors of Earth, and why the techniques were seemingly never considered even though the warriors of Earth knew of these techniques. These two techniques are the Devilmite Beam, which Spike the Devil Man could use to amplify the negative thoughts within a person to destroy them so long as they had negative thoughts, and the Magic Touch ability, which Monster Carrot could use to transform any organic material into carrots. _

_Spike the Devil Man, despite being a demon, was shown to be somewhat allied with the forces of good and failure to recruit him remains a plot hole, and even though Monster Carrot was shown to be an antagonist, the fact he was never approached by the warriors of Earth to help fight greater evils because of his ability remains a plot hole. The plot holes regarding usage of the Evil Containment Wave and the Devilmite Beam are in fact so recognizable that they were addressed unofficially in explicitly non-canon occurrences portrayed in Dragon Ball video games. In Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors, there is a what-if scenario in which Piccolo successfully uses Evil Containment Wave against Super Buu, after mentioning that the technique is used to contain evil that is too powerful to destroy. In Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3, there is a what-if scenario in which Spike the Devil Man defeats Frieza and King Cold using the Devilmite beam._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_


	34. Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan Part 1

**Honor Trip Presents: **

**Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan**

**- a Prologue Special Edition to a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Part 1: Invitation **

**Special Written by: Genescritor**

_Disclaimer: Neither American Vigor nor I own, in any way, any official property related Dragon Ball, such as the anime, its characters, related movies, and so on. However, both of us hope to supplement that glorious work of art with our fanfictions, such as this one. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story._

* * *

_Earth, Guardian's Lookout, May 23__rd__, Age 767, three days before the Cell Games…_

Several kilometers above Earth, a structure shaped like the lower half of a sphere floated in the sky. Over the centuries, the place had been the residence of the guardians of Planet Earth, all of whom had withstood varied trials and tribulations.

One of the planet's former guardians was standing at the edge of the structure, gazing upon the planet below. A part of him had been Earth's guardian for more than 300 years, but two halves had fused together. The role of guardian had been transferred to someone else only a few days ago.

Although he had guarded this planet in the past, he felt as though there was nothing he could do to protect it from the monstrosity that currently held it in a grip of terror: the android Cell.

There had been a time when he would have been able to win if not for the android's deviousness and sneakiness, but now, thanks to a set of unfortunate events – and to the huge ego of a certain Saiyan – the android had reached his perfect form. His capacity to destroy not just Earth, but the universe itself, seemed unparalleled.

But in the end, out of some mysteriously sprouted thought, Cell had decided to at least give the warriors of Earth a chance to defend the planet.

If they were able to defeat Cell in a tournament that the android had organized himself, then the Earth would be saved. However, if they lost, the whole world would be eliminated.

Piccolo wasn't a fool. He knew Cell was completely sure of winning, and that he was only organizing this whole tournament gimmick to give them false hope and to terrify the people Earth even more before killing them all.

The Namek snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a distinctive set of footsteps approaching. His energy-sensing abilities enabled him to recognize who it was. At any other time, he would have detected his approach long before, but even he at times could get lost enough in his thoughts so as to not sense people coming close to him.

"What's up, kid?" Piccolo asked Gohan, whose golden hair was spiked upward, moving only slightly with the breeze.

Gohan raised his hand slightly, as though he was going to ask a question. But even before he opened his mouth, he lowered his hand again and looked away.

"Nothing, Mr. Piccolo," he said, while turning his blue eyes away from him.

It still seemed weird for Piccolo to see the kid adorning the Super Saiyan form in a long-lasting fashion, when technically less than two weeks before he'd been unable to transform into a Super Saiyan at all.

Piccolo knew Gohan too well to believe what the kid had just said. Gohan wouldn't just come up to him like that if there was 'nothing' important on Gohan's mind.

"Really?" Piccolo asked.

Gohan alternated between looking up at him and looking away, obviously still unsure of whether he should speak or not.

"It's Cell," Gohan finally said while looking down, in the direction of Cell's energy..

"What about him?" Piccolo asked.

"Well… he's the most powerful being any of us have ever had to face, and for all we know, we all may die three days from now," Gohan said. "I don't get how dad can be so calm, or how he can tell me that we don't need another year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. How can he?"

Piccolo didn't know what to say. He sometimes forgot that although Gohan was strong, he was still a kid, and still had some tendencies related to kids, like looking up to his elders for reassurance.

"Well, kid, I don't know," Piccolo said. "It's true that Cell is more powerful than anyone we have ever faced, and in all honesty, I am just as surprised that your father can take this as calmly as he is."

Gohan gulped. Obviously, Piccolo's speech wasn't being reassuring for him.

"Nevertheless, the truth is that we all thought the same about the Saiyans and about Frieza, and your father still ended up defeating them," Piccolo said. "To be quite candid with you, Gohan, while I think your father may be in denial, it's possible that he honestly believes we can defeat Cell. And if one thing's for sure, your father comes up with miracles better than anyone else I've ever known."

Piccolo gave a strange mix of a smirk and scoff before continuing his comments.

"In all honesty, I sometimes wonder whether Goku wins just because he doesn't know that he can't."

For a long period, Gohan didn't say anything, obviously uncertain of what his reaction should be to his first master's words.

"Thank you, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan ended up saying. It was the only thing he thought was proper to say, given the situation.

Piccolo nodded, but then, a third person approached, entering the conversation abruptly.

"Instead of standing around here babbling like a moron you should be using your second day in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, brat," Vegeta said, right before he spat to the floor. "You and your low-level father should both be taking advantage of the time you still have to prepare. But no, Kakarot just brought the Dragon Balls, and then went back home to stuff himself with food until the Cell Games."

Vegeta made a point of shaking his head in a fashion that indicated intense disapproval.

"Pathetic," the Saiyan Prince said. "Well, at least if the lot of you get killed at the Cell Games, there will be no one to blame for that but yourselves."

Gohan glared at Vegeta, obviously having a hard time withstanding Vegeta's insults. Piccolo simply turned around, but inwardly, he was also perturbed by what Vegeta had said. Although those remarks weren't directed toward him, Piccolo didn't think Vegeta should have any grounds on which to criticize Gohan and Goku for not training, when this whole predicament was largely Vegeta's fault. If Vegeta had just killed Cell before the android reached his perfect form, then …

Piccolo snapped out of those thoughts when he felt a very powerful energy slamming into his senses, right from above.

The sudden burst of energy had been quite unexpected, although Piccolo recognized that if what he was feeling was truly reflective of the actual power levels of the beings who possessed them, defeating them would be without much trouble. The overwhelming majority of the dozens of them seemed to be at around the level that Raditz or the Saibamen had been. One person whose energy stood out among them seemed to be much stronger.

"What's going on with those powers I'm sensing?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know, kid," Piccolo replied. "But whatever they are, we should stay on our guard."

Trunks walked up to them.

"I agree," he said. "These guys could be yet more enemies that want to do harm to our planet. Like Piccolo said, we should be ready for the worst."

"Weaklings," Vegeta scoffed. "Getting yourselves all worked up over such puny power levels! Even baldy would be able to kill them all without breaking a sweat."

"Thanks for the compliment, Vegeta," Krillin said, with sarcasm apparent in his voice.

Vegeta gave another disdainful look at the others, but he didn't say anything else. None of them did. Instead, they just stared up at the direction of the power levels' collective source, trying their best to guess when whomever possessed those energy signatures would arrive.

* * *

Far away, at Mount Paozu, Goku looked up from his meal, right when he was about to shove the very last piece of food into his mouth.

"What is it Goku?" his wife asked him. She wasn't capable of sensing power levels, but she knew him well enough to know when he was nervous.

"Nothing …," Goku said in a decidedly non-convincing tone. "Nothing at all … I just sensed this strong power level – power levels, to be exact – heading straight for the Earth."

Chi Chi immediately stiffened.

"Strong power levels?" she asked.

"Not that strong," Goku said, with quick reassurance. "Most of them seem to only be around the power level Raditz had when I fought him. There's one stronger than the others, but even that one is only twice as strong as Captain Ginyu was. Even if I wasn't in my Super Saiyan form, I would be able to defeat them all."

Chi Chi gave her husband a displeased look.

"We wouldn't really know that, would we?" she asked. "After all, now you are a Super Saiyan all the time."

Goku scratched his head in embarrassment. Indeed, ever since he had come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he had remained a Super Saiyan, simply because he had mastered the form to the point of feeling like it was natural.

"Oh well, all the more reason for us to not be afraid of these guys," he said, trying to convey the same carefree airy mood he had been exhibiting even more often lately, to see if some of that attitude would pass on to Chi Chi.

It didn't.

Instead, Chi Chi narrowed her eyes at him.

"But even though you don't think these guys are much of a threat, you're still going to take a closer look at them, right?"

'Caught in the act,' Goku thought.

"I'm sorry, Chi Chi," he said as apologetically as he could. Part of him couldn't help but wonder if he should say something else, but he ended up deciding not to. He wanted to wait for Chi Chi to react.

"Alright, Goku," Chi Chi eventually said, with a tired sigh. "Go there. Just be careful. And if Gohan goes with you, tell him to be careful as well, and try to make sure he gets as far away from danger as possible."

"I will, Chi Chi," Goku replied wholeheartedly, although he realistically knew that Gohan was so strong by now that it was highly unlikely these power levels would be a threat to him, even if they all attacked him at the same time. "Don't worry. Now, I've got to go."

Chi Chi still looked far from pleased at having him leaving like that, but fortunately, she didn't protest.

She had, after all, agreed to let Gohan participate in the tournament against Cell in a few days, so disallowing her son from helping out against enemies that were much weaker would have seemed quite inconsistent.

Chi Chi hoped that whatever Goku and Gohan were getting themselves into, they would at the very least be careful.

* * *

When the renegade energy signatures had first become readily detectable, the bio-android Cell had looked up at the sky, snapping out of his dormancy for the first time since whatever fool who ruled Earth in this timeline had sent that pathetic army to try to kill him.

In the end, that effort had only managed to make Cell enjoy himself as he had watched the pure horror on the soldiers' faces after their missiles and bullets had failed. He had also enjoyed hearing the panic in their screams as they tried to flee before Cell had vaporized them. All in all, there had been many good moments of amusement.

And, judging from the power levels he sensed heading toward Earth, maybe he would soon have additional fun before the tournament.

If Cell's data on what had happened almost every time aliens had visited Earth was anything to go by, these beings had come to conquer the planet.

Unfortunately for them, however, the right to control the Earth's destiny and to do whatever he wanted with the planet was already his.

He would be the one to destroy Earth, and anyone who tried to rob him of that pleasure would be vanquished.

But maybe Cell wouldn't have to be the one going through the trouble of doing so. Undoubtedly, Goku and the others also had sensed these new powers, and they would certainly want to see what was going on themselves.

Truth be told, all of these power levels were pathetic. The weaker ones were ridiculously weak, and even the strongest of them would only be about a third stronger than Vegeta would have been if he had used the Great Ape form to its fullest potential when he had first arrived on Earth.

There was one surprising thing about the strongest power among them, though. Unless Cell's energy-sensing skills were fooling him, the entity who possessed that power level seemed to almost certainly be a Saiyan. _[Writer's note: There is a moment in uncut DBZ episode 172, "A New Guardian," when Goku states that he can locate Planet New Namek by finding a planet with an energy signature similar to Piccolo's. From this statement, it is logical to assume that the race of an individual can be determined by the energy said individual releases.]_

However, according to the data Cell had, the only Saiyans that were conclusively known to have survived Planet Vegeta's destruction were Goku, Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa.

There had been another alien who had visited Earth and whom Dr. Gero's analyses had indicated might be a Saiyan, although according to Cell's data, Dr. Gero hadn't been fully sure.

Regardless of whether that being had indeed been a Saiyan, the particular power level Cell was sensing now seemed as though it was almost assuredly of Saiyan origin. If so, then what was yet another survivor doing here?

Whomever it was, Cell had no way of finding out without alerting Goku and the others. Whatever he did would be detected by them, and therefore they would automatically handle the matter in a different manner.

Maybe it was better to wait for now, and to see what would happen. And once Cell had a clearer idea of the situation at hand, he would decide how best to respond to the events.

* * *

About a minute after he had convinced Chi Chi to let him take a closer look at the power levels he had felt, Goku appeared on Kami's Lookout, via Instant Transmission, and wearing his usual fighting clothes, into which he had changed before coming.

"Hello, Goku," Trunks said.

"Are you here because you have sensed these new power levels as well, Dad?" Gohan asked.

"Yes son," Goku replied, right before looking up at the sky. "It's weird. I could swear the strongest power level feels like a Saiyan – but any full-blooded Saiyan besides me and Vegeta should be dead by now, right?"

"Save your breath, Kakarot," Vegeta scolded. "Your question is one that we all have, and none of us knows the answer. So just shut up and wait for the owners of all those power levels to arrive, because I'm not in the mood to listen to your babbling."

"Always the same," Goku remarked after Vegeta's rather expected burst of bad temper.

But that was all he said with regards to Vegeta's comment. After all, if not even Vegeta knew what another full-blooded Saiyan was doing here so long after Frieza had destroyed Planet Vegeta, there was most likely no one else alive who did, other than the Saiyan who was heading toward them.

Goku hoped that this Saiyan, whomever he (or she) was, wouldn't have malicious intentions. But even if that was the case, this Saiyan would be easy to deal with.

"We'd better go meet them when they land," Goku said. "That way, we can see what they want sooner, and hopefully stop them before they do anything drastic, if that's what they're planning."

"Before we go, you'd better pick up Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu," Piccolo said. "I can sense that they are on the move – they probably they felt these powers as well."

"Good idea," Goku said. "I'll be right back."

Goku instant transmitted away from the Lookout – and about twenty seconds later, he returned with Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu.

"Thanks for the ride, Goku," Yamcha said, patting his friend's back. "It was really thoughtful of you to save us the effort."

"Don't thank me," Goku replied. "Thank Piccolo for the suggestion."

"Alright then," Tien said. "Going straight to business, who are the people responsible for the energy signatures we're feeling? The most powerful one among them feels like a Saiyan, but weren't …"

He was interrupted by a growl from Vegeta, who had a vein protruding on his forehead. Obviously, he was sick of this whole matter.

"Yes, triclops, every Saiyan other than me, Kakarot, and our offspring is meant to be dead by now. I don't know what this particular one is doing here, and frankly there's no need to make such a racket because of it! Even the dwarf clown over there could wipe that Saiyan and every one of the minions with him in one strike without coming close to breaking a sweat," Vegeta said, pointing to Chiaotzu when he was referenced. "That means there's no need for you fools to make that much noise because of it. So, keep your traps shut, or I will be the one shutting them for good!"

Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu flinched. Goku, however, was reasonably confident that Vegeta wouldn't do such a thing. Although he still couldn't be described as 'tame' or 'peaceful,' he had come a long way from the barbarian he had been when he had first come to Earth. His recent comment had probably come out of his annoyance at having been expected to know everything – and perhaps from not knowing something he truly wanted to know.

But his annoyance was understandable. After all, not even Vegeta could be expected to know everything about his largely-dead race. Vegeta had been right when he had said that even Chiaotzu wouldn't have any problem with killing them all if violence ensued. But still, Goku hoped they wouldn't have to resort to that. After all, slaughter was a tactic that Goku had always strived to avoid.

* * *

A few minutes later, a huge acorn-shaped spaceship had completed its descent from above, and it had landed on the desert floor of a barren wasteland.

Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu had been waiting for it, as they had appeared in the vicinity a few minutes before the ship had landed, thanks to Instant Transmission.

Fortunately, the ship had landed here as opposed to a significantly populated area, helping the warriors of Earth avoid what otherwise could have been extensive collateral damage during a fight in an urban area.

The warriors of Earth soon noticed that what appeared to be the spaceship's main door vertically opened up, and a ramp extended outwards, enabling the entities inside the ship to emerge.

About 200 soldiers ran out of the ship, almost like an army getting ready for action. They all looked pretty much alike, as they all appeared to be wearing blue jumpsuits, purple gloves and boots, and equally purple helmets with red visors.

All the Earth's fighters in the vicinity entered into fighting stances, except for Vegeta, who simply stood with his arms crossed. He could destroy all of these fools with a mere swipe of his hand if he so chose, and if they revealed any aggressive tendencies, he would seriously consider doing it.

The soldiers looked around for a moment as though orienting themselves, and then ran toward them.

All the others leapt backwards, but Vegeta maintained his position. He had nothing to fear from these fools. Individually, each of them was so weak that even Raditz would have had a chance at defeating them. And although there were about 200 of them, and there was one power as strong as all the weaker ones put together, each one of the Earth's defenders alone was strong enough to defeat all of them so easily that it almost wouldn't be worth the effort.

Strangely, as soon as the soldiers in the front got to within a meter of Vegeta, they dropped to one knee in front of him.

"Your majesty," all of them said in nearly perfect unison.

"Majesty?" Vegeta heard Kakarot ask from behind him.

For once, Vegeta did not scold the clown. Indeed, he shared the buffoon's puzzlement. While he was undeniably the Prince of all Saiyans, he had never had the opportunity to be crowned as king, and in the end, he had practically no one to rule over, something that bothered him much more than he let on to his … allies, as Vegeta wouldn't bring himself to call any of the clowns on Earth his friends.

Either way, these mysterious arrivals obviously weren't Saiyans, judging from the patches of green skin that could be seen in the unprotected part between the helmet and the top of the jumpsuits.

"Who are you?" Vegeta asked.

None of them spoke, but another figure – the source of the stronger energy they had felt – walked through the spaces between the soldiers, advancing toward Vegeta. Besides having a higher power level, his appearance distinguished him from all the others.

This man was tall, with a tanned skin, spiky and rather short black hair, a thick moustache, and bushy sideburns. He was covered in scars, but the most impressive of them was the one on the left side of his face, running through an eyelid that was screwed shut due to the missing eye. Although most of his right side was covered by a white cape, Vegeta could see that this man was wearing armor similar to those worn in Frieza's forces, with black shoulder pads, green tight guards, a red chest area, and purple gloves and boots. His right hand and wrist were encased by what appeared to be some sort of device, which was golden in color.

Most striking of all, however, was the brown tail that Vegeta could see wrapped around the man's waist. Although his energy signature had suggested that the man was a Saiyan, Vegeta felt quite pleased at knowing that there was at least one Saiyan who still had the trademark of their people.

The Saiyan halted right in front of Vegeta, then dropped to one knee.

"Your majesty," the Saiyan said, repeating the genuflection of his soldiers.

"Greetings, Saiyan," Vegeta said, deciding that a member of his race who had the intelligence and decency to recognize and properly greet a member of the royal family deserved more than his usual scowls. "Who are you, and what is your business here?"

"My name is Paragus, your majesty," the Saiyan said, while still kneeling on the ground. "I came here to ask you to be our new king."

"Our new king?" Vegeta asked, while raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, your majesty," Paragus said, standing up again. "Over the past many years, I have been preparing a New Planet Vegeta, fit for you to rule. It is more than time for the Saiyan race to rise from its ashes, to show the Universe the supremacy of the ultimate warriors."

Vegeta simply looked disdainfully at the Saiyan. Part of what Paragus said had its appeal – but it didn't sound adequately logical, at least not at this point in history.

"Right," Vegeta scoffed.

"Your majesty, I swear I'm telling you the truth," Paragus said. "I would not dare to bother you with trivial matters, or to tell you any lie."

The way how Paragus had said it almost made Vegeta believe him – indeed, with the power level Paragus had, he would have to be a fool to get on Vegeta's wrong side. But still, why would he go through so much work to restore the Saiyan Empire?

Before Vegeta could ask that, however, Kakarot interrupted him.

"Hey there, sorry to interrupt, but well, there really aren't a lot of Saiyans left to rule over," he shouted. "And isn't there not much of a point in building a Saiyan Empire with only three Saiyans and two half-Saiyans left?"

Paragus didn't answer, but Vegeta glared at Kakarot, furious at the imbecile's behavior. Why the clown had to have poorer manners than a peasant was beyond him.

But he also had a point. After all, besides himself and Kakarot, the only other pure-blooded Saiyan worth considering appeared to be Paragus.

Tarble didn't count, as far as Vegeta was concerned. Vegeta wasn't sure of whether his foolish brother was alive or not, to begin with, and even if he was, he was on some remote planet that Vegeta didn't remember, and any information regarding his whereabouts had been lost a long time ago. Last, but certainly not least, the imbecile wasn't a proper Saiyan warrior. Even if, after all this time, he had somehow acquired the power level of an elite Saiyan, he would always be the black sheep of the family because of his passiveness and lack of desire to fight. _[Writer's note: A reference to Tarble is included here because the 2008 special, "__Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!", seems to occur at a point in the Dragon Ball universe timeline in which it could realistically occur with no major plot holes, especially since the lack of references to Tarble's existence in the main canon DBZ series can be explained by Vegeta's utter disregard of his brother, which very much seems to have been the case__. Tarble is mentioned here as having the power level of an elite Saiyan because, while Vegeta says that Tarble can't fight in the 2008 special, __that conflicts with Eighteen saying she senses a strong power level approaching. Therefore, it's more likely Tarble is 'unable to fight' because he is soft-hearted, which is supported by the way he is presented in the movie.__**] **_

"The idiot is right," Vegeta said, referring to Kakarot. "There are only a handful of Saiyans to rule over, so rebuilding the empire seems somewhat fruitless at this point. That is, unless you know of something I don't know."

Paragus thought for a moment.

"Well, your Majesty, as far as I know, the last Saiyans alive are myself, you, Kakarot, Raditz, Nappa..."

"Those two are dead," Vegeta said. "Raditz was killed in battle, and I killed Nappa after his usefulness had ended."

Vegeta then spat in a forceful manner, if only to hide the fact that he now, at least somewhat, regretted killing the man.

Paragus paused.

"Oh… in that case, I believe the only full-blooded Saiyans alive are myself, you, Kakarot, and my son."

"You have a son?" Vegeta asked. "Where is this son of yours, then?"

"He is on New Planet Vegeta, waiting for us." Paragus stated. "I left him there to keep an eye on things, and to make sure that everything is ready for you when you get there."

Vegeta nodded at Paragus' statement, not saying anything else. But inwardly, he was starting to lean toward accepting this idea of ruling the new Saiyan Empire. More than he had before, at least. He was a member of royalty, and he had used to dream about a whole empire kneeling in front of him.

But now was not exactly the best time to pursue this dream.

The Cell Games were three days away, and Vegeta had to be here to pluck that overgrown cockroach apart, limb-by-limb. To leave Earth now and begin pursuing the foundation of a new Saiyan Empire seemed as though it would be more than difficult, at best.

As though he had sensed Vegeta's thoughts, Paragus spoke again.

"Your majesty, even if you do not accept my offer at ruling a new Saiyan Empire, please, come with us. We need your help to defeat the Legendary Super Saiyan!"

That sentence was all it took for Paragus to get everyone's full attention again. However, the one who expressed it in the most outward manner was, surprisingly, Vegeta.

"Legendary Super Saiyan?" Vegeta asked, turning around in a flash. "What do you mean?"

Paragus looked at Vegeta straight in the eyes – even though Paragus himself only had one eye.

"I mean that there is one Saiyan survivor I didn't tell you about initially, because he cannot be included in the Saiyan subjects who will be under your rule," Paragus said. "That Saiyan is the Legendary Super Saiyan, the terrible warrior of legend, the one who appears once every 1000 years, and who surpasses limits that are unreachable even by the fiercest warriors of our race, other than himself. He has been on a wild rampage all over the galaxy, and has come perilously close to the vicinity of New Planet Vegeta. If we don't do anything, he will end up destroying it. We have to defeat him, and we need your …"

He momentarily paused, while glancing behind Vegeta.

"…Actually, we would most likely need the help of you and all your comrades to defeat him."

If Vegeta had believed even part of Paragus's speech, it was hard to tell, as no one could know for sure what he was thinking.

However, Paragus's request had a few loopholes, and there was one Vegeta had spotted right away.

"That Legendary Super Saiyan thing is crap," Vegeta said. "Five years ago, I would have bought it, but now, both Kakarot and myself can turn into Super Saiyans. Not only that, but my son and Kakarot's, who are only half-Saiyans, can turn into Super Saiyans. And besides, Kakarot's brat is a child. In case you have any doubts about this, you can see for yourself that Kakarot and his brat are transformed right now. My son and I gain a similar appearance when we transform. The four of us are all Legendary Super Saiyans."

Paragus turned his single eye toward Kakarot and his son, but, for some reason, he didn't seem surprised. Instead, he just started speaking again.

"Your majesty, I am fully aware of what you said about you and Kakarot turning into Super Saiyans," Paragus said. "And I might not have recognized Kakarot and his son if I hadn't been aware that these are not their normal appearances. However, forgive me for saying this, you are not Legendary Super Saiyans. You are Super Saiyans only."

In a different context, Paragus' declaration of Vegeta being a 'mere' Super Saiyan would have been an insult. But now, Vegeta was too confused about Paragus' statement to actually care about that. And apparently, the eight clowns behind him thought the same.

"Be specific," Vegeta ordered.

Paragus took a deep breath.

"Your majesty, the Legendary Super Saiyan is, like the legend says, a Saiyan who is born once every 1,000 years. His natural power at birth is huge, and as he grows older, his power increases exponentially without him ever having to train. From the intelligence I've been able to gather, it appears as though he has been able turn into a Super Saiyan naturally since a very young age, while you, Kakarot, and anyone else who turns into Super Saiyan had to train very hard to get to the required level, and eventually needed a trigger to unlock the transformation. That is why I say he is the Legendary Super Saiyan."

Vegeta nodded. In a way, Paragus was right. After all, there were many definitions for 'legendary' and one of them was to be extraordinary by nature. Paragus was right when he said that he, Kakarot, and all the others had needed to train to reach their current strength.

"I get what you mean," Vegeta said. "But is killing this Legendary Super Saiyan really necessary?"

Vegeta had asked that question for two reasons. One, he didn't want to depart from Earth and risk not returning before the start of the Cell Games. And two, this Legendary Super Saiyan still was one of the last surviving Saiyans. Vegeta had already made a mistake of the same sort by killing Nappa, and he didn't want to make that mistake again.

Paragus locked his single eye on Vegeta, with deadly seriousness radiating from it.

"The Legendary Super Saiyan's bloodthirsty reputation is exactly as the legends about him say. He lives for the thrill of the slaughter, and he knows nothing but to destroy."

"I see…," Vegeta said, meaning it.

Indeed, everything known about the Legendary Super Saiyan did support the fact he was a being consumed by the wish to destroy. After all, that was the reason why Vegeta had, at first, believed one had to be malicious to become a Super Saiyan. Now he knew that wasn't true, but he still didn't know that much about this new Legendary Super Saiyan.

Maybe it was better to check this whole thing out, after all.

Vegeta opened his mouth to ask how long the trip from Earth to New Planet Vegeta was meant to be, but before he did, Kakarot interrupted him again.

"Look, I'm sorry to interrupt, but why do you need us all to defeat the Legendary Super Saiyan?" he asked. "How strong is he exactly?"

"Stronger than you can ever imagine, Kakarot," Paragus replied. "I mean, Goku," he said, correcting himself.

"You know my Earth name?" Kakarot asked, with surprise.

"Yes, I know the name you've acquired," Paragus replied. "After all, you are the Saiyan who defeated Frieza on Planet Namek, and that's the only name Frieza ever used for you."

"How do you know about what happened on Planet Namek?" Piccolo asked. "You weren't even there!"

"That is a long story," was all that Paragus said.

"We have time," Piccolo insisted, not wavering. "And I'm also curious to know how you knew Vegeta was on Earth."

Not even acknowledging Piccolo's statement, Paragus looked at Vegeta, as though to ask him for permission.

"Spill it," Vegeta said right away. After all, he was also curious as to how Paragus could have known about what Kakarot had done on Planet Namek, and even more curious about how exactly Paragus had known to come to Earth.

Nodding at Vegeta, Paragus started speaking.

"When Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, all those years ago, my son and I were lucky enough to have been in the midst of leaving the planet on a mission," Paragus said. "A matter of seconds after we left, I saw Frieza's attack, and then I saw it coming down for Planet Vegeta. In all honesty, I was horrified beyond words. I wish I could have done something to stop Frieza, but I was just … too weak."

Paragus lowered his head, obviously ashamed of himself for such a thought. But Vegeta merely scowled. If even he had taken a lot of healings after being beaten to near-death to be on par with Frieza's first form, he didn't honestly expect that any other Saiyan, especially all those years ago, could have stopped one of Frieza's attacks. However, Vegeta wouldn't admit this out loud.

"As soon as I regained coherent thought, I started focusing my every effort on making Frieza pay for what had happened. Among those efforts, I had spies inside Frieza's forces. One of them was in the group of soldiers that Frieza took to Planet Namek, and another was in the group that Frieza and his father brought here to Earth when they came here."

"Really?" Vegeta asked. "And how did your spy on Namek escape the planet's explosion? Or how did the one among Frieza and King Cold's soldiers escape being killed?"

Paragus smiled smugly, as though he was proud of his excellent choice in spies.

"Fortunately for me, Frieza and his family never had lower-level soldiers counted to the number, probably because they never cared enough about them to do so. And the spies I employed had the ability to suppress their energies. My spy on Namek watched all of the fight against Frieza until that despicable bastard threw down the attack that catalyzed the planet's explosion. By that point, he left the planet, on a Space Pod that had belonged to one of the members of the Ginyu Force. And in the case of my operative who was with Frieza on Earth, well,… it's possible that my spy is still somewhere on this planet, although it's spy had been watching events from inside Cold's spaceship and had transmitted information to me in real-time, and I lost contact with him around the time that Cold's spaceship was apparently destroyed, presumably by that boy over there, who, must be your son, based on the fact you said that your son and Kakarot's son can become Super Saiyans, and my spy reported that this boy became a Super Saiyan in his fight with Frieza."

"That 'boy,' you referred to is my son Trunks," Vegeta stated crisply. "Therefore, you are meant to refer to him and address him as 'Prince Trunks,' understood?"

Paragus, for many reasons, was still having a hard time accepting the notion that Vegeta indeed had a son, and upon further contemplating the implications of this, his smug grin had replaced by an extremely confused look. At first, Vegeta was somewhat puzzled over such a reaction, but then, he realized there were things to be puzzled about. To begin with, the fact that Vegeta, at 35 years old, had a son who indeed was 20 years old, but who hadn't been born 20 years ago, could be seen as somewhat shocking, as in Saiyan culture, Saiyans usually weren't parents at such a young age. Also, Trunks was not a typical Saiyan name. _[Writer's note: There is no canon reference to what is the usual age for a Saiyan to have a child, but it is logical to assume that, just as is the case with most cultures that have been observed in real life at the social and technological levels of development of the Saiyans by the time Planet Vegeta was destroyed, it is unusual for Saiyans to be parents at such a young age, especially if we consider that they are meant to live longer than humans.]_

After a moment, however, Paragus' confused air disappeared, and he bowed respectfully at them.

"Of course, your majesty. Forgive me for my mistake."

Turning to Trunks, he added, "And it is an honor to meet you, Prince Trunks."

Trunks looked somewhat taken aback by Paragus' greeting. Seeing the boy's reaction, Vegeta couldn't help but to think that such an Earthling manner of education had been detrimental for his son from the future. However, Paragus didn't press the matter for long, and instead returned to the previous topic of conversation.

"Either way, your majesty, I learned through those spies that you were still alive, and as such, the Saiyan Empire could still carry on. I've spent the last many years making meticulous preparations for it. Now that everything is almost ready, I have come to make this offer to you."

Paragus bowed deeply at the waist as he finished his statement.

Vegeta couldn't help but to be mildly impressed. Obviously, Paragus was a firm believer in Saiyan supremacy, not to mention that he seemed to know what he was doing, to have managed to spy inconspicuously on Frieza's forces for so long. Under those considerations, ruling the new Saiyan Empire that Paragus had set the foundations for sounded ever more appealing.

But if Vegeta was mildly impressed, the others didn't seem to be that way. Piccolo, however, seemed particularly suspicious about something. And he wasted no time voicing it.

"Wait," Piccolo demanded. "If you have spied on the fight against Frieza on Planet Namek, then you certainly know of what Frieza did to Vegeta there. And if that's the case, how come you aren't surprised that Vegeta is still alive, and instead actually expected to find him here?"

Sounding as though Piccolo had deeply insulted him, Paragus stated, "Why, because I was sure you'd resurrect him with the Dragon Balls, of course!"

That statement immediately made everyone wary.

"You know of the Dragon Balls?" Trunks asked.

For a moment, Paragus looked like he was about to snap at Trunks, but instead, he calmed down at the last moment, he said, "Of course, my prince. I know of the Dragon Balls from the old Planet Namek, and I also heard that there was another set on Earth. Even if the old Planet Namek was destroyed – quite probably taking the Namekian Dragon Balls with it – I knew that the Dragon Balls on Earth would be usable."

Vegeta noticed the inaccurate part about Paragus' explanation, which was his statement that the Namekian Dragon Balls had been destroyed with Planet Namek. But if Paragus' spy had left Planet Namek right after Frieza had catalyzed its destruction, then Paragus couldn't have known of what had taken place on Planet Namek after that. And Vegeta didn't have the patience to correct his subject.

"If you know of the Dragon Balls, how come you never used them to wish for that new Saiyan Empire of yours?" Krillin asked.

Then, as if he'd wanted to be polite for some reason, he added, "I mean, no one has ever known of a Saiyan other than Goku who is aware of the Dragon Balls' existence and never wanted to use them for some sort of selfish purpose."

Paragus glared at Krillin with his single eye. "An empire built through a giant lizard's witchcraft would not be an empire worthy of any Saiyan."

Paragus said that with such vehemence and disgust that it had left an impression. And although he didn't say it, Vegeta immediately considered Paragus even more of a true Saiyan as a result of this statement. Indeed, there was no honor in having some overgrown scaly worm complete a Saiyan's task in his place.

But even if the others seemed reassured, Kakarot still seemed adamant at insisting on a certain point.

"I'm sorry, but I sort of have to insist on my previous question," Goku said. "Just how strong is this Legendary Super Saiyan? How come we can't sense him from here? Because, as you might have figured out, we can all sense power levels. And we are scheduled to face a very powerful being, Cell, in three days. Cell is so powerful that even without him using his full power, his energy can be sensed as far away as New Namek, a planet extremely far away from here. If this Legendary Super Saiyan can't be sensed from here, he just may not be that strong, after all."

Without the slightest hesitation, as though he had been expecting that question, Paragus said, "The Legendary Super Saiyan's reputation moves across space far quicker than the Legendary Super Saiyan himself. At this exact moment, he is even farther away from New Planet Vegeta than New Planet Vegeta is from the Earth. But he is in a completely opposite direction. And the combined distance is simply too big for even his power to be felt all the way from his different location to Earth."

Kakarot appeared to back down somewhat, as though he had no argument against that. Still, it didn't seem to be really enough, as he said something else.

"But you know, even if this Legendary Super Saiyan is that strong, well, we're sort of busy at the moment, and we can't really leave Earth right now," Goku said. "If we're not at Cell's arena in three days, he will just destroy the whole planet. I'm not sure how long the journey to New Planet Vegeta takes, but it will certainly be too long in the end."

Although he wasn't exactly fond of agreeing with anything that came out of that imbecile's mouth, Vegeta nodded. Indeed, Cell was his primary matter to take care of, rather than this newfound business with the revived Saiyan Empire.

"The clown has a point," Vegeta said. "The Legendary Super Saiyan and the new Saiyan Empire are not my first priority. Cell, however, is someone I have a score to settle with – and I'm going to be here to tear him apart with my bare hands when the time for his wretched tournament comes."

"Prince Vegeta, three days is more than enough for you to travel to New Planet Vegeta and then return to Earth," Paragus stated. "My ship can go there in eight hours only."

"This ship is that fast?" Vegeta asked, with surprise.

"Yes," Paragus said. "Ever since I thought of starting our new empire, my minions and I all have worked hard to take Saiyan technology to whole new levels, so that like our bodies after a fight, our race will rise stronger than it has ever been before."

For a long moment, Vegeta stood where he was, considering the situations at hand. While he wanted more than almost everything to be here to destroy the conceited overgrown cockroach that Cell was, the idea of ruling over a new Saiyan Empire had its appeal. And if he would be able to come back before the Cell Games started, briefly visiting New Planet Vegeta and helping Paragus seemed to be a viable option.

"Very well then," Vegeta said. "Let's see that Legendary Super Saiyan. Or at least, I will. Probably the clowns will want to stay here."

"I have to talk to Chi Chi," Goku said. "I'm not sure if she will let either me or Gohan go to such a place on such short notice – and besides, I don't want to make this sort of journey without telling her."

"Well, if mom lets us, I'm going." Gohan said.

Vegeta scoffed in the most audible way he could muster. Pathetic low-class fighters who needed to ask permission from a woman! A proper Saiyan warrior would never lower himself to do such a thing.

But the truth was that he, inwardly, couldn't help but think that, if he did follow through with this new idea of ruling over New Planet Vegeta, sooner or later he'd have to confront Bulma about it. He could already guess she wasn't going to be pleased about the idea – and for some reason, picturing her reaction made him a tad bit… uneasy, for lack of a better word.

Oh well, that was a concern for when he actually followed through with ruling the new Saiyan Empire. As for now, he was merely going to see how much truth there was to Paragus' stories, and how much potential the new Saiyan Empire could have.

"I'm also going," Trunks said.

Vegeta couldn't help but feel relieved at the fact that the boy hadn't mentioned asking his mother for permission – although why he hadn't done so was a bit of a mystery to Vegeta.

"So am I," Piccolo stated, without giving any special reason to do so.

"In that case, I guess we're also going," Krillin said, referring to himself and the other humans. "Right guys?"

Vegeta saw that all of the baldy's human friends nodded.

"Sure," Tien said.

"I'm on it," Yamcha added.

"I'll go too," Chiaotzu piped in.

Chiaotzu's declaration was met with worried looks from most of his friends. However, none of them was as worried as Tien.

"I would prefer if you stayed here, Chiaotzu," Tien said. "This Legendary Super Saiyan sounds as though he could be a big threat."

"I will find some way to help," Chiaotzu insisted. "And I am not going to stay alone on Earth while all of you go who-knows-where in outer space."

"Fair enough," Tien said, and then turned toward Goku and the others. "In that case, we are all going."

"Then just wait a little bit," Goku said. "I just have to talk to Chi-Chi about this, and I'll be right back."

With that, Goku raised two fingers to his forehead, and he vanished.

* * *

While Vegeta and the others waited for Goku to come back from his conversation with his wife, Cell, standing in the middle of his ring, tried his best to use his energy-sensing skills to know what was going on at the place where those beings he had felt arriving had landed.

If they had been much closer, even within five kilometers, he might have been able to hear them thanks to Dr. Gero's enhancements of the superior Namekian hearing powers that had been incorporated into his design.

If Goku and his friends had been off-guard, he would have gone there and actually tried to eavesdrop, but for them to let their guard down enough for Cell to approach unnoticed, they had to be fighting. And so far, they weren't fighting.

From what Cell could tell, Goku's friends and the mysterious beings that had arrived were simply standing there, as though they were waiting for something. Most likely, they were presently waiting for Goku, as Cell could sense that he was away from the others, back at his home. Either way, it was obvious that there had been neither fighting, nor anything that indicated aggressiveness. In fact, no one besides Goku had even left the spot where the beings' spaceship – at least, Cell assumed they had come on a spaceship – had landed. This meant that Cell couldn't go and eavesdrop without the possibility of being noticed. Even if he tried to move there after suppressing his power level, the warriors of Earth would almost assuredly sense his power level disappearing, and their guard would be up, which would mean that they would be especially careful regarding information that could slip out to eavesdroppers.

Because of this, Cell decided to remain at his place in the center of the arena.

For the briefest of moments, Cell wondered if these mysterious beings – whomever they were – were some sort of reinforcements that Goku and his friends had summoned to help them at the Cell Games, three days from now.

But he dismissed the possibility as soon as he thought about it. Although there were a lot of those weaker beings, they were ridiculously weak even when put together. Even the strongest of those beings – who, if Cell wasn't wrong, was indeed a Saiyan – had a laughable power level. And although it was possible that he possessed the skill to turn into a Great Ape, his power level would be pathetic anyway – compared to his own, at least. Besides, it was obvious for the bio-android that none of these strange beings were suppressing their power levels. Cell was skilled at sensing power levels, and even from a distance, he could tell if a being was suppressing his power or not, although he couldn't always tell by how much. The only exceptions to that rule were with beings who could transform, like Saiyans – although even then, if he knew the standard multiplier of the being's transformation, he would be able to make a reasoned guess regarding its full power.

Whatever was going on there, it was clearly not worth his time. It was only an incidental break from the boring routine of standing like a statue in the middle of his ring.

Of course, there would be plenty of time to make up for his boredom. After the destruction of the Earth's defenders, and then the planet's own decimation, these victories would taste all that sweeter because of the time he had spent waiting to achieve these goals.

* * *

After 15 minutes of waiting, Goku finally came back to the place where the space ship had landed, finding a swarm of impatient faces as he materialized on the spot.

Not that he blamed them. After all, Chi Chi's lectures could be quite long, although Goku had grown somewhat used to them.

"Well then, dad? What did mom say?" he asked.

"We're going, son," Goku said.

Gohan looked neither hopeful nor dismayed at the information. He simply accepted it, as though it made no difference for him.

"Now that we're all accounted for, if you will please follow me," Paragus said with a wave of his right hand, beckoning the others to come toward the ship.

Without anything else that needed to be discussed, the Z-Fighters, as well as Paragus' soldiers, started to walk toward the open hatch.

* * *

Standing on the tiled floor of Kami's Lookout, Dende used his energy sensing skills to follow the space ship's route as it left the Earth's atmosphere.

As he sensed the Z-Fighters departing, a deep frown became etched on his face.

It was bad enough that the terrible monster Cell was close to starting his reign of terror unless he was stopped, but to have yet another threat to deal with was not a good sign.

And to top it all, that threat was meant to be a Legendary Super Saiyan, or so Dende had heard when he had overseen his friends' conversation with Paragus, thanks to his useful but still rudimentary Guardian powers.

Everything about this matter made him uneasy.

And the fact Goku and the others had left the Earth unprotected with that fiend Cell still on it didn't help him in any way. Although Dende knew they could return instantly at any time, thanks to that technique Goku possessed, he still didn't particularly like the idea of them leaving the planet, even if it was to take care of another threat.

'I only hope that nothing bad happens while they are away,' the young guardian thought, with his eyes still locked on the sky.

* * *

A little more than eight hours after it had left the Earth, the colossal acorn-shaped spaceship had landed on New Planet Vegeta, after finishing its journey across space.

Paragus' minions had gone ahead on foot, but Vegeta, Paragus, and the other passengers had stayed behind at first to wait for transportation.

After a few minutes, they all were on vehicles reminiscent of Yajirobe's car, except for the fact they worked on an auto-pilot mode. Those vehicles were hovering over a pathway built on top of a ridge, as they took the occupiers to a castle seen on the end of the pathway – which wasn't all that far away from the end of the ridge. Even from the distance, Vegeta could tell it was impressive, much bigger than his father's former palace back on Planet Vegeta.

The planet also appeared to be better than the former Planet Vegeta, as it appeared to be full of lush vegetation and large lakes of clear water. On the limit of eye-reach, high buildings that undoubtedly belonged to a big city could be seen._ [Writer's note: The closest canon sources regarding the quality of the original Planet Vegeta's landscape are uncut DBZ episode 20, "Goku's Ancestors," and the TV Special "Bardock – The Father of Goku." In both of those, Planet Vegeta seems to have a poor landscape. While certain anime flashbacks present Planet Vegeta differently, episode 20 and the Bardock special should be regarded as much more canonical due to their greater breadths of depicting the planet.] _

All in all, Vegeta had to admit that, although nothing could replace his old home, no matter how barren it may have been, this New Planet Vegeta was definitely a very good place from which to begin his rule.

"As I said on our way here, my biggest wish has always been to establish a new Planet Vegeta, after Frieza destroyed our old planet 30 years ago," Paragus said to Vegeta in the front car. "I knew it was the only way of continuing the rule of King Vegeta, your father, who was eliminated by Frieza in terrible, humiliating circumstances. Now that I have found you and convinced you to follow me, I know that my dream will come true."

Vegeta grunted in response. It would be beneath a Saiyan king to show any other sort of feeling to Paragus' speech. And besides, Paragus had insulted him deeply by daring to insinuate that they would need Kakarot and all the other morons to defeat this Legendary Super Saiyan. Paragus had even wanted to wait for Kakarot to convince his harpy to let him and his spawn go to New Planet Vegeta – all because Paragus had said they would need the help of both Kakarot and the brat to defeat the Legendary Super Saiyan, not to mention the help of all the others.

The mere thought still made Vegeta feel deeply insulted. Vegeta considered himself to be able to lay waste to any Super Saiyan – Legendary or not – without help, and he would demonstrate this as soon as he got half the chance.

But other than his tremendous insult, Paragus was turning out to be impressive so far, at least if the spaceship he had prepared and the planet he had cultivated were anything to go by. Considering that New Planet Vegeta was about as far from the Earth as the old Planet Namek had been from Earth – albeit in an opposite direction – and that this acorn-shaped spaceship had made the way in eight hours when an old standard Space Pod would have taken at least a month, it was obvious that Paragus had significantly invested resources toward technological development. And the planet had an excellent environment, judging from the forests and the lakes. If everything else Paragus had invested in had been improved in the same proportions, the new Saiyan Empire was off to an excellent start. Although it would be beneath him to outwardly show this feeling, Vegeta was thrilled at the idea of ruling it. _[Writer's note: Regarding the distances described in the paragraph above, the following shall be established: 1 – The spaceship Goku used to travel to the original Planet Namek had the same speed as an old Saiyan Space Pod. 2 – Paragus' spaceship is much faster than an old Saiyan Space Pod._ _3 – Planet New Vegeta is much farther from the Earth than New Namek._ _This reasoning has been made so that Cell could not sense the energies of any of the warriors on Planet New Vegeta. Had Planet New Vegeta been much closer, Cell would have sensed Goku's and Gohan's energies, and in turn, he would already know how strong they were by the time he fought them, which would create an inconsistency with the canon series' plot and which was a potential plot hole of the original Movie 8. Also, had Cell been able to sense Broly's energy, the overall dialogue flow of the canon Cell Games would have been very different, especially since Cell would have been aware of Broly's power.]_

Behind the vehicle that was carrying Vegeta and Paragus, the others rode in a vehicle that looked more like a pick-up truck, and which didn't have seats. Comfort, after all, wasn't much of a concern for them. Goku, however, was keeping his left hand on his forehead, as if he was suffering from a headache.

"Is everything alright, dad?" Gohan asked, worriedly.

"Yes, son," he said. "Don't worry. I'll be alright."

"Then why do you look so sick?" Chiaotzu asked him.

"Nothing special, Chiaotzu. It's just that my ears are still buzzing after the tongue-lashing Chi Chi gave me when I told her where I was going. I honestly don't know how I managed to convince her of that one."

Trunks looked puzzled, as though he couldn't believe Chi Chi's lectures could have such an effect that someone could still be affected by them eight hours after they had taken place. The others, however, merely nodded in understanding.

"Oh man, I so get what you mean," Yamcha said. "Even without living with Chi Chi, I know enough about her to imagine how she would have reacted to such a request."

Piccolo gave Goku a stern look.

"Goku, this is not a moment for jokes," The Namek pointed out.

"I don't think Goku's making a joke, Piccolo," Krillin remarked. "And you should know better than anyone. To begin with, you spent the whole period in which we trained for the fight against the Androids with Goku's family. And besides, didn't you learn how to drive only because Chi Chi also lectured you on the matter?"

Piccolo glared at Krillin, but obviously, the memory of the event was still fresh in his mind, because he didn't reply.

Tien moved away from the wall of the cargo area he had been leaning against.

"Piccolo is right," he said. "This is not the time for jokes. In fact, we should all be concerned."

"What do you mean, Tien?" Gohan asked.

"For starters, this whole matter with the Legendary Super Saiyan. If the Legendary Super Saiyan is as strong as Paragus says, then why have none of us ever sensed him? Besides, the fact Paragus needs all of us to defeat him is suspicious. What if this is just a plan for him to get his henchmen on the Earth, so that they can conquer it while it is unprotected? And besides, even if this isn't some plan of Paragus, surely Cell sensed us leaving, just like he must have sensed Paragus and his soldiers. Who's to say Cell won't start destroying the planet a few days ahead of time?"

Tien said all of that in a single tirade. And indeed, his words seemed as though they had made all the others consider the same points, judging from the concerned way they were looking at Goku, as though they had feared some huge oversight. Goku, however, simply gave them one of his usual relaxed smiles, before he gave a calm reply.

"If that happens, we will know," Goku said.

His answer was met with general puzzlement. Only Piccolo didn't seem amazed – but that was most likely because Piccolo was of the stoic type.

"How can we know, Goku?" Trunks asked.

"Well, on our way here, I made sure to talk to King Kai through telepathy. I explained the situation to him, and asked him to keep an eye on Earth, and let me know if any of Paragus' minions go there while we're here. And as he will be keeping an eye on Earth, he'll also be keeping an eye on Cell. If Cell tries anything, King Kai will tell me, and I can transmit us all back there. I remember our route through space, so I just have to search for Dende's and Mr. Popo's energies in that direction, and then we'll all be back on Earth." _[Writer's note: There are several instances in which Goku reveals that he can speak to King Kai telepathically out of his own initiative. Those instances are in uncut DBZ episode 36, "Picking Up The Pieces," and in uncut DBZ episode 101, "The Last Wish". It is also made clear on various occasions that telepathic conversations between King Kai and someone else, or between one person who talks through King Kai and someone else, are, as a general rule, heard only by those that King Kai wants to listen to them. Also, it is logical that Goku would have talked to King Kai through telepathy, because he didn't know how skilled Paragus and his minions were at sensing energy, and he didn't want them to ask any questions in case they sensed he had gone someplace that wasn't his house.]_

By the end of his speech, everyone on the vehicle was staring at him, some with their mouths agape, as though they hadn't expected Goku to be capable of making that sort of planning ahead of time. Only Piccolo still seemed unfazed by the reveal, which probably meant he was capable of eavesdropping on telepathic conversations.

"Well, it looks like you got everything covered them," Tien said. The others gave him nods of agreement.

A moment after Tien spoke, their attentions were caught by something else.

A group of possibly thousands of soldiers similar to the ones that had been with them on Paragus' space ship – in fact, a few of them were bound to be the same that had been on the ship – were standing in front of the castle, waiting for them.

When the passengers jumped out of their cars, the soldiers seemed indifferent to the presence of most of them, but as soon as they saw Vegeta, all of them started cheering for him, and shouting, "All hail King Vegeta! All hail King Vegeta!"

'Wow, Vegeta's probably loving this!' Goku thought, as the soldiers all made way for Vegeta and Paragus to approach the castle.

"Your majesty, I have gathered these subjects from all over the galaxy to have them at your service," Paragus pointed out rather unnecessarily, as he and Vegeta walked into the palace, followed by the others.

Standing at the castle's entrance was a tall, muscular, shirtless man with black hair and dark eyes. He was wearing baggy white trousers with a strange red piece of fabric tied over them, and both of those garments were held up by a belt made of golden metal with a green stone in its center. The boots and wrist bracers he was wearing appeared to be made of the same metal, and each also had a green stone, as was the case with the large boomerang-shaped pendant he was wearing and the strange headband he had around his forehead. To finish the set, he had a tight metal band around his neck, others around each of his upper arms, and a pair of golden earrings.

All in all, he looked quite fond of jewelry.

"This is my son," Paragus explained to Vegeta. "He also is at your service."

"My name is Broly," the man said in a strangely quiet, almost mechanical voice that made Goku frown in suspicion.

"You are indeed a Saiyan?" Vegeta asked.

"Yes," Broly replied.

"Where's your tail, then?"

"I lost it." _[Writer's note: In the original Movie 8, it is never positively confirmed whether Broly has a tail or not. Toriyama's design sheets depict him with a tail, but he is never clearly seen with a tail in the original movie. It's valid to assume that he has it wrapped around his waist like Saiyans typically do, however, seeing as he doesn't have a tail visible in any way, it is also quite possible, and in fact quite logical, that Paragus cut off Broly's tail and cauterized the tail's basis so that it wouldn't grow back. Kami does a similar thing to Goku through his magic, but it's valid to assume that surgical cauterization would also work. Paragus would very likely have done so because Broly as a Great Ape would just be too dangerous and too out of control, and he couldn't take that chance.]_

Again, there was no emotion in Broly's voice. He neither seemed bothered by the fact he had lost his tail, nor did he seem to miss it – it was just as if he was stating a comment, nothing else. It seemed as if he was devoid of feelings.

"An unfortunate accident," Paragus quickly said. "He lost his tail when he was young, and unfortunately, it hasn't grown back yet. But I assure you, my son's loyalty to you is unquestionable."

It seemed, from Vegeta's perspective at least, that Paragus was trying to make sure Broly wouldn't be less valuable only because he didn't have a tail. There had been a time when Vegeta would have given the matter importance, but now, as Vegeta knew that it had been a long time since he had possessed a tail himself, he felt as though he lacked the nerve to criticize any Saiyan on that regard.

"Well, seeing as you are all so serious to serve me, then let's get down to business," Vegeta said, addressing Paragus. "Where is this Legendary Super Saiyan?"

"Your majesty, the exact whereabouts of the Legendary Super Saiyan are uncertain as of now," Paragus said. "Like you and your comrades, he can lower his power level when he is not fighting, which means we only have a sure way of sensing him when he is in action."

Vegeta glared at Paragus, supremely displeased by that sort of answer.

Paragus immediately noticed this.

"However, I have information on the planets that the Legendary Super Saiyan has attacked recently," Paragus said. "Maybe with this information, I can discover a pattern in his attacks, and find where he's going next, so that we can catch him there."

"You could have done it before arriving on Earth and asking me to come here," Vegeta pointed out.

"Of course, your majesty," Paragus said, kneeling in front of Vegeta. "Please forgive me for my tactical mistake."

"Talk less and work more," Vegeta commanded.

Paragus jumped to his feet.

"Of course, Your Majesty," he said, as he began to enter the castle.

"Hey!" Goku called up to Paragus and Vegeta. "What about us?"

In his haste to obey Vegeta's order, Paragus didn't even stop. However, Vegeta turned around to address those who had traveled to this planet with him.

"The lot of you may go for a walk or do whatever the hell you want, just as long as you stay out of my way," Vegeta said. "And above all, don't think about interfering in my efforts to personally defeat the Legendary Super Saiyan. Got it?"

Without waiting for their answer, Vegeta walked into the castle to get a better view of what his residence would be when he ruled his yet to be born empire.

As soon as Vegeta entered the castle, he noticed that Paragus appeared to be looking at some sort of monitor that had been mounted on the wall to the left of the entrance hallway.

"Paragus, I meant to ask you earlier, how many Saiyans, exactly, do you know of who are still alive besides the Legendary Super Saiyan, Kakarot, ourselves and our sons?"

Paragus appeared to be somewhat startled by the sudden question, although he then turned to face Vegeta.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anyone else," Paragus said with a sigh, as he began to slightly pace across the entrance hallway. "But the empire will be glorious even so. And at the very least, my king, your assertion of the might of our race through the reborn Saiyan Empire will signify to all the galaxy our race's ultimate triumph over Frieza."

Vegeta pondered these words, and their implications made him grin.

* * *

_[Writer's note: One of the differences made to Broly's character in order to make him more realistic is the fact that he doesn't have a particular hatred for "Kakarot," unlike his movie incarnation, who behaves like a psychotic zombie at the sight of "Kakarot." Such a change was made because, from a realistic point of view, the way how Broly keeps such a crazy and obsessive hatred for Goku during all of his life simply because Goku's constant crying got on his nerves when they were babies is highly illogical. Rest assured, he will still be wild, out of control, and extremely dangerous, but his psychological motivations are going to be different.]_

"Man…," Goku said as he watched Vegeta walking away. "This new planet sure has Vegeta's spirits up."

"Indeed," Piccolo nodded, his eyes boring holes into the retreating Saiyan Prince's back.

"He must be the only one," Gohan said. "I don't know about you, but this whole thing just gives me the creeps."

"I completely agree, Gohan," Trunks replied. "I don't know why my father is so fascinated by all this when we should all be back on Earth getting ready to fight Cell. As long as we're here, though, we might as well make the most of this time."

Only Goku and Piccolo remained quiet, although it wasn't because they didn't agree that the situation was something to be worried about. But letting their feelings of worry overcome them would do them no good. What they had to do was deal with their problems. Like getting Vegeta to snap out of this foolish thought of being the king of New Planet Vegeta.

And perhaps, they could help Vegeta by enabling him to understand more about a certain Saiyan who was behaving very strangely.

Goku's eyes locked onto Paragus' son, who was still standing where he had been, still like a statue. Besides him and his friends, he was the only one still there, as all of Paragus' minions had flown off to somewhere around the planet after Paragus and Vegeta had gone into the castle.

Broly… there was something weird about him. Not only was his voice the blankest Goku had ever heard, but his energy was the most subdued and static Goku had ever felt before. It was undeniably strong – as strong as Captain Ginyu's, in fact – but it was also blank and empty. Usually, it was possible to be aware of someone's state of mind, or even basic personality, through feeling out his energy. However, Broly didn't convey any emotion at all with his energy, as if he was a machine instead of a being made of flesh and bone. To put it in straight terms, Broly didn't think, and instead, he just was.

At least, it was the impression that Goku's senses were giving him. In fact if Goku hadn't known that mechanical beings do not often have detectable energy signatures, he would have bet his head on the fact that Broly was some sort of drone.

However, Broly was clearly a living being – but the most unresponsive living being Goku had ever seen. Goku felt that it might be worth it to get Broly to respond to some sort of action.

Walking airily toward Broly, Goku started speaking to him.

"Hey, Broly, while your father's busy trying to help Vegeta with finding the Legendary Super Saiyan, how about you give us a tour of this planet?" Goku asked. "After all, my son and I are Saiyans as well, just like Trunks over there. So I guess this means we're going to get to see each other much more often from now on, with Vegeta ruling our new planet and such."

'Well, that looked natural,' Goku thought.

It had, but it also went against every bit of his nature. Goku had never truly cared about being a Saiyan, and he certainly didn't want to play along with Vegeta's deluded dream of restarting the Saiyan Empire. Goku loathed every single thing about the stereotypes of his race – eagerness of destruction and willfulness of oppression among them. The only thing Goku was grateful about regarding his Saiyan ancestry was the level of power that the fact of being a Saiyan had allowed him to reach, and even that was only because it had allowed him to defeat countless villains who had wanted to oppress others and spread destruction on Earth and throughout the galaxy. However, he had to play a convincing role if he was to get to know more about this strange Saiyan. Hopefully, Broly would buy it.

Goku didn't know for sure if Broly had believed the act, but it seemed as though Gohan, Picollo and the others had, considering their shocked expressions.

"Goku!" Piccolo shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Calm down, Piccolo," Goku replied. "I only want our good friend here to give us a guided tour of this planet. After all, it looks like it will be the new home of some of us."

The shock in the others' faces increased.

'_Just play along, okay?'_ he said to his friends telepathically. _'I'm trying to figure out more about this guy, and if you start acting like that, it will be hard to do it.'_ _[Writer's note: Goku has been shown in canon to have the capacity to communicate telepathically, and has used this ability on several occasions. He uses it in uncut DBZ episode 34, "Krillin's Offensive," to talk to Gohan, in uncut DBZ episode 35, "Mercy," to talk to Great Ape Gohan and to Krillin, and in uncut DBZ episode 240, "Revival," to talk to Dende.]_

Looks of understanding dawned onto his son's and friends' faces, and Goku recognized that they had also likely sensed something strange regarding Broly's energy. After that, the others' expressions became more natural, and they simply stood aside, silently watching Goku's attempt at figuring things out. Hopefully, their shocked looks and Piccolo's exclamation hadn't ruined Goku's plan to figure out more about Broly.

But in the end, it turned out that Goku's speech seemingly hadn't had any effect on Broly whatsoever. While Broly did move his head toward Goku when he was addressed, the taller Saiyan didn't seem to have reacted at all emotionally. Indeed, there weren't the slightest of fluctuations in his energy, which would have been potentially indicative of any changes in his state of mind. It was as if his movement had been mechanical.

Goku decided to try a different approach.

"Alright then, you don't want to show us around. In that case, why don't we spar?" he asked, while entering a fighting stance.

Yet again, Broly did not react at all. That by itself was strange, as after all, Broly was a Saiyan, and therefore, it was expected that he would at least have some sort of eagerness at the prospect of a fight. Confused that not even the mention of a spar seemed to get Broly out of his catatonic state, Goku decided to behave like a complete moron, much like most people seemed to give him credit for.

"Come on Broly, you know what it means to spar, don't you?" Goku asked. "Doesn't the idea of the two of us powering up to our fullest, brawling around, punching each other like uncivilized fools, and trashing the place as much as we can during the process appeal to you even a tiny bit?"

Not waiting for Broly to answer, Goku jumped out at him like a petulant kid and punched his cheek. Broly immediately soared about five meters backwards, falling flat on his back.

"Dad!" Gohan called out in a tone that was decidedly disapproving.

Piccolo shot Gohan a critical look. He had already realized what Goku was trying to do, and while he didn't think that wanting to engage in a brawl with Paragus' son like a moron was exactly the best of choices, it was without a doubt something that was likely to bring about at least some sort of response out of Broly.

Goku turned back at his son for a moment.

"_Don't worry, Gohan. I'm just testing his emotional state,_" Goku said to his son through telepathy. "_I want to be certain he's more than some sort of machine. And he's a Saiyan, so provoking him into a fight is the surest way to get a response from him._"

Sensing Broly's energy spiking up, Goku turned around and focused his eyes on the taller Saiyan. Broly was getting back on his feet, rubbing his cheek. A figurative fire of rage was burning within his eyes as he growled at Goku. Goku couldn't help but to feel a certain sense of accomplishment at having managed to get Broly out of his torpor.

Broly's overall power was increasing rapidly. In an instant, it had gone from Captain Ginyu's level to the around the level Frieza had possessed when he had been in his most repressed form.

Satisfied that he had gotten a reaction out of Broly, Goku decided to move on to another step. It was time to check out how strong Broly truly was.

As soon as he was standing straight, a white aura of energy flared around Broly, and his power level started skyrocketing. In mere moments, it went from being comparable to Frieza's power level in his most repressed form to roughly 50 percent of the maximum power level of Frieza's true form, the one he had been in when Goku had fought him on Planet Namek.

And Broly's overall power kept increasing from there, with his aura radiating ever more outwardly as time passed. Tiny cracks started appearing on the floor beneath him, and a sudden wind picked up, blowing outwards from his aura. Even the tiny jewel in the middle of the headband he had around his forehead was glowing.

'Whoa,' Goku thought. 'Who would have known he could suppress his power level?'

It had not been apparent to any of the warriors from Earth that Broly was capable of that skill. Because of this, none of them had known he could become comparatively so strong. And his power level was still increasing, to the point where it had become comparatively superior to Frieza's at full power when Goku had fought him on Namek. For a moment, Goku had the impression that Broly's pupils were starting to change color. However, right then, a voice caught his attention.

"Broly! What do you think you're doing?" Paragus asked, while approaching the area in a hurried fashion.

Almost immediately after Paragus had yelled, Broly's aura dissipated, and his energy level dropped to a point at which it had been before – at about the level of Captain Ginyu.

A few moments later, Paragus was within one meter of Broly, and he had adorned a decidedly angry look on his face.

But what was he doing here? When had he come?

"I have specifically told you time after time: do not mingle with our visitors when they arrive!" Paragus shouted at his son.

It seemed strange, from Goku's perspective, to see Paragus scolding a man who was no less than 30 years old as though he was a little boy.

"We are meant to serve our new King Vegeta, not to socialize and brawl like we have nothing better to do," Paragus shouted. "So don't just engage in a brawl with Kakarot as though you were an idiot. Get it?"

"Hey!" Goku shouted at him. "Who do you think you are to scold him like that? He's an adult, and he can make whatever decisions he wants without having to ask for your approval."

Paragus turned his only eye on him.

"He has always been undisciplined," Paragus stated simply. "If I'm not around to keep him in check, he may do something dangerous. So be warned, Kakarot; from now on, stay away from my son, and do not try to interact with him. After all, you already did enough damage to him when you were a baby."

That statement made Goku scratch his head – curiously enough, exactly on the same spot where his head had been hit as a child, and which had resulted in his personality dramatically shifting.

"Pardon me?" Goku asked in total puzzlement.

Growling in disdain, Paragus explained himself.

"You and Broly were born on the same day, were placed in adjacent cribs, and you were always crying to the top of your lungs. And because of that, Broly could never have a moment of peace."

Unable to think of anything else to do at the moment, Goku shrugged apologetically.

"I didn't know," he said. "But hey, I was a baby; I couldn't help myself then."

Before Paragus could reply, Goku heard another voice.

"Instead of being burdened with having to listen to any more about Kakarot's childhood, I demand to know what's going on here!"

Everyone turned toward the voice.

"Vegeta!" Tien let out in surprise.

"What are you doing here, father?" Trunks asked.

"You fool. What else would I be doing here? I sensed Broly's energy level increasing!"

Turning to Broly and Paragus, Vegeta shouted.

"And I demand explanations as to why that happened!"

Broly didn't react. Again, his energy seemed to have returned to its static, dull state. However, Paragus replied hastily, looking quite nervous.

"Nothing special happened, your majesty," Paragus said. "My son simply reacted in too extreme a manner when Kakarot provoked him. Why Kakarot would do such a thing, I'm not sure."

"I just wanted to challenge him to a spar," Goku said. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Vegeta turned toward Goku, with a disgusted sneer on his lips.

"You're pathetic, Kakarot," Vegeta said. "On your first day as a subject of the reborn Saiyan Empire, instead of acting like a true Saiyan warrior, you're further cementing your overall status as a moron. You're the biggest shame of our race!"

Goku stood where he was without answering. He didn't want to explain himself to Vegeta in front of Paragus, even through telepathy. Any attempt at explaining would make Vegeta show some outward signs, and Paragus could find it suspicious.

Vegeta then turned toward Paragus to address him.

"As for you, Paragus, while it is certainly a relief to know you are capable of disciplining your son, I thought you had some more important things to do, like discovering the whereabouts of the Legendary Super Saiyan."

"Right away, your majesty," Paragus said, before running off to wherever he had his data on the Legendary Super Saiyan's actions.

Vegeta turned to Broly.

"As for you, I don't care what you do, but right now, just get out of my sight!"

Broly walked away – but again, there had been no fluctuation in his energy that suggested any emotion. His movement had been nearly mechanical. However, Vegeta didn't seem to notice – or mind – that.

"At least someone around here knows authority when he sees it," Vegeta said, while grinning at Goku and his friends, before he walked away.

Even out of the corner of his eye, Goku could see Trunks shaking his head in what seemed to be a strange mix of shame and hopelessness.

Turning fully to his son and friends, Goku said, "Well, since it seems we have nothing to do at the moment, what do you guys think about giving this planet a bit of a closer look?"

None of them had anything against that idea.

* * *

Far away, inside the palace, Paragus seethed and fumed in silence, doing his best to not to let any variation in his energy level become apparent to Kakarot or the others. From the information he had gathered on them, they were very skilled in sensing power levels. But over time, he too had become a master at sensing power levels and at suppressing his own.

He couldn't let them have the suspicion that anything was wrong. At least, not any suspicion that they could call out, or act upon.

They had to believe everything was alright – at least, until it was too late for them to do anything about their fears.

And when that time came, he would have the best time of his life, seeing all of them going up in ashes.

* * *

It didn't take a very long flight – by their standards at least – for Goku and his friends to know that there was much more going on with New Planet Vegeta than what Paragus had led them to believe.

While around the castle there were lush forests and crystalline lakes as far as the eye could see, that was the limit of the planet's lush terrain. Beyond it, the only thing that could be seen was a wasteland of bare rock. And the supposed city that could be seen from the palace was actually nothing more than ruins, looking as though they had been abandoned for quite some time.

There were large holes in some areas of the desert ground, and things that looked like huge metal pipes were coming out of them, apparently for the purpose of extracting something from underground. Many of Paragus' henchmen appeared to be working around them.

"What do you guys think all those soldiers are doing?" Tien asked as they looked down at the pipes.

"If I was to make any guess, I'd say they're extracting some kind of energy from underground," Yamcha replied.

"I agree," Trunks said. "And from the looks of those pipes, that energy seems to go to the castle and the area around it."

"But why would they be doing such a thing?" Krillin asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with all the vegetation and lakes around the castle." Gohan suggested. "After all, that seems to be the only lush area in a radius of tens of kilometers."

"Well, there's nothing like asking questions to find out," Goku said.

Before anyone had time to say anything in opposition, Goku flew down to an isolated group of Paragus' henchmen. Not knowing of what else could be done at the moment, the others followed him.

The eight of them landed by the side of one of the metal pipes. Almost immediately, all of the henchmen that were working near this particular pipe stopped and turned to face them.

Although the typical red visors covered their faces, Goku had a feeling that they weren't too pleased at what they were seeing.

The fact that all the soldiers had entered fighting stances reinforced Goku's perception.

"Hello there," Goku greeted in the most polite way he could muster. "We're sorry that we had to interrupt your work, but we are new on this planet, and we're rather curious as to what you are doing."

None of the henchmen answered, but Goku could sense from the overall state of their energies that all of them were quite nervous, but also ready to start a fight.

However, he didn't want to give them the impression that he knew of that, and so, he just followed on with his airy, naïve speech.

"I know you seem to be busy, but there are so many of you, I'm sure that one of you could spare us a moment and explain to me what you are doing there," Goku said.

Again, none of them replied. In fact, Goku had the feeling they weren't even listening to him. Instead, they just appeared to be deciding when they should attack, although obviously, none of them had the nerve to do so.

But one of them, who appeared a little bit braver than his companions, rushed forward, making a beeline for Chiaotzu, who, in the henchman's mind, must have been the easiest target.

However, Chiaotzu simply leaned forward when the henchmen came at the proper distance, and head-butted the soldier's chest. The unfortunate alien was flung into one of the metal pipes. When the henchman reached the pipe, the force of the impact broke through it as if it was a slab of paper, breaking the metallic tube in half. Then, the henchman soared for an even greater distance, before he crashed against another metal pipe. This time, the only thing he did was get imbedded into it, which opened a crack on its side. Something that looked like hot air started emanating out of the damaged pipes.

"We did that because you tried to attack us," Goku shouted as though all the henchmen had suddenly attacked them. "We were only trying to ask you questions, and there's no need for such a violent response."

For the first time, one of the henchmen answered him.

"You speak as though you have a lot of moral to talk about violence, Super Saiyan!"

At first, Goku's eyes widened, surprised that the man had just addressed him as a Super Saiyan. But he quickly got over his amazement. After all, Paragus had known what a Super Saiyan looked like, so it wasn't entirely impossible that his minions also knew such a thing.

The same henchman continued, "Well, here's a piece of news for you: neither you nor that Super Saiyan midget over there…," he said, while pointing to Gohan, "…have any moral to talk about violence. So get the hell out of here, and take all of your friends with you, before we start to show you the type of violence we're capable of!"

However, a few of the henchmen rushed forward and attacked anyway, whether out of misguided arrogance, fury, wanting to prove their worth, or some of other factor. Many others soon followed suit, further demonstrating that the soldiers as a whole weren't entirely committed to maintaining order.

Goku and the others decided to take a stand, enabling a fight to ensue.

* * *

Far away, in the palace, Vegeta's senses picked up something occurring a great distance away on the planet. He could sense that Kakarot and all the other imbeciles were fighting against what most likely were more of those faceless aliens that ran all over the place. Why they were doing so was a mystery, but in the end, it didn't matter to Vegeta.

What mattered was that it looked like he was going to have to start his rule by disciplining a few unruly subjects.

* * *

As his senses registered the fight that was taking place near the energy mines, Paragus clenched his teeth and growled. He knew he should have taken some sort of measure to prevent Kakarot and his friends from wandering around the planet. Now, because he hadn't done so, his minions had picked quite the wrong fight, according to what his senses were telling him.

Realistically, however, Paragus knew that there was nothing he could do to keep Kakarot and all the others inside the castle, without this looking suspicious. So, he had decided to let them act upon their own impulses, and he had hoped they wouldn't actually start to investigate. Things hadn't gone as Paragus had hoped, but in the end, Vegeta was the only one who really had to be convinced by the overarching lie until it was too late.

And speaking of Vegeta, Paragus also could sense that the Saiyan Prince was on the move. Undoubtedly he had also realized what was going on at the mines and was on his way there to see what was going on. Paragus would have to find him before he did something brash. If Vegeta saw anything of what was going on at the mines, he could start making considerations that could foil the grand plan. And if he did, the plan would fail.

Too much relied on this plan working right for Paragus to let that happen.

* * *

Even before he got to the castle's entrance, Vegeta was already flying a few feet above the ground, in the midst of traveling toward the place where the battle was occurring.

But right before he did so, he heard a voice.

"Your majesty!"

Surprised by the call, Vegeta did not fly off. Instead, he landed and looked toward the voice. Paragus was there, running toward him at a surprising speed, with Broly right behind him.

"What is it, Paragus?" Vegeta asked.

"With all due respect sire, where are you going?" Paragus asked.

"There's a skirmish happening elsewhere on the planet," Vegeta said. "I want to put an end to it. Those ignoble fools who came with me from Earth are fighting some of the soldiers. I don't care how it started or why they're fighting; all I care about is for both sides to show me respect by refraining from fighting each other and ruining a section of my new planet."

"Please my king, let my son and I go in your place so that you don't have to bother with this," Paragus said, with a slight bow.

"The time you spend there would be of better use finding the Legendary Super Saiyan," Vegeta said, with a tone of greater harshness.

"But your majesty, with all due great respect, don't you think that the task of stopping trivial skirmishes is too mundane for royalty?" Paragus insisted.

Paragus did have a point. Stopping skirmishes was not the job of a Saiyan king, and Vegeta knew it well. Although he had been a child when the old Planet Vegeta had been destroyed, he still remembered how a large majority of things had worked there. And as far as Vegeta recalled, his father had never bothered to go out of his way to stop mere skirmishes.

"I don't mean to tell you how to rule, but I sincerely believe that you, our new king, should be thinking about something that involves the whole empire," Paragus said. "I assure you, though, that my son and I will settle this matter quickly."

Vegeta snarled, as he was sick of Paragus' kissing up and of hearing him boasting about his and his son's inferior skills.

"You and Broly have ten minutes to finish this. If you don't manage to do it, you will be very sorry!" Vegeta yelled.

After sending Paragus one last glare to make sure he got the point, Vegeta turned around and walked back inside the palace.

* * *

Two more of Paragus' faceless minions launched the strongest energy blasts they could muster at Goku. Effortlessly, Goku manipulated his energy to create a force field around himself that was just strong enough to cancel both blasts out. _[Writer's note: There are several instances in canon in which various characters have been shown to use force fields. Goku, in particular, has been shown to have the skill on at least two occasions, namely in uncut DBZ episode 29, "Lesson Number One," when Goku uses a force field to cancel out Nappa's Bomber DX, and in uncut DBZ episode 86, "The End of Vegeta," when Goku manipulates his force field technique to open a grave for Vegeta.]_

Right after he disengaged the force field, however, two blasts hit him on the side of his head, and three more hit his back.

Goku didn't feel either of them, and none managed to leave as much as a burn mark on his clothes. All the same, things were starting to get complicated. Even more minions were starting to appear to fight them, and all of them appeared absolutely determined to battle.

While Goku felt that he and his friends were not in any serious danger from the minions, several of the minions had already died.

This had happened even though Goku and his allies had purposely avoided killing any of them. There were many minions who had hit some of their own comrades by accident.

Because all of the minions were shooting to kill, it wasn't so unexpected that a few stray minions were ending up dead.

Goku would have to settle this before even more of them lost their lives.

Goku shouted, and his Super Saiyan aura erupted around him. Although he had been fighting as a Super Saiyan already, thanks to being within the Full-Power Super Saiyan state, Goku had hardly powered up until now.

Almost immediately, all of the approaching henchmen stopped, and his friends looked up from their task of knocking out the henchmen to look at him.

Satisfied that he had gotten everyone to stop, Goku shouted again, and his aura started firing golden wisps that looked like fragments of his aura, each of them moving toward one of the henchmen. Each henchman that was hit was knocked down instantly, and had Goku been trying to kill them, they would have all been dead. However, Goku took care in making sure that each of the energy flares he shot was only strong enough to knock the henchmen down and leave them that way for some time, rather than to kill them.

However, not everyone was that willing to be cautious.

All of a sudden, a green energy wave came into Goku's field of vision, cutting through the ground like a hot knife through a piece of butter. Several dozen of the henchmen were reduced to ashes as they were hit by the blast. A few more of the metal pipes were also cut through, and more hot air started emanating from them.

Looking in the direction that the energy blast had come from, Goku saw Paragus and Broly floating a few hundred meters away. Ordinarily, Goku would have sensed their arrival easily, but this time he had been too focused in knocking out the henchmen without hurting them to have sensed their approach.

Broly was just standing by impassively, but Paragus had both of his arms extended. Obviously, he had been the one who had fired the energy blast. In fact, there appeared to be a tiny green speck that looked like a parcel of energy in the palm of his right hand, as though he was about to gather energy for another blast.

But before he did so, Broly shouted, and, just like earlier in the fight against Goku, his aura burst around him, and he started powering up at an amazing speed, like it had shortly before during his almost-conflict with Goku.

Goku couldn't help but to wonder how far Broly would actually go this time.

After Broly's power had reached a level similar to the one Frieza had possessed at half of his full power when Goku had fought him on Namek, Broly clenched his right hand. Goku sensed some energy being gathered there, and he saw green light peeking through Broly's fingers. Then, Broly swung his arm forward, and a hailstorm of green energy balls rained down on all of them.

Individually, each of the blasts was ridiculously weak for someone of the strength Broly was currently releasing. Even Vegeta at the power he had possessed when he had first arrived on Earth would have been able to deflect one of them with little effort. But still, these blasts would be enough to wipe out at least hundreds of the henchmen.

Immediately, Goku shot his hand forward and launched a force field at the middle of the storm of blasts, hoping to cancel them all out before they got too widespread. However, while he did negate a good majority of the blasts, some of them kept on going, straight toward Goku and his friends. However, Goku and the others managed to deflect most of them away into space, and only one or two managed to get through them.

With most of the blasts either cancelled out or deflected, Goku and the others settled into fighting stances, ready for any other attempt at a strike that Broly could offer. But strangely enough, after Broly fired that first storm of energy blasts, his power level dropped like a stone again. His aura disappeared, as his energy decreased back to Captain Ginyu's level and went back to its dull state.

"What did you think you were doing, Broly?" Goku shouted at him. "Do you know how many people you would have killed if all those blasts had gotten through me and my friends?"

A sudden thought coming over him, Goku cast a glance behind himself, to see if any unfortunate henchmen had actually died. And indeed, while most of the blasts had been deflected or negated, and while most of the blasts that had gotten through had merely opened craters on the ground or destroyed some more metal pipes, there were still a few burned, shattered bodies laying in the area that hadn't been there before the blasts.

Goku looked back at Broly, to see what the answer would be, but the taller Saiyan didn't reply. In fact, judging from the non-existent fluctuations in his energy, and the way how his face kept the blank expression from before, Goku doubted that the Saiyan had as much as heard him. Paragus, however, had.

"That was the overall idea of it, Kakarot," Paragus said. "My son was going to discipline those idiots who got out of their work to attack you – and to make the lesson more effective, he was going to execute a few of them as an example for the others."

"A few?" Goku replied. "He threw hundreds of those energy blasts, if not thousands! Just what exactly was he thinking?"

"It is the way the Saiyan Empire has always worked, Kakarot," Paragus stated simply.

Then, as though he had just decided Goku wasn't worth anymore of his attention, Paragus turned to all the henchmen that were still alive.

"As for the lot of you, just fix the damage you've made, and get back to work!" he snapped.

All of the henchmen immediately nodded, as though they were too terrified to speak, and went back to work.

After one last disdainful grunt, Paragus turned around, beckoning Broly to follow him. In his usual mechanical, dull mood, Broly flew after his father, as the two of them began their return trip to the castle.

Goku and the others were left there to stand alone, as the henchmen, who were working with a mad fervor, didn't pay the slightest attention to them.

"I don't know about you guys, but I guess that maybe we should also go back to the castle," Yamcha said. "After all, it doesn't look like we have anything else to do here, and it's pretty obvious that these guys won't give us any answer."

That was all it took for the others to return to the castle. However, Goku couldn't help but to keep thinking about what had happened.

Many strange things had taken place. To begin with, the fact that Paragus was so ready to kill a hundred henchmen just like that. If he'd gone under so much trouble to gather them, why kill so many of them just as an object lesson? Was he just that cruel? Or did he have so many henchmen at his disposal that losing a hundred of them didn't hurt in Paragus' eyes?

Goku didn't think so. He could sense all the henchmen on the planet, and indeed, there were probably more than ten thousand of them scattered all over the planet. Some might have been at more of the energy mines. But Goku had a guess that they were still just the number required to keep everything running in a smooth manner. At least, that was what he assumed from the few observations he had made before he and his friends had gone to interrupt the henchmen. Even if Paragus was cruel, he shouldn't be foolish enough to run this New Planet Vegeta amok. There should be some third option that Goku wasn't considering. And unfortunately, he had no idea of what it could be.

But something that had been even weirder than Paragus' seemingly thoughtless slaughter was Broly's behavior, back at the energy mine. In one instant, his energy-level had been skyrocketing, and he had been ready to kill hundreds of his father's henchmen – maybe even to completely destroy that particular energy mine. However, there had definitely been something about his energy that had seemed forced, as though he was not powering up entirely out of his free will. And then, his power level had dropped rapidly and his energy had returned to his subdued state. Due to the fact that Broly released energy, Goku knew for sure that Paragus' son was a living being, but he certainly was more mechanical than any other he person had ever met. In fact, there were times when it even seemed that Broly had an on/off button.

Just what was going on here?

Goku didn't know, but he knew one thing for sure. He liked this whole ordeal with the New Planet Vegeta less and less as time passed. And, unless the feeling in his gut was wrong, this was just the beginning of how bad things were going to get.

* * *

By dinner time – at least, dinner time on that planet – things hadn't exactly gotten much better. However, there were other events to keep them busy, as everyone had been invited for what Paragus called 'the royal banquet,' and as of now they were sitting at a table that was graced with all the sorts of alien, but tasty-looking food. It had obviously been prepared counting on Saiyan appetites, judging from the amount of food on it. And truth being told, most of them were looking forward to dinner, as they hadn't had anything to eat since before they had left Earth.

The only exception was Piccolo, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as he usually did during events such as group meals. He didn't need to eat, and he had brought water from Earth.

"Prince Vegeta, I hope that the food is to your liking," Paragus said, bowing so much to Vegeta that his torso was almost parallel to the floor.

Vegeta snatched a piece of some weird meat off a dish and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing twice before swallowing. He clearly stuffed himself as much as Goku – but at least, he looked neater while doing so.

"It's passable," he grunted. "However, that is not what I'm most interested in."

Giving a pointed look at Paragus, Vegeta added, "What I want to do is to finish off that Legendary Super Saiyan you spoke so much about back on Earth. And if I recall it right, I ordered you to find him."

"I will resume that task at once, Prince Vegeta," Paragus said. "And I deeply regret that I haven't yet managed to achieve that goal. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your meal."

"You have until tomorrow to find him," Vegeta said simply.

"Yes, your majesty."

Paragus walked toward the door, but before he exited, he stopped and turned around to look at the rest of them.

"As for you, feel free to eat as much as you want," he said, before he walked away. "There's much more where that came from."

"Aren't you and Broly going to join us?" Goku asked Paragus.

"I have no business eating until I fulfill the duty Prince Vegeta ordered from me," Paragus replied simply. "And even if I had, I prefer quiet meals. As for Broly, he isn't fond of social gatherings."

With no further explanation than that, Paragus walked out of the room.

Everyone sitting at the table immediately started attacking the food voraciously, stuffing as much into their mouths as they could.

Piccolo, however, simply grabbed a canteen from inside his cape and started drinking from it.

Water was all he needed, and to be honest with himself, he was grateful it was like that, because any person who actually needed to eat would have lost his appetite after watching how the Saiyans stuffed themselves. In fact, the humans seemed to be moving toward that state.

But Piccolo was more worried about something else. And surprisingly enough, it wasn't even about Cell, or about the possibility of some of Paragus' henchmen being on Earth to conquer the planet while its defenders were away. After all, as they hadn't gotten any message from King Kai, it was obvious both that Cell hadn't tried anything since they had left the Earth and that none of Paragus' henchmen were there.

Piccolo was more worried about this Legendary Super Saiyan. All this conversation about an extremely powerful Saiyan was upsetting, to say the least. Piccolo had known Saiyans for years, and in fact, the way how they bounced back from death many times stronger was spectacular, to say the least.

How strong could a member of their kind, one who was considered legendary when compared to Goku, Vegeta, or any of the other Saiyans alive, be? And how would they defeat him if they were to find him?

Piccolo had no idea, but he sure wanted to have an answer.

The Namek looked out of the window at the night sky. There were several stars twinkling there, much like they did when looking at the sky back on the Earth. But one of those stars seemed much larger than all the others, appearing at least three times larger than the Moon when seen from the Earth. In fact, unless Piccolo's eyes were fooling him, it had grown in size since he had last spotted it. And it wasn't this planet's moon, as Piccolo hadn't seen anything orbiting around New Planet Vegeta when they had landed.

It was something else.

But what?

* * *

After he had exited the dining room, and at a point where the others couldn't see him, Paragus stopped and turned around, giving a malevolent smirk toward the direction of the pathetic fools that were stuffing themselves with food.

Paragus snickered at the thought. If he had actually gone forward with his plan of placing 'additional condiments' on the food, the imbeciles wouldn't have been around for any other meal. However, such a practice was hard with the Namek around. Nameks didn't eat, and while Paragus could offer him water, there was no guarantee that he would accept.

Besides, if any sort of poison started circulating around on this planet, there was too much of a chance of any of his henchmen getting his hands on it and finding some way to make Paragus ingest it.

No, it was much better to do things in a more symbolically appropriate way – and have the idiots go out with a bang in the process.

And after these fools were dealt with, he would go to the Earth, get rid of Cell and any other obstacles in his path, and then he would get his hands on the Dragon Balls. When he did so, he would at long last be capable of asking his wish – a wish that would ensure his dream of mastery over the universe would be fulfilled.

In fact, Paragus would have wished for immortality in the first place, but that had not been a realistic option. Finding the Earth's Dragon Balls would have been nearly impossible without a radar, and he knew through the spying he had done over the past many years that stealing the radar the Earthlings owned was not a viable option, as they kept quite a tight watch on it. Besides, it would be nearly impossible to make his wish without causing some conflict with the Earthlings, which would damage the Earth. And Paragus had his reasons for not damaging the planet, one of them being that, if the Dragon Balls were scattered throughout the Earth, he could end up destroying one of them by accident during a violent conflict, and his plans would be ruined. While Paragus already knew he would have to eventually cause some damage to the Earth, he wanted to keep it to a minimum.

Paragus also knew that the Nameks had their own set of Dragon Balls, and that they had taken that set with them after leaving the Earth, but he did not know where the Nameks' new residence was located, as although his spies had given him plentiful information about Vegeta and the others, they had never been capable of figuring that particular detail out. Therefore, Paragus had been forced to carry out the first part of his plan while he and his son were still mortal.

But soon, the time for his triumph would come.

'Eat, you fools,' he thought. 'Eat as much as you want. And enjoy it. Because in the end, the most delicious of all things will be mine.'

Yes. The best taste would be his. The taste of revenge. A dish best served cold – but a dish that he was certain would taste like divine nectar in the end.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading the first part of Honor Trip's Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan Special, the definitive canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible version of the original Movie 8 story! _

_Up next in Part Two of the Special: __The battle against the Legendary Super Saiyan begins! Will the heroes of Earth be able to stand against this colossal foe of the universe? Stay tuned! _

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_

_Broly Special Part 1: Completed September 15, 2011_

_Edit Credit: American Vigor_

* * *

_Writer's musical note: _

_As it is the case with Honor Trip Seasons, a symbolic theme song was chosen for this special. The symbolic theme song chosen for Honor Trip's Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan Special is "The Rage to Overcome" by Machine Head. You can listen to this song by typing "The Rage to Overcome" and "Machine Head" __into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video._

"_The Rage to Overcome,"__ while a quite good song, (and hence why it was chosen as the symbolic theme song for this special), was written by Machine Head and is the band's property. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. _

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_

* * *

_Writer's explanatory note on the capabilities and characteristics of Legendary Super Saiyans:_

_For the sake of greater clarity, an explanation about how the Legendary Super Saiyan concept is viewed as it appears in this __canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible__ special is included here. _

_Please keep in mind that, although some elements of this concept are based on information presented by the manga, the anime, and the original Movie 8, this is only the concept as viewed for this version of the special, and it is not to be taken as official._

_On average, about once every 1,000 years, one Legendary Super Saiyan is born. The exact circumstances of this birth are based upon a genetic mutation that, due to probability factors, occurs about once every 1,000 years. However, due to improbability, the frequency of births of Legendary Super Saiyans could in fact occur at an interval of much lesser duration than 1,000 years, although by the time of Frieza's destruction of Planet Vegeta, King Vegeta was unaware of any instances of this ever occurring. _

_The Legendary Super Saiyan, at the time of birth, has a level of energy that exceeds the norm for adult Saiyans. Even without training and active combat, a Legendary Super Saiyan's raw power in his normal state will continue to increase as he becomes older. The rates and extents of increase throughout the life of the Legendary Super Saiyan are not necessarily uniform, meaning there may be one stage of the Saiyan's life in which the rate of his power increase is greater than at another. _

_The Legendary Super Saiyan can unlock his basic Super Saiyan transformation once he reaches a certain power level, without needing an emotional trigger to help unlock the transformation, as is normally the case for non-legendary Saiyans who achieve the basic Super Saiyan transformation. _

_After the Legendary Super Saiyan achieves the basic Super Saiyan transformation, the Saiyan can ascend to a special transformation attainable only by Legendary Super Saiyans. This particular transformation is itself called the "Legendary Super Saiyan" transformation. It serves as a replacement transformation for "Super Saiyan 2," although the attainment of the "Legendary Super Saiyan" transformation does not restrict the Saiyan from also achieving the "Super Saiyan 2" transformation. The Saiyan cannot transition directly from Super Saiyan 2 to Legendary Super Saiyan and vice versa; the Saiyan can only transition between these transformations by first digressing to basic Super Saiyan and then transforming to the other desired transformation. This intermediate step is needed because the Super Saiyan 2 and Legendary Super Saiyan transformations are each part of a separate "chain" of Super Saiyan transformations, as is also the case with the "Ascended Super Saiyan" state._

_In the Legendary Super Saiyan transformation, the Saiyan becomes about 50 percent taller, the Saiyan's muscles become much larger, the Saiyan's strength increases by a factor of about 10 times from his basic Super Saiyan form, and his muscle mass, although much bulkier, does not cause a significant reduction in speed the way the Ultra Super Saiyan state would. _

_The Legendary Super Saiyan transformation provides its wielder with comparatively more endurance and stamina than is the case with the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, although the Super Saiyan 2 transformation provides its wielder with comparatively more speed and agility than is the case with the Legendary Super Saiyan transformation._

_It is technically possible for a female Saiyan to be a Legendary Super Saiyan, although by the time of Frieza's destruction of Planet Vegeta, King Vegeta was unaware of any instances of this ever occurring. _

___Legendary Super Saiyans are not necessarily compelled by their genetics to be overly violent or aggressive, but their upbringing can lead to them being such, and most Legendary Super Saiyans are known for their aggressiveness._

_Thank you for reading this note,_

_Genescritor_


	35. Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan Part 2

**Honor Trip Presents: **

**Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan**

**- a Prologue Special Edition to a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Part 2: Liberation **

**Special Written by: Genescritor**

_Disclaimer: Neither American Vigor nor I own, in any way, any official property related Dragon Ball, such as the anime, its characters, related movies, and so on. However, both of us hope to supplement that glorious work of art with our fanfictions, such as this one. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story._

* * *

_Earth, the Cell Games Arena, May 24__th__, Age 767, two days before the Cell Games…_

As the wind blew around him, Cell yet again gave another look around the area, hoping to see anything that wasn't the usual rocks, the road in the middle of which he had built his arena, or the scraps of metal that had been tanks and airplanes until Cell had destroyed them.

Not for the first time, he regretted having given the fools ten days to get ready for the Cell Games. Even for a perfect being like him, such a long wait was boring. Fortunately, there were only two more days to go.

But in spite of the huge boredom, Cell wished in a way that there would be more than two days to go, as the two days missing for the tournament to begin were also the two days that Goku and the others had to come back from their trip through outer space. He hadn't yet been able to figure out why the fools would even consider leaving the planet when they knew he could just destroy it if he decided to do so, and he certainly didn't understand why they would extend their absence for such a long period of time as they had.

Cell wasn't worried per se, but he wanted Goku and the others to return. He cherished the thought of killing them at their best before commencing with Earth's obliteration.

The return of Goku and the others wasn't really all that important, though. Even if the weakling idiots had somehow suffered from a sudden crisis of cowardliness and decided to flee, Cell would still get to destroy the Earth and its inhabitants. After all, the androids from the timeline Cell had come from had never lived to fulfill their main goal of killing Goku, and they had coped well enough to wreak havoc on the Earth for twenty years. Cell, who considered himself to in every way be far superior to them, would be able to cope as well.

Still, the possibility of not getting to fight Goku and the others before he destroyed this planet was something that, to say the least, made Cell quite upset.

He looked toward the sky, in the midst of thought, yearning to have the chance to demonstrate the true breadth of his power.

* * *

_New Planet Vegeta... _

Light years away, Vegeta also was quite frustrated, and he exhibited his sentiment by walking swiftly toward the ship that had brought him to this planet, as opposed to remaining for further disappointment. He was trying his best to walk in the dignified manner that a Saiyan king should display, instead of running in the sort of haste that he perceived was commonplace among low-class morons who didn't care about appearances. However, the truth was that he was more than through and done with this whole matter.

Paragus had wanted him to come here with the promise of starting a new Saiyan Empire, and Paragus had asked him and the bunch of simpletons that had come along to help him kill a certain Legendary Super Saiyan.

But when Vegeta had arrived to his new planet, he had found out that Paragus didn't know the exact whereabouts of this Legendary Super Saiyan.

That in itself was already a supreme flaw from the new Saiyan Empire – not as much that Paragus didn't know, but that Paragus had possessed the nerve to force Vegeta to travel such a distance because of something that couldn't be pinpointed and dealt with right away.

Paragus had said that he could try to locate the Legendary Super Saiyan by attempting to establish a pattern to his attacks, but Vegeta had hardly believed it. Nevertheless, he had endured some waiting, and had given Paragus the chance to prove himself and find this so-called Legendary Super Saiyan.

But enough was enough. He was going to fly around the cosmos on this new spaceship, and if in thirty-six hours he didn't find this mysterious Legendary Super Saiyan, he planned to start heading back to Earth so he could fight in the tournament and squash Cell like the cockroach he was.

It was only a pity that, seeing as he didn't know how to use Instant Transmission, he probably would have to get a ride from Kakarot if he wanted not only to accelerate his search but to be back to Earth on time.

What was really weird, though, was that for some reason, Paragus and Broly didn't seem to want him to leave. Not Paragus at least, who kept running after him and spouting nonsense in an attempt to convince him to say. Broly was simply walking along, quiet as a door, and his face even duller and stupider than Nappa's or Raditz's had ever been.

"Your majesty, please!" Paragus insisted again as he ran after him. "Listen to me. Wait until tomorrow. By tomorrow we will have located the Legendary Super Saiyan's whereabouts!"

Vegeta merely scoffed, and carried on walking to the ship.

However, much to his surprise, there were people waiting for him there. Goku, Gohan, Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. All eight of them were waiting for him.

"We're leaving," Vegeta yelled in an annoyed tone. He was not in the best of moods.

"Vegeta, we have to talk to you," Goku stated simply.

"And just what, pray tell, do you idiots want to say?" Vegeta asked.

"How about that this New Planet Vegeta is a big farce, to begin with?" Yamcha asked.

"What did you say, fool?" Vegeta roared at him.

"This New Planet Vegeta is fake, father," Trunks carried on. "We have investigated the area out there…," Trunks said, while gesturing out to the city that could be seen in the distance, "… and the only things that are out there are ruins and mines! The vegetation and the lakes surrounding the palace are decorations, all for the purpose of tricking you and compelling you to stay here!"

Vegeta glared at the boy for daring to spout such gibberish, but, rather remarkably, Trunks simply stood his ground.

"We would have told you sooner, father, but you were too deluded to listen to us then," Trunks said. "Please, listen to us now."

Vegeta growled, and a vein started to throb on his forehead. He, Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, being made a simpleton by Paragus? Trunks had some nerve for thinking that could be possible!

But, on the other hand…

"Trunks and Yamcha are right," Piccolo stated. "Clearly, this is all some sort of trap, and Paragus is trying to keep us here to fulfill his destructive ends. The big question is why."

With that last sentence, Piccolo gave a pointed look at Paragus, who had followed Vegeta all the way, just like Broly.

Vegeta turned around, narrowing his eyes at the Saiyan. While he wanted to believe that all of the comments the fools had spouted were absurd, they did some valid points.

First and foremost was the reasonable doubt that there was even a Legendary Super Saiyan to fight, and that Paragus had quite possibly been lying about that the whole time. The Legendary Super Saiyan seemed to be no more than an old legend. While it had a basis of truth, seeing the way how Kakarot had transformed, nothing could be applied to it anymore, especially since even Kakarot's ten-year old spawn had managed to turn into a Super Saiyan.

If the form of Super Saiyan was as special as he had once thought it to be, surely a mere brat wouldn't be able to reach it! And there was no reason to believe that a Saiyan like the one Paragus had described on Earth would have suddenly appeared after all this time. Indeed, by now it was more than obvious that this was nothing but a farce, like that fool Yamcha had put it.

But still, Vegeta wanted to hear everything from the one who had started it all.

"Well then, Paragus?" Vegeta asked. "What do you have to say about all this?"

Paragus didn't reply to any of their statements. Apparently, he was trying to ponder the responses he could give to this unexpected confrontation.

"Well, they say honesty is the best policy, so I'm going to be honest with you," Paragus said nonchalantly. "Your son and friends are absolutely right, your majesty."

By now, there was no trace of respect in Paragus' voice. Instead, even though Paragus had sounded nonchalant, the term 'your majesty' had been used almost like an insult.

"There's nothing productive about this planet," Paragus said. "Everything you can see here, from the castle to the forest, is fake, and nothing more than decorations that I had to put up in order to convince you to stay here. I have no intention of getting settled on a planet as miserable as this one. Nor do I have any intention of you ruling the new Saiyan Empire. If only you saw the idiot look you had when you were told you were going to rule our new empire!"

With that, Paragus started cackling like mad, obviously thinking he hadn't experienced anything more enjoyable in his life.

"You're walking on thin ice…," Vegeta growled, the same familiar vein throbbing on his forehead.

Paragus stopped laughing, but he carried on speaking as though he hadn't heard Vegeta's remark.

"In fact, I only chose this planet because I knew it was in a collision route with a comet that will soon arrive!" Paragus said.

With that, Paragus pointed at a huge blue sphere similar to the Moon, but much larger in size.

"My real intention is to get settled on the Earth, as it is a planet with an enviable environment," Paragus said. "But I didn't want the Earth to become a battlefield – and so, I had to bring you here, and do everything in my power to keep you here long enough."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Yamcha said sarcastically. "Even if you managed to kill us all here, you'd still have Cell to deal with after that."

"That's right," Trunks said. "Even if you were able to defeat us, you still wouldn't have to worry about the Earth becoming a battlefield. Cell would destroy you with a finger if you were to go there."

"Oh no, he most certainly wouldn't," Paragus said, smug as ever. "I would eliminate that creature without much effort."

"And why would that be?" Vegeta scoffed.

"Because at the end of the day, there is something true in the whole story I told you in order to attract you here," Paragus said.

"And what would that be?" Vegeta inquired.

"The Legendary Super Saiyan!" Paragus shouted, while using his right hand to point at Broly.

Acting on instinct, Vegeta immediately tensed up. Just what stunt was this crazy fool going to pull now?

* * *

Almost from the moment Paragus pointed the open palm of his right hand toward Broly, the little jewel in the center of Broly's strange headband started glowing, and a white aura erupted around the Saiyan. Then, his power level started skyrocketing, just like it had on two previous occasions.

Goku remembered what had happened when he'd first fought Broly, and when Broly had come to the mines of energy with Paragus. On the first occasion, there had been a time when the jewel on Broly's headband had started glowing before his power level had dropped. And at the mines, there had been a time when Paragus' hand had glowed green – much like the jewel in the green device on Paragus' hand was doing now – and then Broly's power had started skyrocketing.

Obviously, the device Paragus had around his right hand was some sort of controller, with an associated device on Broly's head. And quite obviously, Paragus now intended to make Broly power up until he was much stronger than he had been.

Determined not to have Paragus make Broly become stronger, Trunks darted at him, in order to stop Paragus from pointing his palm at Broly. Trunks managed to tackle Paragus to the ground, causing Paragus' right hand to cease pointing at Broly.

However, the fact that Paragus was no longer pointing his palm at Broly clearly had no influence, as now Broly's power level kept increasing.

"Don't bother going through so much trouble, brat," Paragus stated scornfully, his single eye locked on Trunks. "Now that I've ordered Broly to power up, he can only stop powering up or power down if I specifically order him to do so!"

And indeed, Broly's power kept increasing, as cracks started radiating from under his feet.

Trunks cursed loudly, stood up and moved away from Paragus. Then, while powering up to his Super Saiyan form, he looked at the others and shouted, "Everyone, hit him with everything you've got!"

With that, Trunks fired the strongest Buster Cannon he could gather in a short amount of time. Following his lead, Gohan fired a Masenko, and Piccolo fired a Destructive Wave. Although none of the attacks had been charged up for a significant period of time, the three combined would still be strong enough to kill Broly at the amount of energy he currently was releasing.

But then, before the others had the chance to properly react as well, Broly's aura expanded slightly, and a huge surge of energy came from inside him, as his power level multiplied manifold and his aura and hair changed color. Instants before he was hit, Broly brought his arms up in a cross block, as the three energy attacks met his aura. For a moment or two, the beams tried to penetrate Broly's aura, and then, they simply bounced off. Piccolo's Destructive Wave sailed several kilometers away, before finally exploding on the ground of New Planet Vegeta. Trunks' Buster Cannon veered into the palace, destroying much of it, and Gohan's Masenko went straight toward the spaceship, blowing it up.

That particular fact did not worry Goku. He knew he could get back to Earth using Instant Transmission. What truly worried him was Broly's actual state and power level.

So he, like all the others, gave Broly, who had resumed powering up, a better look. Broly's aura was much more intense now, and no longer to anyone's surprise, had turned golden.

However, Broly's hair hadn't turned yellow, and it wasn't standing straighter in typical Super Saiyan fashion.

Instead, it turned a weird neon-blue tint, and only slightly spikier, with the hairs on the top of his head standing up a bit. At the same time, his energy didn't seem to increase as much as it should have when someone turned into a Super Saiyan.

But as far as the Earth-raised Saiyan was concerned, Broly was strong enough as he was, as even in this weird, restrained form of Super Saiyan, he was as strong as Goku as a Super Saiyan at full power. Vegeta and Trunks before their second day at the Hyperbolic Time Chamber would have been squashed by him.

The big question was… just how high was his maximum power?

"Alright, Broly," Paragus said, as he again pointed his right palm at Broly. "That should be enough."

From that sentence, it was obvious that the answer to Goku's question was yet to come. But strangely, Broly didn't listen. Instead, he kept powering up.

"Didn't you hear me?" Paragus shouted, as both the jewel on the device in his hand and the one on Broly's headband shone more intensely. "I said that is enough!"

For a moment, Broly powered up even more, but then, his energy steadied, and remained at a constant level. Now, from Goku's perspective, even though Broly's energy no longer seemed to be in its dull state, there was still something about it that seemed forced, which, considering how Broly was under control, was no longer much of a surprise.

Goku thought about Paragus' last sentence. The Saiyan had said that "it," and by "it," referring to Broly's energy output, was enough.

Certainly he meant enough to kill Vegeta and all the others.

That meant Paragus had some sort of idea of how powerful they were. The idea had certainly come from any observation Paragus may have made – observations that had probably stopped only a few days ago, around the time Goku and Gohan had come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

If this had been just two weeks ago, Broly would have pummeled them all.

And even though many of them had recently used the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, victory was far from a guarantee. If this was the limit of Broly's power, they wouldn't have any problem defeating him if they all fought against him, but there was no real way to tell yet how much more power Broly had.

"Very well, my prince," Paragus scoffed at Vegeta. "Prepare to meet thy death."

For a moment, Vegeta simply stared in puzzlement at Broly, obviously confused by something about this Saiyan.

Then, much to everyone's surprise, he started cackling like mad.

"This?" Vegeta spat when he stopped laughing. "This is the Legendary Super Saiyan? He's an idiot with neon-blue hair! Pathetic!"

"Don't be fooled, Vegeta," Paragus warned. "Broly has reached this level of power without having to train a single day in his life. And I warn you, this isn't all of it."

"You're wrong, Paragus," Vegeta scoffed. "This is all of it, because I'm going to put an end to this right now. I've wasted more than enough time because of your ridiculous aspirations!"

Before anyone else could say anything, Vegeta burst into his Super Saiyan form and jumped up at Broly, delivering a roundhouse kick to the taller Saiyan's right cheek. Then, he sank his fist into Broly's abs, and delivered an uppercut to his chin, before throwing a punch that sent Broly soaring backward. Then, Vegeta placed his right arm forward and fired an energy blast that hit Broly square in the chest, sending him soaring backward even farther.

However, after Broly had traveled only about twenty meters, he flipped in mid-air and landed solidly on his feet. The only visible marks of the blows he had received were a few drops of blood tricking down his chin, a small bruise in the place where Vegeta had kicked him, and a few small scratches.

Opening his mouth in surprise, Vegeta flew back, and landed in the same place from where he had jumped.

"Surprised, Vegeta?" Paragus asked. "You shouldn't be. After all, he is the Legendary Super Saiyan – just like your father feared when he ordered Broly to be executed."

"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked, his usual cockiness apparently dispelled not just by Broly's power, but by the sudden remark.

"You have no idea of how much we hate your father, do you Vegeta?" Paragus asked. "Well, we have every justification for our hatred. All because of what he tried to do to Broly."

His single eye seemed to burn with the fire of revenge as Paragus began to speak.

"My son was born with a power level of 10,000!" Paragus said. "That power was comparable to that of the strongest adult Saiyans alive back then, such as King Vegeta. And because of that, King Vegeta ordered Broly to be executed, out of his own fears that Broly could one day pose a severe threat to his power. And when I tried to convince your father to spare my son, he simply ordered me to be executed as well."

A sadistic, deranged smile was coming onto his lips as Paragus continued.

"But thankfully, luck was on our side. Right as we were about to be executed, the elite soldiers who were going to kill us were called away, as they were required to accompany King Vegeta while he went to his last meeting with Frieza. Our execution was to be put on hold until King Vegeta returned. However, we all know how that meeting went. And although the few soldiers who had been left to guard me and Broly were strong in their own right, I managed to kill them all, and I dragged myself and Broly to a Space Pod, in spite of the severe injuries I had sustained in that battle. Then, we left Planet Vegeta, a matter of minutes before Frieza destroyed it. However, I later learned that you had survived, and as such, I started planning my revenge. At long last, the time has come."

Clenching his left hand in a triumphant gesture, Paragus added, "And after I vanquish you all, I will go to the Earth and have the creature you call Cell blasted into oblivion before Cell even knows what hit him! Then, I am going to use the set of Dragon Balls on Earth to wish for immortality for both me and Broly. And then, the empire of our family will last for all eternity!"

Gritting his teeth, Goku glared at Paragus. Just thinking about what that bastard intended to do was enough to make him not only furious, but determined to make sure that Paragus' plan would be put to an end today.

"And now, here's to your death," Paragus said, with a darksome smirk.

Pointing his palm at Broly again, Paragus started opening his mouth as though he was going to give an order. But he was interrupted.

"Hey, wait a second!" Krillin shouted. "Before you unleash that beast you have there, tell me something. I get that you went through the trouble of bringing us here so that the Earth wouldn't become a battlefield, but why did you go through the trouble of picking a planet that is going to be destroyed by a comet when you've got Broly?"

At first, Paragus seemed outraged that Krillin had dared to address him in such a manner, but soon after, he smiled sardonically.

"You know, I should have you blasted to ashes for questioning the wisdom of my plans," Paragus said. "But I'm in a rather jovial mood today, so I will enlighten you. I took the care to choose a planet with a predetermined fate because I was hoping you would be too stupid to notice that you were doomed until it would be too late, and until Broly and I were well away from danger. However, seeing as I knew you could be aware of things too soon, I was already counting on having Broly kill you all, which actually brings me to the second reason why I picked a planet that was going to be destroyed, and brought you all here only shortly before its destruction."

"And what reason is that?" Trunks said, right before he spat harshly.

"Because it was the best way to make sure you were doomed," Paragus explained. "In the very off chance that you managed to kill Broly while most of his power was suppressed, you wouldn't be able to get off this planet before Comet Camori arrived, as I took the care to make that spaceship so complex that it would have taken you days to figure out how the controls work!"

Looking smug as ever at his own genius, Paragus added, "And Kakarot's little Instant Transmission won't do any good to get you out of here either, as there aren't any planets with energy signatures for him to lock onto around here!"

The warriors of Earth collectively gasped, not just at the fact that Paragus knew of Goku's Instant Transmission technique, but that it seemed Paragus' had been severely thorough.

"So, you see, quite the perfect plan," Paragus said. "Even if you somehow managed to kill me, I would at least die happy."

With the hateful gleam in his single eye intensifying, Paragus shouted, "However, the only ones dying here will be you, because there's no way you can defeat Broly now!"

Goku couldn't help but to feel some sort of grudging admiration for Paragus. The man was one of the most despicable guys he had ever met, but he was also a genius in his own way. He had indeed thought about everything.

Or almost everything.

Clearly, Paragus didn't know that if Goku focused hard enough and searched in a specific direction, he could sense energy signatures that were light years away. So, as far as it came to getting off this planet without a space ship, there was no problem, as long as he remained alive. Goku shuddered to think that there was a strong possibility that Paragus had ordered Broly to wipe out countless nearby civilizations out of the deluded notion that this would prevent Goku from being able to use Instant Transmission as a method of successful escape.

Goku also recognized that he could indeed transmit himself and his friends off the planet without having to fight Broly on this planet at all, and that if things got extremely bad during the fight, Instant Transmission was always an option. However, the last thing Goku wanted was for Paragus to unleash Broly against even more innocents across the galaxy, and Goku realized that Paragus might decide to bring the battle to Earth after all if they fled.

Because of these considerations, Goku knew it would be greatly preferable to defeat Broly here and now before the comet arrived and without having to simultaneously defend numerous innocent people.

Goku deepened his fighting stance, as did Gohan and many of the others.

"It's time for the true new empire to begin its birth!" Paragus snapped. "I've let you all live long enough!"

Pointing his open palm at Broly again, Paragus shouted, "Now, Broly, I want you to kill Vegeta in the most painful way you can conceive!"

The jewel on Broly's headband again glowed for a moment, and then, the Legendary Super Saiyan shot off toward the Saiyan Prince.

* * *

As Broly rocketed toward him, Vegeta immediately entered his Ascended Super Saiyan state, which he had learned to do much faster than before after his second relative day in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. However, the transformation was still barely finished before Broly became suddenly close, already throwing a right hook at Vegeta.

Ducking under the blow, Vegeta threw a punch of his own, which hit Broly squarely on his gut, making the taller Saiyan grunt in pain.

Just like Vegeta had suspected, his Ascended Super Saiyan state had placed him on par with Broly. But that still didn't mean his victory was assured. Vegeta knew that he could not make mistakes if he was to win.

A movement at the limit of his visual field caught his attention. Looking in its direction, Vegeta saw Kakarot, Gohan, and Trunks coming forward to help him. Immediately, Vegeta punched Broly away and fired an energy blast at the general direction where the other three Super Saiyans were.

"Stay back!" Vegeta shouted, his voice audible even over the explosion of the energy blast on the rocky ground. "Leave him to me!"

Too shocked by Vegeta's reaction, the three of them stopped.

Not bothering to take notice of more than that, Vegeta turned his attention back to Broly and delivered a second punch to his abs, then slammed him downward.

Recovering from the blow before he hit the ground, Broly put his left hand on the ground, and then jammed his foot into Vegeta's ribs.

The blow was much weaker than Vegeta had expected it to be. Apparently, although Broly's extraordinary strength had come without him having to train in order to achieve it, natural skill was something that just didn't come in the genetic components of a Legendary Super Saiyan.

Smirking at his discovery, Vegeta fired an energy blast at Broly. Broly deflected it away, but Vegeta didn't stay put. Instead, he flew at Broly, ready to deliver a punch. Broly, however, placed his right hand forward and fired a green energy blast at him. Vegeta swerved to the side, allowing the blast to pass by him, but in the meantime, Broly advanced and delivered another punch.

Vegeta caught Broly's left wrist. Instantly after, Broly tried to deliver a punch with his right hand. Vegeta caught that punch as well.

Then, deciding to seize his chance, Vegeta powered up even more, and ascended into the Ultra Super Saiyan state, the same state that he had been told his foolish boy had tried to use when fighting Cell in what that bastard called his 'perfect' form.

Under normal circumstances, Vegeta wouldn't use this state, but this was a good occasion to do it. While this variant of the Super Saiyan transformation caused an extreme loss of speed, it allowed an increase in strength beyond Ascended Super Saiyan, and Vegeta was in the perfect condition to deliver a blow. If he managed to land it, he would have no problem hitting Broly with even more force while the Saiyan tried to recover. After that, it would just be a matter of delivering an effective final attack.

Pulling Broly to himself, Vegeta jumped up and delivered a kick to Broly's belly, sinking his foot into the other Saiyan's abs. The Saiyan moaned in pain, spurting out a considerable amount of drool.

Not wanting to give Broly time to recover from the hit – or the chance to get away – Vegeta let go of one of Broly's arms, while at the same time keeping the other firmly gripped. Delivering a punch with his free hand, Vegeta hit Broly squarely on the nose.

Again taking the chance to hit Broly before he recovered, Vegeta pulled Broly down toward his raised knee, and slammed Broly's face against it. Instantly after, he clasped his hands together into a ball, and slammed them into the back of Broly's head, right as he gave another knee-strike to Broly's face. The resultant sound was as if metal was shattering.

Vegeta brought his right leg backwards, and delivered a kick to Broly's chin, sending the Saiyan flying upwards.

"So much for the legend!" Vegeta shouted as he pointed his open palm at Broly, gathering a blue sphere of energy there. "Big Bang Attack!"

The blue sphere went flying straight toward Broly – but somehow, the Saiyan managed to put himself together at the last moment, and disappeared away from the blast's path.

"Damn …," Vegeta cursed softly. "Just why did that Saiyan have to put himself back together right when I was about to finish him off?"

Vegeta spared himself from finding an answer when Broly reappeared on the ground. His nose was greatly damaged, and streams of blood were pouring out of it. There also were two bruises on his left cheek, and an even bigger bruise could be seen in the middle of his abs, at the location where Vegeta had hit him with his kick.

But Broly appeared much different than he had moments ago. Now, his hair stood up in a different hairstyle, and it was golden, just like it should be in the basic Super Saiyan form. Also, his energy had significantly increased.

Just what had happened?

As though to answer his question, Broly's aura flared around him for a moment, and a few pieces of broken metal fell off of his hair. Then, Vegeta finally realized that Broly's weird headband was no longer there – and remembered that he'd heard the sound of breaking metal back when he'd hit Broly's head.

Vegeta couldn't help but frown. Obviously, that thing was some sort of controlling device. And without the headband, Broly was basically his own person. And based on what Vegeta knew of the Legendary Super Saiyan, he had a feeling things would be better if he had still been under Paragus' control.

"Thank you," Broly whispered, every bit of his voice vibrating with something that sounded like mad anticipation, pent up for years on end.

That was all it took for Vegeta to know that his feeling had been right.

* * *

Standing aside of the group, Paragus felt fear starting to overcome him. That stupid Vegeta! The imbecile had just ruined all of his efforts!

Ever since Paragus had realized Broly's potential as the Legendary Super Saiyan, he had been deliberately exposing Broly to violent races that either hated Saiyans or were just extremely aggressive by nature and wanted to have him and Broly killed, so that Broly over time would be motivated to attack anyone who wasn't Paragus. This was all, of course, part of Paragus' plan to make his son into an absolutely unbeatable weapon. A plan that had worked so well that, when Broly was six years of age, Paragus had decided to put a controlling device on him, just as a safety measure to ensure that Broly would do exactly what Paragus wanted, instead of randomly killing everyone. The device had turned out to be a success, allowing Paragus to control Broly's every move. But over time, Paragus had replaced the devices, to accommodate both Broly's growing size and his ever-increasing power. Whenever a new device had needed to be put on, Paragus would keep the former on until the new one was secured, always cautious to never let a moment pass in which Broly could not be restrained.

And now, after years of not spending a single moment without a control device on, Broly was his own person. There was no way of knowing exactly what he would do.

Broly bent his arms, stood up straight, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Almost immediately, his skin seemed to blow up from the inside, the metal bands around his arms and neck exploded, and a green light erupted around him, as the ground shook violently with the surge of energy, which radiated outwards like the shockwave of a bomb's explosion. The shake was so strong and so sudden that Paragus fell down on his knees.

Soon after, there was a second, much stronger shockwave, which brought all the others to their knees. And then, along with the third shockwave, which was stronger than either of the previous two, came an explosion of green light that enveloped the whole area, so intense that it temporarily rendered everyone in the area unable to see. Fortunately, the green light shrank as suddenly as it had expanded, until it was reduced to a sphere that was a little more than five meters in diameter. Soon after, even that sphere disappeared, revealing that Broly was still there – but completely different from how he had been before.

Now, his total height was one and a half times what it had been before, and his muscles had increased in size to near absurd levels. His irises and pupils had seemingly disappeared, and his hair, aura, and eyebrows had turned yellow-green. Remarkably, although the metal bands around his arms and neck had exploded, everything else Broly was wearing had expanded to accommodate his larger size, except for his earrings, which had stayed intact due to Broly's head having remained roughly the same size, although it looked much smaller compared to the rest of his enlarged body.

In addition to all of that, the injuries he had suffered during the fight with Vegeta had been healed, and there was a smile that couldn't be qualified as anything but bloodthirsty on his face.

A general thought of terror settled in the minds of the warriors from Earth. As severe as Cell's threats against the Earth and the rest of the universe were, the universe had swiftly become a much more dangerous place.

* * *

At that very moment, in Otherworld, on a small planet located at the end of a way that was a million kilometers long, the black antennae of a blue-skinned deity went as rigid as metal at what his senses registered: the raw, unrestrained power of a Legendary Super Saiyan.

Since yesterday, King Kai had been keeping most of his attention on Cell, both because it was what Goku had asked him to do and because Cell was a dangerous threat that had to be kept under vigilance. However, he had also kept his energy-senses partially focused on New Planet Vegeta, in order to have at least an idea of what was happening there. Over the last minutes, he had been sensing Vegeta fighting against another Saiyan, although it was a Saiyan whose energy felt different and disturbed in many ways. And now, he sensed a being who had just gained the very likely status of biggest threat to the Universe currently in existence, if he ever got free access to it.

The energy King Kai was sensing wasn't unfamiliar to him. He had known for a long time that some Saiyans could achieve this 'legendary' status, and he had sensed others over the course of his existence, each one stronger than the predecessor. None of the previous Legendary Super Saiyans, however, was anywhere near as strong as this one.

Shortly before the destruction of Planet Vegeta, King Kai had been growing fearful that another Legendary Super Saiyan would arise, as it had been more than 1,000 years since the then-most recent Legendary Super Saiyan had appeared. But when Frieza had destroyed Planet Vegeta – ironically enough, at least in part out of his fear of having to face a Legendary Super Saiyan – the possibility of such a thing ever happening had seemingly disappeared.

But now, it had returned in full force, as a Legendary Super Saiyan – yet another Saiyan who had survived his race's genocide without King Kai knowing of it – had revealed himself.

Deciding that it would be safe enough to stop keeping Cell under surveillance for a moment, King Kai instead wriggled his antennae in a different direction, and shifted the great majority of his focus to New Planet Vegeta.

Now that King Kai had a much clearer understanding of the situation on the planet, he felt even worse. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Goku and the others had to be feeling down there. He could see a very bleak future, though. If this Legendary Super Saiyan was unleashed on the universe, there was no telling how dangerous things could become. King Kai knew that it was questionable whether or not even Cell might be able to stand a chance against this monster, and he momentarily wondered, if it came down to the most undesirable of scenarios, if for the universe's benefit he would eventually have to pick sides in a battle between Cell and Broly. He loathed the very notion that this was indeed an unfortunate possibility, and recognized that if Broly and Cell ever did fight, there was always the possibility that Cell could somehow manage to absorb Broly's energy and become an even bigger threat to the universe than either he or Broly had been before.

The danger of Broly making his way across the stars was indeed very real. Although King Kai had been unaware of Paragus' existence until the Saiyan had come to Earth, he had been tracking the journey Goku and the others had made across space, and that had allowed him to see that Paragus' spaceship was at least a hundred times faster than a standard Space Pod. Although that ship had been destroyed, as King Kai could see from the scraps of metal lying in the middle of a crater, there was no way of knowing whether there were any more space ships left.

For a moment, King Kai considered trying to find any reserve space ships that could exist on the planet, and then give the location, or locations, to Goku and his friends, so that Goku and his friends could destroy them and then escape the planet through Instant Transmission, leaving the Legendary Super Saiyan to die there when New Planet Vegeta was destroyed by the comet King Kai could see was quickly approaching. But that wasn't a viable option. If he had enough time, King Kai could actually use his skill to run through the whole planet with a fine-toothed comb. But doing such a thing would take days at the very least.

Usually, King Kai could watch events as they took place in real time, no matter how far away those events were taking place, as long as he knew where to look. Most of the time, he could determine where to look because he had energy signatures to lock on to, as energy signatures could be felt instantaneously. But if King Kai focused and had an idea of where to look, and of what he had to look for, he could, as a general rule, find any being in the universe wherever it was. Unfortunately, that was only true when it came to finding living beings, not when it came to finding objects. _[Writer's note: The elaboration of King Kai's overseeing skills here is compatible with canon, since in the canon series, King Kai's skill to watch events or to find the position of something or someone is only seen when he uses it to watch fights. There is no recorded instance in which he uses it to find objects that are not associated with detectable energy signatures. The only instance that can suggest such is when he finds the Space Pods with Vegeta and Nappa in outer space. But those pods have Vegeta and Nappa inside them, and although they are each in a state of suspended animation, they could still have somewhat of an energy signature that King Kai could detect, or some other sort of biological signal that only kais can detect.]_

Indeed, the defeat of this Legendary Super Saiyan would have to depend mostly on Goku and his friends, even if it merely came down to them keeping him on New Planet Vegeta until the comet crashed. King Kai prayed they would find some other solution, though, because if Goku and the others were to die while killing Broly, then not only would their lives end prematurely, and for most of them, yet again, but there would be no one to stop Cell.

'Goku, I'm counting on you to solve this,' King Kai thought, as he directed his full focus to the battle that was about to start on New Planet Vegeta.

* * *

Slowly getting back to his feet, Paragus stared at his son, unable to avert his eyes from him for as much as an instant, as shivers of fear at the thought of what Broly was about to do coursed through him.

All around him, everyone else seemed similarly scared, although for different reasons. Vegeta had even let go of that extremely muscular Super Saiyan form of his in his fright. But no one there was as frightened as Paragus himself.

Broly stood where he was for a considerable amount of time, as though he was trying to let the fact he was truly out of control and free to show his full power sink in for good. But, after an amount of time that seemed eternal to Paragus, Broly turned his head, and locked his pupil-less eyes on his father. Right then, Paragus realized that his guess of Broly's first act now that he was free was right.

Acting on instinct, Paragus turned around, ready to fly away, but he'd barely moved a few inches when Broly appeared in front of him.

"Going somewhere?" Broly asked.

Not giving Paragus the time to reply, Broly shot his left hand out and grasped Paragus' neck in a viselike grip. Paragus kicked desperately at the air and tried to pry Broly's gigantic fingers off of his neck, but to no avail.

Using his free hand, Broly started gathering a green ball of energy. The sight of it made Paragus tremble like a leaf.

"You have no idea of how long I've wanted to do this," Broly said.

And those were the last words Paragus heard from his son.

* * *

Trunks watched in a state that could only be qualified as 'horrified' when Broly started gathering the energy ball in his right hand.

This monster was just like the androids. The first thing he did after he managed to get out of his master's control was to kill the one who had given him life. And based on the look on his face, and from the words he had said, he was certainly going to enjoy it.

After he had gathered his energy ball, Broly shot his right arm forward, while at the same time he let go of Paragus' neck. Then, the green energy ball suddenly increased in size, becoming big enough to engulf Paragus. Broly fired it, and the energy blast flew forward, carrying Paragus in front of it.

Eventually, however, the blast seemed to lose impetus and fell down into the ground, releasing a massive explosion. Instantly after, Paragus' energy disappeared.

Looking supremely proud of what he had accomplished, Broly stood there in all of his height, his fists clenched and his arms slightly bent in a victorious pose. He opened his mouth wide, laughing to the top of his lungs. It was a mad laughter that sounded at the same time satisfied, victorious, and ecstatic, and it made everyone who heard him shake in trepidation.

"What a monster!" Tien said, looking in revulsion at what Broly had done, although his voice was drowned out by Broly's crazy laughter.

"He killed his own father!" Chiaotzu gasped.

Acting on instinct, Trunks immediately turned into an Ascended Super Saiyan, and settled into a fighting stance. All around him, the others also got ready for battle. Piccolo removed his cape and turban, and powered up to his fullest, while Goku and Gohan also powered up as much as they could. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu also prepared themselves for battle.

Only Vegeta remained where he was, fallen on his knees, and trembling like a leaf.

"The Legendary Super Saiyan…," he whispered. "The one that appears once every 1,000 years… the one with unrivaled power… he's going to kill us all…."

Trunks couldn't help but to agree with his father's fear. And to think that he had come to the past to find out how to stop the Androids. If there was a Broly here, there certainly was another one running around in his future. Should the Androids ever meet him, they would be squashed like flies. But there had never been any sign of Broly in his timeline. Why this had been so, Trunks just couldn't figure out at the moment. He snapped out of his reverie when everything around him went silent. Namely, Broly had stopped laughing.

Everyone except for Vegeta – who was still kneeling helplessly and shaking in terror – continued to power up, trying to be ready for the Legendary Super Saiyan's next move.

* * *

His mind still reeling from the pure ecstasy that had come from having been released from his father's control, Broly took a deep breath after his explosion of laughter. It felt fantastic to be his own person after having been no more than a puppet for twenty-four years, a feeling that was surpassed only by the pure euphoria that had flowed through him after killing his father.

Broly snarled in rage at the mere thought of being the son of that bastard. Although Paragus had been his father, he had also been the one who had used him as if he was no more than a puppet since Broly had been six years old, thanks to those devices he had put on him. When Broly had received that first headband, Paragus had said it was a gift for Broly being such a good son, and for having done so well at annihilating those that had tried to kill both of them ever since he had been two years old. Broly had been suspicious, as he had never received gifts before, but he had accepted.

And since then, he had permanently been under his father's control. Although he had been forced to endure increasingly larger and more capable devices several times during his life due to natural growth in his physical form and the radical growth in his inherent power, his father had always taken care to keep the old device on him while the new one was being put on. Obviously, such an action had been out of fear of what Broly would do to him – a fear that was only logical, as Broly scarcely had any free will or emotions of his own with those devices on, at least none that he could outwardly display.

Despite all that had been restrained, Broly's anger had built up over the years of his confinement, even though he had not been able to properly show or act upon it.

'He sure was right about that fear of his!' Broly thought, rage flaring inside him again as he looked at the place where his father had been disintegrated. 'Goodbye, father, and rot in hell for the rest of eternity!'

Then, remembering that Vegeta and the others were still here, Broly looked at them, wondering what to do.

In a way, there wasn't much to wonder, though. He was going to kill them. That was a rule Broly had learned on his own ever since his life had first been threatened: kill every living creature you encounter, otherwise it might act on its potential to try to kill you. Broly had traveled across several planets for years, and it had always been like that for him. At least some of the inhabitants of every planet he had visited had tried to kill him – and obviously, Broly had been forced to kill them first in order for that not to happen. And now that he was an adult, the rule hadn't changed. For a while, his father had been an exception to that rule, but of course, the time had also come when Broly had wanted to kill him – albeit for different reasons.

However, he was a Saiyan after all, and he loved to fight. As such, he couldn't help but to be slightly disappointed at the fact he could wipe out entire populations of the most various aliens without any challenge. Because of that, he also couldn't help but to wonder if these beings – four of which were Super Saiyans, although seemingly inferior in their caliber of Super Saiyan – would provide him with some sort of fight before he annihilated them.

Maybe it was best to test them first. His next action after that would depend on the results. If they were weaklings, they wouldn't survive his test anyway. But if they proved to be strong, Broly was going to start with wiping out his father's minions, and then fight Vegeta and the others without interruptions. Hopefully, they would be more than bugs, and actually have some significant power that would enable them to provide at least some sort of a decent fight.

A smile of anticipation came to Broly's lips at the thought.

* * *

Powered up to his Ascended Super Saiyan state, Trunks stood in his fighting stance, his eyes trained on Broly. The Legendary Super Saiyan had been still for a long time, as though he was making some sort of consideration. And everyone else had been standing still, giving him the chance to make the first move, so that they were the ones who responded to him. Doing that could bring advantage in a fight.

And clearly, Broly was ready to make his first move.

His face suddenly turning serious, Broly clenched his right hand, like he had done on the previous day at the energy mines, and green beams peeked through his fingers. Then, he swung his arm forward, and again, a hailstorm of energy blasts came from his hand.

As had been the case at the energy mines, Broly's blasts were extremely weak for someone of the power he was releasing, and everyone managed to deflect the few that came at them. Goku and Gohan deflected them easily, just like Piccolo and Trunks. Even Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu, who were far weaker than the others, managed to deflect the blasts that came at them without extreme effort on their part.

The only one who didn't do anything was Vegeta, who remained relatively motionless, clearly in shock over the power level Broly was emitting. And some of the energy blasts were heading straight for him.

Trunks gasped in alarm. He wouldn't have time to step in before the blasts hit his father.

Fortunately, Goku had been watching, and he used the Instant Transmission technique to position himself in front of Vegeta, shielding him while deflecting the energy blasts.

Soon after, the blasts dissipated, and Broly didn't throw any more. Instead, he just gave some sort of approving nod at them. It was as though he had been testing them, and they had passed. And he surely seemed ready for the next strike.

His yellow-green aura again burst around him, and Broly flew upwards, gathering energy in each of his hands. He flew slowly, as though flying was requiring him to make extra effort.

After he had reached a certain altitude, he released the energy attacks that had been gathered in each of his palms in different directions, before he started gathering energy for more.

At first, Trunks wondered if Broly was just going on a mad rampage similar to the one Androids 17 and 18 had enduringly enjoyed back in the original future from which he had come, but, a few seconds after, both of those energy blasts went down to the ground, and exploded. Instantly, Trunks felt several energies disappearing. Then, Broly fired two more energy blasts. Again, they hit two different locations, and more groups of energies disappeared.

And Trunks understood.

Broly wasn't going on a mad rampage. He was deliberately wiping out every place where Paragus' minions were.

Several times more, Broly fired pairs of energy blasts, seemingly wiping out every surviving henchman that was still on this planet, while the warriors of Earth were still unsure of what to do. Then, when he was done with his task, Broly came down from the sky, landing so heavily that the ground underneath him cracked.

Broly turned his white eyes on them.

"This is the part where you run away," he said, as if he thought they were missing a basic point.

"In your dreams, steroid freak!" Yamcha shouted, clenching his right fist at Broly.

Broly trained his eyes on Yamcha, looking honestly surprised at his words.

"Oh, so you won't run away?" Broly asked, his voice sounding as surprised as his look. Again, it seemed as though he honestly expected them to run away.

However, after a few seconds of puzzlement, he merely shrugged and shouted, "Alright then. You're just making my life easier!"

Trunks' eyes bugged out. Making his life easier? What sort of thinking was going on inside this brute's head? Every enemy that Trunks had known or heard of was the kind that would drag out delivering the final blow, in order to prolong his or her own amusement. Broly, however, seemed eager to finish them off as quickly as possible. It was as though he was eager to kill them as soon as possible so they wouldn't have as much of a chance to respond.

Trunks didn't have much time to think about that further, however, because Broly gathered energy for an energy blast, and fired it at Yamcha. Immediately, everyone took off – but again, Vegeta let himself stay where he was, still too paralyzed. Trunks went to get him, but Goku, who had noticed the same thing as Trunks, flew back to the ground and then took off again, this time holding Vegeta.

Thankful to his friend, Trunks flew upwards as quickly as he could after the others. A second later, the blast exploded.

Trunks covered his eyes with his arms in an attempt to protect them from the explosion, as he felt the shockwave going over him. Again, the blast had been rather weak for someone of Broly's power, but it was still strong enough to do some damage.

But Trunks was more worried about the one who had fired the blast.

Searching out Broly's energy with his senses, Trunks found him, right as he appeared behind Yamcha. Apparently, for some reason, his sights were still set on him.

Broly immediately swung a punch, but Yamcha, who had also sensed Broly, ducked underneath the blow, and delivered a mule kick to Broly's abs. The Legendary Super Saiyan didn't budge an inch. Still, Yamcha turned around and delivered the hardest punches he could muster to Broly's mid-section.

Krillin and Chiaotzu joined Yamcha, and started delivering a barrage of punches and kicks. Again, Broly didn't even blink at all the attacks.

"Guys, out of the way!" Tien shouted.

Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu moved, and Tien fired the strongest Tri-Beam he could muster at Broly. However, Broly simply swung a punch, and threw the blast back at Tien, at a much faster speed than it had been emitted.

Thrown off-guard by the defense, Tien put his arms up in a cross-block, but when the attack hit him, he was still knocked out of the sky.

But Broly didn't stop there. He immediately threw an energy blast at Krillin, and then disappeared and reappeared behind Yamcha, delivering an elbow-strike to the former bandit's back. Then, to finish the set, he delivered a karate-chop on Chiaotzu. All of his three targets fell down after each receiving a single hit.

Even before Broly had turned his focus away from Chiaotzu, Piccolo and Gohan were already rushing toward him. Trunks was about to do the same himself, but he noticed that his father and Goku weren't around, so he looked around to see if he could find them. He spotted them right as Goku finished setting Vegeta down on the ground, at a place that once had been part of the pathway that had lead from the acorn-shaped ship to the castle, but that now was just something that made it seem as though a huge chunk shaped like half a circle had been taken out of the rocky ridge where the path had been built.

Satisfied at having located his father and Goku, Trunks charged at Broly himself, right as Piccolo and Gohan got to him. However, Broly simply clobbered Piccolo toward the ground with his right arm, and then grabbed Gohan with his left hand, throwing him down as well.

Trying his best to not be thrown off by seeing two more of his comrades going down so quickly, Trunks kept his charge toward Broly. However, when Trunks got within range, Broly simply clasped both his hands above Trunks and, far too quickly for Trunks to react, slammed Trunks down toward the ground.

Right as Broly unclasped his hands, Goku rushed in as well, and delivered the hardest punch he could muster to the Legendary Super Saiyan's chin. However, the only thing his attack managed to do was to push Broly's head backwards. Goku brought his left arm back, while he brought the right one forward, but before he could deliver a second punch, Broly bent his arms like a bodybuilder showing off his biceps, and a green energy sphere gathered at the center of his chest.

Even as Goku noticed it, Broly fired the sphere. Without sufficient time to block it, Goku was blasted out of the sky, rocketing downward against the basis of the ridge where the pathway had been built. For a moment, he looked around in confusion, as though trying to regain some awareness, but even as he moved his head, a pile of large stones fell on top of him. Then, his movements ceased.

* * *

Broly looked at the pile of stones that were covering the hole that had become Kakarot's grave, then turned his gaze toward the general area where the other fools had fallen. He had thought that these guys, especially the Super Saiyans, had the potential of being strong, but although they were surely stronger than every opponent Broly had ever met, they were still weaklings compared to himself, at least now that he was using his full power, which was at a greater level than it had ever been before.

He was surprised, though. Even after he had demonstrated his power, the weaklings hadn't fled, and instead had tried to fight him. Almost everyone else Broly had met had simply fled in panic after having as much as a glimpse of his power.

But they were still weaklings, and if any of them were still alive, then there was no reason for them to live anymore, especially since they were weaklings.

Broly started gathering some energy to destroy the whole area. But in the middle of doing so, he noticed something.

Vegeta was still there, kneeling on the part of the pathway that Broly had mostly destroyed shortly after starting the fight. And he looked absolutely pathetic, particularly for someone who was meant to be a ruler.

But maybe he could still be stirred up enough so that he would be motivated to fight. And if doing so turned out to be impossible, then Broly would just kill him.

Satisfied with the thought, Broly disappeared from where he was, and reappeared about fifty meters away from Vegeta, expecting him to try to fight. But, surprisingly, Vegeta barely reacted, focused as he was on muttering something to himself.

"What's the matter, Saiyan Prince?" Broly bellowed. "Are you unwilling to fight?"

Vegeta didn't answer. He just stared at Broly helplessly, unable to bring himself to make any bigger movement, while he kept repeating whispers brought by memories of what he had been taught about the one that the legends of his people described about the ultimate, unstoppable warrior.

"The Legendary Super Saiyan… the one nobody has a chance at defeating… his rage is infinite… there's nothing we can do…."

For a moment, Broly allowed Vegeta to keep whispering, only to see if Vegeta was the sort of person who reacted slowly. However, it didn't take long to realize that Vegeta simply wouldn't raise a finger to fight him. And Broly wasn't in the mood to wait any longer.

"Suit yourself then!" Broly shouted.

Without any further words, Broly darted toward Vegeta, while the Saiyan Prince stared at him, feeling powerless to do anything about his quickly approaching end.

* * *

Still lying under the pile of rubble, Goku let out a gasp that seemed to have stayed locked inside him. His clothes were singed and dirt-smudged, and he was covered in scratches and small bruises, but he was alright for the most part, as the blast had been seemingly weak for someone of Broly's strength.

'It looks like natural strength has been quite kind to Broly,' Goku couldn't help but to think, as he lifted himself from out of the rubble.

Yes. He was strong indeed. Although Goku had barely fought him until now, he could already tell without exaggerating that Broly was stronger than any opponent they had ever faced. Even Cell – who, actually, Goku still hadn't truly faced – would have trouble holding a candle to this Legendary Super Saiyan. And Cell was already abnormally strong. How were they going to defeat Broly, then?

Deciding to shake off his musings, Goku focused his senses on the Legendary Super Saiyan – and realized that he was about to hit Vegeta.

Thinking fast, Goku used Instant Transmission to appear right beside Vegeta, pushed Vegeta out of the way, and then jumped up, avoiding the punch Broly delivered by centimeters.

Obviously surprised by the unexpected event, Broly turned his eyes toward Goku. For a moment, Goku could swear that Broly seemed surprised that he was still alive. However, that emotion was quickly shaken off.

"Are you eager to die, Kakarot?" Broly asked him. "Because that has to be the only reason for you to step in like that."

"Are you eager to kill me?" Goku countered. "If you are, why don't you come and catch me?"

With no further words, Goku turned around and took off at full speed.

Snarling in rage, Broly shouted, "I won't let you escape!"

Then, he flew after Goku as fast as he could, with his aura leaving a yellow-green trail behind him as he flew.

Goku frowned as he sensed how quickly Broly was catching up with him, before he redoubled his efforts to put some distance between himself and his foe. Ordinarily, he wouldn't be running away from an opponent like this, but in this case, he had to do it, for two reasons. First, he had to get him away from Vegeta and the others, so they wouldn't be hurt by some stray attack. Second, he had to buy some time to think about some strategy to defeat Broly, as his own strength most likely wouldn't be enough to defeat someone of Broly's power.

Fortunately, Broly didn't seem to be a fast flier, as he wasn't gaining any ground.

But right as the thought came to Goku, Broly's energy flared, and an instant later, the Legendary Super Saiyan appeared in front of Goku, his arms open like those of a goalkeeper getting ready to grab a ball. Surprised at such a speed, Goku skidded to a halt, stopping only about a meter in front of Broly.

"Where do you think you're going, Kakarot?" Broly asked.

Goku stared agape at the Legendary Super Saiyan. It was obvious that this new transformation, unlike the Ultra Super Saiyan state, enabled its wielder to gain significantly greater strength without significantly reducing speed despite the wielder's much greater size.

Goku didn't have time to ponder that further, though, because Broly's arms suddenly reached out toward him. Acting as quickly as possible, Goku instant transmitted behind Broly, making the Legendary Super Saiyan miss his grab, although barely.

"What did you just do?" Broly asked him, with a frown of speculation.

Instead of answering, Goku flew away from Broly again, even faster than he had before. But again, after giving him some ground, Broly just disappeared from where he was and reappeared in front of him, ready to grab him.

Goku flew until he was about to crash against Broly, and then he put two fingers to his forehead and instant transmitted to behind Broly once more, without slowing down in the process. For a moment, Broly was again amazed, which allowed Goku to gain a lot of ground, but, for a third time, Broly appeared in Goku's path, looking even more frustrated than he had before.

Deciding that they had moved far enough from the others for his purposes, and that hoping the same trick would work yet again would be pushing it, Goku immediately ascended into the Ultra Super Saiyan state without even slowing down in his flight, blowing his shirt and undershirt off in the process. When he had first reached this variant of Super Saiyan, it had taken him a long time to enter it, but over time, he'd mastered the state to the point where he could enter it in an instant. But he had never thought an occasion would arise in which he would consider it a valid option to use the Ultra Super Saiyan state in battle. After all, this form posed a huge problem of lack of speed. But Goku saw no other way of increasing his power enough to have at least a chance of dealing some damage to Broly.

Bringing his right hand backwards as quickly as possible, Goku gathered all the energy he could, and then brought his arm forward, hitting Broly's abs with the strongest punch he could deliver.

Broly gasped, as the strength of the blow combined with the kinetic energy from Goku sent him rocketing backwards.

Not wanting to give Broly time to recover, Goku put his fingers to his forehead and instant transmitted behind his enemy. Then, gathering all the energy he could into his right hand, Goku sank his right fist into Broly's lower back. Again, Broly was amazed at the burst of strength.

Determined to make the most efficient offensive he could, Goku instant transmitted to above Broly, clasped his hands into a ball, and hit the top of Broly's head, sending him flying downwards at extremely high speed. When Broly hit the ground, the impact of his landing opened a huge crater, and sent an explosion of boulders into the air.

Again, Goku flew down as quickly as he could, to gain as much momentum as possible, with his knees aiming down, and with both his hands clasped above his head. With his golden aura flaring around him, Goku hit Broly's abs with both of his knees, pressing him further into the ground, and then, carrying on with his momentum, slammed his hands into Broly's chest. For a third time, the attacks made Broly gasp in pain.

Goku again instant transmitted to Broly's side, and grabbed his right arm, intending to spin him around and then throw him into the air to start a new series of attacks. However, although he still appeared somewhat disoriented, Broly regained focus, and pulled his right arm free from Goku's grasp.

Then, before Goku could react, Broly grabbed his left arm inside his massive right hand, and then slammed a punch into Goku's abs with his other hand.

Even as Goku gasped in pain, Broly delivered an uppercut that sent him flying upwards. Then, he disappeared from his location, and appeared behind Goku, giving a roundhouse kick to his mid-section, which sent him flying in a different direction.

Then, he disappeared again, and reappeared in the middle of Goku's path. Goku, still too dazed by the blows he had received, slammed into Broly. But the Legendary Super Saiyan, instead of being thrown off, just wrapped his arms around Goku like a deadly vise.

Even as Goku struggled to overcome his dazed state, a maniacal smile came to Broly's lips, and he started squeezing the other Saiyan inside his grip.

Goku tried his best to power up even more in an attempt to break free. However, every attempt at struggling simply made Broly squeeze him tighter.

Suddenly, a purple blur with a golden glow around it appeared, and Gohan punched Broly's cheek with everything he had. The surprise of the attack made Broly let go of Goku and soar several hundred meters away.

"Are you alright, Dad?" Gohan asked him, right as Piccolo and Trunks, who had also recovered, arrived in the immediate vicinity, stopping right behind Gohan.

"I'm fine, son," Goku whispered, trying to overcome the pain that was coursing through his ribcage. "Thanks."

Gohan smiled as if to say 'You're welcome.'

The four of them then focused their gazes on the Legendary Super Saiyan, who was already starting to recover from Gohan's strike.

"So … what's the plan?" Trunks asked the others, as though that would provide a miraculous solution to defeat such an opponent.

Goku turned his head to answer, but no words left his mouth. If even his strongest attacks delivered with the element of surprise had managed to inflict no more than bruises on Broly, it seemed as though defeating him was beyond even his own abilities.

Instinctively, Goku looked at Piccolo, to see if any extra knowledge and intelligence he had gained after fusing with Kami had enabled him to have some sort of plan. But Piccolo didn't answer Trunks' question, which immediately informed Goku of one simple fact: Piccolo was also out of ideas.

And Broly looked like he was just about to charge again.

"None," Goku finally replied, answering Trunks' question. "Let's just fight him all together, and exploit any weakness we can find."

That was all Goku had time to say before Broly rushed forward. An instant later, Broly was already right behind him, about to deliver a punch.

Instead of turning around to meet Broly, Goku stayed where he was, with his back turned to the Legendary Super Saiyan. He had known since the beginning of Broly's charge that he wouldn't have time to turn around and dodge Broly's attack at the same time. But he felt that if he remained focused, he would at least be able to sense Broly's move and anticipate it.

Sensing what Broly was about to, Goku ducked, dodging the blow. But at Ultra Super Saiyan, he moved far too slowly, and Broly's fist plowed its way through Goku's spiked-up hair. Had Goku moved a tad bit slower, the punch would have met his head. Shaking off the fright, Goku slammed an elbow into Broly's abs, making the Legendary Super Saiyan grunt in pain. With Broly distracted, Trunks moved in from Broly's right side, ready to deliver a punch, and Piccolo approached from the left, his leg pulled back for a kick.

Both attacks met their targets, but there was no indication that Broly had felt anything. However, right then, Gohan flew in and delivered a punch to Broly's chin, which, surprisingly, made the Legendary Super Saiyan stagger backwards for about twenty centimeters, somewhat dazed. It was not a potentially deadly blow, but it caused more damage than Goku had caused when he had punched Broly's chin, and Gohan was only in his basic Super Saiyan state.

Goku couldn't help but to smile a bit. Indeed, Gohan had become quite strong. And then, as if light had been made, a thought came to Goku.

Maybe, just maybe, it was time to benefit from a special strategy that he had been preparing for the upcoming battle with Cell ….

It seemed like as good a time as any for the vast, sleeping power, a power that could only be triggered by extreme rage, to awaken.

Goku wrenched the lower half of his body backwards, and slammed his feet into Broly's abs, which again made the Legendary Super Saiyan grunt. Then, he pulled his legs back and started cupping his hands at his right side, with his movements excruciatingly slow.

Immediately guessing what he was about to do, Gohan, Piccolo, and Trunks all fired an energy blast at Broly's face, to leave him dazed for even longer, right as Goku bought his hands to his right side.

"Ka… me…" he started chanting as he gathered energy between his cupped hands.

Again, Gohan, Trunks and Piccolo each fired an energy blast at Broly's head to make sure he stayed confused for even longer. Then, Gohan flew upwards, and Piccolo and Trunks flew backwards, all trying to get as far as they could.

"Ha… me…" Goku carried on as he gathered more energy.

Then, he started thrusting his arms forward to release the attack. But before Goku could shout the last syllable and unleash the energy he'd gathered, Broly recovered, grabbed Goku's leg, and delivered a haymaker to his chest, making Goku lose focus and let go of the energy he'd gathered.

Right as he was struck, Goku shouted in pain, trying to sound as anguished as he could.

Hopefully, if Broly focused on torturing Goku for a bit, the reaction Goku was hoping for would occur.

But then, Broly let go of Goku's leg, and delivered an uppercut to his back, which sent him rocketing upwards.

Even as Goku was soaring up, Broly flew toward Trunks, and delivered a punch to his gut. Piccolo and Gohan rushed in to help their friend, but right as they got to him, Broly flared his aura, and all three of his opponents were sent spiraling away.

Immediately, Broly disappeared from where he was, and then reappeared above Trunks, clobbering him down to the ground. Then, he again disappeared, and reappeared by Gohan's side, grabbing his leg, and raising his arm, as if he was going to throw the half Saiyan down with all his might.

"No!" Piccolo shouted as he fired a Destructive Wave at Broly's face, hoping to distract him so that he wouldn't throw Gohan down at full force. But Broly was too fast for Piccolo, and right after the Namek fired his attack, the Legendary Super Saiyan threw Gohan down as hard as he could. Moments after, the Destructive Wave exploded on his face.

Knowing that there was a chance he had made the Legendary Super Saiyan even angrier, Piccolo fired more Destructive Waves at Broly's head, hoping to somehow delay him. However, Broly flew through the attacks as if they were squirts from a water gun, and then grabbed Piccolo's left wrist. Then, he delivered three punches to Piccolo's torso, before throwing the Namek down as hard as he could, like he had done to Gohan shortly before.

Meanwhile, Goku, floating some hundreds of meters above the spot, nursed his injured torso and back the best he could, as he again made some considerations.

His plan, at least against this opponent, had not worked.

Whenever Broly had more than one opponent, he didn't seem willing to focus on torturing each of them individually. And even when there was only one left, it did not seem as though Broly would prolong torture for all that long.

Cell, however, was a monster of a very different sort, with different motivations and different ways of expressing his diabolic intents.

Whether the plan would work on Cell after all was uncertain, but they would never know if they weren't alive to at least try. Goku knew that it would be hard to unlock the rage, and hopefully, Cell would provide the rage an opportunity that would overcome rationality.

Rationality, it seemed, was an impediment to the success of what Goku had been trying to do, especially because of the realization that the Dragon Balls would be able to bring whoever was killed back to life.

But for now, any more thoughts on defeating Cell could wait.

After all, he still needed to figure out how the hell he was going to defeat Broly.

Goku's musings were cut short as his senses picked up an amount of energy being gathered. Broly was preparing another attack – and either Goku was wrong, or it would be one strong enough to decimate the whole area in which Piccolo, Gohan, and Trunks were, something that would probably kill all of them.

Knowing he had to stop Broly before he fired that blast, Goku instant transmitted until he was right in front of Broly and kicked Broly's face, causing him to fire the blast in a different direction, into outer space.

However, this time, Broly recovered from the hit far faster than Goku had imagined he would.

Even before Goku had completely lowered his left leg – the one he had used to kick Broly – the Legendary Super Saiyan disappeared and reappeared in front of Goku, grabbing both of his wrists. Then, he delivered a knee-strike to Goku's stomach, before throwing him down as hard as he could. Goku was vaulted toward the ground like a missile, opening a crater even bigger than the one Broly had opened with his landing.

Bent on making sure that Goku would actually be killed this time, Broly pointed the palm of his hand down at the crater. The area was suddenly immersed in a green light that seemed to be less and less encompassing as time passed. Eventually, the light completely disappeared, but instantly after, a ball of energy appeared in Broly's right hand.

"Die!" Broly shouted, throwing the ball of energy at the place where Goku had landed.

However, the blast had scarcely gotten halfway there when three yellow energy blasts knocked it away into space.

Even as he looked in the direction the blasts had come from, Broly saw Gohan flying toward him at full speed.

Seemingly less than an instant later, the brat had delivered a roundhouse kick to his cheek. Then, Gohan started punching and kicking like mad at Broly's head. Because of Gohan's small size, Broly was forced to continually move backwards in an effort to get far enough from him to fight back.

Farther away, Trunks and Piccolo joined each other to discuss the situation at hand and come up with the best possible strategy, both of them knowing the dangers of charging mindlessly into battle.

"It looks like Gohan is holding his own against Broly," Trunks remarked as he watched the Legendary Super Saiyan losing ground.

"Indeed," Piccolo said. "Gohan's smaller size and fast attacks seem to give him a momentary advantage. But it will only be a matter of time until Broly fights back."

Trunks nodded. He was thinking the same thing.

"Do you have any plan to counter that?" he asked.

"I have an idea that might work," the Namek replied thoughtfully.

"What?" Trunks immediately asked.

"If I have enough time, I can try to gather all of my energy into a Special Beam Cannon, and hit Broly with it in a sensitive area – namely, his head. Maybe I can kill him like that. However, I will need time to gather enough energy, so you and Gohan have to keep him busy until then."

Trunks nodded. "Alright, Piccolo. I hope this one works."

"So do I."

Immediately, Trunks flew toward Broly, who was still trying to get far enough from Gohan to fight back, as the boy kept punching and kicking his head over and over again.

Stopping behind Broly, Trunks started punching and kicking at Broly's head, so that the Legendary Super Saiyan was being attacked from two sides.

That seemed to be the breaking point for Broly, as he intensified his aura, the impact throwing both Trunks and Gohan away from him.

Having advantage back on his side, Broly immediately flew toward Gohan, who brought both his hands above his head, one of them behind the other, and started to gather energy there.

"Masenko!…" Gohan started shouting, ready to send the attack.

However, Broly cut off the end of the shout, slamming a punch into his torso which sent him away. Again, he started gathering energy for an energy blast.

Trying his best to get Broly's attention before he could hurt Gohan, Trunks brought his hands forward and fired a Buster Cannon at the Legendary Super Saiyan's back. Broly shouted as the attack hit him, and turned his head around to look at Trunks.

Trying his best to be ready for the fight, Trunks powered up into Ultra Super Saiyan. It took him a considerable amount of time to reach that form, but thankfully, he managed to ascend into it much faster than he had when he had used it against Cell. He was more than aware of this form's disadvantages by now, but he still believed he would need it to last longer against Broly. If nothing else, it would make him less sensitive to Broly's attacks.

Fortunately, Broly had been relatively immobile during most of Trunks' transformation, as though he wanted to see exactly what Trunks would do. But as soon as Trunks finished, Broly rushed toward him. Right as Broly brought his hand backwards to deliver a punch, Trunks raised his arms and fired an energy blast at Broly's head. The attack stopped Broly in his tracks, and Trunks decided to use that time to close in, and deliver a punch to Broly's head.

That punch hit its target, but when Trunks went to deliver a second blow, Broly moved backwards, and dodged it easily.

Allowing his momentum to continue carrying him forward, Trunks spun around in a full turn and fired an energy blast at Broly's head. However, Broly disappeared, and reappeared behind Trunks.

Sensing that Broly would reach out toward him, Trunks flipped forward. The bulging muscles slowed him down, but he still managed to avoid Broly's grab. However, he felt Broly's arm grazing along his back as the blow missed.

After his grab missed, Broly delivered a kick, but Trunks brought his hands down, and fired an energy blast at Broly's left foot.

The explosion made Broly pull his left leg backwards, but in the meantime, he reached out and grabbed Trunks' right leg with his left hand. Then, he delivered an uppercut to Trunks with his other hand, and got ready to throw him toward the ground.

However, Gohan delivered a kick to Broly's face. Caught by surprise, Broly let go of Trunks, right as Gohan again went in to deliver a barrage of kicks and punches to his head. But before the first attack could connect, Broly flared his aura, which pushed Gohan away. Then, Broly grabbed Gohan in one hand, grabbed Trunks in the other, and then clapped the two half-Saiyans together as if they were a pair of cymbals.

Then, he threw Gohan and Trunks down as hard as he could muster. The two half Saiyans soared down toward the ground, in spite of trying their utter best to slow down their speed.

"Gohan!" Trunks shouted in the middle of their free fall. "Think fast!"

Trunks threw his arms down, and fired an energy wave toward the ground. Sensing what his friend meant, Gohan mirrored the move, and the two of them went up like rockets, straight back at Broly.

Broly's eyes widened in surprise. Obviously, he hadn't been counting on them going at him again so fast – if he had been expecting them to go at him again at all.

Not letting him recover from his amazement, both Trunks and Gohan delivered a punch to Broly's abs as soon as they got to the right altitude, trying their utter best to hit on the same spot Goku had already struck. The trick seemed to work, because Broly gasped in pain. Their auras flaring around them, both Gohan and Trunks again prepared the strongest punches they could muster, and unleashed them. Again, their blows made contact, and Broly gasped again. However, this time, he pulled himself together faster, and shouted, flaring his aura around him. Gohan and Trunks were blown away again, and Broly pointed one of his hands at each of them. The area was immersed in a green light, but this time, it decreased into two circles, and an energy sphere formed in each of Broly's hands.

Apparently satisfied, Broly threw both blasts, one for Trunks and the other for Gohan. When the blast meant for Trunks reached him, he put his hands against it, and flipped over it. Gohan swerved to the side to avoid the other.

Snarling in rage, Broly started firing successive energy blasts from both of his hands, which Gohan and Trunks – particularly the latter, because of the massive muscles of his Ultra Super Saiyan form – had great difficulty dodging.

However, they wouldn't need to dodge for much longer.

"Gohan, Trunks, move!" Piccolo shouted behind them.

The two of them moved aside, and Piccolo, with his middle and index fingers on his forehead, moved forward as quickly as he could, until he was only about a meter away from Broly.

"Special Beam Cannon!" he shouted.

Broly looked up, and right then, Piccolo thrust his right arm forward, firing the powerful attack, hitting Broly straight on his forehead.

The impact of the explosion was so strong that even Piccolo himself was knocked away, and Gohan and Trunks had to make an effort to stay where they were.

Right away, Piccolo could tell that his attack had failed.

The Special Beam Cannon was a piercing technique, meant to explode only if it found some target too hard to pierce. That meant Broly was still alive.

As soon as the light from the explosion faded, it was even clearer that Broly had survived the blast. He wasn't unharmed, however, as a few cuts of considerable length and depth could be seen on his forehead and face, and a few trickles of blood were running down his cheeks. Such injuries, however, weren't enough to incapacitate Broly. They were only enough to make him mad, or so it could be judged from his snarling.

Not giving them time to feel horrified, Broly shot forward toward Piccolo, and swung a punch at him with his right hand. Piccolo moved aside, narrowly avoiding the blow, but in his haste he had moved to his right, which allowed Broly to deliver a left hook. This time, the punch hit the target, and Piccolo was thrown away.

Trying his best to kill Piccolo quickly, Broly fired an energy ball at him, but Gohan fired another that deflected it into space. At the same time, Trunks fired the strongest Buster Cannon he was capable of, hitting Broly's head.

Although the attack hadn't really hurt Broly, the fact that one of his own attacks had been deflected and right after he'd been hit by an energy wave left him confused. Immediately, Gohan flew forward and started hitting Broly's chest as hard as he could.

Trunks, flying much more slowly because of his Ultra Super Saiyan form, joined him, and started punching at Broly's back.

Meanwhile, back at the spot where he had landed, Goku, who had recovered a few moments before, cupped his hands at his side and started amassing all the energy he could gather at the quickest speed he could muster. He knew he had to be quick, otherwise, Broly could start fighting back.

As he'd gathered all the energy he possibly could in the amount of time he felt he had available, a blue ball of light formed between his palms. Sensing Goku's energy increasing, Gohan and Trunks immediately moved as far away from Broly as they could. Broly looked around in confusion, apparently uncertain of who he should attack first. Goku decided to act before Broly came to a decision.

"Kamehame…" Goku instant-transmitted from where he was, and reappeared right in front of Broly. "Haaaa!"

Right as a look of amazement came into Broly's face, Goku thrust his hands forward, and fired the strongest Kamehameha he had ever created toward Broly at point-blank range.

However, in the split-second that Goku had taken to extend his arms forward, Broly himself opened his arms and tried his best to hold the massive energy beam.

In spite of Broly's efforts, however, the Kamehameha pushed him for more than a kilometer, until Broly managed to completely extend his arms and effectively stop the massive energy wave from pushing him any farther.

Gritting his teeth from the effort, Goku tried the best he could to charge his attack further, so that it would engulf and destroy Broly.

At the front of the blast, Broly could feel his arms starting to falter under the continuous force of the energy attack. Letting out a fierce roar, he brought up his yellow-green aura and intensified his energy output, managing to successfully halt the attack from pushing him farther.

Goku grit his teeth even harder out of frustration. He had just felt that whatever success his Kamehameha had been having at pushing Broly had been nullified. In fact, now it seemed that Broly was somewhat managing to push the attack back. And Goku could already feel himself starting to run out of energy. If he didn't manage to engulf Broly soon, all of his energy would go to waste.

The appearance of two figures – one by his right, the other by his left – caught his attention.

Looking in each direction, Goku saw Gohan to his right, charging up a Masenko, and Trunks to his left, charging up a Buster Cannon.

In spite of the supreme effort he was making, Goku let go of his strained expression for long enough to give them a grateful smile. Both Gohan and Trunks smiled back, before they fired their attacks toward Broly as well, increasing the onslaught of power against him.

At the front of the Kamehameha, Broly could feel his arms starting to falter, and he was enraged that two additional attacks were fast approaching.

Bellowing to the top of his lungs, Broly brought forth even more power from the depths of his strength, and quickly used his left hand to fire a sizable green blast into the center of the wave, while quickly moving himself out of the way.

Then, the Kamehameha exploded, not only engulfing the Buster Cannon and Masenko in the process, but releasing a massive shockwave that impacted a radius of hundreds of kilometers, sending boulders the size of elephants flying in every direction, and unleashing a flash of light that was visible even from outer space.

Trunks and Gohan were instantly blown away, unable to withstand the shockwave. Being the strongest of them while in his Ultra Super Saiyan form, Goku managed to withstand the explosion after being blown away himself for about three hundred meters.

When the blinding light finally disappeared, Goku was panting like a locomotive, both from having expended a significant portion of his energy and from having tried to withstand the attack. Seconds afterwards, his muscles decreased in size like an empting balloon, and he returned to the basic form of Super Saiyan. If not for his mastery over the transformation, he most certainly would have returned to his normal state as a result of expending so much energy.

Goku looked up in rage, knowing his efforts had been in vain.

Broly's energy did not feel any different from before, in spite of all the trouble he'd obviously had holding back the attack.

Indeed, just like Goku had suspected, Broly had come out of the attack nearly unscathed. The only visible signs of damage were the small scratches and burns on the palms of his massive hands. Even that small amount of damage, however, was enough to make Broly even angrier than he had already been before. Clenching his fists to the point where he dug his nails into his palms, Broly let out a fierce growl, and brought up his aura again, the intensity of its cascading waves further revealing all the fury that soared inside him.

Still panting very heavily, Goku locked his eyes on Broly's glowing figure. Apparently, having been about to die was something that made Broly mad – probably because he wasn't used to it. Now, he was going to kill them all for sure. And Goku, being as depleted of power as he was, doubted he would be capable of putting up much of a fight.

Letting out another of his typical roars, Broly shot toward him like a rocket. Acting on instinct, Goku put his index and middle fingers to his forehead, and disappeared, reappearing right behind Broly, as the Saiyan carried on flying forward. However, after flying for only a hundred meters more, Broly made a U-turn in the air, and flew straight back toward Goku. Goku again tried to put his fingers to his forehead, however, Broly fired an energy blast at him right as he finished making the gesture. Acting on instinct instead of on logical thought, Goku flew upwards and avoided the blast. An instant later, Broly's massive left hand was wrapped around his neck.

Too drained to think about fighting back, Goku could only stay limp and immobile as Broly delivered an extremely strong punch to his torso. Then, he slammed his right knee into Goku's gut, before he put his left palm against Goku's torso. Instantly, Goku guessed what Broly was going to do.

"Don't do that!"

Surprise flickering through him, Goku looked at the voice's direction, right on time to spot Gohan flying toward Broly, his right fist pulled back to deliver a punch.

Even in his current condition, Goku couldn't help but to notice that Gohan was flying much faster than usual, that his aura was growing brighter, and that his energy level was considerably higher than what Goku had believed to be Gohan's maximum. And it was still increasing.

Maybe this meant … could it be?

But if such a thing was true at first, it didn't turn out to be so in the end, because in the midst of Gohan's charge, Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan, extended his right arm toward the young half-Saiyan.

"Shoo," he yelled, right before firing an energy blast that hit Gohan at pointblank range. When it hit him, it exploded and sent Gohan flying away, shattering the vividness in power that Goku had sensed emanating from his son. The sight and what he was sensing made Goku feel as if he had a gigantic hand squeezing his heart.

And an instant later, he had a gigantic hand placed against his torso, as Broly again started gathering energy in his palm.

"Die, Kakarot!" Broly shouted after he had finished gathering energy in his hand.

Then, with no further words, he let go of Goku's neck and fired a massive ball of energy that again pushed Goku down to the ground. Too tired to move, Goku could only watch in horror as the blast pushed him down to the ground and it exploded, consuming him in the green light it released.

Even before the blast had exploded, Broly turned around to see if any of the others was still standing.

The first one he saw was the Saiyan boy wearing armor. He was getting up again, and was still in that excessively muscular Super Saiyan state.

Deciding he still had some time to have fun before the comet arrived, Broly shot off toward him.

* * *

Still in his Ultra Super Saiyan state, Trunks kept his eyes locked on his enemy, determined to fight this Legendary Super Saiyan until the very end, even though he knew he would need a miracle to win. Even if this meant his end, at least the others would hopefully have enough time to recover as a result of Trunks' efforts to distract this beast. After all, someone had to still be alive to save this timeline from Cell and Broly, and if Trunks' continued efforts resulted in his death, and therefore his inability to save his own timeline, then at least this timeline would still have potential saviors.

When Broly's left fist came toward him, Trunks jumped up, avoiding the Legendary Super Saiyan's charge, although barely, because of the handicap that the Ultra Super Saiyan form placed on his speed. Forming a Finish Buster in his hands without stopping his movement, Trunks flipped forward until he was upside down, right as Broly stopped his momentum and turned around, on time to see Trunks firing his Finish Buster. Without much effort on his part, Broly grabbed the energy-attack in his hands and squashed it. However, the amount of time he spent doing so allowed Trunks to close in with his hands tightly clasped together. Before Broly regained complete awareness of the situation, Trunks ducked under Broly's arms and slammed his clasped hands into Broly's six-pack, hoping to at least stir up the damage that had already been caused there.

As Broly's gasp of pain indicated that Trunks's plan had indeed worked, Trunks put his hands to the same spot and started firing a barrage of energy blasts at point blank range. For the first three times he did so, that worked, as Broly gasped in pain each time he was hit.

However, right as Trunks was charging up the fourth energy blast, Broly brought up his aura, letting out a surge of energy. Trunks immediately dug his feet into the ground so as not to be blown away, but the explosion still made him skid more than twenty meters backwards, and dug his legs into the ground up to his knees.

When Trunks finally managed to withstand the impact, Broly was already flying toward him.

Trunks immediately flared his aura, making a small circular crater expand around him, and setting his legs free in the process. Then, he got into the best fighting stance he could, as Broly began to prepare a punch midflight. Doing the first thing that came to mind, Trunks raised his hands and gathered the strongest energy blast he could, but didn't fire it. Broly's punch hit the blast, shattering it completely, but in doing so, Broly's arm had lost most of its momentum, which allowed Trunks to grab Broly's fist with relative ease.

Hoping to be able to move quickly enough, Trunks threw Broly over him, slamming him into the ground back-first. Trunks' muscles screamed in protest, but he refused to let Broly recover, and instead aimed his palms at Broly's face, firing an energy wave that sent the Legendary Super Saiyan skidding for a lengthy distance, and peeling off part of the rocky ground on the process.

Trunks kept the blast going for as long as he could, but he knew that this fight was starting to take a toll on his energy reserves. Although he was rather skilled in comparison to Broly, and was managing to use that in his favor so far, he knew that wouldn't be enough. Skill was important, but in a life or death fight against such a powerful opponent, Trunks would need more than that. He would need raw power. Unfortunately, even in his Ultra Super Saiyan state, what he had wouldn't be anywhere near enough.

There seemed to be only one hope left in order to truly defeat Broly with Goku seemingly down for the count, and one which went against his strong desire to have at least some of the Earth's warriors leave this planet alive: to keep Broly at bay until that damned comet crashed into New Planet Vegeta. If the planet's destruction didn't kill Broly, then being in outer space without breathable air surely would. Unfortunately, it would also mean that he and all the others would die as well, and then, no one would be on Earth to stop Cell, which would allow the android to destroy the Earth – and then victimize the universe.

The idea of Doctor Gero achieving an even more overwhelming victory in this timeline than back in his future made Trunks sick. Strangely enough, he would even, for lack of a better word, prefer it if Broly, and not Cell, was the one who would be unleashed on the universe, in spite of the consideration that Broly would certainly be more dangerous and destructive than even Cell at his perfect form could ever hope to be. At least Broly would presumably pass away naturally at some point. From what he knew of the androids, it was quite possible that Cell would live forever if unstopped.

Trunks was forced to halt those thoughts, as Broly charged at him again, delivering a punch.

Moving as quickly as he could, Trunks ducked under the blow, and delivered a punch on Broly's abs. Then, he fired an energy wave into Broly's stomach, and yet again, Broly was pushed away for several tens of meters.

Still determined to stick to his plan of keeping Broly busy during the countdown to New Planet Vegeta's destruction, in spite of his personal preferences, Trunks clenched his fists, trying his best to be ready for Broly to come back at him.

Unfortunately, his plan had one important problem. Broly didn't look like he was the slightest bit tired, and he was stronger than Trunks and all the others put together. Trunks, however, had to use a lot of power to have as much as a hope at damaging Broly, and he still wasn't completely accustomed to the Ultra Super Saiyan state. Using so much power would exhaust him sooner, rather than later.

Trunks had no illusion about what would happen once he ran out of energy.

* * *

Far away, still on the spot where Broly had achieved his Legendary Super Saiyan transformation, Vegeta was still kneeling on the ground, even as he sensed Broly fighting against Trunks, and Trunks losing energy both with every attack he inflicted and with every hit he received.

Inwardly, deep down inside him, a part of him couldn't help but to acknowledge that his son was brave. But bravery did little good against the sheer evidence that fighting Broly was pointless. After all, Broly was, in every sense, the true Legendary Super Saiyan.

Vegeta remembered all the times his father had told him stories about the Legendary Super Saiyans that had preceded Broly, stories that were both the ones Vegeta liked to hear the most and the ones his father liked to tell the most. Each and every of them described the Legendary Super Saiyan, the one who appeared once in every 1000 years, as the most powerful being in the universe, capable of decimating every opponent he met, because no one could ever hope to stand against him.

Now that he actually saw a real Legendary Super Saiyan, and could actually feel the warrior's overwhelming power, Vegeta knew that the legend hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest. Judging from Broly's power level, even Cell would, in the end, stand no chance against Broly's ferocious power.

Vegeta was brought out of his musings when he felt another sudden drop in Trunks' energy. He knew the boy was about to lose all of his power. When that happened, Broly would kill him. Sooner or later, he would kill Vegeta as well.

And Vegeta would be unable to stop it.

'Says who?' a voice seemed to shout at him from the back of his mind.

For some reason, just as soon as the thought came to him, something inside him snapped. Indeed, what was he thinking to just wallow in hopelessness while Broly did what he wanted? He was Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, and he would never marinate in his own despair just because his opponent was supposedly invincible! That was never what a true Saiyan did. A true Saiyan fought with all his power even if the chances at winning were null, and if necessary, fought until the very end. Giving up was never an option. It was worse than death to do so.

And any rule that applied to a standard Saiyan was a thousand times more meaningful for a super-elite like himself, a member of the Royal Family.

Suddenly feeling an overwhelming amount of disgust at the cowardice and helplessness he had displayed, Vegeta got up, clenched his left fist, and powered up to Super Saiyan, right as he turned toward the place where Trunks was trying to fend off Broly's attacks.

'That's it!' he thought. 'Get ready, Legendary Super Saiyan! I may have been out of the fight until now, but now I've had it! I'm going to destroy you, or die trying!'

With that thought in his mind, Vegeta turned into an Ascended Super Saiyan, and rocketed forward.

* * *

Letting out a growl of frustration, Broly reached out for the boy with his massive right hand, hoping that this time he'd finally catch him and get a good hit in. But exactly as he was about to grasp the boy's arm, Trunks fired an energy blast at the palm of Broly's hand. Although the attack hadn't hurt him, it was stinging just enough for Broly to pull his arm back.

Yet again, Broly growled in frustration. Damn that boy! He was a weakling compared to him, but somehow he was managing to be sneaky enough to circumvent most of his strikes. No matter how hard Broly tried, he still hadn't been capable of getting a good hit on the boy ever since he had started fighting in an exclusively defensive manner. _[Writer's note: With regards to Trunks lasting this long against Broly when Goku is much stronger than him, it should be kept in mind that Goku was truly trying to kill Broly, and Trunks is fighting defensively, just to buy time.]_

His plan to have some fun completely forgotten, Broly clenched his right fist, and fired a hailstorm of energy blasts, trying his best to make sure the blasts occupied the biggest possible area without making the spaces between the blasts too wide.

Trunks' eyes widened in fright at what he saw. Although those blasts were rather weak individually, they were too tightly grouped for him to dodge them, and he wouldn't deflect them at the required speed while in his Ultra Super Saiyan state, as the muscles not only made him slower, but made certain movements clumsier. And if he powered down, he would most certainly be unable to even push Broly away with his attacks, and Broly most likely wouldn't let him power up again.

Trunks used a technique that had been taught to him by the version of Gohan from his timeline, and brought up a spherical energy barrier. Each of Broly's blasts that met it exploded on contact. _[Writer's note: In the Dragon Ball Z TV Special, "The History of Trunks," Gohan is shown to know how to use an energy barrier, so it's compatible with canon that he taught Trunks the technique.]_

However, even before the barrage of smaller blasts had completely subsided, Broly started charging up a larger one. And right when the last weaker blasts exploded against Trunks' barrier, Broly fired his much stronger blast.

A burst of panic surging through him, Trunks tried his utter best to make his energy shield capable of withstanding the attack. Then, the green sphere hit his barrier, releasing a massive explosion. In spite of his efforts, Trunks was blown away until he slammed against a rock, completely beat, and having been knocked back into his base Super Saiyan form. If not for his energy barrier, however, he possibly wouldn't have survived at all.

For an instant, Trunks raised his head and made a gesture as though he was going to shoot forward, but then, his hair fell down to the sides of his face as it returned to the lavender color typical of Trunks' normal state. A moment later, Trunks lost consciousness.

Satisfied that he had finally managed to bring that restless boy down, Broly flew upwards until he was about a kilometer above the ground, and started gathering energy for a finishing blast. The first thing he was going to do was to blow up the entire area. After that, he was going to go to where he had left Vegeta and kill him. Then, he would get his spaceship and take off from the planet, then, he destroy the planet from outer space, just to make sure everyone here stayed dead, in the same way everyone besides his father had been trying so hard to kill him ever since he could remember. _[Writer's note: The mention of Broly having a spaceship separate from the acorn-shaped ship that was destroyed is compatible with the movies in which he appears, as in "Broly – Second Coming," he is shown traveling to Earth via a Saiyan Space Pod.]_

Indeed, one of the lessons Broly had learned at his own cost was that 'if you don't kill them, they'll kill you.' Although he knew he was exceedingly powerful when compared to any other living creature he had ever met, he still didn't want to give anyone any chances. In spite of his life having been one of constant horror and slaughter, he valued it enough to not want it to end.

Deciding he had already gathered enough energy to destroy the whole area, Broly fired his blast. However, it had barely made a fifth of its way before another, blue energy blast came and deflected the green sphere away into space.

Broly looked on the direction the energy blast had come from, right in time to have Vegeta punch his cheek. With his guard down, Broly was thrown hundreds of meters away, until he fell inside one of the small lakes on the planet's surface.

Deciding to take the chance while Broly was out of the way, Vegeta looked toward the rock in which Trunks had been imbedded, and made a quick check with his energy sensing skills. That was enough to enable him to recognize that Trunks was still alive.

He suddenly redirected his attention, however, as there was an explosion from where Broly had been tossed.

From the lake Broly had been in, a huge amount of water and stones flew in every direction, as the lake was simply drained by Broly's power up. Vegeta covered his arms to protect himself from the larger stones, and then looked at Broly, who was in the middle of what was now a relatively empty crater.

"Coming to your death, are you?" Broly asked, sneering at him when the explosion settled down. "How convenient. It spares me the effort of going back to you."

On any other occasion, Broly knew that perhaps he would have charged in right away, but now, he didn't do so. Although he did want to kill Vegeta, he also wanted to get some enjoyment out of it. Also, he was rather puzzled at how Vegeta had suddenly decided to charge in, when before he had been beyond himself with terror.

"So you think you are so powerful, all mighty Legendary Super Saiyan?" Vegeta asked. "In that case, let's just see how you will withstand my strongest attack at my fullest power!"

With that, Vegeta spread his arms apart, and buffed up until he had reached the Ultra Super Saiyan state.

The wind suddenly started picking up, and lightning bolts emanated from Vegeta's body.

Then, Vegeta placed his hands together at their heels with his fingers bent forward in front of himself, and a yellow energy sphere was forming in front of his palms.

"Broly!" Vegeta shouted. "If you really are the Legendary Super Saiyan, and have all that much faith in your strength, what you are going to do is to stand still and take this attack head on, just like you have done to all the others!"

At first, Broly couldn't help but to be worried. But as soon as he focused on sensing out the energy that Vegeta was releasing, he relaxed again. The level of power the Saiyan Prince released was nothing that he couldn't handle.

"Or are you a coward, and as such will try to run away from this attack?" Vegeta kept mocking, as his power level kept increasing. "The Legendary Super Saiyan, a coward! Who would imagine?"

That insult was almost enough to make Broly want to charge in and beat Vegeta senseless. But, thanks to a deal of self control not even he knew he had, he managed to hold himself back. He knew that what Vegeta wanted was for him to charge in and stop the attack, and he wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

Then, as Vegeta's energy soared to an extremity, the Saiyan Prince shouted.

"Final Flash!"

A massive energy beam came forth from Vegeta's hands, heading straight toward Broly. Broly, however, just grunted in disdain, clenched his fist, and batted the energy wave away, toward space.

The Saiyan Prince's face registered complete and utter horror at the ineffectiveness of his attack.

"Is that your best shot, Vegeta?" Broly asked, in the most mocking and sadistic tone he could muster.

Vegeta didn't reply, overcome by terror. However, his muscles shrank and his hair, eyebrows, and eyes went black again.

"It looks like it is," Broly said. "In that case, here is to your end!"

Broly pointed his open right palm at Vegeta, and again, the area was bathed in green light, which gradually became less encompassing as time passed. When all of the green light disappeared, a ball of energy appeared in Broly's hand, aimed at Vegeta, who was still floating in the same spot, paralyzed.

"Long live the Saiyan king," Broly said in a slow, sardonic tone, staring so fixedly into Vegeta's eyes that even at the distance they were, their gazes met.

Then, he fired his energy blast. However, this one, differently from the others he had made, immediately expanded in size after Broly had fired it, to the point where it had become twice larger than Broly himself. After all, royalty deserved the best.

And the best it was, for when the blast hit Vegeta, it completely incinerated him like a match to a barrel of gunpowder. Then, it carried on forward, until it exploded considerably off-planet, as it hit a large chunk of rock that was orbiting the gigantic comet. The light of the explosion was so intense that it lent an eerie greenish glow to the whole area.

But not even that could obfuscate the sadistic smile of the victorious Legendary Super Saiyan.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading the second part of Honor Trip's Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, Special, the definitive canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible version of the original Movie 8 story! _

_Up next in Part Three, the final part of the Special: __Have the warriors of Earth really met their end? Will the Legendary Super Saiyan's malicious power spread throughout the universe? Stay tuned! _

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_

_Broly Special Part 2: Completed Sept. 25, 2011_

_Edit Credit: American Vigor_

* * *

_Writer's additional note, regarding energies during the battle with Broly and during the Cell Games: _

_One thing that can be pointed out about the episodes of the Cell Games Saga is that, should the Z Fighters have fought any foe remotely comparable to Perfect Cell before the Cell Games, they could have sensed each other's energies at full power, and therefore it might not have made sense for them to have been amazed at Goku's power in uncut DBZ episode 178, "Cell's Bag of Tricks," or at Gohan's power in uncut DBZ episode 181, "Faith in a Boy," considering as how they could have been amazed at Goku's and Gohan's powers before those moments. _

_This potential plot hole, has been taken into consideration, and there is a logical explanation for it._

_The Z-Fighters could logically be amazed and express amazement at Goku's and Gohan's power levels during the Cell Games even if they fought Broly beforehand because, in the midst of battling Broly, they logically might not have had the time to fully comprehend the extent of Goku's and Gohan's powers. Although the Earth's fate was at stake in Goku's and Gohan's battles with Cell, the Cell Games, at least at their beginning, were an organized event where those not battling could take their time to watch and make considerations. _

_The threat of Broly, however, is one that comes much more suddenly and in which the Z-Fighters were psychologically preoccupied with Broly's menace; therefore, the Z-Fighters would be considerably less likely to take the time to actually analyze and compare each other's power levels, turning most (if not all) of their focus into destroying Broly instead. _

_Also, Broly is much stronger than Perfect Cell, a being whom the Z-Fighters already thought it would be exceedingly hard to defeat. Such a thing means that it is probable they wouldn't have been as likely to take notice of a large increase in Goku's or Gohan's power levels relative to Broly's as they would have in comparison to Cell's power level. The Z-Fighters likely were also too worried about how to defeat Broly to readily think about comparing their power levels._

_Lastly, besides the threat of Broly, there was the imminent and even bigger threat of Comet Camori crashing against New Planet Vegeta, which only adds to the distressful situation the Z-Fighters were in, and therefore would place comparing their power levels even lower in their list of concerns._

_Thank you for reading this additional writer's note,_

_Genescritor_


	36. Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan Part 3

**Honor Trip Presents: **

**Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan**

**- a Prologue Special Edition to a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Part 3: Elimination**

**Special Written by: Genescritor**

_Disclaimer: Neither American Vigor nor I own, in any way, any official property related Dragon Ball, such as the anime, its characters, related movies, and so on. However, both of us hope to supplement that glorious work of art with our fanfictions, such as this one. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story._

* * *

_New Planet Vegeta, May 24__th__, Age 767, two days before the Cell Games…_

Far from where he had been, but still on New Planet Vegeta, the Saiyan Prince opened his eyes.

What was going on?

In one moment, it had seemed as though the only thing in front of him was the green of Broly's energy blast – and now, Broly was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you alright, father?"

Vegeta looked around and saw everyone else who had been trying to fight Broly.

Indeed, he was quite surprised that Kakarot, Gohan, Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu were all staring at him, as he had thought that most, if not all of them were dead.

Was he dead, too?

No, the last time he had died, he had not had any form of consciousness, at least none that he could remember.

So they were all alive … but how?

"What are you all doing here?" Vegeta asked. "And especially you, Kakarot, how are you still standing? I thought that Broly had killed you!"

"He nearly did," Goku said. "But I managed to use Instant Transmission to remove myself from harm's way and transmit here, where Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu were recovering. I later used the technique to get Gohan, Piccolo, and Trunks – and then you. I'm still not sure whether Broly can truly sense energies or not, but if he can, then his skill is very limited, because he doesn't seem to have any idea of the fact that we are here."

Vegeta didn't show any reaction. Kakarot hadn't said anything that needed his approval or his confirmation, so there was no need for him to say anything.

"But that doesn't really solve our problems," Goku pointed out. "After all, not even all of us together are enough to defeat Broly… and he may destroy the planet anytime soon. Besides… there's that comet approaching."

As Goku mentioned it, Vegeta instinctively looked upward. By now, the damn comet – if it even could truly be called a comet due to its apparent size – occupied all of the sky. It would crash anytime soon, for sure. As far as Vegeta knew, if Broly didn't kill them, the comet would.

However, almost after he had made that consideration, Vegeta overheard Piccolo ask a very relevant question, one that significantly sparked Vegeta's interest.

"Say, Goku, you can transmit us all back to Earth from here, can't you?" Piccolo asked.

"Sure I can, Piccolo," Goku said, to not only Vegeta's surprise, but to the surprise of any of the other warriors of Earth who had not already realized this. "I believe I would have to focus for longer than usual, because of the distance, but I know in which direction to search for the energy signatures of Dende and Mr. Popo. Besides, if that doesn't work, I could just bring us all to King Kai's place, and then we could get back to Earth from there."

"Seeing as how it would be rather unfortunate for us to have to go to Otherworld for a very different reason, maybe it would be better to instant transmit us all back to the Earth right now," Piccolo said. "Broly is so strong that even if all of us fight him together at our full powers, we'd need a huge amount of luck to defeat him. So maybe it would be better to escape this planet and let Broly die when the comet crashes – if not from the impact, from the lack of oxygen."

Goku shook his head negatively.

"No, Piccolo. That wouldn't work."

"Why do you say that, dad?" Gohan asked. "Piccolo's idea seems like it could work."

"I'm not so sure, Gohan. Remember one thing: when we accidentally destroyed that huge spaceship, Paragus didn't seem too worried about it. This most likely means that there is some way of escaping here, and probably Broly knows about it, seeing as he doesn't seem too anxious about the comet's approach either. Any other space ship that is certainly hidden, and finding it would take too long for it to be a viable option."

"Or maybe Broly can just destroy the comet by himself," Yamcha said, putting his two cents in.

"Why don't we just destroy the planet ourselves and then grab Goku while he uses Instant Transmission to escape?" Tien asked.

For a moment, Goku considered Tien's suggestion. Then, he spoke again.

"Well, actually, that could be an option… but it has some issues. First, the amount of energy we would need to gather to destroy a planet could end up being sensed by Broly, regardless of how poor his energy-sensing skills are. Secondly, we would need to keep an energy blast going for a considerable amount of time in order to destroy a planet, as it needs to reach the planet's core in order to destroy it. Such a thing means that Broly would realize what we were doing and most likely manage to stop us."

Kakarot's answer was met with dejected looks, but no one raised any objection. Even Vegeta, who used any chance he had to criticize the clown's thinking, couldn't find anything wrong to point out on this occasion.

"There's also another important problem with the idea of destroying the planet," Goku said. "The comet would just keep going. In fact, I think that even if it met the planet on its way, the comet would just keep going unscathed. Which means it could eventually reach some inhabited planet and destroy it. So, in order to not jeopardize any innocent people, not only would we have to destroy the planet but the comet… and I don't think we can destroy both without Broly noticing.

This time, Vegeta couldn't help but to actually criticize the clown's way of thinking.

"Don't be foolish, Kakarot. What's the big deal if some other planet is hit by this stupid comet and is destroyed when we are talking about a Legendary Super Saiyan who is most likely capable of destroying entire planetary systems? It's not like you would personally know anyone who would be on some random planet." _[Writer's Note: The idea of Broly being able to destroy entire galaxies relatively quickly, as was the case in the original Movie 8 when he was said to have relatively quickly destroyed much or all of the South Galaxy, was modified to the idea of Broly being able to destroy entire planetary systems relatively quickly, due to the physical impossibility of Broly being able to destroy entire galaxies. Matter and energy cannot move faster than the speed of light in normal space due to the laws of physics, and galaxies are typically thousands of light years long, such that they are typically thousands of times the length it would take for light to travel in one standard Earth year. A galaxy the size of the North Galaxy (the Milky Way Galaxy) is about 100,000 light years long, hence even more evidence that the idea of Broly being able to quickly destroy an entire galaxy quickly is unsupportable and illogical.]_

Goku gave Vegeta a look that was quite possibly more serious than Vegeta had ever seen him expressing.

"Vegeta, I would not just stand aside and let this comet possibly end up destroying a planet full of innocent people if I knew I could have done something to stop it," Goku said. "The thought of doing so is beyond dishonorable. I'm ashamed that you thought such a thing would be acceptable."

Vegeta didn't bother to hide his grumble. Why the imbecile had to make things so difficult was beyond him.

"In that case, seeing as you're always turning down other people's suggestions, why don't you come up with your own?" Vegeta asked.

Goku did not answer Vegeta's challenge right away. Most certainly, it was because he had no humanely practical idea of his own, just as Vegeta had expected.

"Well, whatever we should do, we should do it fast," Chiaotzu said. "Broly seems to be getting restless."

Hearing the little clown's remark, Vegeta focused his senses on Broly's energy. Indeed, he appeared to be getting quite agitated at his location, some hundreds of kilometers away from where they currently were. Vegeta had a guess as to why. Broly was almost certainly trying to look for the bodies of those he had defeated, in order to make sure he had killed them, but he wasn't finding even the ones that he was confident hadn't been completely obliterated. Based on Broly's energy output, Vegeta sensed that his nervousness seemed to be increasing, although couldn't figure out this reason at the moment. It wasn't truly important, anyway. What was important was to think of some way to defeat Broly before he found them and came to finish his job.

Right as Vegeta thought that, Yamcha spoke up.

"Hey, Goku, I don't agree with what Vegeta said about just letting innocent people die, but I've just had an idea here."

Goku turned his head toward the person whom Vegeta had informally termed as 'Scarface.'

"What is it, Yamcha?" Goku asked.

"Regarding that whole Instant Transmission thing, why don't you just use it to take Broly to the Earth so that he and Cell can destroy each other? That way, we would kill two birds with one stone!"

Vegeta observed that the fool's proposal was generally met with what looked like a mix of bafflement, amusement and mild approval from the others, except for three people: himself, Kakarot and Piccolo.

Vegeta knew that he, himself disapproved of the idea because he wanted to be the one to destroy that damned android, and that he wouldn't let anyone do it in his stead, even if it was the Legendary Super Saiyan.

Just as Piccolo was about to make a vocal objection, Kakarot wasted even less time in voicing his opposition.

"I don't really think that's a good idea, Yamcha, for more reasons than one," Goku said. "To begin with, it's highly unlikely that Broly would let me hold onto him for the amount of time it would take for me to sense Cell's energy and focus on it. Also, if Broly and Cell were to fight, this could very easily result in one of two really undesirable outcomes. The first is that Broly would destroy Earth in the process of trying to destroy Cell, and the second is that Cell might outsmart Broly, find some way to absorb his energy, and become an even bigger threat to the universe after destroying Earth. Neither of these options are desirable, as we would be handing Earth's fate over to a monster either way. Not to mention that Cell might try to defeat Broly by denying him the ability to breathe, just like Broly might try to destroy the Earth out of believing that Cell would die too, although Cell wouldn't die if he escapes the blast because he has Frieza's DNA as a part of him, and can survive in outer space. It's bad enough Cell might very well resort to trying to destroy Earth during the Cell Games, the last thing we need is for someone else to be targeting the Earth right along with him."

Yamcha looked visibly dejected at having his suggestion turned down, but it seemed as though he understood the implications of why his plan would have been less than desirable.

"I get that," Yamcha said in a serious tone. "And it certainly doesn't sit well with me to potentially victimize the Earth like that. I was just wondering if we really had any other choice, considering how we are determined to stop both Cell and Broly."

"I know what you mean," Goku said. "But that comet still appears to be enough of a distance away that we have some time before its impact, which means we still have some time to try to think about what to do about both Broly and the comet without resorting to absolutely desperate measures.

Then, Goku gave one of his allegedly reassuring smiles, the kind which Vegeta especially abhorred because he didn't see the point in them.

"As for Cell, don't worry about him," Goku said. "I'm confident we are going to win against him without needing to destroy the Earth, and certainly without needing Broly to kill him for us."

Not for the first time, his statements about the upcoming fight against Cell were met with general puzzlement. And as much as he refused to be compared to those fools in any way, Vegeta couldn't help but to feel exactly the same at the clown's self-assured statements.

How could he be so sure that they were going to defeat Cell? While the android had lost the title of most powerful foe they had ever faced, as Broly indeed had a greater level of raw strength, even Vegeta had to acknowledge that Cell was in many ways a superior force to be reckoned with, especially because of his so-far unmatched speed and regenerative capabilities.

Why was the clown so sure they were going to win?

Before Vegeta could make any questions or comments, his son decided to speak.

"Well, even though I still can't really understand Goku's confidence about defeating Cell, he is right about two things," Trunks said. "We must always try our best to not let innocent people die. And we must try to do something to make sure both that Broly gets killed and that the comet is destroyed."

Then, as though he felt he was sounding too stuck-up, or as if he feared he was giving them any false hope about having a plan, Trunks said, "But I have to be honest, I'm not really sure of what we can do right now."

Vegeta couldn't help but to grit his teeth at that comment. Why did his son have to sound like a know-it-all in one instant, and then confess his inability the instant after?

"I've got an idea," Krillin piped in, actually raising his right hand while doing so. "How about you use a Spirit Bomb, Goku? I think it's possible you could make one powerful enough to kill Broly. And I believe anything powerful enough to kill Broly would destroy that comet, so if you took care to aim properly, it would do the trick."

Most of the others gave the person whom Vegeta had nick-named "Baldy" awed looks.

However, Vegeta was far from impressed. In fact, it sounded like a terrible suggestion as far as he was concerned.

"Idiot!" Vegeta spat. "You really think the Spirit Bomb will work against Broly? It didn't work when you used it against me, what makes you think it will work against him?" _[Writer's note: As Vegeta was not alive at the time Goku used the Spirit Bomb on Frieza, Vegeta does not reference that occurrence here.]_

Krillin gave him a glare, but Vegeta could see that his argument had been convincing.

"I'm sorry to say this, Krillin, but I don't really think that's an option," Goku said. "When we faced Frieza, it took a long time to make a Spirit Bomb powerful enough to be capable of as much as hurting him when he was only using half of his power. And Broly is much more powerful than Frieza. I can't see how we are going to make a Spirit Bomb powerful enough to kill him in the amount of time we have before the comet crashes."

"Maybe making the Spirit Bomb would take less time than you think," Piccolo said. "You're a Super Saiyan now, so you should be able to gather the energy much quicker. We're all stronger than we used to be, so lending you our energy for the Spirit Bomb would be more effective now than was ever possible before. And besides that, Paragus made those mines of energy, and Broly looks like he destroyed them all on his rampage. We saw when we were at the mines that the broken pipes appear to emanate energy, so you can use the energy released by the destroyed mines. With a direct tap into this planet's energy, we have access to even more energy for the Spirit Bomb."

Vegeta looked at the same direction the others were looking. Indeed, the air there seemed somewhat hot, as though there was some source of heat in that area.

Goku looked bleakly at Piccolo.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, Piccolo," he said. "You are all too exhausted to give much energy. And while I believe that I could gather a lot of energy from this planet, with a little extra help from the energy of this planet's sun and possibly some more from any close planet, I'm still not sure that the Spirit Bomb would be made quickly enough, let alone if this would really work against Broly."

"You won't know that until you try," Piccolo stated simply. "And as for our powers being depleted, I have a solution for that problem."

With those words, he extracted a pouch that somehow had survived the fight with Broly from his pocket, and unfastened its straps, emptying the pouch's contents into his hand. Nine Senzu Beans fell out of it, and Piccolo threw one to each of them, before he ate one himself. The others followed his example. _[Writer's note: In the original version of Movie 8, Piccolo is shown to have brought Senzu Beans with him. Therefore, it is logical to assume that he would have done the same here.]_

"Wow, Piccolo!" Goku exclaimed in amazement. "When did you get these?"

Piccolo smirked.

"Back on Earth, shortly after all of us first sensed the energy of Paragus and the others, I decided to go down to Korin's Tower and get some Senzu Beans, in the off chance that we would need them."

The statement made Vegeta remember that indeed there had been a short period when the Namek had left the Lookout at that time. Vegeta had wondered why at the moment, but had eventually decided that it wasn't important. It had been good thinking on the Namek's part – although Vegeta would rather fast for a month than saying it out loud.

"Thank goodness you did it!" Kakarot exclaimed. "Now, you can all give me energy for the Spirit Bomb!"

Clenching his fist in a display of his inner confidence, he shouted, "Everyone, let's do this!"

With that, Goku started flying upwards, but Gohan beckoned him to stop.

"Wait dad!" Gohan shouted.

Goku stopped only about a meter above the ground.

"What is it, son?"

"Dad, doesn't making the Spirit Bomb require you to stay immobile and with your target on sight?" he asked. "If so, how do you intend on allowing Broly to let you remain in the same pose for so long? And in case you want to gather the energy for the Spirit Bomb a great distance away from him, how can you get him to come to you when you're done?"

Instead of becoming dejected at the question, Goku simply smiled reassuringly.

"That's not a problem in and of itself, son. I know Instant Transmission, and I recently discovered that Instant Transmission doesn't only transmit myself, it also transmits any technique I may be about to unleash, as long as I have the energy for it already gathered. I won't have any problem transmitting to where Broly is with the Spirit Bomb." _[Writer's note: The idea of Goku being capable of using Instant Transmission to transmit any energy technique he may be about to unleash as well as himself is compatible with canon, as in the uncut DBZ episode 180, "The Fight is Over," Goku uses the Instant Kamehameha on Cell.]_

Goku's demeanor reflected an even greater sense of determination than usual, and he addressed all the others.

"Everyone, when I am floating high above the planet with my arms raised, I want you to power up to your fullest and give me all the energy you can possibly give. To do so, you only have to raise your own hands! Any questions?"

Most of the others shook their heads negatively. Vegeta, however, decided it was best to mention one last thing.

"You clowns are forgetting one last point," Vegeta said. "While it does seem that Broly can't sense energies if he's busy, who's going to make sure Broly stays on this planet without destroying it while Kakarot prepares the Spirit Bomb?"

Everyone looked around for a moment, uncertain of what to say. Vegeta stayed where he was, waiting for the others to realize that they had no idea. Once they did so, he would volunteer to take on the Legendary Super Saiyan. After all, as the Saiyan Prince, not only it was his duty, but he certainly felt himself to be the strongest and therefore the best suited to do so.

"We can do it," Tien said, all of a sudden, motioning to his fellow humans while making the statement.

Everyone else looked at Tien with brief confusion. However, and much to Vegeta's surprise, Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu then nodded, agreeing with him.

Vegeta scoffed audibly.

"The four of you weaklings are going to keep him busy?" Vegeta spat. "Don't be ridiculous. Broly will squash you like flies!"

"Maybe so," Yamcha replied. "But first he has to catch the flies."

Vegeta looked around, expecting to see the others disagreeing with the humans. However, while it did seem they were resisting to the idea, they were also starting to lean toward it somehow. The thought of them believing that the humans would be appropriate for such an important role was beyond belief for Vegeta.

"Besides, any of you who went to distract Broly wouldn't be able to readily give energy to the Spirit Bomb," Krillin pointed out. "And all of you are just too strong for your energies to go to waste."

"But he's going to kill you!" Goku shouted.

"We'll find some way to avoid that," Krillin said. "And if you really don't want the four of us to die again, then just work fast and get the Spirit Bomb done quickly! That's a little extra incentive for you there, Goku."

"Krillin is right," Tien said. "But remember, don't start making the Spirit Bomb until we start fighting Broly! Although you're very far, he may see it if he's not distracted."

Goku looked like he was going to argue again, but, right as he was about to do so, he held himself back.

"Very well, guys," he said. "I'll contact you telepathically when I have the Spirit Bomb ready. But don't forget these two details. First, I will have to instant transmit to you in order to throw the Spirit Bomb from a proper distance. Second, I want to make sure that after I engulf Broly with it, I change its route so that it hits the comet and destroys it once and for all. However, I can only make the Spirit Bomb go up or down, and forward. I can't make it go left or right, or backward. So, please, try your best to make sure that when you fly off after I tell you I have the Spirit Bomb ready, you fly in a direction that will enable the Spirit Bomb's route to meet Broly first and the comet afterwards."

"We will do our best, Goku!" Chiaotzu said, as the others nodded fiercely.

And just like that, without any further words, all the four humans took off in the direction from which Broly's energy could be sensed.

'Foolish humans!' Vegeta thought to himself. 'What are they thinking?'

Everyone else seemed to be having the same doubts.

But, as if he had decided that there was no more time for arguing or to hesitate, Goku flew high into the air, and raised his arms as high as he could, with the palms of his hands turned toward the sky, as he started getting ready to make the Spirit Bomb, hoping that it would be enough to deal with the Legendary Super Saiyan.

* * *

Near the location where he had blasted Vegeta, Broly kept flying around and around, trying his best to find the ones he had defeated, but, as far as he knew, hadn't killed yet.

He was sure that both Vegeta and Kakarot were dead, but the green being and the kid in the purple clothes were nowhere to be seen – and Broly was sure he hadn't destroyed them accidentally. Similarly, he also was sure he hadn't destroyed the lavender-haired boy in the blue armor, but even though Broly had seen him being thrown into the rock by his blast, the boy had somehow disappeared while Broly had been distracted with Vegeta. Broly couldn't see how that was possible, as he believed the boy had been too injured to move.

Apparently, he had been wrong.

In that case, there was only one thing to do. He would have to go to the place where his father had hidden their escape Space Pods, get off the planet with one of them, and then, once he was at a safe distance, he would destroy the planet from his Space Pod. After all, even if the imbeciles were still alive, they had to still be somewhere on this planet, which meant they were doomed anyway. _[Writer's note: The idea of it being possible to destroy a planet from a Saiyan Space Pod comes from the uncut DBZ episode 11, "Terror on Arlia," when Vegeta destroys Planet Arlia from his Space Pod. Although canon has firmly established that Saiyans cannot normally breathe in space, as Goku acknowledges that unlike Frieza he could not escape Planet Namek's destruction by flying into space and King Kai also mentions that the plan to revive Goku after the planet's destruction would be pointless since he would suffocate, Vegeta and Nappa are shown in uncut episode 11 to be able to breathe and survive in space even though their Space Pods are open, with no visible containment barrier for breathable air. It can be assumed that the pods have some sort of mechanism that keeps oxygen or another breathable substance around the ship.]_

Right as Broly came up with that plan, he saw in the distance four dots that vaguely looked like people surrounded by white auras, and they appeared to be coming toward him.

Amazement flickered within him for a moment. He hadn't known there were four more fighters on this planet.

Or could it be that any of the fighters he had defeated had somehow managed to recover in the meantime?

His question was answered when the dots came even closer. Broly's eyes bugged out, as he recognized them. The white dots were the humans!

"You again?" Broly asked, surprised at seeing them still alive. "I thought I had finished you off long ago!"

"Well, you haven't!" Yamcha said. "And now, Broly, prepare to meet your end!"

For a moment, Broly couldn't help but to think that the scarred guy's declaration was too grotesque and illogical to be real. After all, Broly had only needed to hit each of them once to bring them down in their first fight. And although his energy-sensing skills were extremely rudimentary and limited, he knew that the four humans were much weaker than him.

On any other occasion, he would have laughed at such a grotesque statement. However, right now he was too annoyed at these flies that, no matter how hard they were swatted away, always seemed to come back for more.

"You cannot kill a god," was all that Broly said to the four humans in a low, deadly serious tone.

Then, without saying anything else, he charged toward them.

* * *

Even though he was hundreds of kilometers away, Goku couldn't help but to wince at what he had sensed. Unless his senses were fooling him, Broly had charged at Krillin and the others from the instant he saw them. That most likely meant they had told him something that had rubbed him the wrong way. Fortunately, that meant Goku could start making the Spirit Bomb.

"Now, guys!" Goku shouted down to his friends, with his hands already reaching up above his head. "Power up to your fullest, and give me all the energy you can!"

Even as he could sense Gohan and Piccolo powering up to their fullest, and Trunks and Vegeta entering their Ultra Super Saiyan state, Goku made another plea, this time through his mind.

"_This planet, every planet that may be nearby, the sun of this planetary system… please, give me all the energy you can!_" he begged. "_I need it to stop Broly!_"

While he made the request, Goku cast another worried look at the comet. It kept growing in size, and now, there was a breeze blowing on the planet's surface, which seemed to emanate from the comet. Time was running out.

However, the comet's breeze was suddenly dispelled when a huge pale-blue sphere of energy appeared directly over Goku's palms. That was the initial boost that his Spirit Bomb had received from the combined powers of Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, and Vegeta…

'Wait…' Goku couldn't help but to think. 'That can't be! If all of them had actually given their energies, surely I would have gotten some more power from that boost! Maybe not much more power, but certainly an amount that would be noticeably bigger!'

Actually, it was hard to make such a statement with regards to these specific conditions in which he was making a Spirit Bomb. Goku had never made a Spirit Bomb that had used up almost all the energy of one or more people, nor had he ever made a Spirit Bomb that grew so quickly. Although Broly had destroyed the energy mines and the overwhelming majority of the minions around them, whatever mechanism had been put there to extract the energy seemed to be still working, as the mines kept giving more energy to him. But still, Goku believed the Spirit Bomb would be stronger by now if everyone had indeed given their full energies to him.

Just to be sure of whether he was imagining things or not, Goku locked both his senses and his eyes below him, to sense how his friends were progressing. Trunks and Piccolo were almost completely spent, with hardly enough strength to stand. Gohan was kneeling on the ground, and extremely tired, but remarkably, he was still in his Super Saiyan state. Just like Goku had expected when he'd first come up with the idea, he and his son had mastered Super Saiyan to such an extent that they could only lose it unwillingly if they went to near unconsciousness.

Vegeta's energy, however, still felt elevated, as though he hadn't given any energy to the Spirit Bomb at all.

Goku immediately realized why the initial boost to the Spirit Bomb had not been as big as he had wanted it to be.

Down below, Vegeta was, at the very least, fuming in rage, as he sensed the four humans keeping the Legendary Super Saiyan busy, and Kakarot gathering more energy for that damned Spirit Bomb of his.

"Father, what's wrong?" Trunks asked, managing to stop panting long enough to form a sentence.

Vegeta wasn't even listening to him.

'I can't believe this!' Vegeta thought, gritting his teeth in such a way that it was a wonder they didn't shatter. 'First my Final Flash fails to inflict any damage on Broly, then the humans are the ones to go out there to stall him while we get ready to finish him off, and now Kakarot will be the one who kills him!'

Vegeta looked upwards at Goku, and threw the most intense glare he could muster at him. His anger was so intense that he unintentionally flared his golden aura.

High above the ground, Goku frowned. He didn't know what Vegeta was thinking, but even at this distance, he could feel the heat of Vegeta's glare – not to mention that he could sense that Vegeta's power was increasing. Apparently, Vegeta was upset at something, and it had something to do with him.

He couldn't have chosen a worst time to act indignantly. Vegeta's energy at Ultra Super Saiyan was meant to be a significant part of the Spirit Bomb. Although Goku would be able to gather the same amount from other places, it would take longer. Too long. If he had to gather that amount of energy from somewhere else, the comet would almost certainly destroy New Planet Vegeta in the meantime.

Hopefully, Vegeta would snap out of whatever was bothering him soon.

If he didn't, they were all doomed.

* * *

As Broly charged at them yet another time, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu dispersed in one direction each, avoiding the Legendary Super Saiyan's strike yet again. Although none of them could hope to leave as much as a pinch mark on Broly, they were skilled and sneaky enough to reasonably anticipate his moves.

Hopefully, they would be able to do so until Goku finished his Spirit Bomb.

Even as Broly turned back around, Yamcha grabbed his own right wrist with his left hand, and gathered energy until he had formed an energy ball the size of a chair, which floated over the palm of his hand. At the same time, Krillin started charging a Scattering Bullet.

"Spirit Ball!" Yamcha shouted, throwing his attack at Broly.

Broly simply stayed still while the attack moved toward his face, as he was welcoming this as a way to mock the human.

However, the blast didn't hit Broly. Instead, its trajectory turned upwards at a 90 degree angle, and it started soaring toward the sky.

Broly turned his head upwards to follow the energy ball's trajectory. However, he only did so for an instant.

At that moment, Yamcha made the Spirit Ball go down again, until it whizzed right in front of Broly's face. Gasping in surprise at having the attack suddenly shift course, Broly stepped backwards, right as Yamcha made the Spirit Ball go up again. At the same time, Krillin brought his arms down, and six blasts came from the main beam of his Scattering Bullet, as it had happened when he had used the technique against the Saibamen and Nappa.

At the same time, both Tien and Chiaotzu each fired a basic energy wave.

Yamcha's Spirit Ball hit its target first, exploding on Broly's chin. Soon after, Tien's and Chiaotzu's energy waves followed, hitting Broly's nose. To complete the set, the six energy blasts from Krillin's Scattering Bullet hit Broly's head, releasing a somewhat more substantial explosion. However, none of the techniques was enough to make the Legendary Super Saiyan do as much as sneeze.

Scoffing in disdain, Broly again formed a green energy ball in his right fist, swung his arm forward, and threw a hailstorm of energy blasts.

Again, the blasts were so weak that Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and the others managed to deflect the few that actually came their way. However, while they were busy deflecting those blasts, Broly was busy preparing a stronger one.

Immediately after the smaller energy blasts had subsided, Broly fired the stronger energy blast. It only had to hit one of them, and would certainly be enough to kill them all.

Working in perfect synchrony, Krillin and Yamcha each fired a Kamehameha, while Chiaotzu and Tien each fired a Dodon Ray. The four combined attacks knocked Broly's blast away into space.

Not phased in the slightest, Broly shot forward, straight toward Tien, with his right hand pulled back for a punch. Tien immediately shot a Tri-Beam at Broly, but the blast simply slipped over the Legendary Super Saiyan, as he kept advancing.

Noticing the ineffectiveness of his attack, Tien dodged to the left, knowing that Broly wouldn't be able to readily hit him from there. He was right, because Broly immediately brought his arm backwards in an effort to see where Tien had gone. Noticing the opening, Tien moved forward as quickly as he could and brought his knee up, slamming it straight into Broly's chin, right as Yamcha landed a kick on the top of Broly's head, and as Chiaotzu and Krillin each delivered a punch to one of Broly's eyes.

Then, the four of them disappeared, and reappeared above Broly's back to attack him from there. Trying to take their chance while Broly was still flying belly down, the four of them started stomping down on it as quickly as they could, hoping they would produce some sort of damage, or at least stall for more time. However, Broly simply straightened himself, making the four humans dodge aside so as not to be hit by his head.

Then, the four of them immediately punched Broly's head, in the hopes that the combined attack would confuse him.

It didn't.

Broly reached out to punch Tien, but as Broly's arms weren't favored for fights at close quarters, the blow was awkward, and Tien managed to duck and avoid it.

At the same time, while Broly's punch kept going, Tien delivered a kick to Broly's nose, but the Saiyan didn't flinch. Nor did he flinch when Krillin delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of his head right after.

Yamcha and Chiaotzu joined their two friends, and clasped their hands together and slammed them into Broly's eyes. However, Broly didn't even blink at the hits, paying their attacks the mind he would have paid a fly.

Shouting to the top of their lungs, each of the humans was enveloped by a white aura, as they tried even harder to damage Broly with their punches. Not a single one of their punches was having any real impact.

Changing tactics, the four humans brought their fists back, and Yamcha and Chiaotzu each delivered a punch that landed on each side of Broly's nose, while Tien and Krillin each threw one that hit Broly's chest.

Broly, however, again acted as if he hadn't been hit, and started flailing his arms around in an effort to hit them. However, the fact the humans were so close to him again placed him at a disadvantage because of his big limbs.

Noticing that, the humans were assiduously avoiding Broly's uncoordinated grabs, doing their utter best to stall for as long as they could. All four of them could sense the power of Goku's Spirit Bomb building up at a surprisingly fast rate.

However, after only about 20 seconds of trying to grab them at close range, Broly realized that his strategy wasn't practical while they remained so close, and he flared his aura around himself.

Immediately, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu soared away from him.

Broly had successfully removed his temporary disadvantage, and now that he had done so, he rushed forward to finish what he had begun.

* * *

Far away, Goku frowned as he sensed Broly pushing away Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu with one flare of his aura.

His Spirit Bomb already had about half of the energy he felt he would need to kill Broly, and the next half was quickly coming. Indeed, the method of gathering energy from the destroyed energy mines was turning out to be advantageous, as it was enabling the Spirit Bomb to become stronger at a much quicker rate than Goku had anticipated. But still, there was no way of saying if the energy that still had to be added would come quickly enough. Broly could still kill Tien, Krillin, Yamcha and Chiaotzu while he was out there.

If that happened, it was possible he would destroy the planet right after – and there was no telling of how many planets he would destroy afterwards.

Vegeta was still refusing to collaborate, and the last thing Goku wanted was for his stubbornness and arrogance, in the grand scheme of things, to help contribute to even more unnecessary deaths.

"Don't be so stubborn, Vegeta!" Goku shouted down at him. "Please give your energy to the Spirit Bomb! I need it!"

Still enraged at the fact that others less worthy than himself were the ones taking the primary steps to defeat Broly, especially since Kakarot would be the one to deliver the finishing blow, Vegeta did not even dignify him with a glance.

"Father…" Trunks begged to him in a low, tired voice. "Please…"

"Vegeta…" Piccolo said in a tone that was a mix of a whisper and a moan.

"Please, Vegeta…" Gohan said while he tried to get his breath back.

Vegeta glared at them for daring to ask him to do such a thing, as though they were all guilty of some sort of betrayal for not recognizing that he should have the lead role in defeating Broly.

"Vegeta!" Goku insisted. "Please do it! Krillin and the others won't hang on for much longer, and the comet will crash soon!"

Vegeta growled, clenching his fists so tightly that his fingernails were starting to break the skin on his palm, even though he was wearing gloves. Inwardly, he let out an endless stream of curses at everything that had happened ever since he had gotten to know about the real Legendary Super Saiyan. Not only had he cowered like a petulant child for much of the battle, but he had also failed in killing Broly, even with using all of his power in his strongest attack.

Now, to top it all off, they wanted him, the Prince of all Saiyans, to help Kakarot, his subordinate by heritage and rival by actions, to achieve an overwhelming victory by being the one to defeat the Legendary Super Saiyan!

That was unacceptable, unbelievable, unthinkable, and many other things that Vegeta wouldn't even list because he would keep doing it for the rest of the day if he allowed himself to get lost in the flow of his thoughts.

But deep down, Vegeta knew what had to be done. And he hated himself for what he was about to do.

Gritting his teeth again, Vegeta looked upwards, giving Goku a look that made him very grateful that looks couldn't kill.

"Very well, Kakarot!" Vegeta bellowed up at him, as he flared the aura of his Ultra Super Saiyan state. "You want my energy? Have it! But be warned: if you happen to fail in delivering the finishing blow to Broly with that strike, I will somehow get to you before he does, and I will kill you myself!"

Then, at long last, Vegeta raised his hands, and the energy of his Ultra Super Saiyan state flowed into the Spirit Bomb hovering above Goku's palms. Now it was only a matter of gathering some more, and the grand attack would be ready.

* * *

Far from there, at the arena he had built for his tournament, Cell looked up at the sky, toward the enormous energy he was sensing.

According to the knowledge he possessed, that was the energy of a Spirit Bomb made by Goku. The defenders of Earth were far enough away that he could not actually sense their individual energy signatures, but the Spirit Bomb's prominent, collective energy was distinctively apparent.

Apparently, the imbeciles either had gone to help someone on another planet, or had fallen into some sort of trap, and now Goku was using the Spirit Bomb on whatever foe he had encountered there.

A strong foe indeed, for while Cell could not sense the energy signature of whomever it was due to the vast distance away, judging from how powerful the Spirit Bomb felt, this was likely a quite powerful entity.

Cell briefly wondered if even he, himself would be able to survive an attack that powerful. After all, if Vegeta's Final Flash alone could pierce his molecular structure, an attack of this magnitude would be quite challenging.

But there were some things that didn't make sense, which Cell managed to recognize based on information he had acquired from Doctor Gero, the knowledge he had gained from Goku's DNA, and his superior logical deduction. To begin with, the Spirit Bomb was by itself a technique that was meant to be used as a last resort, not only because it could cause massive collateral damage, but also because gathering energy for it rendered the user relatively defenseless. Not only that, but the more powerful a Spirit Bomb was, the longer it took to get ready. And a Spirit Bomb as strong as the one Cell was currently sensing should have taken an hour to get ready, at the very least. And if Goku was getting that Spirit Bomb ready in order to kill a powerful foe, just how could Goku have had so much time at his disposal?

For a moment, Cell wondered if somehow Goku could have gone off the planet so that he could gather energy for a Spirit Bomb far away, and then use that technique of his to return to Earth instantly and use that same Spirit Bomb on Cell. But that option made no sense. Goku was too honest and fair for his own good; he would never backstab an opponent. Also, if he intended to do that, he wouldn't just leave on that space ship with the Saiyan and the other aliens Cell had sensed, he would have gone on his own.

All those factors lead to the same conclusion Cell had already made: Goku using the Spirit Bomb was related to some sort of threat that he and the others had gone on that spaceship to deal with.

But what threat could be so severe that it required Goku to make a Spirit Bomb so powerful?

The most logical conclusion was that somehow, Goku was very much exaggerating on the amount of energy he was gathering for the Spirit Bomb, due to the previous occasions in which the attack had failed. _[Writer's note: It is known that Doctor Gero watched the battle against the Saiyans on Earth, and therefore Cell should know that Vegeta survived the hit from the Spirit Bomb that was used in that battle. Even though Doctor Gero didn't watch the battle against Frieza on Planet Namek, it is clear that Cell indeed inherited memories from Frieza, as he states in the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 178, "Cell's Bag of Tricks," when Cell uses the Homing Destructo Disks he inherited from Frieza, "Ha! Nice try, Goku. The cell from Frieza that's inside me tells me you are trying to draw that disk back this way," referring to Goku's tactics against Frieza on Namek. It is therefore very compatible with canon that Cell inherited the memory of Frieza being hit by Goku's Spirit Bomb in uncut DBZ episode 94, "Power of the Spirit." While the exact mechanical process of incorporating Frieza's DNA through one cell as stated in the selected quote here is inaccurate and illogical, the general principle that Frieza's DNA is within Cell is fundamentally canon.]_

In the meantime, there was nothing Cell could immediately do to discern more about whatever was happening out in space. His only option was to keep his senses focused on that Spirit Bomb, in order to have some sort of idea of what was going on.

* * *

Looking like he was starting to get more than annoyed at the pesky humans that were bothering him, Broly pulled his left hand backwards to punch Krillin.

However, three energy blasts came from different directions, each of them hitting him at a different point.

Broly growled with frustration as he was hit, although the attacks didn't hurt him.

He started turning his head away, attempting to try and single out one of them, but then, Krillin fired an energy wave, which hit Broly's cheek squarely. The attack failed to hurt him, but it was enough to make him refocus on Krillin.

Broly pointed his left palm at Krillin and fired the strongest energy blast he could quickly muster.

Reacting on instinct, Krillin threw a Destructo Disk at the blast, hoping it would at least deflect it away. But, much to his surprise, it did more than that. Instead, it cut Broly's energy blast in half, and the two halves separated and passed harmlessly above and below Krillin. Meanwhile, the disk went on, straight toward Broly's neck.

The Legendary Super Saiyan gasped in amazement, right as the energy disk hit his neck. However, it shattered on impact, and a few shards of energy scattered away like pieces of broken glass.

It wasn't much of a surprise. If the technique hadn't been able to damage Cell, it was highly unlikely that it would have been able to damage Broly. _[Writer's note: Krillin unsuccessfully uses the Destructo Disk technique on Cell in uncut DBZ episode 160, "Cell is Complete," such that the disk hits Cell but fails to affect him.]_

However, it seemed to leave Broly surprised, and Chiaotzu decided to take a chance. Chiaotzu fired a Dodon Ray that hit Broly right between the eyes, blocking his eyesight as a result of the explosion. Then, shooting forward, he immediately latched himself to Broly's belly, exactly over the bruises the Legendary Super Saiyan had sustained in his battles with the Saiyans.

"Chiaotzu, no!" Tien shouted, with the sight of Chiaotzu holding onto Broly bringing him a déjà vu of the day his best friend had sacrificed himself in a futile effort to kill Nappa.

"_Don't worry, Tien_," Chiaotzu said telepathically. "_I know what I'm doing_." _[Writer's note: Chiaotzu is shown to use telepathy on at least one occasion in DBZ. This takes place in uncut DBZ episode 24, "The Power of Nappa," when Chiaotzu, during the countdown to his self-destruction, talks to Tien telepathically.]_

Then, Chiaotzu started emanating a blue glow, which again made Tien recall Chiaotzu's ill-fated attempt at killing Nappa. However, the glow was different enough for Tien to realize that Chiaotzu was using another technique: one that allowed him to deliver electrical shocks on his foe. He couldn't see why Chiaotzu was using it, though, as such a thing wouldn't do much damage against Broly. But it turned out to do just enough, as Broly gave a brief shout similar to the one a normal human would give if stung unexpectedly by some type of biting insect. _[Writer's note: Chiaotzu uses this unnamed technique on Piccolo in uncut DBZ episode 55, "Piccolo vs. Everyone."]_

Growling at Chiaotzu, Broly brought his right arm up, and tried to punch Chiaotzu. However, right when Broly's punch was about to hit its intended target, Chiaotzu disappeared, moving out of the way, and Broly ended up hitting his own belly. The Legendary Super Saiyan shouted in surprise at hitting himself.

Chiaotzu reappeared by the same spot where he had disappeared, and an instant later, his friends appeared right by his side. Then, each of them started delivering a barrage of the strongest punches they could muster to Broly's abs. Thanks to Broly's massive size, everyone had ample room to deliver hits.

But again, although the punches they delivered were capable of delaying the abating of the burning feeling that Broly had after hitting himself, they couldn't hold it off forever. Eventually, Broly recovered – and as soon as he did, he again powered up, throwing the four humans off him with the shockwave.

As soon as they were at a proper distance, Broly fired one more barrage of energy blasts – but this one only had about a dozen of them, and each of the individual ones was much stronger than the blasts in the barrages with thousands of them.

Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu flew down, avoiding the blasts, but Broly just kept firing more and more of them – and for some reason, he was firing over and towards them, but not underneath them. Also, he was firing individual blasts in addition to the barrages. Still, the blasts were coming at a very fast speed, and so quickly that the humans were barely capable of avoiding them.

Eventually, in their desperate attempts to avoid their deaths, the four human fighters got to the ground, landing solidly on their feet. And that seemed to be what Broly had been waiting for.

Even before their feet had touched the ground, Broly had fired a much stronger blast, aimed at the ground underneath them. The blast was strong enough that even the explosion would seriously damage all of them – except for Broly – if they were caught in it.

Trying their best to avoid that, all of them worked together to counter the blast. Krillin used a Destructo Disk, Yamcha used a Kamehameha, Tien used a Tri-Beam, and Chiaotzu used a Super Dodon Ray.

The four attacks went flying straight toward Broly's blast – and they managed to destroy it. However, the explosion was huge, and Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu were forced to disappear away from it, reappearing at a distance they considered safe enough.

At the spot in which they had reappeared, although they still had to shield their eyes from the explosion, they weren't blown off their feet.

The attacks they had gathered in an attempt to counter Broly's blast had expended a good portion of each of their energies.

Broly disappeared from where he had been, and reappeared about 10 meters away from them.

"Is that all?" Broly asked, sounding as though he was, in short and straight terms, tired and sick of the whole matter.

When he didn't get any response, he added, after letting out what looked like a slight sigh of relief, "If if is, I'm going to kill you."

The four human fighters gulped nervously. They couldn't think of anything else that would be of much use against Broly, and even at their full strengths, they hadn't been able to inflict the slightest damage on him.

What were they going to do now?

* * *

'There!' Goku thought, after gathering a final portion of energy for the Spirit Bomb that was floating above him,. 'It's ready! I can throw it against Broly!'

Wasting no further time, Goku immediately established a telepathic connection with his friends, to warn them of the final distraction.

* * *

"_Guys!_" Goku warned them through his telepathy. "_The Spirit Bomb is ready! Find some way to get away from Broly without him coming after you!_"

Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu smiled at the message. Their job was nearly done. There was only a last bit they had to perform – but that bit would be relatively easy. And thankfully, they already knew how to get away from Broly, as that had been the main detail they had planned out during what had been their approach to stall the Legendary Super Saiyan.

"Sorry, Broly, but we ain't dying today," Tien said. "In fact, we have one last thing in store for you."

Putting their hands with fingers spread wide on both sides of their faces, all of the human fighters immediately shouted, "Solar Flare!"

Almost instantly, four bright flashes of light erupted in the area. Combined together, it seemed like an extremely bright flash, visible even from the spot where Goku and the others were.

Broly let out a roar of surprise, and immediately brought his hands to his face. Taking the chance, the four fighters blasted off as quickly as they could, leaving Broly where he was, snarling in rage.

"My eyes!" he roared in surprise as he rubbed at them over and over again. "My eyes! You bunch of imbeciles! What have you done to my eyes?"

None of them bothered to shout an answer back. Instead, they just flew away even faster, making sure they took Goku's instructions regarding their escape in care.

As soon as they were at a proper distance, Goku instant transmitted to them, with the Spirit Bomb floating over him.

"Whoa!" Krillin shouted in surprise.

"That's intense!" Yamcha said.

"Amazing!" Tien said.

Chiaotzu couldn't say anything. He just stared at the Spirit Bomb, his mouth agape in amazement. He had never seen anything like it before.

"Thanks a lot, guys," Goku said. "Now just leave the final part to me."

Goku immediately locked his eyes on Broly, who looked as though he was about to recover his sight.

* * *

When Broly got over his dazed state, the first thing he thought of was finding the four idiots who had dared to use that attack on him. However, when he located them, they were merely specks at the limit of his visual reach, standing right behind someone. It was Kakarot – and he had an attack floating over his arms.

A quite large attack, indeed – one that Broly realized he certainly wouldn't be able to bounce back.

His mouth agape, Broly stared in pure horror at the huge sphere of energy floating over Kakarot's raised arms, as he realized that his biggest fear was coming true.

"The game ends now!" Goku shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes locked on Broly. "Goodbye!"

With those last words, Goku threw his arms forward, launching the Spirit Bomb at the strongest foe he had ever met.

Pointing his left palm toward the attack, Broly gathered all the energy he could, and launched a green energy sphere. However, this energy sphere was much bigger than any of the others he had made before, having a fifth of the Spirit Bomb's size. When it met the Spirit Bomb, it exploded on impact. But Broly's attack was nearly fruitless, managing only to decrease the Spirit Bomb's impetus for a moment.

However, a moment seemed to be enough for Broly, as he quickly started firing a barrage of energy blasts from his right hand in an attempt to push the Spirit Bomb back. He wasn't achieving that goal, but he was slowing the attack down.

Goku felt that Broly was charging up another, much stronger attack in his left hand, obviously trying to destroy the Spirit Bomb. While Goku didn't think Broly would be able to do such a thing, he had already slowed the Spirit Bomb down, which meant the attack was now less likely to engulf him. Goku knew he had to do something.

"Haaaa!" Goku shouted, his muscles expanding to the definition typical of the Ascended Super Saiyan state, as he sent the Spirit Bomb forward with even greater speed.

All the energy blasts Broly had been firing were being pushed away. Desperate for an alternative, Broly launched the stronger energy blast he'd been preparing, but like the smaller ones, it disintegrated against a Spirit Bomb that was now moving at a much faster speed.

His yellow-green aura erupting around him, Broly extended his arms toward the attack, in an effort to slow it down.

The Spirit Bomb met the palms of his hands, and started pushing him away like a bull charging against a man. Broly powered up to his very limits, attempting his utter best to push the attack back. Huge blocks of rock were blown away from underneath Broly's feet as the Spirit Bomb opened a deep trench on the planet's ground.

Broly powered up even more, with veins protruding all over his body, and more energy output than he'd ever emitted before. However, it was fruitless. The Spirit Bomb was proceeding as though there was nothing in front of it.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, the comet was getting closer by the second. If it wasn't destroyed soon, they would all be killed. Goku knew he had to hurry things up if he wanted to remedy the situation.

With another scream, he ascended into the Ultra Super Saiyan state. His muscles ached because of the speed of the forced transformation, but Goku ignored the intensified pain, knowing the transformation was necessary.

Thrusting his arms forward, Goku placed his hands together at their heels, the right hand pointing upwards, and the left one pointing downwards.

"Ka… me… ha… me… haaaaaaa!" he shouted, charging up the Spirit Bomb even more with the first energy wave he had ever learned.

An instant later, the energy sphere engulfed Broly, and was plowing across the ground far faster than it had before, knocking off pieces of rock the size of buildings.

Inside the sphere, Broly tried to summon as much energy as he could, in a desperate effort to survive the overwhelming attack. But in spite of his efforts, his energy kept being sucked away as the attack swallowed him.

Strangely enough, he wasn't scared of death. He was merely stupefied at the fact that, after spending so many years having people trying to kill him and always failing, someone who had managed to take him down had actually appeared.

"It's not possible!" The Legendary Super Saiyan yelled, with absolute and deafening shock in his voice.

One more time, Broly tried to break free from the Spirit Bomb. His attempt was proving to be futile.

"I hope you die for this, Kakarot!" he roared at his enemy, feeling the greatest fury he had ever known.

Just as Broly's power had been overwhelmed by the Spirit Bomb, his bellow was drowned out by the thunderous rumble of the energy sphere as it plowed across New Planet Vegeta.

And he did not scream again, except for his roars of pain as the Spirit Bomb kept exerting its destructive forces on his body.

* * *

Feeling sure that his Spirit Bomb had managed to achieve its first purpose, Goku directed his hands upward, and the Spirit Bomb soared skyward through New Planet Vegeta's atmosphere, heading straight for the approaching comet.

A few minutes afterwards, the two blue-white spheres met. For the tiniest of instants, the two of them pushed against each other. Then, the smaller Spirit Bomb penetrated the larger comet's surface and headed straight toward its core, making cracks radiating from the spot through which it had entered.

Soon, blue beams started erupting from the comet's surface, as if it was a miniature star shooting out stellar flares.

Then, the Spirit Bomb exploded, releasing a blinding flash of light across space.

When the surge of brightness finally subsided, both blue spheres had already disappeared.

The only thing left of either of them was a huge amount of rubble, which rained down on New Planet Vegeta, and which was no longer capable of causing any significant threat.

* * *

Having watched the whole battle against Broly, King Kai felt both relief and pride surging through every fiber of his being.

He was relieved because a grand terror had been defeated, and he felt especially proud because his student had used one of the techniques King Kai had taught him to deliver the finishing blow.

"Excellent job, Goku," King Kai said, before flicking his antennae in the air.

* * *

Still with his arms extended in the stance of throwing a Spirit Bomb toward its target, Goku focused his senses on the spot where the huge comet had been moments before. It took only a few moments to realize that Broly's energy signature had disappeared.

Satisfied with his assessment, Goku lowered his arms, as he returned to the basic state of Super Saiyan.

"Whew!" Goku said, as he wiped some sweat away from his forehead, watching thousands of shooting stars falling across New Planet Vegeta's sky, all of them remnants of the fierce battle. "What a relief this is finally over."

"You can sure say that again!" Yamcha said, as he, Goku, and the three others who had been distracting Broly flew down to land close to the huge gap in the planet's surface that had been torn off by the Spirit Bomb.

The five of these warriors, in particular, had been working together to defeat malicious forces for many years. Little had they known, all those years ago when they had teamed up for the first time to stop King Piccolo from tyrannizing the Earth, that many years later they would find themselves working together again to stop Broly from terrorizing the universe.

Wiping the sweat off of his bald head, Krillin let out a huge sigh of relief, before he spoke as well.

"Whew! It sure is a good thing that we have ways of instant healing, and that we won't have to fight on the Cell Games until after tomorrow," he said. "Otherwise, I'm not sure we'd recover completely before then!"

At the mention of the Cell Games, Chiaotzu looked up at Tien.

"Tien, now do you think I can go with you to the Cell Games?" Chiaotzu asked.

Tien gave Chiaotzu a wary look. "Why do you ask that, Chiaotzu? You know I don't want you to go there."

"But Tien, I survived the fight against Broly, who is much stronger than Cell," Chiaotzu insisted. "Why can't I go with you to the Cell Games?"

"Because I would prefer it if you were as safe as possible," Tien said. "I won't deny that you helped against Broly, but the circumstances were different. Also, I'm not even sure I'm going to the Cell Games myself, but even if I am, Cell's a lot more dangerous than Broly was, because of his abilities."

Divided between insisting on going with his friend and respecting his friend's wish, Chiaotzu opted not to say anything else, at least for now.

While his four friends talked amongst themselves, Goku kept his eyes locked on the spot where the comet had been before the Spirit Bomb had destroyed it. Until now, he would never have imagined that the Spirit Bomb could be turned so powerful in an amount of time small enough to be useful in battle, nor had he ever thought that it was possible to use almost all the energy a person could offer, instead of a lesser fraction.

But Goku did recognize that their victory was mostly due to a stroke of very good luck. After all, if Piccolo had somehow lost his Senzu beans during the fight against Broly, or if whatever mechanism Paragus had used to extract energy had malfunctioned after the destruction of the energy mines, it would have been impossible to make a Spirit Bomb strong enough to kill Broly and destroy the comet in the amount of time they had available.

Goku snapped out of his reverie, and smiled before addressing his friends.

"Come on guys, let's go back to the others," he said.

After the others were either touching him or holding someone who was touching him, Goku put the middle and index fingers of his right hand to his forehead. An instant later, the five of them disappeared from their current location, and reappeared close to Trunks, Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta.

For a moment, all of them stood in silence, as Goku gave closer looks at his son and the others.

Gohan's expression was one of pride, which Goku returned with a thumbs-up gesture.

Trunks slightly smiled, although in a way, he also looked deeply concerned, probably because, as Goku very well knew could be the case, he was thinking of the imminent threat on the horizon against Cell. Because of the horror in which he'd grown up, fighting the androids was in many ways an even more personal battle for Trunks than it was for Goku, despite the fact that Gero had intended for the androids to largely be a method of revenge against Goku for defeating the Red Ribbon Army. Goku recognized this, and couldn't blame Trunks for focusing on the ominous threat, despite their recent victory.

Piccolo, although nearly spent, was as he often was, standing with his arms crossed and with a stoic look on his face.

Vegeta was giving Goku what was easily one of the worst glares he had ever seen on the face of the Saiyan Prince. Given Vegeta's attitude before he had finally donated his energy to the Spirit Bomb, that was of little surprise.

Finally, Goku decided to break the silence.

"Well, seeing as this is all over, I guess we have no reason to be here anymore," Goku said. "Let's go home."

After the nine of them were establishing physical contact with at least one of the others, Goku again put the middle and index fingers of his right hand to his forehead, and then turned his gaze toward outer space, as he tried to sense Dende's and Mr. Popo's energy signatures.

* * *

A matter of 30 seconds later, Goku appeared on Kami's Lookout through Instant Transmission, with Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu in tow. Usually, Goku wouldn't have taken this long to perform Instant Transmission, but it had taken some time to sense Dende's and Mr. Popo's energy signatures all the way from New Vegeta. Once he had sensed them, however, making the jump had been easy.

As soon as they had materialized, Dende and Mr. Popo came to greet them. They looked happy to see them, but they also looked quite concerned. Goku immediately assumed they had sensed at least the final part of the battle against Broly.

"Hi Dende," Goku said. "Hi, Mr. Popo."

Most of the others greeted Dende and Mr. Popo as well when they saw them, but Vegeta didn't even bother to grunt in acknowledgment.

"Is this condition of yours in any way related to any eventual encounter with the Legendary Super Saiyan?" Dende asked after all the greetings had been exchanged.

At the surprised looks of most of them, Dende explained, "I used my guardian powers to get a close look at your conversation with that Saiyan called Paragus, and I recently sensed an energy that Mr. Popo told me belonged to a Spirit Bomb. But for the most part, I am ignorant as to what happened while you were off-planet."

Now understanding why Dende had asked the question he had, Goku and the others nodded.

"Yes Dende, we met the Legendary Super Saiyan," Goku said.

Dende looked like he was about to ask even more questions, but before doing so, he gave them another look, scanning them with his gaze.

Then, he set his staff down, and offered, "Well, before you tell me and Mr. Popo anything, allow me to replenish your energy supplies."

Surprised looks dawned onto the faces of most of them, and even Vegeta gave Dende his full attention after that remark.

"You can do that?" Gohan asked. "I mean, I know you can heal people, and I know you always restore their full energies when you do so, but still… we're all a lot stronger now than the last time you healed any of us. Can your powers heal to such an extent?"

"It is easy," Dende said. "Like you said, restoring energy is a natural undercurrent of my healing, so I just have to use my healing on you, and even if you aren't injured, you'll get your energy restored."

Goku beamed at those statements, "That's great! Thanks, Dende."

Then, as a sudden thought came to him, Goku turned to Piccolo and added, "By the way, Piccolo, after Dende heals us, do you think you can restore our clothes? I'll have to talk to Chi Chi soon, and I think it will be better if she doesn't see me with torn clothes."

"No problem," Piccolo said.

There was no conversation while Dende healed them all one by one – hesitating noticeably when he got to Vegeta – and Piccolo restored their clothes. The young guardian's healing particularly amazed Goku. He had known of Dende's healing skills before, but to actually experience them himself was completely different. Not only was Dende healing his sore muscles and restoring his energy supply, but that magic healing was also wiping away any dirt smudges Goku had, whether they were on his skin or his clothes. Although he already knew that he wouldn't be able to prevent Chi Chi's lecture, he could decrease it to a certain degree if he at least appeared to her in a presentable condition. For this, he was quite grateful.

When all of them finally were with their energies restored and their clothes fixed, Dende picked up his staff, stood straight again, and asked, "Would you please now tell me about your encounter with the Legendary Super Saiyan?"

No one answered right away. Goku briefly looked at the others to see if any of them would want to say something. No one seemed up to tell anything about their close encounter with death, though, so Goku decided he would speak.

"Of course," Goku said.

Over the next half-hour, Goku told Dende everything that had happened on New Planet Vegeta, with the others occasionally adding their own comments. As the story went on, Dende seemed ever more amazed at what he heard, and when Goku finally finished speaking, the young guardian was, to say the least, speechless.

"Unbelievable," Dende finally managed to say. "To be much stronger than that fiend Cell without ever having trained… I can't even imagine."

"Neither could we," Tien said. "But we were there, and we sensed his energy at close range."

"I believe you," Dende said simply. "And I know that this Legendary Super Saiyan would have to be as strong as you say if it was necessary to use a Spirit Bomb as powerful as the one I sensed in order to finish him off."

"And to think we have been so worried about Cell…," Gohan said, as he briefly turned his head in the direction from which Cell's energy signature could be sensed. "If a being like Broly was ever to be unleashed on the Universe…."

Everyone there shuddered at such a thought. Gohan was absolutely right. At least, Cell still took the time to kill at a rather slow rate, wanting to savor each and every victim. Broly, although he clearly had a more sadistic side, was much more brutal and merciless, and Goku doubted he would have had any scruples against any further opponents.

"Oh well, look on the bright side," Yamcha said. "We managed to deal with Broly. Now Cell's going to be piece-a-cake!"

"The two of them can't even begin to be compared," Goku remarked. "Broly may have been a monster, but he was probably the clumsiest fighter I've ever seen."

"Indeed," Piccolo agreed. "If he had been a skilled fighter, we'd most certainly be dead."

"Also, although I never fought against Cell myself, I can say, based on what you told me, that his speed far exceeds what Broly was capable of," Goku said. "Last, but certainly not least, Cell is a being who was literally made to corrupt everything we stand for and turn it into horror. He knows most of our techniques, including the Spirit Bomb, and the fact he's able to know so much in advance and be able to counter it is a huge advantage for him."

"Besides, unfortunately, no thanks to me, he can regenerate," Piccolo said, bemusedly.

"I guess we should be grateful that Broly was neither skilled nor aware of our techniques, then," Trunks said. "And I probably should be grateful that he doesn't seem to exist in my future."

"What do you mean?" Piccolo immediately asked, obviously alarmed by the sudden statement. "Broly was never a threat in your future?"

"Well, Paragus never came to the Earth in my timeline, if that's what you mean," Trunks clarified. "If Broly is actually out there somewhere in my timeline, then I certainly can't sense him from Earth. I can only assume that for some reason Paragus hasn't moved forward with his universal conquest in my timeline. I'll have to try to check up on it when I get back, though."

"After we defeat Cell here and you defeat your own timeline's versions of Cell and the other androids, it would be a good idea to try and at least figure out if Broly's still a threat in your timeline," Goku said. "If you discover that Broly's still out there, feel free to come back and ask for our help."

"As always Goku, thank you," Trunks said.

"Well, you should feel quite lucky that you didn't have to deal with him alone," Goku said, reassuringly. "After all, even with all the extra training we've been having recently, we would have been unable to defeat Broly if not for the Spirit Bomb. You would have needed a miracle to defeat Broly if you had confronted him alone."

"Those loser androids might have helped me, but Broly would have blasted them away," Trunks said, with an understandable grin at the thought. "At least if he's still out there, then I'll know what to expect."

"Speaking of knowing about what to expect, you have some explaining to do," Vegeta said, with a slight tone of anger directed toward his son. "Over the three years in which we were preparing for the androids, there were many things that – "

"Believe me, I had my reasons for not telling you," Trunks said hurriedly, interrupting his father and causing Vegeta to look cross. "I'm sorry if you had hardships as a result of not knowing about those things, but I didn't tell you because I was trying to protect you. When I first came back to the past, I did not yet know how my time-travelling would affect not only this timeline, but my own. Therefore, I wanted to keep the changes to a minimum, and that included telling Goku about only the essential things – namely, the arrival of the androids. You all dealt very well in my timeline with the obstacles I didn't tell Goku about, and I knew that all of you would probably be very capable of dealing with those obstacles when they emerged along the way in this timeline. I'm proud that you did."

In spite of Trunks' apology, Vegeta still made a point of scoffing.

"Look, father, had I known about Broly, I would have told you," Trunks said. "I told you about the androids because you unfortunately weren't able to defeat them in my timeline, and by that same logic, I would have told you about Broly had I been aware of his existence."

Then, as if a sudden thought had occurred to him, Trunks added, "Although, to be honest, I have some trouble grasping the concept that we were unlucky enough to fight him in the first place."

At the others' puzzled looks, Trunks added, "I mean, there is a Legendary Super Saiyan born every 1000 years, and Broly not only happened to be born days before Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, but happened to escape as well. That's improbability at its finest."

"It sure is, Trunks," Gohan agreed. "And the fact Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta largely because he wanted to prevent the appearance of a Legendary Super Saiyan only makes it even weirder."

"Can't you just shut your traps?" Vegeta shouted. "Alright, there was a Legendary Super Saiyan born before Frieza destroyed our home planet, and Frieza was too incompetent to set his schedule on time to kill him. So what? We fought him, we killed him, now stop blabbering about it!"

Vegeta's display of displeasure at the fact they were dwelling further on the fact Broly had as much as existed caused some of them to have fearful looks. Yamcha and Krillin, in particular, inched away from Vegeta in a not-so-subtle manner.

"Easy there, Vegeta," Goku said. "I know that fighting Broly wasn't pleasant, but it could have been worse. At least, none of us died against him."

Vegeta snarled at Goku again, but he didn't seem like he was up to arguing, because he simply turned his back on him in a very forceful manner. Immediately after, Goku remembered something pertinent.

"I think this would be a good time for me to go talk with King Kai and try to figure out whether Broly has killed someone that we should wish back to life with the Dragon Balls," Goku said.

A sea of wide eyes appeared as soon as Goku made that statement. They had all been so concerned about Cell's victims over the last few days that this consideration had not readily occurred to them.

"What?" Chiaotzu asked. "But Goku, if you do that, what about Cell's victims? If we use the Dragon Balls now, it will have been more than a year since they died, and we won't be able to resurrect them!"

"We'll just have to use the second wish on those that Cell killed," Goku replied. "Or, we could just use the set of Dragon Balls on New Namek. Either one of those options would work."

Putting his middle and index fingers to his forehead, Goku said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be seeing King Kai."

"And I'd better go and talk to my mother," Trunks added. "I should have told her we were going off-planet in the first place, and she must be worried sick."

Vegeta again made a big point of scoffing. Obviously, he wasn't going with Trunks. Goku couldn't help but to wonder how even a man like Vegeta felt no fear from Bulma's temper, which was comparable to Chi Chi's.

"Good luck, Trunks," Goku wished, an edge of wariness to his voice. "If I know Bulma well, I can imagine how pleased she was if she found out you left this planet without telling her anything."

With more than an edge of unease creeping onto his face and into his stance, Trunks said, "Thank you, Goku."

Goku smirked as if to say, "Don't mention it."

Turning to address the others, Goku added, "I'll be back once I have information about what we will have to do regarding Broly's victims."

With that, Goku Instant Transmitted away from the Lookout, with the breeze occupying the space he had emptied in a matter of seconds.

* * *

As soon as Goku reappeared on King Kai's planet, Bubbles and Gregory moved toward him, both looking cheerful as usual.

"Hello, Gregory," Goku greeted, nodding at the grasshopper. "And hello to you too, Bubbles," he added as the monkey jumped into his arms.

"Goku, my boy!" King Kai shouted joyfully as he walked toward him. "How good it is to see you."

While he let Bubbles down, Goku replied, "I sure can say the same. I really thought we were done for."

"I can imagine," King Kai said. "A Legendary Super Saiyan is a very powerful being. Standing against one and living to tell the tale is no small feat by far."

Then, looking as though his chest had expanded with pride, King Kai said, "But you managed to defeat him, and with a technique I taught you, no less. Of course, I wouldn't have minded if you had defeated him any other way."

"Well, I'm gladder than ever that you taught me that technique," Goku stated. "And I'm relieved that he's gone."

Then, deciding to talk about the subject that had brought him here, Goku added, "But I did not come here to talk about my battle against Broly. I came here so that I could know who exactly Broly has killed recently, and whether we should use the Dragon Balls to revive them."

Nodding at him in understanding, King Kai said, "I had a guess you would eventually ask that. So, I took the liberty to talk to King Yemma and investigate that matter."

The look on his face growing more somber, King Kai carried on, "Broly killed countless people over the course of his life. Unfortunately, determining exactly who he killed would take too much time. However, the only people that Broly killed during the last Earth year were his own father and Paragus' henchmen who were working on the planet that Paragus called New Planet Vegeta."

Goku nodded.

"Now, I know that you may still be considering using the Dragon Balls to resurrect, at least, Paragus' minions," King Kai said. "But before you do, please let me tell you this: Paragus and his minions did many horrible things over the course of their lives, many of which had nothing to do with Broly. Paragus went to Hell because of his especially atrocious crimes."

"I see," Goku said.

He found it difficult to believe that a being as aggressive Broly had spent a whole year without killing anyone good, but the truth was that Broly had been under Paragus' mind control until very recently. Paragus could simply have not had any reason to order Broly to kill people during that amount of time.

"Is there anything more you need to ask me?" King Kai asked.

"No," Goku said. Then, suddenly remembering the favor he had asked from King Kai before arriving on New Planet Vegeta, he added, "Or rather, there is. Did Cell do anything harmful while we were away, or did any of Paragus' minions stay on Earth without our knowledge?"

"No, Goku," King Kai replied. "Cell has stayed quiet while you were away, although I think he sensed your departure, at the very least. And Paragus did not try to conquer the Earth while you were away."

"On second thought, I didn't really expect Paragus to do that, anyway," Goku said. "He knew about Cell, and he would have been very foolish to have his minions attacking the Earth with Cell around."

Putting two fingers to his forehead again, Goku said, "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going back. I have to tell the others that we won't be using the Dragon Balls after all. Also, the longer I stay away, the more upset Chi Chi will be when I get back."

"Goodbye, Goku," King Kai said. "And good luck for the battle against Cell. He may not be as physically strong as Broly, but unfortunately, he's a much more capable opponent."

The only answer Goku gave was an enigmatic smile, before he finally disappeared through Instant Transmission.

* * *

_Earth, the Cell Games Arena, May 25__th__, Age 767, one day before the Cell Games …_

Standing vigilantly in the middle of the ring he had built, Cell gave a look around the area, surveying the landscape for the uncountableth time ever since he had gotten back from the television studio where he had broadcast the announcement of the Cell Games.

The wait had been long, but thankfully it was nearly over.

This time tomorrow, Goku and all of his friends would be nothing but memories after falling to his might, and Cell would be able to start massacring every single Earthling on this miserable planet.

Hopefully, however, Goku and the others would give him at least somewhat of a fight before that happened, as he wanted to look at Earth's destruction as some sort of reward for having managed to defeat the planet's defenders.

Cell was brought out of his musings when he sensed that someone had suddenly appeared behind him. Amazement flickered through him, as he realized who had arrived.

But he didn't stay amazed for long. Instead, he turned around to greet his visitor.

"Good morning, Goku."

"Good morning, Cell," Goku greeted back.

The Saiyan was dressed in an orange jacket with black sleeves, a white t-shirt, tan pants, and brown shoes. He didn't look any worse for the wear than he had when Cell had last seen him, although Cell did know that Goku had come out of whatever battle he had fought on another planet very tired indeed, as when Cell had sensed Goku and the others appearing on Kami's Lookout yesterday, their energies had been very low, although they had increased shortly afterwards, presumably thanks to Senzu Beans.

"You are early," Cell remarked. "The Cell Games are scheduled to begin tomorrow. Are you so willing to die that you decided to come a day earlier?"

Goku chuckled humorlessly.

"No, Cell," he replied. "And besides, I wouldn't be so sure of whether I'm the one who's going to die tomorrow. Either way, I'm not here today to fight you."

That much, Cell had already thought. After all, Goku was wearing clothes that weren't exactly meant to be worn when fighting.

"Well, what is it then?" Cell inquired.

His face turning serious, Goku asked, "How much of it did you sense?"

"How much of what?"

"Of what happened ever since Earth received a recent visit from outer space, on the day before yesterday," Goku clarified. "I know for a fact that there were people who sensed some of what went on since then, even though it was in outer space. You, I imagine, would also be among the people who sensed something. So, I repeat: how much did you sense?"

Cell understood what Goku meant.

"I did not sense a lot," Cell replied. "Before yesterday, I sensed that you had left, and then you had gone beyond my clear sensing range. Then, yesterday, I sensed the Spirit Bomb you made to kill whatever being you fought out there. Shortly afterwards, I sensed the Spirit Bomb exploding, and about two minutes after that, I sensed you had used that overly convenient technique you have to bring you and your friends back to Earth instantaneously."

Goku nodded. "I see…."

"Don't get any ideas, Goku," Cell immediately warned. "I won't let you use a Spirit Bomb against me."

"I didn't intend to do that," Goku said. "I just wanted to know how much of that battle you actually sensed."

"I sensed what I told you," Cell said. "And to be honest, I am a bit curious as to why you would go off-planet when you knew I was here."

"I had my ways of keeping an eye on you while I was away," Goku stated. "And as far as what happened – let's just say my friends and I were convinced that we had to destroy a threat even more dangerous than you."

"There is no one more dangerous than me," Cell proclaimed. "I am perfection itself, and you and your friends will experience the true meaning of that tomorrow."

Goku chuckled again – but this time, there actually was some humor in his voice.

"If you were with us in that battle, I believe you would have felt differently," Goku said.

"I doubt it," Cell stated. Inwardly, he didn't have as many doubts as he had verbally implied – after all, the power of the Spirit Bomb he had sensed had been high enough to kill a being stronger than him. But Cell would never imply that facing any sort of being made him the slightest bit nervous. Besides, as a perfect life form, there was no way any other being in the universe could ever hope to match the summation of his abilities.

"Suit yourself," Goku said, while shrugging his shoulders. "Now, if you don't mind, I will be going. See you tomorrow."

With that, Goku put two fingers to his forehead, and vanished.

'That's it, Goku,' Cell thought. 'Go and enjoy the day. It will be the last day of your life, after all.'

Indeed. Tomorrow would be not only the last day of Goku's life, but the last day of the lives of every being on Earth.

Again entertaining himself with picturing the horrors he had in store for the human race, Cell folded his arms while maintaining his stance in the middle of the ring.

Little did he know that tomorrow, not only would it not be the last day of the lives of every being on Earth, but that it would be the last day of something else.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Honor Trip's Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan Special, the definitive canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible version of the original Movie 8 story!_

_Up next in Honor Trip's main series, Chapter Thirty-Two: After experiencing the malicious horrors and wrath of Broly in the alternate past, Trunks has decided in a move of desperation to seek his counterpart's help in the war against Future Cell! Will Broly join Trunks and Gohan? Will he destroy them and enable Future Cell to win by default? Stay tuned!_

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_

_Broly Special Part Three: Completed September 25, 2011_

_Edit Credit: American Vigor – I want to thank Genescritor for writing what I believe to be an outstanding addition to the Dragon Ball universe, and for vastly improving its overall quality through his dedication to enabling this special to be comprehensive in its approach. Genescritor literally spent months refining this special so that it would be of the utmost quality, and he took various advanced story construction and logical deduction considerations into account throughout the production process. I hope you have enjoyed reading his work as much as I have. _

* * *

_Writer's note: As mentioned in the first part of the special, the selected theme song for Honor Trip's Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan Special is "The Rage to Overcome," by Machine Head. __You can listen to this song by typing "The Rage to Overcome" and "Machine Head" into the search feature of a standard Internet browser and finding the related music video._

_The song is quite symbolic of the special and of Broly's experiences._

_Each line has an annotation number that corresponds with a line of symbolic analysis that follows the full text of the song:_

_This world does not want me (1)_

_This world does not care (2)_

_And I'm a product of this world (3)_

_Confused. I'd say that's fair (4)_

_This pain will never leave me (5)_

_It's scarred upon my brain (6)_

_Destroying everything that brought this (7)_

_Just to keep me, just to keep me sane (8)_

A hatred burns inside me (9)

_Emotions out of hard (10)_

_But I've the will to focus this (11)_

_Survive, contrive, command (12)_

_From pain comes a courage (13)_

_The strength from injustice (14)_

_The rage to overcome it all (15)_

_An open mind (16)_

_With a closed fist (17)_

* * *

_Symbolic Analysis:_

_1 & 2) Thanks to Paragus deliberately getting Broly in contact with races who either were determined to destroy Saiyans or were inherently aggressive to the point of decimating any member from another race they met, Broly came to the conclusion that every being that existed other than his father desired to kill him, because they did not want him in this world._

_3 & 4) Deep down, Broly knows that he is a product of this world, and is somewhat confused as to why everyone wants him killed, but at the same time, never dwells on these considerations for long._

_5 & 6) The fact every being other than his father seems to be determined to kill him causes a deep impression on Broly's mentality._

_7 & 8) Broly ends up developing the urge of destroying any being he meets before it destroys him, and feels he will go mad if he doesn't follow his urge._

_9 &10) Broly has an intense hatred for Paragus out of the control Paragus has over his free will._

_11) Broly's hatred for Paragus is massive, but he has enough control to focus his hatred on Paragus._

_12) Broly wants to destroy any being other than his father because he doesn't want them to kill him._

_13) Over the years, Broly becomes ever more determined to kill his father because of the pain of being no more than a puppet in his father's hands._

_14) For years, Paragus carried out the injustice of turning his son into a personal weapon of war, and once Broly recovers his free will, the strength of the blast he uses to kill Paragus is symbolically proportional to the injustice Paragus committed. _

_15) Broly's rage plays a great role in his killing of Paragus, and by killing Paragus, he feels he utterly overcame the fact he was used as a tool for years._

_16 & 17) After Vegeta shattered the mind-control device Paragus had placed on Broly, Broly's mind was literally opened, in the sense that he could now follow his own will. Also, closed fists are a common sign of aggression, and Broly, once his mind was finally open, becomes exceedingly violent, delivering said violence through, among other things, attacks inflicted with his closed fists._

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"_The Rage to Overcome,"__ while a quite good song, (and hence why it was chosen as the symbolic theme song for this special), was written by Machine Head and is the band's property. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release. _

_Thanks again for reading __Honor Trip's Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan Special__, and get ready for Chapter Thirty-Two of the main Honor Trip series!_

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_


	37. XXXII: Awakening

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Awakening**

**Chapter Thirty-Two is Co-Written and Co-Edited by American Vigor and Genescritor**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property we control. We can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

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_Note: "Future" Broly, the version of Broly from Timeline IV featured in this chapter, should not be misidentified as the version of Broly from the main Dragon Ball universe timeline (Timeline III), who was featured in Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan. It should be remembered that in both the canon series and Honor Trip, the Cell Games took place in Timeline III, while the timeline that Future Trunks traveled to after the Cell Games is Timeline IV. "Future" Broly will be merely identified as "Broly" from this point forward because unlike Cell and Future Cell, there are not two alternate versions of Broly present in Timeline IV. It also should be remembered that the background story of the version of Broly presented in this chapter is not exactly the same as background for the version of Broly featured in the official movie 8, and is instead based off of the canon-compatible version of movie 8 that was covered in the preceding three-part special. In the event that you have not yet read the special, it would be helpful to do so to gain a deeper understanding of this incarnation of Broly._

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**Introducing a New Honor Trip Feature: Character Themes!**

**As Honor Trip's seasons and specials have themes, so too shall the main and supporting characters. New themes will be revealed as Honor Trip progresses. Unlike the seasons and specials, these themes will not have comprehensive symbolic analyses included in the pages of Honor Trip, although these themes are chosen to indeed be symbolically representative of the characters they are associated with. Hopefully, you will find the lyrics to be insightful and meaningful. **

**The new tradition shall begin with themes for five characters essential to the current primary storylines of the main Honor Trip series:**

_**- Cell: Phoenix, by Stratovarius **_

_**- Trunks: Tomorrow, by Stratovarius **_

_**- "Future" Gohan: Clarion Call, by Falconer **_

_**- Future Cell: A Thread of Light, by Demon Hunter **_

_**- "Future" Broly: By My Side, by Dream Evil **_

**These songs, while extremely awesome, are the properties of their respective artists. Please keep in mind to support their official releases. You can listen to these songs by typing the names of these songs and artists into a standard Internet browser and performing a standard browser search. These songs have been selected to symbolically enhance the awesomeness of the Dragon Ball universe, and now, may they invigorate our continuing journey ….**

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_Planet Revia… _

After Trunks had answered Gohan's question, enlightening the darkness with truth, the area around them was almost entirely quiet, save for the faint crackling of the wood being used to fuel the fire, and the faint rustling sound of a weak breeze that was fluttering the high grass.

"That's good to know," Gohan finally whispered, his usual stern and focused look becoming more pronounced. "Now, we only have to carry out our plan."

Trunks nodded, knowing that after all they had done to find Broly, the next steps would be even more difficult to successfully fulfill.

During the period of time they had spent on Planet Falkinis to recover from their fight against Future Cell, one of the things they had talked about was how to successfully bring Broly to Earth. As simply asking Broly to come with them seemed to be a practically unachievable plan, taking him to Earth by force seemed to be the best option.

The problem of transporting Broly would have been much harder to solve had Gohan not known the Instant Transmission technique. However, as the technique was well within Gohan's grasp, it hadn't taken them all that long to come up with a way to carry out their plan.

Instant Transmission enabled them to have a good chance at transporting Broly to Earth before he could properly react to stop the technique. However, everything had to be timed perfectly for their plan to work, and they knew they would need to have a contingency plan in the event Broly acted to destroy the Earth without destroying Future Cell first.

Unlike its name suggested, Instant Transmission wasn't always completed in an instant, as it could take some time for the user to properly focus on distant energy signatures. Fortunately, Gohan knew the approximate coordinates of Earth relative to the other planets he and Trunks had visited after looking at the star charts aboard their ship. Earth, however, was too far away from Revia for Gohan to transmit there directly, as they were at enough of a distance that he could not properly sense his homeworld. It had been this vast distance that had enabled him to avoid Future Cell's detection when he had transformed into a Super Saiyan back on Planet Krin. Because of this, he planned on transmitting Broly to Falkinis first, and then transmitting him to Earth from there. He was of course familiar with the general energy signatures from Earth enough – Future Cell's energy signature, for that matter, would probably be readily apparent – and transmitting there from Falkinis would be relatively easy, without requiring extended time for sensing.

Gohan was comforted that he could, in fact, sense Falkinis from Revia, as he hadn't been entirely sure he would have been able to sense a planet close enough to Earth from Revia to make the transmission only require one brief stop. The fewer stops between Revia and Earth, the fewer chances Broly would have to escape.

After Broly's arrival on Earth, it would be just a matter of keeping Broly busy while they waited for Future Cell to come investigate the source of an unknown strong power. The hope was that either Broly would destroy Future Cell, or that both of them would destroy each other. Even if Future Cell managed to defeat Broly, Gohan and Trunks were hoping that Broly would weaken Future Cell enough that they would at least have somewhat of a chance to work together to finish the job. Either way, their chances of victory at least seemed much better than if they had decided to try fighting Future Cell again by themselves.

'Time for the next part of the plan to begin,' Trunks thought.

He grabbed the right side of the back of Gohan's gi, readying himself to be transmitted.

But, right before they were about to start the next stage of their plan, something quite unexpected happened. Seemingly out of nowhere, Broly, who until then had been sitting placidly by his fire, stood up straight with lightning speed, his face turned toward the general direction of the spot where Gohan and Trunks were hiding.

That could only mean one thing.

They had been detected.

But how? They were suppressing their energy signatures as much as they could, and if Broly had been able to sense even traces of their energies, he would have done so minutes ago.

Either way, it was clear that Broly knew they were there, judging from the fierce snarl on his face, emphasized by the flames that were roasting an unknown Revian animal.

"_What do we do now?_" Trunks asked, deciding to use telepathy to talk to Gohan this time, as he didn't dare to make as much as a sound.

"_We stay put, and hope that somehow he decides he's imagining things,_" Gohan replied, his voice sounding unconvincing even through telepathy. "_With luck, he'll decide there's nothing here after all and will go back to focusing on his meal._"

Trunks doubted such a thing would happen, but he didn't voice it, neither through actual speech nor through telepathy.

Unfortunately, the mere thought that something inauspicious would happen seemed to evoke bad luck, as Broly, his power level increasing in an instant, raised his left arm and fired a green energy blast at the place where they were hiding.

"_Crap!_" Gohan inflected through telepathy, right before using Instant Transmission to get himself and Trunks out of the way of the blast, which would have been strong enough to have killed both of them even if they had been at their highest power without transforming into any Super Saiyan form.

The two of them reappeared behind Broly, who still had his left hand raised.

"_Hold him tight!_" Gohan said telepathically. "_I'll try to get a good fix on Falkinis as quickly as possible!_"

In his haste to obey Gohan's instructions, Trunks forewent the transformation into Super Saiyan before he lunged toward Broly and tried to wrap his arms around the tall Saiyan. Feeling someone grabbing him from behind, Broly shouted in surprise, right as Trunks was attempting to restrain him.

Before Trunks could clasp his hands together to form a more effective restraint, Broly yelled loudly and a white aura exploded around him, putting out the fire that had been cooking his dinner, hurtling away into the darkness the skewer that had been holding the roasting animal, and flinging away both Trunks and Gohan.

Although he was still trying to resist the explosion of energy, Trunks gasped in amazement. It seemed to Trunks that this incarnation of Broly, even while remaining in merely his normal state and without transforming, had a reasonable chance of defeating him as basic Super Saiyan. Despite being at an age of approximately 50, it seemed that Broly's power level had exponentially increased from what had been at the age of 30, confirming for Trunks that Paragus from the alternate past had not been lying when he had said that Broly's power would naturally increase by many fathoms over time as a result of his esteemed status as the Legendary Super Saiyan.

Trunks shuddered to think of how powerful this version of Broly would become once he turned into that level of Super Saiyan that not even Gohan from the alternate past could reach, the one Trunks and his friends from the alternate past had dubbed "Legendary Super Saiyan," in recognizing Broly's natural advantage.

Then, before Trunks managed to think of anything else, Broly grabbed Trunks' neck with his left hand while simultaneously grabbing Gohan's neck with his right.

The Legendary Super Saiyan was glaring at them with the most furious expression Trunks had ever seen.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" he asked in a low, threatening voice, as he started squeezing their necks inside his hands. "And how the hell did you manage to move so fast that I did not detect your movement?"

His feet dangling in the air, Trunks tried to answer the question, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a mix of gagged sounds, as Broly's grip was stopping him from speaking.

Seeming to take notice of that, Broly relaxed his grip on both of them, but did not release their necks.

However, even with his speech allowed, Trunks didn't know how to answer Broly's question, as their plan to get Broly to come to Earth had never involved the possibility of Broly having the opportunity to ask any questions before finding himself face to face with Future Cell.

As Trunks was quickly considering the best thing to say at the moment, Gohan asked a question of his own.

"How did you know we were watching you?" he asked.

"I detected you by your smell," Broly replied, in the same growling tone he had used before. "Now answer my question, before I silence you for good!"

Trunks cursed inwardly, remembering the slight breeze that had been blowing for a good while before Broly had detected them. Although Trunks and Gohan had suppressed their energy signatures and had done their best to remain hidden from sight, both of them had completely forgotten about the possibility of Broly sniffing them out, which was something any Saiyan was well suited to do, as a Saiyan's sense of smell far surpassed that of a human.

Trunks' mind kept rushing to find an acceptable answer to Broly's question. And Gohan also seemed to have drawn a blank, as after asking his own question, he hadn't managed to come up with anything to say that would be effective.

Looking like he was about to lose whatever patience he still had, Broly again started gripping their necks tighter.

Acting on instinct, both Trunks and Gohan transformed into Super Saiyans, with their golden auras vividly illuminating the area. The bursts of energy that accompanied the transformations made Broly let go of their necks, and a surprised look made its way onto the Legendary Super Saiyan's face. Trunks and Gohan took advantage of the moment to fly back about 10 meters and recover from Broly's grip.

Breathing raggedly, Trunks gave Broly an apprehensive look, as he wondered what he and Gohan should do now that "Plan A" had failed.

For a moment, Broly stood where he was, looking both confused and surprised.

"…Super Saiyans?" Broly asked aloud with fury, showing that he had in no way expected this predicament. "How could this be possible? Well it doesn't matter, since both of you are going to die!"

Broly clenched his jaw as though he was trying to swallow something particularly bitter, and shot off toward them so quickly that even though Trunks was a Super Saiyan and Broly had not transformed, Trunks could barely see him.

An instant later, Broly punched him in the face, sending him soaring several tens of meters away. In spite of Trunks' best efforts to stop himself, he kept hurtling like a cannonball, cutting down each tree he went through as if it was no more than a toothpick.

Even as Trunks soared away, Broly brought his left fist forward and delivered an equally powerful punch to Gohan's face. Like his pupil, Gohan soared away after being hit, and cut down several trees as he flew through them.

As the broken trees fell down thunderously, Trunks finally managed to stop his momentum. Although he had only been punched once by this incarnation of Broly, he could already tell that, besides being much stronger, the version of Broly from this timeline was also much better at fighting than his counterpart from the alternate past.

In some ways, that was good news, for it meant that Future Cell would be considerably less likely to win in a match against this version of Broly. But it also made the task of bringing Broly to Earth nearly unachievable, as he was so strong that it would be extremely hard to subdue him long enough for Gohan to focus on Falkinis, instant transmit there, and then transmit to Earth from there. Although Gohan and Trunks still had the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan transformations up their sleeves, Broly only had to transform into the basic form of Super Saiyan to be stronger than the two of them together as Ultra Super Saiyans.

It seemed to Gohan that the only hope they had was to convince Broly to come to Earth, instead of trying to take him there by force.

But how exactly were they going to do that before they got killed?

Before Trunks and Gohan could consider that question further, Broly was already flying at them again, blowing through some trees that were still falling, and sending showers of splinters into the air.

This time, Trunks managed to dodge Broly's punch by flying upwards, although it was still too close a call for his taste.

Before Broly could make the next move, Trunks took the chance to telepathically talk to Gohan about the course of action they should take. If they both started improvising independently, it could make their situation even worse than it already was.

"_What do we do now, Gohan?_" Trunks asked his mentor through telepathy, not wanting to take any risk of Broly eavesdropping on their conversation.

"_We need to try to calm him down,_" Gohan replied.

Trunks' eyes widened. Gohan's idea seemed so absurd that Trunks couldn't help but to wonder, more so than before, if all the time Gohan had spent dead had somehow affected his brain.

But before Trunks could express those thoughts it in any way other than his astonished look, Gohan added, "_He left Planet Kesess seemingly out of his own volition without blowing the place up; maybe he's more rational than the version of this guy you fought in the alternate past._"

Trunks nodded in reply. The majority of his considerations about Broly until now had been made through using the version of Broly from the alternate past as his main reference. But for some reason, it seemed this one was slightly less aggressive. If he wasn't, perhaps he wouldn't have asked questions prior to his serious attempts to kill them.

Before Trunks and Gohan had the time to communicate anything else to each other, energy waves were coming toward each of them. Trunks flew to the left, while Gohan flew downwards, both of them avoiding the attacks by centimeters.

For a moment, Broly was slightly confused, as though he wasn't sure about which one of them he should attack first. But a second later, he flew toward Gohan, who was closer to him. Broly was quite intent on punching Gohan in the face, and he brought his left arm back, preparing the attack.

"Whoa there, calm down, Broly," Gohan said in the most placating tone he could muster, as he narrowly dodged the angry Saiyan's punch.

"Why should I calm down?" he shouted, as he readied for his next attack. "You came here to kill me!"

Before Gohan could answer, Broly again swung his left arm toward Gohan. But this time, his clenched fist was enveloped in a green sphere of energy, which became stronger while he moved his arm. And instead of punching Gohan, Broly fired his energy blast at point-blank range, propelling Gohan away. In the meantime, he was already forming another energy blast in his right hand.

Fearing Broly would kill Gohan with his next strike, Trunks fired a Finish Buster at the Legendary Super Saiyan. But Broly detected it and fired his energy blast at Trunks' attack instead, causing the whole area to be enveloped in an explosion of greenish-yellow light, so intense that Trunks had to shield his eyes.

Even before the light dissipated completely, Broly was already in front of Trunks, stretching his arms forward as if to grab him. But before he did so, Trunks reached forward and grabbed his wrists, which momentarily stopped Broly.

Remembering that they were at least going to try to calm Broly down, and knowing that even as a Super Saiyan he couldn't keep him immobile for long, Trunks decided to follow on the line of conversation his master had began.

"Broly, unlike what you said, we aren't here to kill you," Trunks said, hoping the Saiyan would remember that he had said those words."We have no reason to do so. Actually, we were mostly hoping that you would be alive."

For just a moment, it seemed as though Broly was actually considering Trunks' words, as he had briefly stopped struggling. But no sooner than the thoughtful look had come, it had disappeared, and the fierce snarl returned to his face.

"Liar!" he roared, leaning forward to head-butt Trunks. Trunks ducked to dodge the hit, but the act cost him a knee-strike in his chest.

Then, Broly clasped his hands above his head, obviously intending to slam Trunks down. But then, Gohan flew toward them, his clothes slightly more ripped than before, and with a few injuries and bruises on his body. However, Gohan made no move to attack Broly, and instead simply floated by Trunks' side.

"My friend is not a liar," Gohan said in the firmest tone he could muster. "And neither am I. Why are you calling us liars?"

"Because you were spying on me!" Broly shouted, with rage flowing through him. "And then, you transformed into Super Saiyans! If that doesn't qualify as trying to kill me, I don't know what does!"

Then, seeming as though he was speaking more to himself than to them, he added, "Besides, everyone left in this universe must be my enemy."

"Why do you say that?" Gohan asked. If he could get to understand more about Broly, maybe he actually could reason with him and get him to come to Earth out of his own free will.

"Don't play dumb; you know why," Broly said.

"No, we don't," Gohan insisted. "Could you please explain to us what you're talking about?"

"How can you not know?" Broly asked. "If you knew to look for me here, then you must have had contact with people who know what I did, most notably the Kesess, who were the ones getting the worst share."

Then, sounding as if a sudden thought had come to his mind, he added, "In fact, since the two of you are Super Saiyans, how could you possibly not know what I'm talking about? Maybe it's because I am the only true Super Saiyan, and anyone else who mimics me cannot understand what I understand."

"You could say that neither Gohan nor myself had a typical Saiyan childhood," Trunks said, quite nonchalantly.

"Neither did I," Broly said. "Still, where the hell did you come from? All my fellow Saiyans are supposed to be long dead."

Remembering that they still had to try to dissuade Broly from believing they were trying to kill him, Gohan decided it would be best to address that point before telling Broly that they were the sons of former enemies.

"We need to make one thing clear first, Broly. We aren't trying to kill you," Gohan said. "We were just hidden because we were trying to decide how to make our first contact with you. We fought back only because you attacked us first – although it seems to have been a mistake on our part, seeing how strong you are. But like I said, we are not trying to kill you."

As if to prove his point, Gohan dropped out of Super Saiyan. For a moment, Trunks was about to gasp in amazement, but the look Gohan gave him was enough for him to follow his master's lead.

After they dropped out of Super Saiyan, Broly seemed to calm down somewhat – at least, enough for his overall posture to relax.

Now, Trunks understood the reason behind Gohan's action. Broly knew how much stronger a Saiyan was while in the basic Super Saiyan transformation. He also knew that even in their basic Super Saiyan forms, he could realistically defeat either of them without needing to transform at all.

While it was dangerous for them to drop out of Super Saiyan while facing someone whose strength in his normal state was comparable to that of their Super Saiyan forms, it also was a gesture not only of goodwill, but more importantly of surrender, particularly in front of someone who knew very well the capabilities of a Super Saiyan.

And this indeed seemed to be Broly's interpretation of the gesture, as he was now standing still. But although he had stopped fighting, he was looking at them with a mix of suspicion and anger.

"If you knew to find me here, then you must know what I've done, and therefore, you have no reason not to be my enemies. I'm not exactly known for good reasons," he insisted in an almost provoking manner, as if daring them to contradict him.

"I see what you mean," Gohan said, deciding to take a more honest approach. "And yes, we do know about the life you used to live. But, to put things simply, we firmly believe that everyone deserves a second chance, you included. And you seem to be using that chance wisely. After all, according to what we heard from the people of Planet Kesess, you willingly gave up your tyranny over them without harming them further. That must mean you're not the sort of bad guy you're making yourself out to be."

Then, as if a sudden thought had come to Gohan, he added, "I mean, you did give up your destructive tyranny, right? Or have you been destroying more planets, and are using this as a resting place instead?"

Broly glared at Gohan, and his pupils and irises went from black to teal, as his hair and energy level started spiking up. For a moment, it seemed he was about to become a Super Saiyan.

Trunks instinctively tensed up. He knew he and Gohan wouldn't have a chance if this incarnation of Broly decided to go wild on them as a Super Saiyan. In fact, even if they could each miraculously turn into a Super Saiyan 2 like the version of Gohan from the alternate past had done, they would still be in big trouble, considering how strong this incarnation of Broly was due to the fact that his natural abilities as a Legendary Super Saiyan had been augmenting his strength over time. The version of Broly whom Trunks had fought in the alternate past, who had been 20 years younger than this one, had in his Legendary Super Saiyan form been slightly stronger than that timeline's version of Gohan as a Super Saiyan 2. However, this incarnation of Broly's basic Super Saiyan form would easily be far stronger than the version of Gohan from the alternate past as a Super Saiyan 2 because the power multiplier for Super Saiyan was much greater than the multiplier for Super Saiyan 2 – 50 times compared to 10.

If this version of Broly attacked them as a Super Saiyan, they would likely have even less of a chance of victory than if they had tried to face Future Cell on their own. And if this version of Broly entered his Legendary Super Saiyan form … the mere thought was ineffable.

However, and much to Trunks' and Gohan's relief, Broly did not ascend. But he got close to doing so, with his hair already spiked up in the hairstyle typical of a Super Saiyan at the basic level of ascension.

Right when he seemed to be about to bring the transformation forth, Broly let out a deep, yet restrained growl, as if he was trying to curtail his anger. Then, his energy level decreased, his hair lost its rigidness, and the irises of his eyes became black again.

"I was never a tyrant," Broly said, his voice still sounding like a growl. "My father was. I was simply his pawn."

Then, with a somewhat calmer tone, he added, "But no, I haven't destroyed any planet or any population since I left Kesess."

Both Trunks and Gohan had to make a supreme effort not to gasp in amazement after hearing that. Although they had already known on Kesess that Broly had willingly left that planet, to hear straight from Broly's mouth that he had actually stopped his destruction was on a whole different level than if he had merely left that planet and continued oppressing others. It was extremely good news, but it was shocking nevertheless.

"See?" Gohan said as soon as he managed to gain enough control of his awe, sounding like he was making an extreme effort to not be overcome by the amount of perplexity he was experiencing. "You left the universe in peace. Just be peaceful with us now so that we can explain why we are here."

Trunks was starting to get impatient. He knew that every minute they wasted here was an additional minute for Future Cell to continue absorbing innocent people, or killing them just for the fun of it. Even if they were using that time working on the way to blast that bastard into oblivion, Trunks couldn't help but to feel his anxiety was justified.

Finally, after moments of silence that seemed eternal to Trunks, Broly spoke again.

"Well then, if you are not here to kill me, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, we came from Earth, and we are here because…," Gohan started explaining, before Broly cut him off in an amazed tone.

"Earth?" he blurted out at them. "You two are from Earth?"

"Yes, we are," Trunks said, instinctively tensing up. "Why?"

"I'm just amazed that there was still any sort of organic life form left on Earth after all these years other than plants," Broly explained.

Trunks' posture relaxed at that explanation. Indeed, in this timeline, Paragus had never personally come to Earth, at least as far as Trunks knew. Apparently, it had been because Paragus had indeed known of the androids' rampage.

"Could you please clarify what exactly you mean by that?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know the most important details, but I remember that many years ago, my father had two major goals in mind: to make Earth his base of operations for controlling the whole universe, and to have revenge on a Saiyan named Vegeta," Broly said.

Although Broly was speaking mostly in a plain tone, Trunks and Gohan noticed that whenever he said the word 'father,' he almost seemed to be spitting it out, as though the word was leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

"However, he gave up on both of those ideas. I don't know why, but I'd say it was because someone killed Vegeta before my father could get his revenge, and that whoever did damaged the planet to such an extreme that my father was no longer interested in using it as a planetary base."

Trunks and Gohan nodded. Indeed, it was easy to guess why Paragus had given up on using the Earth as his base of operations. Although the androids had been, for lack of a better description, moderate in their destruction after a certain point, they had been in a state of deranged euphoria during the first two weeks or so after their awakening, blowing up entire cities at a time – enough so as to completely destroy the basic infrastructure of the planet's society. In spite of his extreme hatred for those accursed beings, Trunks couldn't help but to wonder whether the androids and their initial uncontrolled destruction had been a blessing in disguise, as Earth had been spared from having to deal with Broly, and what at that time in Broly's life was a greater level of potential instability.

Broly's demeanor suddenly shifted, with his eyes widening, as he had come to a startling realization.

"You two … yes, you said you're from Earth, and my father knew of full-blooded Saiyans who had been there … you must be their descendents!" Broly said, with Trunks and Gohan both wondering how this realization would impact their plans. "Are you the sons of Vegeta? Or are you the sons of ... Kakarot?"

Gohan waited a moment before responding.

"I'm Kakarot's son, and my name is Gohan," he said, while pausing to enable his fellow Saiyan of Earth to respond.

"And I'm Trunks, the son of Vegeta," he said.

Broly snarled at knowing that his suspicions had been confirmed.

"While your honesty is quite brave of you, I hope you're aware that for many years, and largely because of what my father did to me, I despised both Vegeta and Kakarot, even though I hadn't seen Kakarot since my first days and had never actually met Vegeta," Broly said. "My father intensified my hatred of Vegeta, and I came to hate him, even though his father, and not him, was the one who had wanted to kill me. Kakarot … his crying tormented me as a small child. And then, my father told me that according to the information he had gathered, Kakarot had abandoned his Saiyan ways and had abandoned his Saiyan honor."

"My father's love for fighting was always strong, and he used his powers to help his friends and family whenever he possibly could," Gohan said. "He even killed Frieza after gaining the ability to become a Super Saiyan, avenging all the Saiyans who were massacred under his reign of terror."

Broly briefly smiled after hearing that.

"So, Kakarot killed Frieza after becoming a Super Saiyan, huh? He was a true Saiyan, after all," Broly said.

"You didn't know that my father killed Frieza?" Gohan asked.

"My father kept many things to himself, while telling me only what was convenient for him and what would advance his plans," Broly said. "I had no idea there were any Super Saiyans other than myself. I didn't think it was even possible for that to ever happen. When the two of you transformed … I felt almost as if I was literally beside myself. Apparently, my father kept even more from me than I realized. Tell me, did Vegeta become a Super Saiyan as well?"

"He did," Trunks said, not wanting to go into further details regarding his father at the moment, especially because of what had transpired mere days ago on Earth.

"As for Vegeta, I have nothing truly personal against him, and by extension, I have nothing truly personal against you either, Trunks," Broly said. "It's not your fault that your grandfather wanted to kill me. Although if you expect me to bow down to you and call you my king, I'll end you right here."

"I … wouldn't dream of it," Trunks said, with a nervous smile.

"And why the hell do you have lavender hair?" Broly asked. "Obviously, our hair changes color when we become Super Saiyans, but the hair color of a true Saiyan is black, or on rare occasions, dark brown. But lavender? What the hell happened to you?"

"Neither of our mothers are Saiyans," Trunks said, which prompted loud laughter from Broly.

"The 'royal' bloodline was infiltrated by the weaklings of Earth? Hah!" Broly shouted aloud, while Trunks and Gohan begrudgingly remained silent. "Interesting, though, that you are able to become Super Saiyans with only half your heritage as Saiyan. And no tails, I see."

"They were removed long ago, and besides, our fathers didn't have tails either when they became Super Saiyans," Gohan said.

"As was the case with me," Broly said. "My father, that wretched weakling, possessed a tail all his life and never became a Super Saiyan. And speaking of that fool, after he determined that Earth would not suffice for him, he decided to look for a replacement and eventually got to Kesess. Once there, he decided to use that planet as the center of his empire – until I killed him, that is."

Right after saying that sentence, Broly smiled in a way that gave Trunks and Gohan chills. It was a coarse, dark smile, reflecting satisfaction at having taken the life of not just someone else, but of his own father. It made Trunks remember when the version of Broly from the alternate past had laughed like mad after killing his father. Although the smile of this incarnation of Broly was obviously quite silent, it conveyed the same sort of emotions that the other Broly's maniacal laughter had conveyed. For a moment, he looked as downright dangerous as his counterpart from the alternate past.

But even with that thought in mind, Trunks didn't refrain from saying something.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry if I'm making you relive bad memories by asking this, but why exactly did you decide to leave the universe alone after you killed him?" Trunks asked. "I mean, I sort of imagine that you would have taken chance to go from enforcer to emperor."

Trunks cursed himself, both for the question and for talking in such an awkward manner, but he could help neither. It still seemed extremely strange to be having a conversation that was anything close to normal with Broly, a guy who had been a rampaging murderer back in the timeline Trunks had visited.

"I neither chose to destroy everything and everyone in my path, nor to be my father's enforcer," Broly explained. "He made me do it," he added, in a voice that was both angry and full of self-loathing.

"How could he?" Trunks asked. "Was he stronger than you at any point?"

Trunks had asked that question even though he knew from his adventures in the alternate past that Broly had been restrained by a headband linked to a controlling device that Paragus had worn on his right hand. In retrospect, Trunks had realized the device shared some similarities with the one that maniacal bastard Morsmordom had used against the Harfavan people, and he wondered if there was any connection. But Trunks knew relatively little about how such devices actually worked, and he had asked the question not only to see if he could find out anything that might be useful, but so as to also keep hiding from Broly the fact that they had in a way met before.

For a moment, Broly glared at him, as though Trunks was the one guilty of what he had endured. This time, his golden aura exploded, and his hair turned golden and spikier as his eyes went teal, with his rage surging so much that he couldn't stop himself from ascending to Super Saiyan.

Trunks braced himself for an attack, although he knew it would be useless, as he was in his normal state. And even if he transformed into an Ultra Super Saiyan, this version of Broly was so powerful that Trunks' defeat would be almost certain.

For a moment, Trunks was about to turn into a Super Saiyan as well, but he held himself back. Trunks realized that Broly would likely think that they were trying to kill him after all if they transformed into Super Saiyans, and Gohan, while tensing up, also did not transform.

Thankfully, after giving Trunks an enraged look for many moments, Broly powered down to his normal state. Then, he replied to Trunks' question.

"When I was about six years old, my father placed a metallic headband on my head while I was caught off-guard," Broly said. "That thing turned out to be nothing but a curse. He used it to bend me to his will, and using a device on his right hand that was linked to the headband, he made me follow his every whim. But that headband did more than that. It eliminated most of my awareness of the world around me, as well as most of my ability to respond to the few events I was truly aware of. It took things that were really disturbing to make me struggle against those blasted devices, and even then my father always managed to nullify my body's response. Over the years, he always replaced his limiters, at first because I both kept growing and because I kept becoming stronger – and eventually, only because I kept growing stronger."

Broly paused for a moment, then continued.

"The next 30 years after that – so much of my life – were mostly a blur. I remember little more than what I told you: my father plotting his revenge against Vegeta, and then giving it up to focus on his universal conquest. But eventually, as my strength grew, I started gaining more and more awareness of what was going on around me, as the limiters my father was using became ever less efficient, in spite of his efforts to improve their capacity. I started taking more and more notice of the fear people experienced whenever my father used me to repress them, and especially right before I killed them. And I … I eventually came to not like it all that much."

Trunks and Gohan were bewildered to hear this. Trunks had never expected that this version of Broly would be so vastly different from the bloodthirsty killer he had fought in the alternate past. That version of Broly had seemed relatively eager to kill them, and had even smiled sinisterly while trying to do so. It also had been bothering Trunks that this version of Broly had said he had nothing personal against Vegeta, even though the version of Broly from the alternate past had seemed very enthusiastic about killing him. However, Trunks reminded himself that this version of Broly was about 20 years older than the version of Broly from the alternate past had been, and that this version of Broly had experienced many things that his counterpart could not possibly have experienced.

"We don't like killing others either, Broly," Trunks said, while Broly listened without reaction.

"Our Saiyan ancestors would probably disagree with the three of us, seeing as how killing seemed to be a big part of the former Saiyan empire," Gohan said.

"I know almost nothing about the old Saiyan society, and I don't really care to find out anything else," Broly said. "But it sounds like some of Saiyan society's more radical elements would have agreed with the way I used to be. When I was much younger, I used to have great ecstasy in killing others, which was intensified because of my special blood. I was led to believe that countless people were trying to do everything they could to kill me, and as many people actually were, I wanted to kill them to prevent them from achieving their goal. Eventually, I started killing people before there was even a hint that they wanted to kill me, in order to prevent them from having any chance of even thinking about ending my life. I couldn't truly control myself whenever my malicious and destructive tendencies manifested themselves and prompted me to slaughter the innocent. Even when I was relatively calm, and not in my crazed mental state brought on by my blood, I longed for annihilation. In my first six years of life, even before my father used any limiter to control me, I blew up more cities and destroyed more planets than you could imagine. I enjoyed doing it, especially because I felt safer as a result of all that destruction. After the first limiter was placed on me, much of the joy subsided, although some of it remained. But after many decades, as a result of becoming more and more conscious and being forced to bring about more and more death, death itself became something I came to hate. I was being repressed by my father, against my will, and I was forcing others to die – the most horrifying form of repression. But in spite of that, I still couldn't go against my father's orders. Until…"

Broly paused yet again, as though he was reminiscing.

Trunks was growing even more impatient, but he knew he had good reason to be. His life had been a constant hell ever since he had been born, and right when he'd thought he could make everything right, another creation of the man responsible for the hell Trunks had grown up in had made everything even worse. How could he be blamed for his impatience when even though he'd finally found someone who had the power to make things right again, that person was not doing something to correct the situation at this very moment?

Broly's expression slightly changed.

"One day, about five years ago, my father ordered me to kill a little girl after I had killed her parents. But I didn't kill her. She made an impression on me."

"Why?" Gohan asked.

Again, Broly didn't reply immediately, but this time he didn't take as long to respond.

"Well… in the end, she just looked so scared and so pitiful that killing her would not only have been purposeless, but doing so would have caused me to deprive yet another person of life. My hatred of depriving others of their lives had been growing over the years through gaining more and more consciousness, and this girl … this little girl … to kill her after I had killed her parents right in front of her was so horrifying not just to her, but to me. It was so unbelievably horrific that it was enough to enable me to finally disobey my father's orders. Maybe, … and I've thought about this a lot, … maybe the limiters helped me in a way by repressing my natural crazed and bloodthirsty tendencies enough so that I could finally see what others see. I had for many years lived by the principle of killing others before they could kill you, but to continue that idea for a defenseless little girl who had lost her parents because of me … I just couldn't."

Trunks briefly noted significant ironies from what Broly had said. Cell had started his path of redemption rather instantaneously after Gohan had punched him in the head, removing a restraint that Dr. Gero had imposed upon him to disable Cell from actively pursuing any of the noble ideals of the warriors of Earth. Broly's head had been "attacked" in a way by another Saiyan – his own father – although for Broly, it seemed enlightenment had managed to gradually come from prolonged suppression of his aggressive free will, and his ultimate victory over his mental restraint. It seemed that due to the ways in which they had been born, both Cell and Broly had been terrors to the universe without ever truly having the natural chance to change their ways or pursue other paths, and that the people responsible for their existences had restrained them and forced them to advance their sinister plans. However, while Broly was now apparently free, Cell was once again trapped.

Trunks refocused, and listened to Broly explain what happened next.

"Sparing that little girl shocked my father and caused him to give up on conquering that planet. In fact, we immediately left," Broly said. "The two of us immediately went back to Kesess, and he started trying to make an even better limiter, having realized that I had reached a dangerous level of resistance against his orders. But on the next morning, right when my father was about to put the new limiter on me, I summoned up all the will I could muster and tore off the limiter I already had on my head. Then, at long last, I commenced with beating that bastard to a pulp, and blasted his remains down to hell."

Trunks involuntarily shuddered. While he had already felt shocked when Broly from the alternate past had killed his version of Paragus, the fact this version of Broly had killed his father too was still something Trunks found to be quite horrifying. It was even more horrifying for Trunks because his own father had recently died right in front of him, and since Trunks would have done anything to have been able to save him. However, Trunks acknowledged that the version of Broly from the alternate past had seemingly killed Paragus simply out of rage and hatred for his own personal repression, while this version of Broly had seemingly done so not just because of those things, but also because he had consciously acted to prevent Paragus from using him to kill anyone else.

"Well, Broly, it is indeed a relief to know that you not only managed to break free from your father's control, but that you had enough wisdom to leave the universe in peace after you became free," Gohan said. "Speaking of which, it's about time that we discuss exactly why we came here, now that we've cleared the air between us."

"I'm listening," Broly said.

"We're here because we need your help, Broly," Gohan said. "We need you to help us make sure the peace you've enabled the universe to have won't be disrupted by someone much more powerful than Trunks and me who wants to remake the universe in his diabolical image."

"Be more specific," Broly said in a demanding tone.

Trunks again cursed inwardly at having to lose more time with explanations. Every extra second Future Cell was alive was something he hated from the depths of his soul. But he recognized that they couldn't just expect at this point for Broly to leave this planet and come with them to Earth without an explanation.

Trunks and Gohan started explaining to Broly everything they felt to be important, in their hopes that the Legendary Super Saiyan would agree to help them bring peace to the universe,… which apparently was a value this incarnation of Broly shared.

They started at the beginning to put things in perspective, telling Broly how Goku had died six months before the androids had attacked, and how Vegeta and so many other brave souls had fallen at their hands. They recounted the two decades of oppression and violence under the androids, and the missions to save their world and save the past. They explained how Cell had defeated an alternate version of Trunks and had stolen his time machine, how Gohan from the alternate past had managed to accidentally enlighten Cell, and how Cell had diligently endeavored to redeem himself. Trunks explained how he and Cell had been vaulted forward in time after a failed trip to the future with his time machine, and how even after defeating the versions of 17 and 18 that had plagued this timeline for so long, this timeline's version of Cell had managed to survive an attack and absorb Cell while he had been caught off-guard, gaining his perfect form and threatening the universe with a power greater than any Cell had ever possessed. They mentioned nothing of the Dragon Balls, for they felt as though explaining them would not only have taken an abundance of time, but would possibly have been a bad idea, given Broly's history of instability – albeit his apparent degree of greater stability now.

In spite of their desire to hasten the situation as quickly as possible, it had taken Trunks and Gohan more than 15 standard minutes to explain the situation to Broly in the amount of entirety they felt was deserved.

"And that's about it," Gohan finally said.

"Will you help us?" Trunks asked, trying to keep the eagerness and hopefulness out of his voice.

Broly gave them a suspicious look, as though he was trying to decide what parts of their story were true.

And on one point, especially, he had many reasons to have doubts as to their sincerity.

"Even with all you've said, there's a major question that you did not address," Broly said. "How exactly did you know that I was out here? Earth is very far from the regions of space that were under my bastard of a father's reach, and to my knowledge, he never ended up making your fathers aware of his presence or of mine. So, tell me, how did you know I exist?"

Trunks and Gohan tried to remain as calm as possible. They had been purposely avoiding that point as much as they could, although it seemed Broly would require an answer to truly trust them.

They had to tell him something, and it needed to sound convincing.

Trunks knew he was about to take a huge risk with what he was about to say, but that if he said something else and if Broly truly suspected that he was lying, all the trust they had worked to build with him might be erased in an instant – let alone both he and Gohan.

"Broly, I trust that everything you've told us has been truthful, and please know that everything we've said so far has been truthful as well," Trunks said. "Out of respect, I'm going to tell you the truth about this, too, although you're not going to like what you hear."

"Go on," Broly said, while refraining from embracing an impulse of anger.

Gohan had to restrain himself from exhibiting either his apprehensiveness or his fear as to what Trunks was about to say.

"When I was in the alternate past, right before we fought Cell at the Cell Games, my fellow warriors and I met you and your father," Trunks said, causing Broly's eyes to widen. "Paragus brought us to Planet New Vegeta, and it was because he brought us there that we knew to start looking for you in this timeline by starting our search for you there."

Broly was quite lost for words. He had recognized that Trunks and Gohan were scared to death of him, but now, he more fully understood why. They had obviously not wanted to tell him this earlier – probably not at all – but Trunks had indeed shown goodwill by being honest with him about it.

"That explains a lot," Broly said. "Tell me, what happened as a result of our meeting?"

"Your headband, … well, it became ineffective, and you went on a murderous rampage against us," Trunks said. "You killed your father in that timeline, just as you did in this one. And we had to defend ourselves. We lent our energy to Kakarot for a grand attack, and Kakarot used that attack to defeat you."

Gohan was unspeakably afraid of what Broly would do next, as Broly seemed rather taken aback by all he had heard, to say the least.

However, Broly merely sat down on a nearby log – none of them had taken a seat since they had stopped fighting after their earlier skirmish – and thought to himself for a few moments, while Trunks and Gohan remained standing.

He remained seated while responding to what he had heard.

"I'm sorry," Broly simply said, while looking down at the ground.

Many moments passed before any of them said another word.

Given the many connotations of that phrase, Gohan still did not know what to expect.

"What … what for?" he asked.

Broly turned his head up to face them.

"After everything I've done, and everything I apparently did in timelines other this one, I'm sorry," Broly said. "Despite everything I've come to feel, I never once said to anyone that I was ever sorry for any of the things I did. At first, when I learned that the two of you are Super Saiyans, I wasn't just trying to defend myself from death, but to stop the two of you from killing anyone else, just as I had done all too many times. But no, you two are Saiyans of a different kind than I. You use your powers to fight for peace and freedom, whereas I had for far too long used my powers to deprive others of those things eternally. Even though the restrainer headbands had been on my head, my powers were still being used for despicable and horrid ends. I've felt so much guilt … I'm so sorry for all the atrocities I've committed. The two of you are true warriors, whereas I am merely physically strong due to a natural ability I neither asked for nor specially deserved. I feel sorry for the version of myself you fought in the alternate past – an ignorant, enraged being who could not truly think for himself, blinded by natural malice from this Legendary Super Saiyan curse upon our mutual lives. And now, the universe is under peril from another being whose mind was warped due to circumstances beyond his control that were preset before he was born."

He stood up, walked forward a few meters, looked out into the darkness to his right, then looked toward Trunks and Gohan.

"Why should the universe have to suffer from horrors like myself?" Broly asked, while Trunks and Gohan heard his words. "Why should innocent people who were born with lesser abilities be victimized because I happened to have been born with my level of power? It sounds like your ally, the version of Cell who changed his ways, was fortunate like me to have a chance to change his mind. But now, he's being tormented through a restraint, just like I was, and someone else is taking advantage of his power to do their bidding. The version of Cell from this timeline must be stopped. I cannot let the universe suffer from the likes of me anymore."

Broly let a few moments pass, and the solemn expression on his face disappeared.

"I'm going," Broly finally said, allowing what was his first real smile to be displayed.

"You have no idea how much it means to us to hear that," Trunks said.

"I don't know if there's a way to separate Cell from Cell, but I doubt the enlightened Cell would want to live if it means this timeline's version would also survive," Broly said.

"We don't know of a way or if it's even possible, but if we find one, that would work out quite well," Gohan said.

"If I can somehow free the enlightened Cell from being tormented by his restraint, it would be a personal victory," Broly said. "And if I unfortunately cannot, then so be it. Either way, the version of Cell from this timeline must be destroyed."

"The universe is going to benefit from how powerful you've become," Trunks said. "You're going to be able to use your Legendary Super Saiyan power to help innocent people across the entire universe by stopping Cell."

"How strong has Cell from this timeline become, exactly?" Broly asked.

"Much stronger than Trunks and I put together," Gohan replied. "But you also are much, much stronger than both of us put together, and when we last fought him, his power level was probably lower than yours would be if you transformed into a Super Saiyan. You're much stronger now than you were 20 years ago because of your natural abilities, and 20 years ago, you would have been able to destroy the version of Cell who's now our friend. While this timeline's version of Cell is stronger than our friend, you're much, much stronger than you had been. You shouldn't have a problem defeating him – and in case you need some help, we will be available."

"I don't need your help," Broly stated crisply, although with a grin. "I am the Legendary Super Saiyan, after all. I don't need anyone's help in battle."

'Yep, he's definitely a Saiyan,' Trunks couldn't help but to think. Broly's comment had conveyed as much pride as Vegeta's counterpart from the alternate past had often displayed.

"There's no time to waste," Trunks said. "We need to get going."

Broly at one time in his life would have frowned at the way that Trunks seemed so insistent, but as a result of all Broly had experienced, he rather understood Trunks' point of view. He could only guess that it wasn't pleasant to live in a world full of horror growing up. After all, he remembered seeing how the Kesess had felt when he and his father were controlling their planet, and how powerless they had been.

But the truth was that Broly didn't like the idea of leaving his peaceful planet. He'd been having a good enough life here over the past few years. Not to mention that he still had a hard time grasping the concept that there were two beings that actually seemed to be, in a way, relieved that he was alive, instead of wanting him dead. In fact, had he not been rather convinced that their intentions were genuine, it seemed like it could have all been some plot conveniently conceived to kill him.

However, deep down, he yearned for the challenge. Over the course of his entire life, no being Broly had ever met had lasted more than a few seconds against him, except for his father, and even that had been only because Broly had purposefully taken the time to draw out his death. And even when he was subject to the strongest influence of his father's mind control, and had the most ignorance of what was occurring around him, the limiter had never been able to repress one basic emotion that Broly had started to feel in his teen years: the disappointment that he could annihilate anything, from living beings to entire planets, without the slightest effort.

The idea of fighting a being that, for all he knew, might actually require him to use his full power was extremely appealing to him.

He felt a personal connection to this battle as well, as both versions of Cell had been born as sadistic killers due simply to the way in which they had been born, as had he. Broly saw that one of them had been given the opportunity to change and that he had actively tried to redeem himself, while the other persisted in ways of darkness, plagued and blinded by a brainwashed mind. Broly recognized the enlightened Cell's actions as inspiring, and felt as though it was his duty to try and stop the enlightened Cell's greatest enemy.

Indeed, he did not feel comfortable with the idea of staying put and letting Future Cell run amok.

"Now grab onto my right shoulder," Gohan said to Broly. "And Trunks, grab onto my left shoulder."

Trunks followed Gohan's instructions, but Broly just gave him a puzzled look.

"Why should I do that?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't yet told you, but I know a technique that allows me to instantly travel to any location I want, as long as I can sense any energy signature relatively near that location," Gohan said.

A look of understanding dawned on Broly's face.

"Oh, so that's how you managed to dodge my energy blast earlier without me detecting your movement!"

"Indeed," Gohan said. Then, after a relevant thought had occurred to him, he added, "Oh, and by the way, Cell knows this technique as well. You will need to be careful regarding this, as he may use it to try and catch you off-guard or evade you."

Broly frowned.

"You've already told me that Cell absorbs living beings through his tail, that he can regenerate lost limbs, and that in order to actually destroy him, I need to destroy each and every one of his cells at once. Now, you're telling me he can move instantaneously away from me or behind me! Is there anything else I need to know about this freak?"

"He knows all the techniques of all the strongest warriors of Earth, except for those of Trunks, since Trunks' genetic material wasn't incorporated into his design," Gohan said. "You'll have the advantage in this respect, since he will neither have prior knowledge of any of your techniques, nor of the way you fight. And remember, neither version of Cell knows anything about you besides the fact that my father from the alternate past defeated someone with a powerful attack shortly before the Cell Games."

"Well, I believe it's time for Cell to learn," Broly said, while placing his left hand on Gohan's right shoulder.

For the next few moments, the three of them stood silently, as Gohan extended his focus to search for Planet Falkinis, the stepping-stone he would need before transmitting to Earth.

Then, approximately a standard minute later, the three of them disappeared from Revia, leaving the spaceship Trunks and Gohan had stolen from Planet Bermijol abandoned to the mercy of the elements.

* * *

_Planet Falkinis_ …

They had transmitted to Falkinis days ago after barely escaping Future Cell, and now, with a new ally, they were traveling back to Earth to settle the score.

As Broly briefly looked around himself, amazed that the scenery had changed so drastically in such little time from a forest at night to an urban area at sunset, Gohan focused on Earth.

He was relieved that Earth was, in fact, still there to be sensed, and he sensed Future Cell was unfortunately alive and well.

They disappeared from Falkinis in the blink of an eye, as clouds began to make their way in front of the planet's red sun, darkening the area where they had been standing.

* * *

_Planet Earth_ …

Future Cell suddenly opened his eyes.

He had been meditating near the cellar door of the former Capsule Corporation manufacturing facility in South City, guarding the entranceway to the subterranean chamber where his hostages had been awaiting his further instructions.

His facial expression showed a measure of unease.

He could not see anyone amongst the surrounding ruins who had not been there earlier, but he sensed the arrivals, several kilometers away.

"_They have returned!_" Cell thought within. _"And from what I can tell, they have brought someone else!"_

Future Cell tried to think while keeping his thoughts out of Cell's reach, but this proved ineffective.

"_You're worried, aren't you?_" Cell asked within. "_You're worried because you know, after getting a clear reading on that energy, that they somehow found another Saiyan!_"

"Why do I have no data on this energy signature?" Future Cell furiously asked aloud. "How is it possible that a Saiyan of this strength was out there without either of us knowing anything about him?"

"_I'm not sure, but it looks like Trunks and Gohan might have found a way to defeat you after all!_" Cell thought within, with as much a taunting gesture as his communication could allow.

"Not even Gohan from the alternate past could defeat me now," Future Cell said, smugly. "What makes these fools think that some random Saiyan they happened to find will tip the odds in their favor? It's time to end all of their lives!"

Future Cell placed his right index finger to his forehead, then instant transmitted toward them.

* * *

_Planet Earth, several kilometers away … _

Future Cell emerged from the transmission in the air, and the three of them were in the air as well, side-by-side.

From Future Cell's perspective, Trunks was on the left, Gohan was on the right, and the newcomer was between them.

"I can't say I'm impressed," Future Cell said with a mocking tone, followed by a grin. "The two of you spent all that time trying to find a way to destroy me and all you did was bring this Saiyan back with you? Pathetic!"

"So, you must be Cell," Broly said. "These two have told me a lot about you."

"Have they told you that they didn't stand a chance against me?" Future Cell asked. "You've signed yourself up for your own death, Saiyan. Make these moments count, for they will be your last."

"My name is Broly, and on behalf of these two and many others, I'm going to destroy you," he said.

Future Cell redoubled in laughter.

"You are easily the most overconfident, arrogant fool I've ever had the displeasure of meeting!" he shouted aloud, while entering a poised fighting stance. He looked toward Gohan, and then toward Trunks. "The two of you should have known better than to find a lowly Saiyan that Frieza forgot to kill and expect that this will change anything."

Trunks was inwardly laughing to himself. The entire scenario was playing out similar to what had transpired when Frieza, out of his pomposity, had vastly underestimated Trunks' abilities.

History, in a way, was about to repeat itself.

"I normally wouldn't say this anymore, but for you, Cell, I'll make an exception," Broly said, while entering a fighting stance of his own. "I'm honestly looking forward to wiping that ridiculous grin off your face by beating the crap out of you."

Before Future Cell could return a taunt, Broly's power skyrocketed dramatically.

Future Cell's grin very quickly transitioned to an expression of complete and profound fear.

Broly's golden aura accentuated the soaring nature of his energy, and his golden hair prominently emphasized his identity.

"_This is beyond awesome_," Cell thought within.

Future Cell rushed to quickly increase his power, but before he could augment his strength very much at all, Broly swiftly moved forward and punched Future Cell in the face.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Two!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-Three: The Legendary Super Saiyan goes head-to-head with Dr. Gero's most vile creation. Does Future Cell stand a chance against the overwhelmingly powerful incarnation of Broly from his own timeline? Will Broly be able to save Cell from the confines of Future Cell? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip! _

_In fun and fanfiction, and hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_American Vigor and Genescritor _

_Chapter Thirty-Two: Completed October 17, 2011; Fourth Edition: November 28, 2011 _


	38. XXXIII: Tempest

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Tempest**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**New Character Theme: **

**- "Future" Dende: Meadows of Heaven, by Nightwish **

**This song, while extremely awesome, is the property of its respective artist. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release.**

* * *

_Key Informative Reminders: _

_- This chapter contains numerous references to the four timelines of Dragon Ball history. If you would like a comprehensive refresher on how these timelines came to be, please see the extended author's note after the end-of-chapter signature section. _

_- As Future Cell and "Future" Broly, both native to Timeline IV, are not the same individuals as their incarnations featured during the "Androids-Cell Saga Era" of canon Dragon Ball Z, and as the Cell Games took place approximately 20 relative years earlier in Timeline III than the events of this chapter in Timeline IV, the imminent bout between Future Cell and "Future" Broly is neither truly reflective nor indicative of the age-old question as to whether Cell (from Timeline I) or Broly (from Timeline III) would win in a fight against the other if they were to have fought around the time of the Cell Games in Timeline III._

* * *

_Planet Earth, several kilometers from South City … _

The impact of Broly's punch created a shockwave that radiated throughout the vicinity, cracking the barren ground below and parting many of the clouds that had gathered under the reddening sunset sky.

Broly's inaugural punch had caught Future Cell quite off-guard, and Future Cell recoiled in a great deal of pain. Future Cell was shocked that the punch had been so severe, as he had thought that he would never again experience pain at that magnitude.

Future Cell was soaring at a great velocity due to the impact, while Broly was racing to make his next move.

The synapses within Future Cell and Cell's collective consciousness were afire with an even greater level of mental processing speed than was the case with their already superlative norm, meticulously and sedulously analyzing manifold implications regarding the existence of this unexpected enemy.

How could it have been possible that a being of this capability of power had completely evaded their knowledge?

Dr. Gero had purposely designed Cell and Future Cell's perfect form so that it would be so overwhelmingly powerful that no creature in the universe, and especially not of Earth, would be able to surpass its capabilities.

While it was true that Dr. Gero had not wanted to be overconfident in his approach to comprehensive destruction, and that he had configured Cell and Future Cell's structures to be able to regenerate from a single cell and gain strength like a Saiyan would after major injury, both Cell and Future Cell acknowledged that Dr. Gero had never prepared them for many things, not out of his incompetence, per se, but out of a general lack of knowledge that certain things were either true or could be possible.

Indeed, Gero had never known about Broly.

From Broly's perspective, he at last, after years of dormancy and a lifetime of inadequate challengers, had been granted the opportunity to harness the true extent of his power. It was a power befitting of a predator, and he considered himself to be one of the universe's most capable predators, if not its most capable.

Broly had never met this opponent before, but this did not matter to him. He had never needed preparation for any opponent, and while Trunks and Gohan had prepared him with the knowledge of many of Future Cell's abilities, he knew that their preceding help had not been needed.

Future Cell straightened himself out in the air right before Broly could connect his next punch, which was heading straight for Future Cell's stomach.

The diabolic bio-android managed to evade Broly's attack by shifting his body leftward, turning his right side back so that his chest was facing Broly's right side. With a brief concentration of energy in his right hand and a sudden visible explosion of his aura, flowing with cascading lightning that signified his Super Perfect form, Future Cell punched Broly in his right side, which Broly had left wide open to attack.

The punch connected into Broly's flesh, and the Super Saiyan began to soar away from Future Cell, his body acquiescing to the force of the punch.

Future Cell smirked at having made what appeared to have been a successful counterattack of retribution. No one, especially someone whom he hardly knew, should have the opportunity to live long after managing to punch him that hard. Apparently, despite Future Cell's earlier fears, it seemed this Super Saiyan was not quite as strong as Future Cell had thought.

Broly appeared to merely be in the basic Super Saiyan form, and Future Cell did not perceive Broly to have any traits in his physical appearance which would suggest that he was in a Super Saiyan form other than the basic one. His muscular frame had not become noticeably larger than it had been in his normal state, and so it was not likely that he was in the Ascended Super Saiyan form. More importantly, his hair was not quite as rigid as was apparently the case with Super Saiyan 2, and Broly's aura had at no point visibly possessed the characteristic lightning surges of that form.

For a Saiyan merely in his Super Saiyan form to damage Future Cell that severely had been previously unthinkable. It was true that Goku from Timeline III had managed to inflict at least some significant damage on Cell during their battle at the Cell Games while Goku had merely been in the Full-Powered state of the basic form of Super Saiyan, but much had changed since then. Future Cell knew himself to be the one and only true version of Cell! And he was stronger than Cell had ever been!

Goku had been a recognized force of great power, and so during the Cell Games, Cell had not been particularly surprised that Goku, merely as a basic Super Saiyan, was stronger than Vegeta and Trunks had been as Ascended Super Saiyans. However, Broly appeared to have seemingly come from nowhere, out of the shadows, and Future Cell was shocked that as merely a basic Super Saiyan, this fighter not only was stronger than either Trunks or Gohan from Timeline IV as Ultra Super Saiyans, but that even with Future Cell's own superior strength to Cell, Broly's punch had made relatively more of an impact on him than many of Goku's punches had against Cell.

Future Cell also did not want to fully admit to himself an alarming additional truth, that it was quite possible, however inconceivable it otherwise would have seemed, that Broly's strength as a basic Super Saiyan surpassed the strength of Gohan from Timeline III as a Super Saiyan 2!

'_It's remarkable, don't you think?' _Cell asked within.

'_As powerful as he apparently is,_ _his raw strength pales in comparison to the overall capacities of my perfection_,' Future Cell thought within. '_In fact, he –_ '

Future Cell stopped his chain of thoughts shortly after seeing Broly quickly recover, perhaps not even 30 meters away from him.

The terrorist against Earth was staring wide-eyed with terror himself after deducing that Broly had barely been scathed by the counterattack.

'_That was your hardest punch, wasn't it?'_ Cell asked within.

Future Cell was doing his best to not let his thoughts reveal his answer.

Broly sneered to himself while assessing the situation, noticing that the previously overconfident Future Cell, based on his facial expression of the moment, seemed to have lost much of the confidence that he had exuded beforehand.

He looked toward Future Cell, then smirked with what appeared to Future Cell to be amusement.

"Impressive," Broly said, while stretching his arms upward. "That punch certainly had a lot of force behind it, and you managed to knock me backward a bit. But can you do better?"

Broly lowered his arms and brought them toward the front of his body, in formation for offensive and defensive maneuvers.

Future Cell hesitated before taking action, considering how best to further approach this adversary.

Broly became impatient during the brief pause.

"What's the matter, are you scared to fight me?" Broly asked, making Future Cell appear flabbergasted. "You know what, I'll even give you a few free punches and kicks while letting my guard down if that will give you the little boost in courage you need to attack me!"

Broly lowered his arms to his sides, enabling his chest to be entirely open to attack.

Future Cell looked and sounded infuriated.

"Mocking me is by no means a wise decision, Saiyan!" he yelled, right before flashing forward faster than Broly could completely see and punching Broly in the face. Future Cell followed up that punch by a series of 14 quick punches in Broly's chest, then brought up his right leg into a crouched position and released it, side-kicking Broly straight into his chest.

Broly was indeed not invulnerable to these attacks, and he felt each of them, although he had purposely, by his aforementioned intentions, done nothing to stop them.

As Broly soared backward from Future Cell's kick, Future Cell quickly moved over Broly, while maintaining horizontal velocity with Broly's moving body. Future Cell clenched both of his hands together, uniting the power of each of his arms for a single strike, then hammered Broly in the face with enough force that Broly's body quite quickly became horizontal to the ground, with his chest facing upward.

Future Cell then quickly rearranged his hands so that both of his wrists were together, with his fingers curved inward toward his palms, then used a technique that unbeknownst to him and Cell, Goku in Timeline III had used against Broly's counterpart from that timeline.

"Kamehameha!" Future Cell shouted, sending the wave straight toward Broly's chest.

Broly had not been aware of how quickly Future Cell could gather energy, and he was quite irked that Future Cell had taken the opportunity to use an energy attack against him, as Broly had thought he had made it clear enough that he was merely allowing Future Cell to have the opportunity to unleash a few physical attacks without active defenses.

As Future Cell was still maintaining horizontal velocity and relative proximity with Broly, the Kamehameha wave, at the time of its release, was heading toward Broly's chest because of Future Cell's position relative to him.

In advance of the attack connecting, Broly accentuated his energy quickly and enough so that his horizontal velocity increased, enabling his legs, and not his chest, to be directly in front of the wave.

Before Future Cell realized what was happening, Broly powered-up his legs' defenses and kicked the Kamehameha wave back toward Future Cell at a startling speed and at an angle so that the blast would hit his opponent. It had been such a short-range attack in the first place that Future Cell had not had enough time to properly react to the counteroffensive, with the Kamehameha wave impacting him at his upper-chest.

Future Cell began to soar upward for a few moments as a result of the attack, while Broly took the opportunity to adjust his position so that his feet were once again facing toward the ground.

While the particles from energy attack fallout, which commonly manifested themselves as something akin to smoke or darkened dust, were dissipating from around Future Cell, Gohan took the opportunity to share a few brief words with Trunks.

"Unreal …," he said, making it clear that Broly's efforts against Future Cell were from his perspective quite outstanding.

"We're fortunate that Cell's no match for him," Trunks said, while noticing the fallout particles moving away from Future Cell's face, revealing his enraged expression.

"Let's not get overconfident," Gohan said, while inadvertently conveying irony. "It ain't over until it's over, as the age-old expression goes."

Future Cell brought himself a bit downward in the air so that he was relatively the same distance from the ground as Broly, although they were about five meters away from each other.

"That serves you right for using an energy attack against me while I purposely had my guard down," Broly said. "Even though my guard had been down, I was still able to deflect your energy attack in time to send it right back at you!"

"All you are is lucky!" Future Cell yelled, right before charging forward.

Broly was more than ready for further battle, and he began blocking an onslaught of Future Cell's punches and kicks.

Future Cell, under different circumstances, might have been at least somewhat excited about the prospect of having to face someone with the capabilities of his current challenger, although a mix of aggravated apprehension and injurious insult regarding the present circumstances was preventing him from experiencing anything close to enjoyment.

Broly, however, was absolutely thrilled.

Broly was purposefully refraining from actually attacking Future Cell during the barrage, as he wanted to assess his own defensive capabilities. He was merely blocking the attacks to see how effectively he could.

Future Cell was infuriated that despite his even greater speed than Cell had possessed at the Cell Games, Broly was still managing to block many of his punches as a basic Super Saiyan! However, whereas Gohan as a Super Saiyan 2 had been able to block all of Cell's punches, Future Cell was quite pleased that about one-fifth of his punches were getting through.

Broly felt those connecting punches and acknowledged the reality that they actually were inflicting some pain upon him. He had not experienced true physical pain during battle for the overwhelming majority of his life, and to feel it now felt somewhat … "refreshing," in a sense.

His face suddenly gained a grin, welcoming the further elation of battle.

"My turn!" Broly shouted, sending forward a punch with his left fist that Future Cell managed to quickly block, but barely. Broly took advantage of Future Cell's brief psychological shock from having to rather unexpectedly go on the defensive against him, and Broly quickly landed a punch into Future Cell's gut, causing him to gasp with pain and move backward a few meters.

The fighters then disengaged from combat, and once again were staring each other down.

Future Cell was breathing somewhat heavily, while Broly appeared much more unaffected.

Broly turned his attention toward Trunks and Gohan, who both at this point were to his left and Future Cell's right, floating in the air at approximately the same height as them.

"Is this really the fighter the two of you were so worried about?" Broly asked, with a strangely synergistic mixture of aggression and hardiness. "This guy is nothing more than a wimp!"

While Trunks and Gohan smirked at the comment, Future Cell was absolutely speechless.

For Future Cell, Broly's statements of mockery had compounded the overall outrageousness of the situation, making Future Cell question further if all this was really happening.

"It's a testament to your strength that you consider him to be 'weak' in comparison to yourself," Gohan said. "This is absolutely amazing!"

Future Cell wanted to strangle Gohan right then and there, but he recognized, as much as he was reluctant to admit it, that there was a likelihood that Broly would offer significant resistance, and that attempting to do so might incite Broly further.

"It's a shame," Broly said, redirecting his gaze toward Future Cell. "Just because I can hit you as a Super Saiyan without you dying on the spot doesn't mean this is an enjoyable battle for me. I am, actually, rather impressed that you've managed to be a bit faster than me, but speed isn't everything, especially when the difference in our powers is vast. All in all, you've disappointed me, Cell. I was actually hoping to have a real opponent who could provide me with some fun."

Future Cell at this point didn't know whether his fury or fear was greater.

"This is ridiculous!" Future Cell yelled, with his aura sparking in engilded vigor. "I was designed to be the perfect being, and even though my counterpart's abilities were admittedly overpowered by a Super Saiyan 2, a form which Dr. Gero had not accounted for, my ability to achieve absolute perfection has never diminished. After all, I gained enough power and speed through absorbing my counterpart to very much overcome the threat that Gohan from the alternate past had posed as a Super Saiyan 2! Yet you're just a Super Saiyan, aren't you, Broly? How the hell are you able to overpower me as a mere Super Saiyan when I'm quite certain that even Gohan as a full-fledged Super Saiyan 2 wouldn't be able to stop me now!"

"I've met this Gohan," Broly said, pointing to Gohan, "but I've never met the other one," he said, referring to Gohan from Timeline III. "But yeah, it seems that right now, as a basic Super Saiyan, I'm stronger than both of them combined."

"You are an arrogant son of a bitch," Future Cell said, clenching his right fist in vehemence.

"Well, I can't say that I ever knew my mother, but my father was quite a bastard," Broly said.

"You still haven't answered my question," Future Cell said. "How could you possibly be so powerful as a mere Super Saiyan?"

"I'll answer that," Trunks said, before Broly could respond. Broly did not interject, and so Trunks proceeded. "It's quite simple, really, although I guess either your rage is blinding you so much that you didn't think of a simple possibility, or you were too arrogant to admit that it could be true. First and foremost, Broly's power level in his normal state is amazing. He is so strong and fast without transforming at all that he could realistically defeat me or Gohan as basic Super Saiyans. And, well, you've seen firsthand, Cell, how much stronger a Saiyan becomes when he transforms into a Super Saiyan. The same power multiplier from normal state to basic Super Saiyan that applies to me and Gohan also applies to Broly. Lest you forget, Cell, that the Super Saiyan transformation increases a Saiyan's power by a factor of about 50 times. And since Broly's power level in his normal state already was about 50 times stronger than mine in my normal state, he's about 50 times as strong as a basic Super Saiyan than I am as a basic Super Saiyan!"

"I don't believe it!" Future Cell yelled.

"How could you not believe it after you've seen Broly's power for yourself?" Trunks asked. "And let me put this in further perspective for you. For Gohan from the alternate past, it seems that Super Saiyan 2 increased his power by a factor of about 10 times after he had already transformed into a Super Saiyan. Surely, you can realize the implications of that. With the overwhelming power of Broly's normal state multiplied by 50 times, he's much stronger than Gohan was as a Super Saiyan 2, since even though the power level of Gohan's normal state was magnified by 500 times together between the Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 forms, Gohan's normal state was much, much weaker than Broly's normal state. Broly is so strong without transforming that after transforming just once, he can easily kick your ass!"

Future Cell was even more enraged than he had been before.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Future Cell yelled, redirecting his gaze toward Broly. "No Saiyan could have possibly gotten that strong on his own! How is it that you could be so strong and yet not even Frieza had any idea you exist? Surely, as a Saiyan with such colossal power, you would have made your presence known around the galaxy and would have at least had some sort of contact with Frieza. But obviously, that never happened, as through having Frieza's cells as a part of me, I know for a fact that he knew nothing about you. In fact, I'm surprised you didn't kill Frieza, however glad I am that you didn't, as I otherwise wouldn't have been fortunate to have had his considerable abilities added to my arsenal. And how did Trunks and Gohan even know to find you? When could they have ever – "

Future Cell came to a sudden realization.

"Of course!" Future Cell angrily shouted. "While my blasted counterpart was busy twiddling his thumbs in the middle of his ring before the Cell Games, the Z-Fighters of that timeline were busy fighting someone in space! That must have been your counterpart from that timeline! I'm almost sure of it!"

Almost as soon as he had finished that sentence, Future Cell looked started, realizing that if the Z-Fighters of Timeline III had in fact fought Broly's counterpart, the present circumstances seemed to be even more problematic.

"But … I still don't understand!" Future Cell yelled, addressing Trunks. "You did fight Broly in the past, right? That's how you knew about him?"

"Yes, we did," Trunks said. "I see no reason at this point to deny that."

"Well, if that's true, then why is he helping you now?" Future Cell asked.

'_Yeah, I was wondering about that myself,'_ Cell thought within. _'It's admittedly a good question, especially since Trunks never mentioned Broly to me at all. I guess that after I became one of the good guys, all the events right after that were so hectic that Trunks and the others never got around to having a discussion with me about it, even for a few moments. How very fortunate that I, and by extension you, had no idea that Broly was even a factor to consider.'_

Future Cell sneered in enthusiasm.

"They didn't tell you that they fought your counterpart from the alternate past, did they?" Future Cell asked, while addressing Broly. "They must have somehow tricked you into coming here, or tried to convince you that you needed to defeat me to further your own ends! It's the only thing that makes sense! Well, Broly, if you stand aside and let me kill these two fools, I won't get in your way. You're obviously quite powerful, but you have no chance of killing me. I can regenerate from a single cell! I am invincible! And I have no particular desire to end your life. Knowing all this, consider my offer to let you go about your business. Surely, as a Saiyan uncorrupted by the ways of Earth you could appreciate the value of conquering planets and ruling over them yourself! Well, after helping me kill Trunks and Gohan, feel free to conquer whatever part of the universe you see fit! I won't stop you! You don't need to fight me further to rule over a vast portion of the stars and be forever glorified! Let's end their lives and then advance our own!"

Broly chuckled in response.

"Even if I was tempted by your offer, I wouldn't take it, especially since I know that you would try to kill me anyway," Broly said. "I'm a very different person than the version of me from the alternate past, and while it was unfortunate that Trunks and the others had to stop him to save the universe of that timeline from his ignorance, I'm 20 years older than him and I've managed to realize many things that he was never able to properly think about. I've unfortunately seen too many people harmed through tyranny. I used to advance the force of tyranny while being oppressed myself, and I never want anyone to suffer like that again. I would have stopped Frieza myself had I truly been conscious of the need to do so, and I regret that I never had the chance. But you're an even more horrifying terror than Frieza, it seems. You're just like Frieza and my father in that you seek enjoyment through killing defenseless people in cold blood, isn't that right? But unlike them, you don't merely want to rule over people, which requires letting even some defenseless, innocent people live. You want to destroy everything you don't see as worthy, including the defenseless and innocent, all because of your deluded fantasies. I'll never let you succeed. You must be destroyed."

Any confusion Future Cell had possessed beforehand vanished. In its place, all he could focus on was Cell's laughing within his mind.

Future Cell now understood the implications of these moments.

"You wretched Saiyan fool!" Future Cell yelled, while his aura sparked to life. "Am I the only one of the Z-Fighters' worthy enemies with the common sense to avoid joining them? You have obviously given in to your own confusion, Broly, just like my counterpart! True happiness doesn't come from saving people from harm. It comes from causing it!"

"If that's what you want to believe, then I'm especially going to enjoy this," Broly said, while the golden waves of his aura began to flow.

Broly vaulted himself forward and attempted to kick Future Cell in the face with an inside-crescent kick using his right leg. Future Cell blocked the crescent kick with his left forearm, and then used his right forearm to block a forward-push kick Broly had attempted to deliver with his left leg.

Broly used Future Cell's right hand as a springboard surface to propel himself backward with his left foot while simultaneously spinning.

In the midst of Broly's spin, Future Cell used instant transmission to bring himself to the right side of Broly's chest, then elbowed him in his abdominals.

Broly grunted, in part out of realizing that he had forgotten that Future Cell was capable of that technique, as Future Cell had not yet used it during their bout.

He quickly moved to bear-lock Future Cell from behind, and even though Future Cell elbowed him in the abdominals again, Broly was relentless. He surrounded and restrained Future Cell, attempting to squeeze him tightly to make Future Cell waste energy through struggling to break free.

However, Broly felt a sudden rush in front of him, and realized that he needed to release Future Cell quickly and move away from him.

Broly quickly forward-push kicked Future Cell with his right foot and quickly withdrew his foot, in just enough time to see that Future Cell had begun to extend his tail. It seemed that Future Cell had wanted to stab Broly in the chest while Broly had been restraining him in the bear-lock.

Future Cell turned around to face Broly, with his tail now withdrawn.

"I see you knew how important it was to avoid my tail, and indeed, that was quite fortunate for you," Future Cell said. "Go ahead and try grabbing me again. I'll gladly take the opportunity to absorb your energy!"

"I'll trap you in my grasp whenever I want, and I'll kill you whenever I finally feel like ending your pathetic life!" Broly yelled, while energetic green light began to cluster in front of his right palm in the form of a bright sphere.

He brought his right arm forward, and launched the attack while flying toward Future Cell.

"Eraser Cannon!" Broly yelled, while the blast hit the tip of Future Cell's left wing, knocking him back a few meters, before Future Cell could transmit away from the attack.

'_Even with instant transmission, you're too slow,' _Cell thought within, taunting his counterpart.

'_Shut up and let me fight!'_ Future Cell thought within.

Future Cell rapidly moved forward and punched Broly in the gut, but again, Broly did not seem overly fazed.

Broly grabbed Future Cell's head with both of his hands, then head-butted him. He felt the vibrations of the forceful maneuver reach at least as low as Future Cell's neck, and he then head-butted Future Cell again, and yet again. Right as Future Cell let out a cough and hacked up a few drops of green blood onto Broly, the Super Saiyan wrapped his right arm around Future Cell's neck and proceeded to punch him repeatedly in the stomach with his left arm.

One punch, then a second, and then a third, all within one second of each other.

The fourth punch was even stronger than the third, and each of the punches had been successively more severe.

Future Cell had been too busy trying to release himself from Broly's grip to block the punches, and Broly proceeded to keep punching him in the stomach.

After the eleventh punch, Future Cell finally concentrated enough to focus a great portion of his energy into his forearms and hands. Future Cell used his focused energy to shove Broly's right hand forward, causing Broly's right arm to loosen its grip around his neck, enabling him to quickly move a few meters away from Broly, gasping in pain.

"Well, it looks like if I grab you the right way, you can get too distracted to try stabbing me with whatever the hell that's supposed to be at the end of your tail," Broly said, right before wiping the green blood off his chest. "And what kind of shit is this supposed to be, your blood? I guess the bastard who made you decided you should be somewhat like a plant. That would explain why you're so weak!"

Future Cell began to gather energy in a yellowish horizontal disk formation above his right hand, then instant transmitted forward.

Gohan quickly recognized what Future Cell was trying to do, and right after Future Cell rematerialized in front of Broly, and in the midst of the attack being released, Gohan suddenly appeared with his right hand on Broly, and transmitted him out of the way, back toward Trunks.

Future Cell had been in the middle of saying "Destructo Disk!" when he noticed what had happened.

He clenched his right fist to make the disk explode in midair, then looked toward where Trunks was floating, noticing Gohan and Broly rematerialize next to him.

"How dare you interfere with our battle!" Future Cell yelled aloud.

"Doing that was better than letting you win, you grand bastard," Gohan said.

"Fuck you, Gohan!" Future Cell shouted. "As soon as Broly's dead, you're going to die next!"

'_Hah! He got quite a rise out of you by calling you a 'grand bastard,''_ Cell thought within. _'I'm going to keep calling you that all throughout the rest of the battle.' _

'_I never realized you were quite this immature,'_ Future Cell thought within.

'_And I never realized you were such a grand bastard,'_ Cell thought within.

"Why did you interfere at that moment?" Broly asked, directing his gaze toward Gohan.

"That technique is known as a Destructo Disk, and in most cases, it will slice right through whomever it touches," Gohan said. "Since you didn't know about it, I didn't want you to get cut in half."

"Well then, it looks like you had a good reason to step in," Broly said.

"It seems you were right, Gohan, to stick around and observe the battle in case something like that happened, no matter how much we want to get everyone else off this planet," Trunks said. "Unfortunately, Broly, that same attack won't work on Cell, since his design for some reason makes him invulnerable to it. One of Earth's warriors in the alternate past tried to damage the version of Cell who's now our friend with that attack, and it didn't work."

Unfortunately for Trunks and Gohan, neither of them truly understood that a significant factor that had enabled Cell to avoid being affected by Krillin's Destructo Disk had been the sheer difference in their power, and that his design alone did not fully account for why the technique had not worked. Trunks had in no way known that Krillin had also used the technique against Broly's counterpart from the alternate past and that the difference in their strengths had enabled Broly's counterpart to withstand the disk's impact.

Regardless of whether Broly using a Destructo Disk against Future Cell would have been effective, it was unmistakably true that Future Cell would be able to regenerate even if the attack was successful against him. However, Broly had other sentiments in mind.

"I don't need to cut him in half and be cheap to win," Broly said.

"Who cares how victory comes as long as it does?" Future Cell asked. "Once again, you fools, strength is not all that matters in a battle. Now let's see the three of you handle this!"

Future Cell lifted each of his hands up, and atop each of his palms, a horizontal energy disk appeared with a red center and a surrounding layer of purple-pink energy. Then, each of the disks separated into two, for a total of four disks.

"Death Saucer Squadron!" Future Cell yelled, launching the disks toward the three Saiyans.

Using telekinesis, he aimed one of the disks at Trunks, another of the disks at Gohan, and two of the disks at Broly.

* * *

_South City, within the Capsule Corporation facility basement that had become their prison … _

Dende had been excited a while earlier when he had told Bulma and Chi Chi that their sons were in fact alive.

He had sensed Trunks and Gohan return, and he had cursed Future Cell for having lied about what had happened to them, which had been psychologically torturous for their mothers.

With his energy sensing abilities, he was relaying the battle to all whom remained.

Bulma, Chi Chi, Launch, Yajirobe, Ox-King, Mr. Popo, and Turtle were listening intently while he attempted to relay as much of the news as he could sense.

"Trunks and Gohan just transformed into Super Saiyans; I can sense that clearly," Dende said. "Cell's using some sort of energy attack against all three of them. As I said before, if we weren't indoors right now, I might have been able to overhear what the new guy's name is, but I still don't know what to call him."

"Whoever he is, we should be glad he's fighting on our side," Yajirobe said. "I'm … so sorry that I haven't been more helpful like the others after coming back to life. I want to do something to help stop that monster!"

"He's more powerful and more vile than 17 and 18 ever were," Bulma said. "Don't blame yourself, Yajirobe. We just need to hope that whoever this Super Saiyan is can help Trunks and Gohan defeat Cell for good."

"But isn't there something Gohan, Trunks, and this other guy could do to help the version of Cell who's on our side?" Ox-King asked.

"Who knows if he's even still around," Chi Chi said. "He might have been killed when he was absorbed."

"Let's hope not," Turtle said. "The fewer people who are harmed, the better."

"That's right, and if .. ah … achoo!" Launch began to say, right before she sneezed.

As per her genetics, her more aggressive persona was unleashed.

"Damn, if only gaining this blonde hair enabled me to become a Super Saiyan too, then I'd gladly go over there and start beating the crap out of that android asshole along with the guys who are out fighting him now!" Launch shouted. "Kick his ass, guys! We're counting on you!"

* * *

_Planet Earth, several kilometers from South City …_

'_Grand bastard! … Grand bastard! … Grand bastard!…,'_ Cell kept mentally conveying within, as prominently as possible.

'_Will you be quiet for just five seconds? I'm trying to concentrate here!'_ Future Cell thought within, while attempting to keep each of the disks on track of the Super Saiyans that were striving to fly away from them.

'_Hell no!'_ Cell thought within_. 'And now, for more of the latest and most popular hit sensation! Grand bastard! … Grand bastard! … Grand bastard!'_

If Future Cell had interpreted it correctly, he could have sworn that Cell had done as much as possible to add somewhat of a beatboxing rhythm to the taunts.

But it mattered not, as the Saiyans were about to die.

"Broly!" Trunks yelled from many meters away. 'The other Gohan was able to stop something like these things with his energy during the Cell Games! Could you try doing that?"

Broly was at enough of a distance from the disks that he felt he could attempt to implement Trunks' suggestion.

He quickly turned around, then focused his energy in front of his palms, endeavoring to catch each of the disks that was heading toward him.

He successfully caught them, then used his energy to throw both of them into the disk that was chasing Trunks, causing it to explode.

Future Cell then concentrated all of his willpower into the remaining disk, in an effort to at least terminate Gohan.

Broly, however, quickly flew toward the disk and managed to halt its movements through focusing his energy.

It was time to destroy the remaining disk, and while holding the disk in place with energy emitting from his left hand, Broly brought his right hand back and simultaneously charged a green energy sphere by his right palm.

"Trap Shooter!" Broly shouted, moving his right palm rapidly forward and enabling the sphere to divide into numerous energy blasts. The blasts collided with the disk, causing an energy fallout cloud to appear.

From behind the cloud, Future Cell suddenly darted forward and managed to punch Broly in the face, sending him many meters backward.

Broly quickly recovered, in time to block another punch headed straight for his face.

He caught Future Cell's left wrist with his right hand, and then in an attempt to counterattack, Broly's left wrist was caught by Future Cell's right hand.

After a moment of struggle, which Broly permitted to occur in order to see what Future Cell would do in that situation, Broly began to tremendously overpower Future Cell, then pulled Future Cell closer to him. Broly then liberated his right hand by letting go of Future Cell's left wrist, and tried to punch Future Cell in the face again.

However, Future Cell blocked the punch with an open palm, then blasted Broly in the face with a moderate energy wave. Future Cell then released Broly's left hand and managed to kick Broly in the stomach, sending him backward a few meters, and he then began to quickly gather energy in his right index finger.

"Death Beam!" Future Cell yelled, while the piercing attack began to make its way forward.

Broly noticed the attack, and he managed to dodge it, although barely, quite to Future Cell's disgust.

Trunks and Gohan had not powered down from Super Saiyan, and were continuing to watch the exchange.

"Even though Broly's stronger right now, Cell's got a clear advantage in speed and fighting skill," Gohan said. "I hope Broly decides to finish this soon, before Cell does something even more drastic."

"It looks like he either naturally gained a lot of fighting ability in the 20 relative years since we fought him in the alternate past, or that he spent a lot of time on Revia training for the sake of it, or maybe a bit of both," Trunks said. "Sloppiness was a big part of his counterpart's weakness, but now, even with Cell's skills and speed, it's good that Cell is finding this to be a difficult battle."

Broly thought of an excellent attack with the potential to end the battle. He would not be able to save Cell if the attack proved to be successful, but he had a feeling that Cell would fully support his decision to use this particular maneuver.

Broly vaulted himself forward and punched Future Cell as rapidly as he possibly could.

Although Future Cell managed to block his punches for a few seconds, Broly managed to land a punch by his neck, then another into his face, and then another deep into his gut.

As Future Cell recoiled in pain, Broly quickly emitted energy that took the form of a gigantic sphere of dark green light, which flashed brightly a few times upon condensing into a small point of energy in front of his left palm. He then gripped the point, and with his loose fist completely surrounding it, radiant bright-green light shined through the cracks between his fingers.

He then brought his left hand slightly back, then unleashed it quickly forward while uncurling his fingers. The point of energy expanded rapidly in size while moving quickly away from his left palm, and within two seconds, the energy sphere was 20 meters in diameter.

Without annunciating the name of the attack, Broly continued to focus his Omega Blaster toward Future Cell, and Future Cell did the best he could in the abrupt interval to move out of the way of the attack.

The Omega Blaster impacted Future Cell with a tremendous explosion of radiating green-white light.

As the energy fallout cloud dissipated, Broly was dismayed to see Future Cell's face emerge from behind the smoke.

However, he soon noticed, as the dust gave way, that Future Cell's legs were mostly missing, and that the bottom halves of his wings were nowhere to be seen.

"You … bifurcated me!" Future Cell yelled, angrily.

"Too bad I didn't blast you away entirely," Broly said.

Broly rushed forward, but before his upcoming punch could connect, Future Cell blocked the punch with his left hand. Future Cell's lost segments then regenerated, and he attempted to kick Broly with both of his legs, although Broly managed to block the attacks.

Broly then kneed Future Cell in his left knee, causing the bio-android a great deal of pain. The Super Saiyan then brought both of his fists together to his upper-left and then brought them forward, hammering Future Cell's jaw from above and sending him spiraling down toward the ground below.

Seconds later, Future Cell impacted the ground, shooting up dust and creating a crater.

Within the dust cloud that was still surrounding him, Future Cell briefly struggled to stand, then readied himself in a fighting stance.

'There must be a way to defeat him,' Future Cell thought to himself.

'_Grand bastard! … Grand bastard! … Grand bastard!…,'_ Cell continued thinking within, incessantly attempting to distract his counterpart.

It seemed to Future Cell as though Cell had gotten somewhat bored of the beatboxing rhythm and had switched to one that seemed rather jazzier.

'You know, if you helped me instead of trying to divert my attention, we would be more likely to win,' Future Cell thought within.

Cell didn't respond to the comment, although he continued to convey his message, which had suddenly sounded as if he had somehow managed to incorporate a snare drum cadence in the moments in which he was not mentally annunciating words.

A wondrous idea occurred to Future Cell, upon the notion of his counterpart assisting him.

As much as Cell was trying to distract him, Cell became fearful that his counterpart had managed to realize something quite deadly.

'_As your body is within mine, is it possible that I can use your body's power multipliers in addition to my own?'_ Future Cell thought within. _'I obviously don't need your permission to do so, and you are very well aware of that. What a wonderful opportunity I never before considered! I'm in my Super Perfect form now, an analog to Super Saiyan 2, and of course not quite the same thing. But with the Super Perfect form came a power multiplier, as was the case with my extremely rudimentary analog to Super Saiyan, which of course has not nearly as high a power multiplier as the true Super Saiyan form since my Saiyan DNA is so heavily diluted and since my structural design is far different from that of a Saiyan or even that of a half-Saiyan. As you very well know, whenever we take on a basic golden aura, as we have so often done, it signifies our analog form to Super Saiyan. And when I have taken on a golden aura with electricity, as is the case with my Super Perfect form, that's my analog to Super Saiyan 2. But you, my ignoble counterpart, have power multipliers that I am extremely eager to use for my own purposes. In addition to my own power multipliers of about 2.5 times for Super Saiyan-analog and about 2 times for Super Perfect, I'll utilize your own power multiplier of about 2.5 times for Super Saiyan-analog and about 1.5 times for Ascended Super Saiyan-analog, which you displayed when you fought Trunks in Timeline III. I'll refrain from using your Ultra Super Saiyan-analog since I don't want to have a significant reduction in my speed, and due to the nature of Super Saiyan forms, I cannot access my own Ascended Super Saiyan power multiplier at the same time that I use my Super Perfect form. However, I'll soon be able to overpower Broly with the additional power that shall momentarily be mine! It's a shame you never personally gained a Super Perfect form in battle, but no matter! I'll be able to kill this Super Saiyan, and once again, I have you to thank for enabling my power to achieve even greater intensity!' _

Future Cell concentrated within himself, analyzing the fundamental aspects of his merged cells to determine if utilizing the power multipliers of his counterpart while simultaneously taking full advantage of his own was even possible.

In confirmation of the even further excellence that Dr. Gero had enabled their mutual design to have, Future Cell grinned.

He reached within the utmost depths of his design, enabling the essence of his counterpart's power to flow through him to an even greater extent than it had before.

The combined strength of Cell's personal power multipliers magnified Future Cell's nefarious own, and his strength augmented significantly.

* * *

_In another location … _

"Darn, we were so close!" said one of the speakers, infuriated at the most recent development. "Broly just lost his advantage!"

"It's not over yet," another speaker said. "There's still hope, especially with Trunks and Gohan there. Broly's not in this alone."

The first speaker turned to the enabler of their visualizations. "Are you sure we can't help them now? This could very well be our last chance!"

"The rules are the rules, as much as it pains me to say that," the enabler said.

* * *

_Planet Earth, several kilometers from South City …_

As the dust fully cleared, Broly, Trunks, and Gohan not only saw that Future Cell's aura had expanded in size, but felt the extreme increase in his power.

They heard Future Cell laughing maniacally, and from his perspective, he had every reason to be more than confident.

He had been blessed with the ability to gain superior power, much more than Dr. Gero had ever intentionally planned, but enabled, all the same.

Future Cell briefly reflected upon the nature of his achievement while he flew toward the sky.

In every timeline, all four of them, Dr. Gero had made the androids as strong as he had with the intention of making sure that the androids would be able to overcome the Z-Fighters even if they used a combination of power multipliers to increase their strength.

While Gero had not truly known of the Super Saiyan transformation when constructing the androids, as his visual and audio observations of the Z-Fighters' activities had ceased shortly before their Dragon Ball quest on Planet Namek and did not resume afterward, Gero had prepared the androids to be more than capable of counteracting the Saiyans' Oozaru/Great Ape form, high multipliers of the Kaio-ken technique, the Spirit Bomb technique, and the special rage exhibited by Gohan, all in addition to what he had assumed would be an increasing rate of growth in the power of their normal states. _[Author's note: There is an extended explanation after the main content of this chapter as to why Dr. Gero had not truly known of the Super Saiyan transformation while building the androids despite the fact that cells from Frieza and King Cold were obtained during their battles on Earth against Super Saiyan Goku (Timelines I and IV) and Super Saiyan Trunks (Timelines II and III).]_

However, Dr. Gero had not anticipated that the normal states of all the Saiyan Z-Fighters would increase so dramatically in Timeline III, or that they would have not merely the Super Saiyan transformation at their disposal, but forms beyond it. It had been detrimental enough to Gero's baleful plans that he had not known of the Super Saiyan transformation, and his further lack of knowledge about the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan forms, and especially his unawareness of the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, had been tremendous obstacles for Cell at various points in his antagonistic experiences in Timeline III.

Broly's normal state coupled with his Super Saiyan transformation was far beyond anything Dr. Gero had ever purposely planned for, but in this timeline, there were no Super Saiyan 2s to be found.

Super Saiyan 2 had been something that Cell had not been able to overcome, but Future Cell had surpassed the total strength of that transformation's only known wielder even before Future Cell had undergone his Multiplier Madness.

Broly did not appear to in any way be a Super Saiyan 2, otherwise, from Future Cell's perspective, he likely would have harnessed its power by now. And Trunks and Gohan most certainly were not Super Saiyan 2s.

It seemed to be a glorious day for all Future Cell believed in.

"By now, I'm sure you can sense how powerful I've become!" Future Cell yelled toward the rather shocked Super Saiyans. "I can see you're quite surprised that I was holding back! Ah, Trunks and Gohan, you must realize now that you never stood a chance to begin with, and that brining this worthless Super Saiyan here only accentuates the severity of your defeat! I am about three times as strong as he is now, with enhanced speed and stamina!"

"Where did you acquire all this power?" Trunks asked. "You look only a bit more bulked-up, and yet you're so much stronger! How did you do that?"

"I borrowed the power multipliers my counterpart had in his arsenal for his analogous Super Saiyan transformations, those which he demonstrated during your battle with him in the alternate past," Future Cell said. "Surely, the math is clear! All of you are doomed! If anything, this battle helped me realize that this option existed, and now, I'll be able to accomplish my goals with even more force! There truly is nothing that any of you could do to stop me now!"

Broly smirked, and he started to laugh aloud.

Future Cell was momentarily taken aback by this, but he then regained his composure.

"What's so funny, Broly?" Future Cell asked. "Is your pathetic Saiyan mind unable to comprehend the severity of your situation?"

Right after the taunt, Future Cell noticed that Trunks and Gohan also did not seem overly concerned.

They were looking toward Broly, waiting for him to speak or act, and Future Cell wondered what they were planning.

"You see, Cell, you've made a very big error," Broly said. "I guess you assumed that the strength of my normal state now is somewhat close to what it had been about 20 years ago. You probably thought that this was true, and that because of that, the other Cell sensed Kakarot needing to use such a powerful attack to defeat the version of me from the other timeline because my normal state made my basic Super Saiyan form so strong. Well, you're wrong. Kakarot had to resort to using that attack because of a different reason entirely. When it comes down to it, Cell, surely you must have wondered exactly why my normal state is so powerful. The fact of the matter is, the power of my normal state is by no means my most breathtaking asset."

Future Cell was staring at Broly, totally speechless, and frozen in apprehension.

"I never thought I'd have to resort to this," Broly said, as a maelstrom of golden-green energy surrounded him, with Trunks and Gohan needing to move away due to the sheer accentuation of his power.

Broly began to fervently yell up toward the sky, while lightning was striking down from the darkened clouds. The blood-red sunset echoed the pride of the Saiyan race, and the air itself felt swelled with energy.

'_Now this, I've got to see,'_ Cell thought within.

Trunks momentarily turned toward Future Cell to address him.

"There's a legend that Frieza was well aware of, and which you very well might know about too," he said. "Once every 1,000 years, a Saiyan is born with power beyond all others that drastically grows over time. Broly is the latest of those Saiyans."

As Future Cell remained speechless, with Broly's continued yelling in his augmentation of power filling his ears with dominant decibels of sound, Gohan addressed Future Cell as well.

"In the alternate past, Trunks and the others fought his counterpart," Gohan said. "It was a shame Broly from that timeline didn't have the sense to join them, but this version of Broly, a much stronger, much more capable version because of his advanced years, is our ally. Welcome to your greatest nightmare, Cell. Prepare to face the form emblematic of the true Legendary Super Saiyan!"

Future Cell watched with unparalleled horror as the lightning seemed to begin to flow through Broly, and become one with him.

The lightning then suddenly stopped, and his golden-green aura momentarily faded.

He became quiet, as if focusing on something, the likes of which Future Cell could not begin to truly comprehend.

Suddenly, up from the depths of his spirit, Broly roared with seething strength, with gold-green rays of shining light radiating forth in many directions from his eyes and mouth.

The radiating light then began to emit in waves from all across his torso, and his muscles were shaking with augmenting strength.

His muscles began to fanatically expand in size, and then from within him, a glaring white explosion of raw energy appeared to completely decimate his previous form. The amorphous explosive white energy then coalesced into an expanding sphere surrounded by an outermost layer of golden-green energy, with radiating beams of golden-green light emanating in many directions from the sphere.

The sphere of energy then expanded extremely rapidly, forcing Future Cell, Trunks, and Gohan to move back even farther. The sphere then condensed to a diameter of 10 meters from what had been a maximum of 20, and a wave of energy emitted from the entire surface of the sphere outward, illuminating the entire vicinity.

Another wave of energy then emitted from the full surface of the sphere, rescinding the effect of the previous emission by returning the scene to the darkened visual essence of the blood-red sky.

The sphere of energy then condensed completely, and what looked like a shining star became apparent where the sphere's center had been.

The shining object then became more clearly visible, and Broly, in a form of Super Saiyan unlike any Future Cell had even known to exist, was reveling in a greater amount of energy than any he had ever beforehand experienced.

His golden aura was shimmering around him, expanded outward to accommodate his amassed frame. The waves of his aura were flowing rapidly upward, and in a likely signification of his power, his aura possessed no apparent lightning since he had visually, during the transformation, already become one with numerous discharges of lightning that had passed through him.

His enlarged arms were at his sides, ready for glorious battle, and his chest and legs also had expanded in preparation for all who would dare to challenge him.

Broly's golden-green hair was pointed and radiating in various directions, itself symbolic of his versatility, and his eyes were solid fields of white, the absence of other colors signifying his astonishing ascension.

"And now, Cell, the fight really begins," Broly said, while charging forward.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Three!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-Four: The Legendary Super Saiyan has been fully unleashed! But even with Broly's amazing abilities, does Future Cell still have a way to win? Will Broly finally save the universe from Future Cell and enable Trunks and Gohan to bring back Cell with the Dragon Balls? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-Three: Completed Nov. 28, 2011; Revised Nov. 30, 2011_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Advisory Credit: lunar2eternal_

* * *

Author's note: Calculations for determining relative power levels and power multiplier amounts used in this chapter:

Normal Power Multipliers

Super Saiyan = 50x (from what power would be in normal state)

Super Saiyan 2 = 10x (from what power would be as Super Saiyan) _[This amount is explicitly different from the multiplier number of 2x suggested by The Dragon Ball Super Exciting Guide. Based on the canonical battle between SS2 Gohan and Perfect Cell, it would be illogical to conclude that 2x is a proper estimate of the SS2 power multiplier. A contributor's note at the end of Honor Trip Chapter Twenty-Eight, "Victory," elaborates on this point, and why a multiplier of 10x is more logical.] _

Legendary Super Saiyan = 10x (from what power would be as Super Saiyan)

Ascended Super Saiyan = 2.5x (from what power would be as Super Saiyan)

Ultra Super Saiyan = 2x (from what power would be as Ascended Super Saiyan)

These multipliers do not take into account further energy accentuation within forms, or differences in rates of energy accentuation within differing forms.

For the purposes of these calculations, all fighters, and all forms of fighters, are measured on a relative scale of power defined as the power level of Trunks' normal state after he emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for the first time and battled Cell in canon (the unit shall be referred to as "Trunks normal state"). This unit is chosen since Trunks' abilities as a basic Super Saiyan, as an Ascended Super Saiyan, and as an Ultra Super Saiyan against Cell in his Perfect Form were clearly observed in canon, and since logical estimates of the abilities of other fighters, and the magnitudes of the form multipliers themselves, can be deduced through observing how Trunks' forms fare against Cell, and how other fighters fare against Cell in comparison to Trunks at each of his forms. Cell's power in his Perfect Form, in terms of its relative magnitude compared to Trunks' power, can be deduced based on how Trunks and Gohan (whose own power can be rendered into Trunks normal state units) fare against Cell in canon.

(T1 = Timeline I); (T2 = Timeline II); (T3 = Timeline III); (T4 = Timeline IV)

Trunks (T4) = Trunks normal state, then as Super Saiyan = 50x Trunks normal state, Ascended Super Saiyan = 125x Trunks normal state, Ultra Super Saiyan = 250x Trunks normal state.

Trunks normal state = 1/3 normal state power level of Gohan (T3) at the time of the start of the Cell Games.

Gohan (T3) = 3x Trunks normal state, then as Super Saiyan = 150x Trunks normal state, then as SS2 = 1500x Trunks normal state.

Super Perfect Cell in canon is about 1200x Trunks normal state in comparison to SS2 Gohan's 1500x Trunks normal state.

Perfect Cell (T1 in T3) without significantly powering up = 180x Trunks normal state (refers to his power level around the time in which he achieved "perfection.")

Super Perfect Future Cell (T4) is at a level of strength greater than Super Saiyan 2 Gohan (T3] = 1800x Trunks normal state. This higher power than canonical Super Perfect Cell primarily resulted from Future Cell absorbing Cell.

Broly (T4) = 50x Trunks normal state. Super Saiyan Broly = 2500x Trunks normal state. Legendary Super Saiyan Broly = 25,000x Trunks normal state. [Even though Trunks in Honor Trip Chapter Thirty-Three is about 1.5x as strong as he had been when he fought Cell in T3, normal state Broly could reasonably still be able to defeat Trunks as a Super Saiyan (50x compared to 75x)].

Cell's Super Saiyan-analog multiplier = 2.5x (over base power without Super Saiyan-analog)

Cell's Super Saiyan 2-analog (Super Perfect) multiplier = 2x (over Super Saiyan-analog power)

Cell's Ascended Super Saiyan-analog multiplier = 1.5x (over Super Saiyan-analog power)

Cell's Ultra Super Saiyan-analog multiplier = 1.25x (over Ascended Super Saiyan-analog multiplier)

Super Perfect Future Cell Multiplier Madness from Cell (using Cell's power multipliers) – Cell's Super Saiyan-analog and Ascended Super Saiyan-analog power multipliers with Future Cell already at Super Super Saiyan 2:

1800 x (2.5) x (1.5) = 6,750x Trunks normal state.

Thanks for reading this note,

American Vigor

* * *

_Author's note: On the strength of the androids, and reconciling why Dr. Gero made them as strong as he did without knowing of the basic Super Saiyan transformation and higher levels of Super Saiyan:_

_It should be identified that while the original version of this chapter regarded as a plot hole Dr. Gero's statement in canon that he was not truly aware of the Super Saiyan transformation when making the androids, and while the original version of this chapter suggested that Dr. Gero instead knew of the transformation, this chapter has been updated to accord with canon's assertion that Dr. Gero did not truly know of the Super Saiyan transformation. The previous (and now-rescinded) assertion that Dr. Gero truly knew of the Super Saiyan transformation when creating the androids was made out of the idea that it would not have been logical or plausible for him to not possess that knowledge because of the following factors: _

_1) The relative strengths of the androids in comparison to the Z-Fighters, such that Dr. Gero's decision to make Android 17 and Android 18 more than 50 times stronger than the Saiyan Z-Fighters' normal states could be regarded as excessive if he did not account for the Super Saiyan transformation, such that he could have still made them not nearly as strong and yet feel they were strong enough to overwhelm the Z-Fighters;_

_2) Dr. Gero's DNA-gathering device collected samples on Earth during the battles that Goku and Trunks had with Frieza and King Cold, and hence could have had visual and audio data on the battle that Gero in all four timelines could have used to discover the existence of the Super Saiyan transformation; and _

_3) Android 19 and Dr. Gero himself as Android 20 seemed powerful enough in Timeline III that Gero honestly could have believed, if he had learned of the Super Saiyan transformation beforehand, that he and 19 would have been able to defeat Super Saiyan Goku, such that Dr. Gero might have claimed he and 19 did not have data on the transformation in an attempt to throw off the strategy of the Z-Fighters. _

_In a consultation, lunar2eternal identified plausible and logical canon-compatible reasons that support canon's assertion that Dr. Gero indeed did not know of the Super Saiyan transformation beforehand, and this chapter was updated to accord with canon's assertion for the purposes of quality integrity. There were various accurate and plausible reasons lunar2eternal identified with regards to Dr. Gero not knowing of the Super Saiyan transformation when creating the androids, and the following are elaborations of them (as reflected by events that took place in Timeline III):_

_1) Dr. Gero (as Android 20) states that Dr. Gero observed the Z-Fighters – he presumably and almost certainly meant through audio and visual methods – until Dr. Gero "had gathered enough information to create the perfect fighting machines," and that with regards to observing Goku's adventures after the first fight with Vegeta on Earth, "there was no more need. By that time, Dr. Gero had compiled all of the necessary information concerning [the Z-Fighters'] skills. It was assumed that [the Z-Fighters'] power would continue to increase over time, so that increase was calculated and factored into [the androids'] design." These are Gero's statements as reflected by the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 127, "A Handy Trick." It is worth noting that the episode portrays the data collection as beginning with Goku and Tien's battle in Dragon Ball during the 22__nd__ World Martial Arts Tournament (__Tenka'ichi Budōkai)._

_2) After witnessing Goku transform, Android 19 states that the Super Saiyan technique is not listed in his files, and Dr. Gero (as Android 20) then says that the technique is not listed in his files either. The possibility of Dr. Gero and 19 mutually lying about this to gain some type of tactical or psychological advantage is not, in fact, supportable by canon, as Seventeen and Eighteen in a conversation with each other also seem to not know about the transformation despite not being under Dr. Gero's direct influence when they indicate their general unawareness of it. In the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 136, "No Match for the Androids," after Eighteen defeats Vegeta thoroughly enough to make his hair change color from gold to black, in signification of his return to his normal state from Super Saiyan, Seventeen says, "How curious. Vegeta's hair has changed color again." Eighteen then says, "Yes, and that strange glow has faded, too. It's the same with this young boy [Trunks]." These comments strongly indicate that Seventeen and Eighteen were unaware of the Super Saiyan transformation, and since Gero wanted to do everything he could to make sure his revenge would be exacted, it would not have made tactical sense for him to have purposely omitted knowledge of the Super Saiyan transformation from their memories._

_3) However, Dr. Gero (as Android 20) states after Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan that his "sensors indicate there is no cause for concern," and that while the Super Saiyan transformation is "a most impressive ability, it is nothing [the androids] cannot handle." If other transformations and significant power-up techniques are discounted, and merely the normal state power level is considered, then it would be considered somewhat egregiously excessive for Dr. Gero to have made the androids as strong as he did without knowing of the Super Saiyan transformation. However, it must be recognized that Dr. Gero indeed knew about various other significant power multipliers and could plausibly have wanted to make the androids much, much stronger than the Saiyan Z-Fighters would have potentially been through various combinations of these techniques. Indeed, Gero knew it was possible for a Saiyan in the Oozaru/Great Ape form to gain full control over their mental power through watching records of the first battle on Earth against Vegeta, and he quite possibly would not have wanted to risk multiple Oozarus at high Kaio-ken multipliers harnessing special rage abilities and possibly other power multipliers posing a threat to the androids. He might have therefore purposely made the androids so powerful that they would be able to counteract even the direst of his "worst-case scenarios." _

_4) It is fully possible that the tracking device that Dr. Gero used to collect DNA samples from Frieza and King Cold either did not collect visual and audio data of Goku's battle with Frieza and King Cold in Timelines I and IV and Trunks' battles with them in Timelines II and III, or that audio and visual data was collected that Dr. Gero did not observe. Canon makes it somewhat uncertain whether the tracking device Dr. Gero describes in uncut episode 127, the one Gero used to analyze the audio and visual data of the Z-Fighters' battles, is in fact the same tracking device that Cell described in uncut DBZ episode 143, "His Name is Cell," which Cell described as being purposed in gathering genetic material of strong fighters. Gero in the FUNimation dub of uncut episode 127 mentions that the Z-Fighters have "been under observation for some time, by a highly-sophisticated remote tracking device," and Cell in the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 143 says to Piccolo, "By now you must have learned of Dr. Gero's tracking device. The tracking device is very small, insect-like, comparable to a common house fly." In the uncut FUNimation dub, both Gero and Cell specifically refer to a "tracking device." _

_However, Gero and Cell do not make clear through these statements if they are each referring to different tracking devices or the same tracking device, based on the wording of the statements. When Dr. Gero mentions the use of a tracking device, he refers to its function as observing the battles of the Z-Fighters and does not mention a genetic material collection aspect, while when Cell mentions the use of a tracking device, he refers to its function of collecting genetic information and does not specifically state its function in merely observing battles. While the device shown in the anime when Dr. Gero is describing its function looks like a mechanical lady bug and the device Cell shows Piccolo looks quite different, (somewhat like Cell's basic humanoid form, actually), both depictions of the device fit Cell's description of the device as small and insect-like. However, while the device Cell shows Piccolo in the anime is also depicted on Page 10 of Chapter 363 of the Dragon Ball manga, no device is depicted on Pages 7 and 8 of Chapter 340 of the Dragon Ball manga, when Dr. Gero explains that he was using a tracking device to observe the Z-Fighters. As it can be concluded that the alternate lady-bug design depicted in the anime is not present in the manga, and that only one tracking device design is depicted in the manga, it can be reasonably deduced that Dr. Gero and Cell were talking about the same tracking device. _

_But the fact Dr. Gero and Cell were referring to the same device is somewhat harder to reconcile than if they were referring to different devices, since even though Dr. Gero said he ceased observations of the Z-Fighters before the Dragon Ball quest on Planet Namek, a tracking device was still active after the Dragon Ball quest on Planet Namek, as a device was at the scene of the battles with Frieza and King Cold since their genetic material was collected. If there were two separate devices, such that a tracking device Gero was using to merely observe battles went offline before the Planet Namek portion of the story and a separate tracking device merely for genetic material collection was still active after the Planet Namek portion of the story to continue working on acquiring genetic material for Cell, there would not have been a chance for Gero to have seen audio and visual data from the battle since the device active at that time would not have collected that data, and hence Gero would not have had the opportunity to learn of the Super Saiyan form. _

_However, since Gero and Cell were referring to the same device, and since the device that was observing the Z-Fighters' battles (which Gero ceased doing before the Planet Namek portion of the story) is the same device that collected DNA from Frieza and King Cold, it can be concluded that Gero either was no longer using the device for audio and visual observation purposes by that time, or that he didn't personally study any audio or visual data the device might have collected from the battle since the device at that point was merely working on the Cell project and potentially working in conjunction with Dr. Gero's Super Computer as opposed to Dr. Gero himself. As per Cell's statements in the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 143, Dr. Gero (while he was still a human) "soon realized that [the Cell] project was far too complex to be completed during his lifetime. As such, he diverted his attention to more immediate pursuits, but only after he had programmed his computer to finish the enormous task which he had begun." It is possible that Gero was still a human and still working on the Cell project personally after the point in which Frieza and King Cold's cells were received, although if this is so, he would not have seen or heard recordings of the battle with Frieza and King Cold after the tracking device returned because he had already ceased analyzing that type of data. _

_As a result of all of this, since Dr. Gero was not reviewing new audio and visual battle data at the time of Goku's battle with Frieza and King Cold in timelines I and IV and Trunks' battle with them in Timelines II and III, Dr. Gero would not have known of the Super Saiyan transformation while creating the androids, and he would not have known about it before confronting the Z-Fighters as Android 20. It is also worth noting that in the FUNimation dub of uncut DBZ episode 136, upon considering Trunks' presence among the Z-Fighters, Eighteen says "I don't have any files on him [Trunks]," to which Seventeen replies, "Neither do I," further suggesting that Dr. Gero had not observed audio or visual recordings of the battle on Earth with Frieza and King Cold, (which might not have actually been recorded), and hence was unaware of the Super Saiyan transformation. And, last but not least, it is worth noting that in uncut DBZ episode 131, "More Androids?", Dr. Gero himself, upon seeing Trunks right after he returned to Timeline III, says "I don't have any data at all on this one."_

_Thanks for reading this note,_

_American Vigor_

* * *

_Author's note: The following is an abbreviated explanation of how the four timelines of Dragon Ball History came to be:_

_Timeline 1: The original, unchanged timeline. "Future" Trunks traveled back in time from this original timeline to create Timeline II._

_Timeline II: The altered timeline that resulted from Trunks traveling back in time. Androids 17 and 18 were defeated in this timeline. The Cell Games did not take place in this timeline because the version of Cell featured in the canonical Androids and Cell sagas (and the main character of Honor Trip) was not present in this timeline. After defeating the androids in Timeline II, Trunks went back to Timeline I and defeated 17 and 18 there. Then, Cell killed him and stole his time machine. _

_Timeline III: The altered timeline that resulted from Cell traveling back in time and creating an alternate version of the changed timeline Trunks had made through traveling to the past. The Cell Games took place in this timeline, and this is the main timeline featured in the canon Dragon Ball universe (and the timeline in which Honor Trip began). _

_Timeline IV: The alternate version of Timeline I that was created when Trunks traveled back to the future from Timeline III instead of Timeline II. In the canon DBZ series, Trunks went back to this timeline with his time machine after the Cell Games. In Honor Trip, Trunks and Cell were inadvertently vaulted forward in time to this timeline. _

– _The following is a more comprehensive explanation of how the four timelines of Dragon Ball History came to be:_

_Timeline I = the original, unchanged timeline, in which Bulma created a time machine to enable Trunks to travel back in time and create an alternate timeline in which the warriors of Earth would be able to defeat the androids. _

_Timeline II = the timeline that resulted from Trunks (Timeline I) traveling back to the past and creating a different sequence of events from what had taken place in Timeline I. No incarnation of Cell traveled to this timeline via a time machine. Androids 17 and 18 were defeated in this timeline, and Trunks (Timeline I) traveled back to Timeline I. After defeating 17 and 18 in Timeline I, Trunks was killed by Cell (Timeline I), and Cell stole Trunks' time machine, traveling to the past. This version of Cell is the version featured in the canon Cell sagas, and is the central character of Honor Trip. It is worth noting that Timeline II is the only timeline of the four that has never been seen in any official Dragon Ball media, and that while Trunks and Krillin destroyed Timeline III's version of Cell in Dr. Gero's laboratory, the warriors of Timeline II were not explicitly made aware of their timeline's version of Cell, either by a time-traveling Trunks or during their counterpart to the Androids Saga. While 17 and 18 were defeated, the true fate of the Earth and its defenders in Timeline II remains a mystery. _

_Timeline III = the timeline that came into existence as a result of Cell (Timeline I) superimposing onto the conditions of Timeline II a change in history in addition to Trunks traveling to the past – the mere fact that Cell had traveled to the past too and was present in the timeline. This is the "main" timeline featured in canon, in which the Cell Games took place. This timeline still recognized the trip that Trunks (Timeline I) made to the past, although because this timeline was even minimally different from Timeline II due to the presence of Cell (Timeline I), this version of "Future" Trunks was effectively a different version of Trunks than had been in Timeline II, a timeline without Cell (Timeline I). When this version of Trunks traveled back to the future, because he came from a timeline that was effectively different from Timeline II and because he, himself, was minimally different through being in a minimally different timeline, he was different than the version of Trunks that went back to the Future from Timeline II. As Trunks in Timeline III went back to the future from Timeline III as opposed to Timeline II, he created Timeline IV by superimposing onto the original Timeline I the additional condition that the version of Trunks that returned had been in a timeline in which a version of Cell that had arrived via time travel had been present. _

_Timeline IV = This timeline came into existence as a result of Trunks, after defeating Frieza and King Cold in Timeline III, superimposing onto the conditions of Timeline I the fact that he had been in an alternate past in which Cell (Timeline I) had been present. As the version of Trunks that had defeated Frieza and King Cold in Timeline II had not been in a timeline in which Cell (Timeline I) had been present, the version of Trunks that had been in Timeline III was not the same as the version of Trunks that had been in Timeline II, causing a new timeline to develop as a result of the different condition. Trunks traveled back to Timeline IV with his time machine in canon after the Cell Games occured in Timeline III. In Honor Trip, Trunks and Cell were vaulted forward in time from Timeline III to Timeline IV as a result of residual effects of Trunks' time machine improperly interacting with the Dragon Balls of New Namek, which do not have the capacity to properly process time travel on their own. The timeline in which Future Cell captured Cell and in which Trunks and Gohan recruited Broly to help them defeat Future Cell is Timeline IV. _

_Thanks for reading this note,_

_American Vigor_


	39. XXXIV: Stronghold

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Stronghold**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

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**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR MORE THAN 300 REVIEWS!**

**For those of you who have been ardent reviewers, and for many of Honor Trip's fans who have not yet reviewed but who are still very awesome for your continued readership, thank you all so much for your dedication and continued support of this story. **

**Because of all of you, Honor Trip remains one of the most active fanfictions with one of the most active readerships in the post-2010 era of Dragon Ball fandom, and I sincerely thank you for continuing to enjoy and read not only this story, but other works among the many that are still being produced in continuing efforts to enrich the Dragon Ball fan community. **

**A 300****th**** Review Special will eventually be released in honor of Honor Trip's 300****th**** review, but so as to not interrupt the flow of the fight between Future Cell and "Future" Broly, the special will eventually be released concurrently with the 400****th**** Review Special, such that the 300****th**** Review Special will directly precede the 400****th**** Review Special. **

* * *

**I am also proud to announce that starting with Chapter Thirty-Five, Honor Trip will be further enriched by COVER ARTWORK created by the exceptionally gifted art ace, RUGA-RELL! **

**The cover artwork will be able to be viewed on Ruga-Rell's profile page on deviantART, through either searching for the keyword "Honor Trip," [note that the phrase "Honor Trip" will need to be surrounded by quotation marks], or by searching for "Ruga-Rell."**

**I strongly encourage you to check out Ruga-Rell's gallery and profile on deviantART so that you can see the excellent artwork he has created related to the Dragon Ball universe and other realms of awesomeness. **

**Genescritor and I enthusiastically welcome Ruga-Rell to the Honor Trip team. **

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …. _

* * *

_Planet Earth, several kilometers from South City … _

The majestic legacy of the Saiyan race was being personified by Broly, with his power continuing to ascend, in every passing moment, beyond each paramount he had achieved before.

He was a warrior capable of the fiercest of aggression, a trait highly valued by the Saiyans of more than 100 generations, and yet also a fighter capable of noble virtue, having gained a desire through his own hardship to use the breadth of his grandiose powers to prevent others across the universe from suffering under any form of tyranny.

Frieza had slaughtered the overwhelming majority of his race in cold, treacherous blood, and he had not had the opportunity to avenge his people through slaughtering Frieza in return.

Now, as the only surviving member of the Saiyan race in his timeline with full Saiyan blood coursing through his veins, he was determined to destroy Future Cell, a monster who had inherited not only Frieza's cells, but his lust for destruction. Broly wanted to annihilate Future Cell in honor of not only his fallen comrades, but his own personal vendetta against oppression itself.

The Legendary Super Saiyan, in all his glory, smashed Future Cell in the head with a planet-shattering punch, then back-smacked Future Cell with his left hand, sending Future Cell spiraling down toward the ground below.

Before Future Cell could make contact with the ground, Broly appeared beneath him, upper-cutting him in the back with his right hand, causing Future Cell to bountifully cough up his green-colored blood.

Future Cell repositioned himself and then flew quickly upward, as fast as he could fly, all the while powering up energy up in front of his curved palms, which had been brought together at the wrists.

Broly had been following him upward, and Future Cell quickly turned around, with about 30 meters between them.

"Kamehameha!" Future Cell quickly yelled, sending the beam straight toward Broly. The Legendary Super Saiyan deflected the attack with ease, then flew straight into Future Cell, such that his head rammed right into the under-part of Future Cell's chin. The bio-android recoiled in egregious pain from the attack, with the impact reeling throughout his body.

Broly then grabbed one of Future Cell's legs with his right hand and threw Future Cell over his right shoulder, sending the menace hurtling downward. The collision between Future Cell's body and the ground formed a crater of more than 50 meters in length, kicking up energized dirt into the air. Broly flew straight into the cloud of discharge and located Future Cell just as he was beginning to stand up. Broly kicked Future Cell in the stomach, causing him to gasp in even greater pain than he had before, and when Future Cell desperately tried to kick him back, he was shocked that despite his massively increased size, Broly managed to not only dodge the attack, but bring his left hand right behind Future Cell's back.

Without any warning, and with not even a hint of change in his belligerent expression of ecstasy, Broly sent a powerful energy blast straight into the back of Future Cell's body, obfuscating his body from view.

The dust that had already been in the air was making it even more difficult for Broly to observe the energy discharge from the impact of the attack, but Broly laughed aloud when he saw what had become of Future Cell.

The overwhelming majority of the bio-android's body had been obliterated, with only the left portion of the upper part of Future Cell's face remaining. All that Broly could see of Future Cell was his left eye, part of his nose, mere centimeters of stark-white and deep-lavender facial matter, and part of the green-textured upper-portion of Future Cell's head.

While laughing in hysteria at what had become of his opponent, Broly gathered energy within his loosely-clenched left fist, then revealed his palm and a sphere of radiant energy to Future Cell.

The android acknowledged the imminent release of the blast with as much emotion as could be conveyed by an eye, with his pupil dilating in a reflection of fear.

Broly launched his Eraser Cannon attack straight toward Future Cell, with Future Cell having absolutely no way to block the attack.

The energy attack hit the ground, and had Broly been actively trying to destroy the Earth, the Earth certainly would have been destroyed, had Broly allowed the energy attack to proceed toward the planet's core. However, as he was a master of energy manipulation, and knowing all too well that even he needed oxygen to survive, Broly had in no way intended for the attack to destroy the planet – merely to destroy Future Cell.

Broly made his way through the additional energy fallout cloud to check if the attack had been successful.

To his delight, it appeared as though all physical traces of Future Cell had vanished completely.

He had remembered what Trunks and Gohan had told him about Future Cell's ability to fully regenerate his body from merely a single cell, and he wanted to avoid granting his opponent the opportunity to perform this inherently unsportsmanlike maneuver.

However, quite suddenly, and even before he had heard Trunks and Gohan shouting to him from above, Broly realized that he could still sense Future Cell's energy signature, and that it had shifted position, now up in the air near Trunks and Gohan.

Broly vaulted himself from the ground and up into the air, flying through the combined dust clouds into the reddened sunset sky, which at this point was further shrouded by night than it had been at the start of their battle.

The darkness made it even more difficult for Future Cell's opponents to see him, even with the illumination provided by the auras of their forms of Super Saiyan. Regenerating from this condition was much more difficult than regenerating from merely having the lower half of his body eliminated, as had happened earlier in his fight with Broly, and so this regeneration effort was taking considerably longer to accomplish.

Future Cell had focused as much as possible on Trunks' energy before Broly's attack could connect, and he had been fortunate that his assumption that he could still instant transmit even in his debilitated condition had been correct.

Trunks and Gohan had actively joined the fight against him, and Future Cell found it to be quite notorious that from his perspective, they had only found the bravery and courage to do this when he had been impeded so severely.

The two Ascended Super Saiyans at first had tried to catch him and then blast him, although quickly after those efforts had failed, since Future Cell was continuing to instant transmit around them, they had begun to launch coordinated energy attacks in various directions, hoping that this would increase their probability of hitting Future Cell and confident that Broly would not be harmed by them.

After Broly arrived in the vicinity, he did not begin shooting, instead trying to discern if he could acquire a strong fix on Future Cell's specific position at any given time, which was being made difficult through his repeated instant transmitting.

Suddenly, Future Cell fully regenerated and became clearly visible. He had reformed right next to Gohan, although in the few seconds after his regeneration, he had not truly thought about taking the opportunity to kill Gohan, as his thoughts were not truly focused on Gohan at all, but on trying to figure out a way to survive against Broly and trying to further combat his counterpart in their ongoing battle of the mind.

Regardless, he was also trying to recover from the physical onslaught Broly had unleashed, and it was quite apparent, by the much-less-than-confident expression on his face, that he was frantic.

"We'll destroy him together!" Broly yelled, while gathering energy for an Omega Blaster extremely quickly and then launching it all the quicker, as his energy skills had indeed increased by many magnitudes due to his transformation. Trunks vigorously launched a Finish Buster and Gohan unleashed a Masenko, with all three attacks headed toward Future Cell, from two Ascended Super Saiyans and a Legendary Super Saiyan who were all more than determined to kill him.

Future Cell had become so mentally exhausted through trying to stay alive in his debilitated condition that now, even with his body fully regenerated, it took him much longer than would otherwise have been the case to decide how best to respond to the oncoming attacks.

He once again instant transmitted, appearing behind Broly and then quickly backing away.

The four of them were all high in the air as a result of their maneuvers, with more than a hundred meters of distance between each of them and the ground.

Future Cell was facing the backs of the trio, preparing himself for the upcoming hostilities.

He was about 15 meters away from them now, and he saw Trunks and Gohan turn around to face him, while Broly was still facing away from him, seemingly in contemplation.

Broly released the Omega Blaster's contained energy, causing it and the other attacks to explode, with their vibrant energy briefly lighting up the sky.

"Your Instant Transmission technique is remarkable, but with the way you abuse it, it is easily the most cowardly tactic I have ever seen," Broly said, as he turned around to face Future Cell, with the remnant light from the unleashed attacks dissipating behind him.

"Be quiet, you freak!" Future Cell yelled with the most fervent of scorn, in complete apprehension to the current situation. "Had Dr. Gero known about you and incorporated your genetics into my cellular structure, this wouldn't be happening to me! You're benefiting only from an unintentional omission!"

"After that little tirade, it's especially ironic that you had the nerve to call me a 'freak,'" Broly said.

"You must have acquired quite a power-up after all that because of your partial Saiyan genetics, didn't you, Cell?" Gohan asked. "Doesn't it amaze you to know that even with your boost in power after near-death, you're still no match for Broly?"

"Every fighter has a weakness, Gohan, and you, especially, should know that," Future Cell said, with as much of a sneer as he could muster.

"Admit it Cell, you're outmatched!" Trunks said. "You and Dr. Gero have lost! The only reason you're still alive is because of cheap tricks, and the forces of righteousness are about to vanquish you at last!"

"You fool," Future Cell said, with a genuine grin. "I can instant transmit off this planet whenever I want, and there is nothing that any of you could do about that!"

"You're wrong about that," Gohan said. "You're power level makes you way too easy to find, and even if you repress it, we'd still find you eventually. After instant transmitting with Broly to wherever you are, we'd finish you off and the universe would finally be rid of you."

"Lest you forget that I can travel into space and survive there for a prolonged period, whereas your inferior bodies rely on a primitive chemical reaction requiring you to be dependent on air to survive," Future Cell said.

"If you're really considering resorting to a desperate stunt that is tactically cheap, be confident that I'd stop you way before you make it off of whatever you planet you try it on, and that I'll then gladly break your neck," Broly said.

"Admit it Broly, you're jealous of my splendid perfection," Future Cell said, smugly. "I might not be stronger than you, but I have capabilities far beyond any you could ever achieve!"

"They're just a bunch of tricks," Broly said. "From what I understand, you didn't even achieve any of those powers yourself. You stole all of them, without truly having to do any work to develop them. Some fighter you are, Cell."

"You're one to talk; you never had to work for your powers either," Future Cell said. "You were born with all your abilities. You didn't have to go out of your way to earn your power."

"Sucks for you, doesn't it?" Broly asked.

"Well, despite your power, I bet that I'm still faster than you, even without using Instant Transmission!" Future Cell yelled. "All you did was catch me off-guard before. You won't be able to stop these attacks!"

"And even if you manage to get a few through, do you honestly expect them to harm me?" Broly asked.

"A mere Saiyan, even a Legendary Super Saiyan with all his might, cannot hope to defeat me," Future Cell said. "Strength isn't everything! I'm still the ultimate fighter! And now, because of your foolishness in bulking up your muscles so severely, you'll learn the lesson that Trunks learned against my counterpart, that you should never sacrifice your speed for power unless you're absolutely sure you can win!"

"Your overconfidence is annoying me," Broly said.

Before Broly could blink, Future Cell had already begun his desperate assault against him, unleashing as many punches and kicks as fast as he possibly could.

Broly was blocking most of them, and dodging the rest.

Future Cell had thought that Broly had merely avoided his earlier kick despite being in his Legendary Super Saiyan form because he had already been severely damaged and was not properly focusing on fighting Broly.

The truth of the matter struck Future Cell with awe, but not quite as forcefully as the punch that struck Future Cell in the face.

"How can you be so fast with a form bulkier than that of an Ultra Super Sai – " Future Cell began to yell, right before Broly kicked him in the gut.

"Because unlike you, I actually happen to be the ultimate fighter," Broly said. He then grabbed Future Cell's torso and flew with Future Cell straight toward the ground, flinging Future Cell forward a moment before impact and getting out of the way himself.

As Future Cell struggled to stand up, Broly grabbed Future Cell's body and positioned him awkwardly onto the ground so that he was standing up, but barely.

Unknowingly, in a way very similar, yet even more forceful, to what Goku as a Super Saiyan had done many years ago to Frieza on Planet Namek, Broly then grabbed Future Cell's head with one hand and his legs with the other, then brought Future Cell's midsection over his left knee, bending Future Cell's body way beyond the parallel.

Future Cell was fortunate that his "spine," if it even could be called that, was unable to crack from such a feat, but the pain from all that Broly was causing was profuse. Future Cell would have yelled in agony had it not been for the fact that Broly's oversized left hand was still clasped firmly around his mouth, and his nervousness at recognizing that all this was transpiring despite doing everything he could to become as strong and as fast as possible was making the situation even more precarious for him.

'_Behold the horror of your false perfection, and the result of all the foolishness I had begged you to change!'_ Cell thought within, tormenting Future Cell. _'Dr. Gero was a misguided fool, and you were never in any way perfect! You're nothing more than a cowardly killer, and you should have learned from the wisdom of the blessing that was bestowed upon me! You should never assume that you're the strongest, and whether or not a person who is stronger than you wants to kill you could very well depend on how you treat others. But know in these moments of death that you failed, my malevolent counterpart. You failed to realize the error of your ways and reform yourself while you still had not yet harmed anyone, and you kept on failing to acknowledge the wrongness of the evil that seethed through you in all that you did when you murdered the innocent. Now, you and I are going to die, for the good of this universe and all the others. It couldn't be more fitting that your death will come at the hands of Broly, a tormented soul who managed to reform himself and overcome his predetermined path, deciding instead to fight for positive justice. You could have overcome your prearranged desire to kill others and deprive them of the most basic of their liberties, and yet you did not see the light, even after gaining my memories of cherishing peace.'_

Before Future Cell could respond, Broly yet again brought Future Cell's body over his left knee, bending his body severely and enabling the diabolic terror to experience pain that was far more caustic than what the majority of his victims had relatively experienced.

'_I will never admit defeat or inferiority to the likes of you!'_ Future Cell thought within, shouting at Cell as much as possibly could be conveyed through thought.

'_Admit it!'_ Cell thought within, shouting back as much as possible. _'Admit that you're not perfect, and that your thoughts and physical form are flawed!' _

Fighting Broly had indeed been in many ways a war of two fronts for Future Cell, having to ward off external physical attacks from Broly and internal verbal assaults from Cell. The handicap from having to tolerate Cell's banter before had been costly but not overly burdensome, but now, with the difference in his power level compared to Broly's having become bewilderingly out of his favor, Future Cell needed to focus more than he ever had.

'_You're nothing more than a hypocrite!' _Future Cell mentally yelled within._ 'Once again, you fool, you're telling me that I should have made so-called 'good' choices even though you have also said that I'm supposedly limited by Gero's programming. And also once again, even though you're criticizing me for being closed-minded and refusing to make choices you view as good, your perspective is sadly warped. In reality, I'm making choices I see as good, and that's all that matters. You're the one who is acting with a closed mind, since you can't deviate from the corrupted mindset that you forced the Dragon Balls to sustain! I am perfection, and I will not lose, no matter what you, Broly, or anyone else desires!' _

'_Even though it is true that enlightenment was forced upon me, you at the very least had the opportunity to learn from it and to cherish the basic holiness of life,'_ Cell thought within. _'I feel so sorry for how horribly misguided you have been because of Dr. Gero. Maybe in death, you'll finally learn from your mistakes.'_

Instead of answering his counterpart again, Future Cell implemented a plan that he felt might work to set him free from Broly's grasp.

Suddenly, Broly felt the searing heat of Future Cell's Eye Laser technique, causing him to momentarily let go of Future Cell's face in surprise. Future Cell then used a Destructo Disk to sever the lower half of his body from his upper half, to Broly's partial horror.

Future Cell then instant transmitted toward Gohan and Trunks, once again away from Broly's reach, enraging Broly that the Instant Transmission technique had been at least partially responsible for keeping Future Cell alive yet again. Trunks and Gohan moved backward in surprise, apprehensive of what Future Cell might be further planning.

Broly threw down the lifeless, degenerating lower portion of Future Cell's body, right when Future Cell regenerated his lower portion.

"I've still got some fight left in me, and I refuse be defeated!" Future Cell yelled. "Besides, the three of you are about to have an additional problem to deal with."

Before Broly, Trunks, or Gohan could react, Future Cell instant transmitted away from the area.

Evidentially, he had used the few seconds in which he had regenerated his body and made his threat to focus on another energy signature.

"He's still on Earth!" Gohan yelled. "And it seems like he just transmitted himself to South City!"

"We need to get there before he kills anyone else," Trunks said. "Broly, we need to go with Gohan now!"

"I understand!" Broly yelled, while grabbing Gohan's right shoulder, with Trunks grabbing the left.

Gohan had not expected how forceful Broly's grip would be, but he knew he needed to resist the pain.

He instant transmitted away from the scene, leaving the scarred battlefield in their wake.

* * *

_In another location …._

"This is terrible!" the first speaker yelled. "If Cell threatens them, or worse, transmits them off of Earth, it's likely that Gohan, Trunks, and Broly might not be able to find them again!"

"Don't worry," another speaker said. "Broly's going to defeat Cell for good, and then Gohan and Trunks will have enough time to find them later."

"Broly's strength is beyond anything I ever thought possible," the third speaker said. "Not since the androids had we encountered anything quite like him and Cell, and their energies far surpass those of 17 and 18."

"Hopefully, he'll be able to end this fight quickly," the first speaker said.

* * *

_Planet Earth, ruins of South City …. _

"All of you are coming with me!" Future Cell yelled within the subterranean chamber that had become the prison of the Z-Fighters' family and friends.

"They're going to come here and stop you, you monster!" Chi Chi yelled. "Gohan will be here at any moment!"

"Before they realize what I'm planning, we'll be gone!" Future Cell yelled. "Now, get over – "

Future Cell interrupted himself, loathing the sudden arrival of the three Super Saiyans.

Chi Chi and Bulma were especially overjoyed at the moment, and overcome with amazement at the additional Super Saiyan with Trunks and Gohan.

"Cell, there are too many innocent people in here," Broly said. "We should take our fight outside."

"You disgust me!" Future Cell yelled, while launching a Death Beam straight toward Broly.

Broly deflected the beam, and as he had been close to one of the subterranean chamber's walls, he had not realized that there was someone behind him.

The blast pierced Dende right through the heart, killing him instantly.

Dende's lifeless body dropped to the floor, for all to see.

His right hand, which had been grasping the guardian's staff of Earth, let the staff loose.

The staff fell to the floor, moments after the Earth had once again become without a guardian or keeper of the Dragon Balls.

Broly, Trunks, and Gohan turned around to see what had made Future Cell become suddenly speechless with a fixated stare, and they were horrified by what had happened.

"Dende, no!" Mr. Popo yelled, while running over to him.

However, it was too late.

Mr. Popo's efforts to resuscitate him were unfortunately proving quite futile.

Future Cell's eyes widened with unbounded rage.

"Broly, you fool!" Future Cell yelled, with even more ferocity than he had exhibited in actual combat with Broly. "Do you have any idea how much of a catastrophe your carelessness has just brought about?"

Broly was speechless.

Despite the fact that Future Cell had released the beam that had ended Dende's life, Broly felt that he, himself, was the one most responsible for the death of yet another innocent person who had not deserved to die.

He had never meant to kill any innocents ever again, and apparently, for Future Cell to have become this enraged over this particular individual's death, the diabolic murderer had wanted to keep this one alive.

Visions of billions of terrified faces among the innocent people he had killed across the galaxy momentarily manifested in Broly's consciousness, and he then heard echoes of billions of traumatized screams, signifying the suffering he had propagated and which he had once again brought about.

The visions and aural echoes were merely products of his mind, but for him, they felt very real, beckoning him to end this battle quickly so no more innocents would have to suffer. He was determined, even more than he had been before, to end the threat of Future Cell.

Future Cell, however, would have relished in those terrified faces and traumatized screams, eager to intensify their pain.

Future Cell's reaction to Dende's death had in no way been intended to reflect the idea that he cared about Dende as a person, which was thoroughly untrue. Dende had merely been part of a plan that Future Cell had been quite eager to implement, and his death was an obstruction to the success of that plan.

In furious retaliation for what had happened, Future Cell would have released an explosion that would have vaporized all the remaining non-Saiyans in the room, had it not been for the fact that there was one more individual in the room whom he wanted to keep alive.

However, he pointed his hands upward and quickly released a series of blasts that destroyed most of the ceiling of the subterranean chamber, as well as most of the remains of the above-ground structure. While Future Cell was doing this, Trunks and Gohan were doing the best they possibly could to prevent any debris from falling on their remaining loved ones. However, Broly was staying relatively still, not simply because of his massive size but because the shock of Dende's needless death was making him overly hesitant to move in the still-confined area, for fear he would accidentally bring about the end of someone else.

The debris were still falling when Future Cell decided to fly straight upward, soaring through a particular bulky chunk of metal with ease.

Broly recognized that Future Cell had suddenly left, and Broly flew upward in pursuit. After a few moments, he noticed Future Cell continuing to head for the zenith of the sky.

Broly continued to follow Future Cell upward for at least 10 seconds, closing the distance between them with each passing moment.

However, Future Cell's most recent actions had all been purposely deceiving.

Before Broly could act against Future Cell, the android instant transmitted below, then began attacking both Trunks and Gohan.

To the horror of their loved ones, Future Cell was punching and kicking them repeatedly, knocking them into walls.

Future Cell had become far stronger than he had been when he had fought Trunks and Gohan days ago, and he had already been far too fast for the Ascended Super Saiyans to effectively block his attacks.

Gohan's golden hair reverted back to its normal color, followed soon by Trunks' golden hair reverting to its normal color as well. They were lying on the floor, and their family and friends were absolutely bewildered, not knowing whether to believe if they were merely unconscious, or dead.

Future Cell would have continued the attacks had Broly not appeared close to him so suddenly.

Broly was still hovering in the air, and he was at an angle in which he recognized that there was indeed no one behind Future Cell. Broly vaulted himself forward in an effort to punch Future Cell, but Future Cell quickly grabbed Trunks and Gohan, himself unsure if they were actually alive or truly dead, and jumped out of the chamber remnants, so that he would have more space in which to move at short notice.

Broly followed him out of the chamber remnants, landing about 15 meters from where Future Cell had landed.

The stars overhead were twinkling despite the chaos on Earth, and the vicinity was being illuminated by Broly's Legendary Super Saiyan aura.

"Your move, Broly," Future Cell said, while holding up their bodies. "Attack me, and I'll make absolutely sure that they're dead."

Broly was perplexed, deciding whether he should let yet others be victimized because of him in an effort to end Future Cell's life for good, or if he should try to find some other way to defeat this adversary.

From Broly's perspective, killing Future Cell now, through a massive energy attack, would comprehensively prevent Future Cell from being able to further regenerate and harm the universe.

But what of Trunks and Gohan?

After a few moments of consideration, Broly decided that if it meant the end of Future Cell, Trunks and Gohan would be honored if their lives ended in the glory of battle, sacrificed as part of the final effort to defeat their greatest enemy.

To Future Cell's great surprise, Broly launched a colossal Omega Blaster toward him.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Four!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-Five: The tumultuous duel between Future Cell and "Future" Broly comes to a close! However, with the end of this battle, there will be ends of lives. Broly, … Cell, … Future Cell, … Trunks, … and Gohan, … among them all, at least two will not survive! Who, if anyone, will prevail? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip!_

_Starting with Chapter Thirty-Five, Honor Trip is scheduled to be released on a tri-weekly basis! Chapter Thirty-Five will be released on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])  
_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-Four: Completed Dec. 17, 2011_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_


	40. XXXV: Exodus

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Exodus**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**New Character Theme: **

**- "Future" Bulma: Never Say Die!, by Black Sabbath **

**This song, while extremely awesome, is the property of its respective artist. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release.**

* * *

**Art Update:**

**I am pleased to announce that Ruga-Rell has done extensive work on the eventual cover for Honor Trip Chapter 35, and that he has created an amazing visual depiction of a key moment in the fight between Future Cell and "Future" Broly in this chapter.**

**The preliminary image Ruga-Rell created of the fight scene between Future Cell and Broly, which will go through a few more phases of detail before incorporation into the eventual colored cover, is available for viewing online!**

**If you go to deviantART and type in "Honor Trip" in the search bar, (YOU MUST SURROUND THESE WORDS WITH QUOTATION MARKS, such that you should enter "Honor Trip" as opposed to Honor Trip in the search bar), you should be able to see the battle scene between Future Cell and Broly that will be incorporated into the Chapter 35 cover. You also should be able to easily find the image through typing "American Vigor" into the search bar.**

**If you need assistance in locating the cover, please send me a private message and I'd be more than happy to help you locate it.**

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …_

* * *

_In every battle, there is a struggle of competing perspectives. For one side to win over another, does this mean that at that moment, the beliefs of the winning side are inherently superior? Is the achievement of victory independent of who is right? Is it possible that neither theory is true, and that victory goes to the side that more intensely views itself as correct? As entities across the universe contemplate the truths of victory's nature, the final outcome is soon to be decided in a battle with implications for the entire universe, waged on Earth and fought by beings representing legacies from across the stars …. _

* * *

Cell was even more surprised than his counterpart that Broly's Omega Blaster was searing toward them, further illuminating the night with the power of destruction.

He had not thought, as a result of all the sentiments he had observed Broly express so far, that Broly would severely risk Trunks and Gohan's safety in his endeavor to defeat Future Cell once and for all.

However, Cell recognized that it was quite possible that given Future Cell's nefariousness, unpredictability, and abilities to support each of those approaches, Broly might have recognized that to successfully defeat Future Cell, he might have to attack Future Cell in ways that Future Cell would not expect, and that Trunks and Gohan would agree that the safety of the universe was ultimately more important than their own.

Cell had never imagined that his earnest desires for peace and atonement would lead to the severe empowerment of a being even more malicious than he had ever been, and Cell had watched in horror for far too long as even more innocents had suffered, in a way, because of his actions and by his hands.

Cell had been proud of Trunks and Gohan for having had the sense to find Broly, and he understood that while they had been expecting to encounter and harrowingly manipulate an unpredictable and chaotic entity, they had instead allied with someone who had unexpectedly become a staunch defender of honor and positive peace through overcoming the horrors and tyranny of his past.

Broly's triumph over the evil and maliciousness that had plagued his mind for the overwhelming majority of his life was in many ways to Cell an absolute inspiration. Even in Cell's continued moments of despair, and even in all his psychological suffering through having to experience the pain of Broly's robust assaults against Future Cell, his sense of hope had at least been somewhat renewed by Broly's charisma, giving Cell further motivation to persevere through the pain and intensify his mental battle against his counterpart.

Broly had achieved an enlightenment that Cell knew he could never personally achieve due to the way in which his own enlightenment had come about. While Broly had managed to overcome his egregiously predetermined path of malice and cruelty through the psychological and philosophical evolution of his mind, and through an eventual and tremendously noble decision of his own free will to overcome his predetermined path of evil and change his ways, Cell had achieved enlightenment simply because of an act of randomness and not out of his free will. Cell knew that while he would always cherish that he had acquired the chance to change his ways, he would always consider his own enlightenment to have been inferior to Broly's, as Broly had managed to analyze and rationalize the merits of goodness over evil before switching sides, rather than Cell, who despite his superior mental processing capabilities, had never felt compelled to willfully endure the mental quest to sincerely align himself with holiness.

Cell had even come to reevaluate if it was at all possible for him and Future Cell to have naturally achieved enlightenment like Broly had through his own free will. It was more than plausible that Dr. Gero's prearranged mental control over each of them had fixated their maliciousness much more severely than the combined forces of Paragus' mental control and the natural mental aggression of the Legendary Super Saiyan heritage ever had over Broly.

Cell had begged Future Cell to change his ways, but now, after considerable additional thought, he wondered if Dr. Gero truly had made a willful change in moral perspective not just practically impossible, but completely impossible. He had wanted Future Cell to find peace through his own free will, as Broly had, but Future Cell had never accepted the idea of even attempting to embrace a different path. Future Cell, to Cell's bitter disappointment and sorrow, remained brainwashed under the delusions of a madman, carrying out his will long after his death, and living a life in which he was continuing to be disallowed from truly making his own choices, despite his own illusions that he in fact had full free will over his actions. It saddened Cell relentlessly that his intentions to reform Future Cell might have truly been in vain even before he had even considered trying.

The many attempts to reason with Future Cell had proven woefully unsuccessful, and while Cell still hoped that one day he would be able to somehow convince Future Cell to change his ways, Cell simply could not condone Future Cell's continued existence in the mortal realm, with his ignorance of truth empowering his hatred and enabling him to desire death so fervently.

If the universe could not be saved through Future Cell experiencing enlightenment the way that Broly had, Cell was more than eager for Broly to force the universe to be saved through consuming Future Cell with an energy blast of seething light.

Cell was more than ready to die along with Future Cell, for the glorious victory of peace.

While Cell was making these considerations, Future Cell was in the midst of cursing himself for enabling Broly to get so close to him with the opportunity to fire a substantial energy attack.

Future Cell also had in no way expected that Broly would actually attack him while putting his allies at risk, and he now realized that he had vastly overestimated Broly's commitment to keeping his allies alive at all costs.

The massive Omega Blaster was within one meter of Future Cell when he decided to take extremely prompt action. It was moving far faster than it would have been had Broly not been devoting so much power and concentration to it, and Future Cell's field of vision became almost completely dominated by the radiant green sphere.

Without placing either of his hands by his forehead for additional focus, as he was holding Trunks' body in his left hand and Gohan's in his right, Future Cell instant transmitted out of the path of the sphere, and then appeared behind Broly.

To Future Cell's surprise, he was still holding Trunks and Gohan's bodies after the transmission. He sneered to himself, realizing that because he had needed to act so quickly out of the unexpectedness of the attack, he had not considered simply dropping their bodies and letting them be consumed by the energy.

He was at least somewhat intrigued by the fact that they had been instant transmitted with him without his own conscious will to transport them, and that they had been transported merely because they were in physical contact with him. Future Cell would have been far more intrigued with this aspect of the technique had he not been at that moment in the middle of a losing battle for his existence, and Future Cell's eyes widened as Broly manipulated his energy to stop the progression of the Omega Blaster. Then, while turning his body to face Future Cell, Broly spun the Omega Blaster around so that it was now heading straight for Future Cell again.

Future Cell decided that he had allowed Trunks and Gohan to exist for far too long, and he threw them both toward the gigantic radiant-green energy sphere while soaring upward to try and avoid the attack.

He had begun to sense trace amounts of their energy, indicating that they were, in fact, still alive, and Future Cell wanted them to never again open their eyes.

Broly, who was still on the ground, manipulated the path of his Tracking Omega Blaster so that it elevated above the direct path of Trunks and Gohan, whose bodies slammed into the already largely-decimated ruins of a nearby building.

The attack was continuing to approach Future Cell while he soared higher and higher into the air, homing in on his position based on the angle and situation of Broly's body relative to the attack.

Future Cell realized that blocking the attack was entirely out of the question, and he suspected that Broly would merely redirect the attack if he attempted any rapid movements, or even instant transmitted again. Had Future Cell not wanted to kill Broly so ardently, he might have even considered instant transmitting to another planet, but finding a way to kill Broly, the ignoble upstart who was challenging his perfection, was predominating Future Cell's attention. Besides, Future Cell considered the potential action of leaving the Earth in the midst of this battle to be one that would dishonor him forever, as it would show his ultimate cowardice in the face of a merely stronger foe.

Future Cell kept flying away from the energy attack, while thinking of a way to prevent Broly from fully implementing it.

* * *

Nearby, at the ruins of the Capsule Corporation facility that had been almost completely destroyed as a result of the combined actions over two decades of Dr. Gero's androids, the friends and family of the Z-Fighters were intensely considering what to do.

The facility's remains had no functioning lights to speak of, and the stars above were not providing adequate light.

Mr. Popo, however, had an idea.

He used his Magic Materialization technique to convert matter and energy in the surrounding environment to a form of his desire, and he manifested a lantern that he then gripped with his right hand.

He then used a small energy wave to ignite the candle resting within the lantern, then closed the soft-glass sides of the lantern so that the flame would not be extinguished as a result of all the wind that was being generated by the massively powerful forces of Broly and Future Cell.

"Dende would want us to find safe ground, and while I obviously hope they're alive and unconscious as opposed to otherwise, I know that Gohan and Trunks would want us to do that too," Popo said, to his fearful companions.

Popo had noticed earlier, when auras of the fighters were lighting the immediate vicinity, that the stairwell leading out of the chamber was still relatively intact.

"We can take the stairs, and then we will need to get as far away from here as possible," Popo said, pointing to the stairwell. "Actually, better yet, I can summon my flying carpet and transport us all to safety!"

Chi Chi, and Bulma, however, seemed uneager to leave the area.

"I'm sorry, but I need to stay here to support my son as much as possible," Chi Chi said. "I lost him once, and I don't want to lose him again!"

"And I don't want to lose my son at all!" Bulma said. "Sorry, Mr. Popo, but we're staying. I think it would only be right for us to try and help our sons while there's a chance to help them."

"We can't do anything to help them now, other than getting out of here so we don't get clobbered," Launch, still in her aggressive state, shouted to Bulma and Chi Chi. "I usually don't back down from a challenge, but this is a bit extreme. Do your sons and the big guy a favor and get out of here along with the rest of us!"

"I'm not leaving either," Yajirobe said. "I was wished back to life, and so far, I haven't been much help at all. Obviously, they weren't expecting for me to have to fight at all after I came back, but I've felt worthless since returning. I've got to do something!"

"My grandson shouldn't be forced to die on the battlefield when there might be something I could do to help him," Ox-King said. "I'm staying."

"Me too," Turtle said. "Master Roshi, … Oolong, … Puar, … they're all gone. I want to see that monster defeated with my own eyes."

Launch shrugged to herself.

"Fine, I guess I could stay and help too," Launch said.

"I don't think this is the wisest of decisions," Mr. Popo said. "Are you all sure about this?"

The nods and verbal answers were unanimously affirmative.

"Then I shall help you," Mr. Popo said. "It is unfortunate that I can't use my Instantaneous Movement to transport Cell far away, as he needs to consent for that to happen. Otherwise, I would have done so by now."

"We'll all have to do whatever we can to help Trunks, Gohan, and the big guy," Chi Chi said. "Come on, people, let's move it!"

Beckoning Mr. Popo to shine his lantern so that it would light up the stairwell, Chi Chi led the group of family and friends as they marched up the stairwell, whether for better or for worse.

* * *

Future Cell, with his superior hearing, had observed the extent of the conversation of the Z-Fighters' family and friends below.

"Let's test out a theory!" Future Cell yelled, as the Tracking Omega Blaster came within 10 meters of him.

Future Cell suddenly instant transmitted away from the sky, and Broly, out of surprise, stopped the attack as fast as he could, while letting it stay still in the air.

Broly flew toward the direction of Future Cell's energy signature, and when he saw what Future Cell was doing, he instantly became alarmed. To Broly's shock, he found Future Cell pointing his right hand toward Chi Chi, while her companions were watching in horror.

"Are you so desperate as to risk even more lives just to keep your own?" Broly asked, while considering how best to respond to the situation.

"Desperation isn't the right word, Broly. 'Tactical,' however, is the right one," Future Cell said. "I saw that you were determined to kill me even though it may have resulted in the deaths of Trunks and Gohan, and I inferred that you might have decided to overcome your ridiculous notion of protecting the innocent in order to silence me for good, knowing that as warriors, they would not mind being swallowed up in destruction. But what about now? This, Broly, is Gohans' mother, Chi Chi. I could destroy her whenever I want, if you decide to keep on targeting me with an energy attack like that. Would you really be willing to risk the lives of even more innocents who aren't warriors who accept the possibility of death as a constant consequence of their combatant status? Let's make a deal! Destroy that energy attack, and I'll let her go! What do you say?"

Broly sneered at the precariousness of the situation, with his aura blazing violently, in a further manifestation of his anger at Future Cell's cruelty. He knew that his Tracking Omega Blaster was more than powerful enough to destroy Future Cell, but that the bastard would be fast enough to kill this innocent woman and at least a few of the other innocents if Broly further attempted to use the attack.

Broly had been ready to sacrifice Trunks and Gohan to kill Future Cell, but that fiend was right when he had said that unlike their remaining family and friends in the world of the living, Trunks and Gohan were warriors who were ready to die in battle and who would be honored if that event transpired.

Sacrificing these people would go against Broly's adamant resolution to not kill any more innocent people who had not been accustomed to the idea of dying in battle for the greater good. He had already broken this resolution once through unintentionally and carelessly deflecting a beam that had led to the Namekian's death, and his psychological anguish from that was continuing to unnerve him.

Broly tightened the grip of his right fist, then opened it up, causing the Tracking Omega Blaster to explode above in bellowing ferocity. He was resolved to truly find a way to kill Future Cell without enabling him to have the opportunity to effectively counterattack.

"Now, that's more like it!" Future Cell said, as his devilish grin became illuminated by the greenish light of the blast.

Right as Future Cell put his right hand down, in seeming preparation for another technique, Broly jumped forward and grabbed Future Cell by the neck. He jumped off the ground and into the air, with Future Cell's neck still firmly in his grip.

Broly soared about 100 meters into the air, then suddenly stopped.

While Future Cell was struggling to break free, Broly growled at him, then spoke with words evoking his greatest possible anger.

"You are the most weak-minded individual I have ever encountered, and if you were truly as perfect as you claim yourself to be, you would realize that true perfection of life comes not from making yourself as best as possible at the expense of everyone else, but from enabling all to prosper," Broly said, while tightening his grip. "You threaten the innocent for your own personal gain, and you do so with no remorse. You don't have to be this way! Why can't you just learn from the good Cell and stop harming people?"

Broly punched Future Cell in the gut with his left hand while continuing to choke him with his right, causing the diabolic bastard to almost black out from exhaustion.

"The universe will be much better off without you," Broly said, right before releasing Future Cell from his grip and punching him again in the stomach, causing Future Cell to soar backward.

Broly flew forward rapidly, charging up an energy blast to destroy Future Cell and let no genetic material survive.

But Broly did not launch the attack in time, as Future Cell once again instant transmitted behind him.

Little had the people of Planet Yardrat known that their signature technique would impact the fate of the universe so profoundly.

"Broly," Future Cell said weakly, "you're making a terrible mistake."

Broly turned around, in total fury.

"The only mistake around here is the fact that you're still alive," Broly said.

"You're acting just like my counterpart did, fearful of his true destiny in life, and succumbing to overbearing weakness unbecoming of a true warrior," Future Cell said. "You've given up your natural destiny to be a truly fierce warrior, one that the universe gave you, out of the circumstances of how you were born. The entire idea of you choosing to degrade yourself through enabling other people to compete with you for things that you could enjoy yourself, and through enabling them to live when you could derive great pleasure from extinguishing their lives in a testament to your strength, goes against everything I view as appropriate in this universe. From what I understand, your ruthlessness was exemplary, Broly. You've killed billions of people who died in absolute fear! This is something I highly admire about you."

"Your way of life is exactly what the universe needs me to destroy," Broly said. "I hope I was not born this way just to be a vile murderer. That would be a tremendous insult to the universe, and all who strive for power to protect the innocent from those like you, who abuse the power they were given, all in misguided efforts to deny people of their basic liberties!"

"And what defines those liberties, Broly?" Future Cell asked. "The universe has no moral standards. And even if it did, each person's standards are the only ones that matter. My sense of good is the only one that matters for me, and your sense of good, even though it is extremely misguided, should be the only one that matters to you. You should be the master of your own destiny, and not have others infringe upon your right and freedom to live life according to your desires."

"The fact you believe that is notorious, as by your own logic, that's merely your opinion, and not something that everyone needs to accept," Broly said. "I've never met your counterpart, and from what I've heard, he sounds like he agrees wholeheartedly with me. Tell me, Cell, is the good version of you still in there, somewhere?"

Future Cell grinned, knowing that based on what Broly had reasoned with regards to Trunks and Gohan, Broly would not hesitate in attempting to kill Future Cell even after knowing that Cell was still truly within him in some tangible capacity.

"He is, and there is nothing you can do to save him," Future Cell said. "His entire existence has become subject to my discretion. In fact, he has been witness to all the death I've caused as a result of gaining his power, and his emotional turmoil has been glorious."

"So he's actually in there, and making conscious thoughts?" Broly asked.

"To my great disapproval, yes," Future Cell said. "I was obviously not designed with the intention that I would ever absorb myself, and this seems to be an unintended result of a fortunate power I happen to possess."

"Well, at least someone in there is able to actually think for himself," Broly said. "As Trunks, Gohan, and I'm sure Cell have said many times, your dad was a bastard. In fact, it sounds as though he was as much of a bastard as mine, if not more. He restricted you from being able to make true choices for yourself, and everything you think, everything you do, is fundamentally warped based on what he wanted you to believe. He didn't want you to have the choice to do or think differently. How could you possibly consider yourself perfect when everything you do is based on a fixed course of thinking that you have refused to overcome? If you can't make decisions for yourself, and you can't properly understand why you're doing what you're doing, there's no way you could be perfect. Truly being able to make decisions for yourself by overcoming restrictions and repressions of your thoughts is the ultimate liberation. Gaining the ability to truly have free will was a blessing for me, and you're still cursed. I feel sorry for you."

"Tell me, Broly, what do you gain from helping others?" Future Cell asked. "If your actions don't actually benefit you, I don't want any part of that way of life."

"My good actions benefit others, and as a result, they benefit me," Broly said.

"Well, I'm benefiting the universe through seeking to exterminate all that my counterpart cherished," Future Cell said. "As long as I can atone for his mistakes and enable the universe to achieve true perfection, all will be right."

"That doesn't benefit the universe at all, you monster," Broly said. "All that does is benefit you."

"And in the end, that's all that really matters to me," Future Cell said. "Call me a hedonist if you will. It's an excellent way of life. I don't really care if I truly am violating some sort of objective moral code. All that matters is that I am benefiting myself and acting on behalf of my beliefs."

"As your beliefs aren't even truly yours, your entire mindset is questionable," Broly said. "So many have tried helping you see the light, and so many have died in return. But you know what, Cell? I'll give you one last chance. If words cannot change your actions, maybe something else will."

Future Cell suddenly felt extremely perplexed.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Future Cell asked.

Broly quickly grabbed Future Cell, wrapped him in a lock with his left arm, and started pounding Future Cell in the head with his right fist.

"If it worked for the version of Cell who's already good, maybe it will work on you too!" Broly said. "I want you to feel the sorrow I felt, and experience the psychological pain that I felt! I want you to understand what it's truly like to be free! And if you refuse to reform yourself, then I'll do it for you!"

The top of Future Cell's head was being pounded repeatedly, and the pain was excruciating.

The Legendary Super Saiyan was relentless, and within the span of 30 seconds, Broly pounded Future Cell on the top of his head at least 15 times.

Future Cell growled in tremendous pain, and he then implemented a brief plan.

He suddenly used Cell's Ultra Super Saiyan analog form to significantly increase his size, and while he could have used his Power-Weighted form, which he and Cell had not as of yet used at all, he suspected that the transition back to his desired form would be faster with the plan he had chosen to implement.

His suddenly and significantly expanded muscle mass caused Broly's left arm to suddenly move farther away from Broly's own chest, providing Future Cell with an opening in which to escape Broly's grip.

Future Cell then rescinded the Ultra Super Saiyan analog form, and reverted back to the Multiplier Madness set of power multipliers among his and Cell's that he had possessed before the maneuver.

"Maybe blasting you in the head will do the trick," Broly said, as he launched a wave of scattered shots toward Future Cell at close range.

Future Cell managed to avoid many, but not all of them, and as the energy fallout dust cleared, Broly saw that the tips of Cell's two cranial protrusions and the bottom tip of his left wing had been blasted away.

"It's clear that even after all you have experienced, you want no part in being able to truly think in a reasonable way, and that despite all we've tried to do, you still want to be a bloodthirsty murderer," Broly said. "While I hate the despicable things you have done and want to do, Cell, and while I especially hate this because it reminds me of my horrid past, I want to let you know, right before you die, that I at the very least appreciate the fight you gave me, despite your cheap tricks and your inability to properly stand up against me. You gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my true power, and for that, I'll forever be grateful. Maybe, in the next world, when people's lives are not at stake, we'll fight again. But now, your death has come, and under the dark sky of this tormented planet, there shall be light at last."

Broly grinned, then began to laugh in ecstasy, while Future Cell darted backward to enable there to be at least some space between them.

Broly vaulted himself forward, with both of his arms bent and perpendicular to the rest of body, with his palms open and facing toward Future Cell. He intended to grab Future Cell and severely weaken him with the tremendous strength of his full grip, all the while powering himself up to deliver a finishing blast that would wipe Future Cell out for good.

Future Cell brought his right arm back and his left leg bent and up, and with a scowl on his face, he realized that he needed a plan, and that he needed one quickly.

Could it be possible that it would work?

He had intended on doing something similar to this earlier in their fight, but Broly had deprived him of the opportunity.

Now, however, with Broly charging toward him and probably unaware of a particular type of technique, Future Cell decided it was time to put his plan in motion.

Future Cell brought his right hand forward and blasted Broly in the face with a generic blast, while distancing himself farther from Broly.

Then, Future Cell implemented the first true phase of his plan.

"Solar Flare!" Future Cell yelled, illuminating the wide vicinity in blinding light.

Broly had been extremely close to the emission point of the technique, and had in no way been prepared for it. Future Cell had not used it earlier in their battles, and Trunks and Gohan had not mentioned it to Broly, among a variety of Future Cell and Cell's techniques and abilities that they had not mentioned, while emphasizing what they had felt at the time were his most prominent ones, such as Instant Transmission.

Broly stopped his charge, and a moment later, Future Cell's cranial protrusions and left wing tip regenerated.

The technique had caught him by such surprise in close proximity that Broly had instinctively brought his hands to his eyes after the fact, trying to rub them to soothe the overwhelming pain.

While Broly remained temporarily stunned from the Solar Flare, Future Cell very quickly took advantage of a technique that, especially for him, was quite symbolic.

Cell had developed the Shining Nova technique during his period of waiting to confront Future Cell, in what seemed by now as almost a lifetime ago, despite occurring relatively recently. Cell had failed to use the technique to destroy every single one of Future Cell's cells, and while the technique had failed to kill him, it had presented him with an opportunity to conceal himself and enrich his life beyond what he had thought possible.

Now, Future Cell intended to use the technique himself, in signification that he, at least from his own perspective, was further taking charge of his destiny. The attack that had been meant to kill him would be used to kill the person whom Future Cell considered to be his only remaining threat, and through doing so, similar to how the technique had inadvertently helped provide him with an opportunity before, it would solidify his opportunities to expand his power and influence now.

"I hope you're ready for your end," Future Cell said, said as he quickly raised both of his hands and brought them together, directly in front of his face. His palms were facing the surface of the Earth, 100 meters below, and his thumbs were touching each other's side.

He split his thumbs slightly apart from each other, and there was a line of glowing white light between them. He then moved his left hand in a curved motion, down and to the left, while his right hand simultaneously moved in a curved motion down and to the right, with his palms now facing each other. As Future Cell's hands had moved, the white light moved with them, forming a half-circle in the manner of an arch that was emanating from his hands.

He then completed the circle of white light by moving his left hand in a curved motion down and to the right while he simultaneously moved his right hand in a curved motion down and to the left. When his small fingers touched each other, he then moved both of his hands toward himself as the circle of white light became complete, floating in the air where his hands had traced its path.

Future Cell quickly vaulted his hands toward Broly, and the glowing white circle rushed forward.

The circle surrounded Broly, then began to spin rapidly and form a glowing sphere. From within the sphere, extreme energies were bombarding Broly, keeping him within the sphere and preventing him from escape.

Immobilizing Broly for at least a minute and weakening his defenses were exactly what Future Cell had intended with the technique. He did not honestly expect that the Shining Nova would be able to do the same sort of physical damage to Broly that it had done as a result of Cell using it beforehand, but the technique was providing him with a further opportunity.

While maintaining his concentration on the Shining Nova, Future Cell began powering up a Special Beam Cannon with his left hand, and a Full-Power Death Beam with his right, while also intensifying his overall power output capacity through reinstating Cell's Ultra Super Saiyan analog form.

Based on Dr. Gero's battle data, Future Cell knew that Piccolo had managed to use a piercing attack against Raditz decades beforehand in order to defeat the Saiyan, despite the fact the Saiyan was about four times as strong as Piccolo had been. Now, so many years later, and after all of their power-ups, Broly was about four times as strong as Future Cell.

Future Cell hoped, for all he believed in, that his plan would work.

After about a minute, the Shining Nova began to slightly fade, and while Broly seemed to be somewhat scathed from the constant bombardment, but otherwise not overly harmed, Future Cell fully intended to change that.

Suddenly, after about a minute of devoting extreme effort into charging each of the attacks, Future Cell launched them both forward, directly toward Broly's heart.

After becoming temporarily immobilized from the Solar Flare, and further immobilized and weakened by the Shining Nova, the extremely charged Special Beam Cannon and Full-Power Death Beam collided with Broly's chest, then pierced through his heart and out his back.

Broly didn't have time to truly understand what had happened.

Suddenly, he felt a feeling of overwhelming weakness, as his muscles rapidly contracted, returning his appearance to somewhat as it had been when he had fought in his basic Super Saiyan form. He then reverted to his normal state, with his hair returning to its dark color.

His Legendary Super Saiyan aura had vanished, and Future Cell's aura became the only one giving light under the sky of stars.

As Broly continued to fall toward the ground, Future Cell grinned more maliciously than he ever had before, then used both of his legs to thrust-kick Broly in the chest.

Broly coughed up a profuse amount of blood, then after soaring downward, he slammed into the ground, creating an impact crater.

The friends and family of the Z-Fighters watched in absolute terror as Future Cell descended from above.

He released the Ultra Super Saiyan analog form but maintained his and Cell's other power multipliers, and looked fiendishly upon Broly, reveling in the glory of what had transpired.

'_You demon!' _Cell screamed within._ 'How could this have been allowed to happen? Whatever happened to justice?' _

"This is justice," Future Cell said aloud. "Not even a warrior as powerful as this one could overcome my abilities. I have truly succeeded when no one else could have even dreamed of achieving what I have achieved!"

Future Cell landed on the ground, and he noticed that the friends and family of the Z-Fighters had found Trunks and Gohan and were attending to them. He also noticed that Gohan had regained consciousness, although he still looked visibly weak, and that Trunks had not yet visibly regained consciousness at all.

"It seems your plan was unsuccessful, wasn't it, Gohan?" Future Cell asked with a chuckle, redirecting his gaze toward Gohan, who was to his right.

Gohan was speechless, while Future Cell further laughed at the perplexed look on his face.

Future Cell then walked toward Broly, who was still breathing, but barely.

Right before Future Cell came within one meter of him, Broly briefly turned his head to look toward Gohan.

If Gohan interpreted what had happened correctly, it appeared to him as though Broly had mouthed with his lips, in silence, "I'm sorry." The Saiyan's expression was one of the greatest sadness, and Gohan more than understood the reason for it. He had lived a life of evil through being repressed himself, and in a valiant act to save the universe from the sort of evil he had once propagated, his endeavor to finally uphold peace in the universe had proven unsuccessful.

Future Cell halted his steps and observed his dying foe.

"You might have been legendary, but you were by no means perfect," Future Cell said, as he let a few moments pass to savor his sense of triumph.

Broly turned his head back toward Future Cell, to see one more time the face of the person who had managed to not just defeat him, but to endanger the universe even further.

"I wonder what would happen if I attempted to absorb you, Broly," Future Cell said, as his tail extended. "Would I gain some of your Legendary Super Saiyan powers for myself? Let's find out!"

Before Future Cell's tail could reach its target, a sizable energy blast engulfed Broly's body, killing the warrior who had, after a life of horror, achieved sincere honor in his final acts.

Future Cell immediately noticed that the blast had come from his right, and saw that Gohan, who was in his basic Super Saiyan form and shakily standing, had released the attack.

Without verbally responding, Future Cell rushed forward and broke Gohan's neck. Then, before Chi Chi even had the chance to scream, Future Cell launched a Masenko at Gohan's body, decimating Gohan and Turtle, who unfortunately also was in the direction of the blast.

Chi Chi had suffered so much pain in her life through the loss of her loved ones that this latest action had caused her emotional threshold to break.

"How dare you kill my son!" Chi Chi yelled, while rushing toward Future Cell and beginning to wail her arms at him. "How dare you!"

Future Cell punched her hard in the stomach, causing her to instantly perish, in the midst of tears streaming down her eyes.

"Chi Chi!" Bulma yelled, while even Launch was beginning to cry.

"Don't feel sorry for her," Future Cell said. "After all, now she can be with Goku and Gohan again, as she always wanted."

"You killed my daughter and grandson, you bastard!" Ox-King yelled, doing everything he could to summon forth his aggression from his days of ruling the lands of Fire Mountain.

"Pathetic," Future Cell said, while blasting a hole straight through him, killing him instantly. Launch barely moved out of the way of the blast, and she then rushed forward to attack Future Cell.

Before she could, Mr. Popo himself began his offensive against Future Cell.

"You despicable monster!" Popo yelled, while kicking Future Cell in the chest. "Your malevolence must end!"

Future Cell launched an energy blast at him, and was rather surprised to see Mr. Popo swallow the blast whole, as he had long ago demonstrated he was able to do.

"Unexpected, but no matter," Future Cell said, right before launching a larger energy blast, which incinerated Popo entirely.

Launch rushed toward Future Cell, but without looking at her, and in giving her a very demeaning death, he kicked her into a building, while keeping his attention on Bulma and Trunks.

Suddenly, another dissident took action.

"Take this!" Yajirobe yelled, right before kicking Future Cell from his right, while Future Cell maintained his gaze on Bulma and Trunks. Future Cell responded by punching Yajirobe in the chest, sending him soaring hundreds of meters away, and through many buildings. As had happened with Launch, Yajirobe, even in his earnest attempt to at least do something to avenge his friends, fell to the overwhelming power of Future Cell.

Bulma had placed herself in front of Trunks, in a last-ditch effort for a mother to defend her child, as Chi Chi had unfortunately not been able to do.

"You killed them all!" Bulma yelled. "I can never forgive you for the horrors you and the other androids have put my family and friends, and all the innocent people of this planet through!"

"Relax, Bulma, I have no desire to kill you, at least not yet, anyway," Future Cell said, causing her to be extremely taken aback.

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Bulma asked.

"It means that I want to make a deal with you, although you should know that either way, Trunks is going to die," Future Cell said.

"Fuck you!" Bulma said. "I don't want any part of this! Leave my son alone!"

"Ah, Bulma. Resilient to the last," Future Cell said, right as Trunks began to cough, and come to limited consciousness. "So, the valiant warrior who thought he could save all of time through his actions still has some air in his lungs. How meaningless."

"Trunks is a true hero, and you're nothing but a murderer!" Bulma yelled.

"Be quiet, and listen closely," Future Cell said. "I want you to agree to build me a new time machine."

"What for?" Bulma asked. "So you can terrorize everyone in the past and victimize another timeline with your horrors? How could you possibly expect that I would even think about agreeing to that, especially when you just said that you want to kill my son?"

"Think of the bigger picture, Bulma. I'll be sparing the lives of every other human on this miserable planet, and this planet itself, if you comply with my demands," Future Cell said. "Otherwise, they all will die."

"I don't want to make that choice," Bulma said. "You're asking me to choose the lives of some people over others."

"And that's precisely why I find this deal to be quite amusing," Future Cell said. "Oh, but you will make that time machine, because if you don't, I will also kill everyone in this universe other than you and myself, whereas in the alternate past, I will merely kill the people of Earth. I want to go back to the past so that I can undo all the damage that my counterpart caused through his ignorance. Too many people of that timeline are still alive because of his mistakes. I want them all to die. The choice is yours, Bulma."

"Cell …," Trunks began to say, out of weakness. "How could you have … killed Broly?"

"Splendidly, as I'm about to do to you," Future Cell said.

Future Cell slightly shoved Bulma merely a few meters out of the way, while he grabbed Trunks by his hair and held him off the ground.

Future Cell used his telekinesis to restrain Bulma's movements, forcing her to watch the scene play out before her.

"You thought you could change not just the alternate past for the better, but your own timeline too, and yet you failed to save this timeline, and the Earth of the alternate past will almost certainly be destroyed as well," Future Cell said. "In the original timeline, you are dead, and in Timeline II, the Earth's defenders have no idea that my counterpart from that timeline exists. In the end, Dr. Gero and I have won. You, my ignorant counterpart from the original timeline, and everyone else you care about has lost. Now, Trunks, at long last, your death has arrived."

"Hope can … never die," Trunks said, while struggling to breathe.

"Oh, but it can," Future Cell said. "And speaking of death, with all of you gone, I'll be able to truly enact one of my other fundamental plans."

Trunks looked even more perplexed than he had been before.

"What the … Hell do you mean?" Trunks asked.

"Think to yourself, Trunks. What's the one motivation that your father and Frieza truly had in common?" Future Cell asked.

While Trunks began to think of what exactly Future Cell had meant, Bulma watched in horror as Future Cell released Trunks' hair and then punched him in the stomach, sending him soaring backward.

"This is your ultimate reward for your efforts, Trunks," Future Cell said, while charging up a Kamehameha. "I hope you enjoy it!"

Future Cell launched the gigantic Kamehameha straight toward him, while Cell yelled in desperate opposition within.

The man who had wanted to save all of time disappeared from sight, and as the energy fallout cleared, nothing of Trunks' body remained.

Future Cell released Bulma from the telekinetic grip, and she began to cry and scream profusely.

She ran over to Future Cell and began punching him with all her might, just as Chi Chi had done in retribution for the loss of her son.

But Future Cell merely laughed at her, then used his energy to push her backward, causing her to fall.

"All you ever truly cherished in life has been destroyed," Future Cell said. "And now, Bulma, you shall live in knowing that despite enabling Trunks to attempt to save the Earth across time, he died as a result of your combined efforts. But if you make another time machine, you can at the very least decide who dies next. I will be back in exactly one year. I expect the time machine to be built by the time of my return."

With a grin of the most horrid evil the Earth had ever known, Future Cell instant transmitted away from the planet, leaving in his wake smoldering cities and death, and Bulma's sounds of despair.

She cried for many moments in the darkness, with the tears of her face streaming profusely as a result of all that had happened.

Her actions had indirectly led to this, of all fates, and all because she had wanted to help people across time live better lives.

She could barely walk because her despair was tormenting her so severely, and she stumbled many times, partially out of not even caring about herself anymore.

That fiend had stolen from her the last person on this planet who had truly made her care about living.

A few more moments passed, and Bulma began to sit down, in quiet contemplation as the tears streamed from her eyes.

But suddenly, she opened them, upon hearing the sound of footsteps.

She could not believe what, or rather whom, she was seeing.

There were two individuals who had suddenly appeared, and the fact that Trunks, who looked merely unconscious, was one of them was not what had surprised her the most.

The other individual was standing proud, in the orange gi that she had cherished for so long in her memories, while holding the unconscious Trunks, who had done so much of what he had done in idealizing the honor of this true hero.

His white aura was giving light to the dark, and to Bulma's further extreme surprise, she saw Trunks beginning to breathe, although his eyes were still closed.

She slightly stumbled, but then began to walk toward the light.

"Goku?" she asked aloud.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Five!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-Six: The Earth has experienced its darkest hour, and Broly, Gohan, and so many others have lost their lives. But Goku has appeared, and he has Trunks with him! What exactly does this mean for the fate of the universe? Is Cell doomed to remain a prisoner of the mind, and can anything be done to stop Future Cell now? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip!_

_Chapter Thirty-Six is scheduled to be released on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-Five: Completed Jan. 7, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Credit (Image design, character coloration): Ruga-Rell _

_Art Credit (Background coloration and effects): Roketto _


	41. XXXVI: Heroism

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Heroism**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**New Character Theme: **

**- "Future" Goku: Higher, by Creed **

**This song, while extremely awesome, is the property of its respective artist. Please keep in mind to support the song's official release.**

* * *

**Art Update:**

**I am greatly pleased to announce that Roketto has joined the Honor Trip team and that she has volunteered to color some of Honor Trip's chapter covers! **

**Roketto has completed the background colors for the cover for Chapter 35 designed by Ruga-Rell, and the COMPLETE COLOR COVER for Chapter 35 will be available Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 by 5:00p.m. U.S. Eastern Time (10:00p.m. UTC).**

**With regards to Chapter 36, you will be very pleased to know that Ruga-Rell has COMPLETED work on the awesome black and white cover for this chapter! It will also be available for viewing at the above time.**

**If you go to deviantART, the covers should be under Ruga-Rell's Dragon Ball-related art projects. The color cover for Chapter 35 also will soon be available under Roketto's deviantART page (her deviantART username is RyunoOhi). **

**If you need assistance in locating the covers, please send me a private message and I'd be more than happy to help you locate them.**

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …_

* * *

_In another location, at the moment of Broly's final charge against Future Cell …_

"This is it!" the first speaker shouted. "He's about to vanquish that monster forever!"

"And then Yemma will have to deal with him," the second speaker said, while turning to face the enabler. "At last, the universe will be saved from – "

He stopped himself midsentence, realizing the atrocity of what had very suddenly happened on Earth.

"A Solar Flare!" the second speaker shouted. "Broly wasn't prepared for that! Now … no! What is that fiend doing?"

"This is terrible," the enabler said, while observing the events with dismay.

"Broly was just surrounded by the same technique that the good Cell had used to try and defeat the evil one!" the third speaker said. "And … a Special Beam Cannon! And the other thing looks like one of Frieza's moves!"

Another speaker had recently joined them during the course of their observations, understanding the potential implications of these developments with unrestrained apprehension.

"If he launches both of those attacks, would Broly actually be in danger of being killed?" he asked.

"If Cell has the opportunity to hit Broly with not just the Special Beam Cannon but the other technique too, then so much will have been sacrificed for nothing," the second speaker said. "Cell is strong enough that his plan might work. Damn it! I wish I could do something to stop this!"

The first speaker heard his friend's words, and at last, he felt it was time to no longer conceal his intentions.

"I've been forced to stand by and watch atrocities for far too long without being allowed to do anything to stop them," Goku said, while the others on King Kai's planet heard his words. "I refuse to stay here and let Broly die! He's the only one left with the power to defeat Cell! King Kai, you need to let me help him!"

"I'm sorry, Goku, you know I can't," King Kai said. "You know the rules that – "

"This is no time for enforcing the rules," Goku said. "Are you really going to keep on insisting on following the rules if it means that we will waste our last true chance to stop the fiercest evil we've ever known?

"We don't know that this is the last chance," King Kai said. "There could be others in the mortal realm that could stop him."

"What are you talking about?" Piccolo shouted. "He's overwhelmingly stronger than 17 and 18, and infinitely more of a threat to the universe than they ever were. Now is not the time to – "

Piccolo once again stopped himself midsentence, right at the moment in which Broly's heart stopped properly functioning.

Through King Kai's telepathic abilities, they watched in absolute horror while Future Cell laughed maniacally at the Legendary Super Saiyan's defeat, affirming his true dominance over a warrior who had done everything he could to redeem himself through his efforts to vanquish a threat more malevolent than he had ever been.

Future Cell unleashed a downward thrust-kick with both of his legs into Broly's chest, and when Goku and his companions in Otherworld saw Broly cough up copious blood, they knew his tumultuous life was unfortunately close to its end.

Broly crashed into the ground, while Future Cell continued descending from above, and when they saw his sinful gin, they knew he was deriving the most appalling of all possible pleasures from not just Broly's agony, but from knowing that the mortal realm's last true barrier against his tyranny had fallen.

"If I was still alive, I would be rushing to help him," Dende said.

"When I instant transmitted you here, I thought I was going to let you see Cell's defeat, and I hadn't thought that this, of all things, would happen," Goku said. "This is beyond belief. King Kai, if you had let me intervene, then we might have actually been able to defeat Cell. There's still time, in fact! Let me bring Broly here so we can heal him!"

"I can't allow that and you know it," King Kai said. "How many times do I need to tell you that all of us in Otherworld must refrain from interfering in the affairs of the mortal realm so that we can enable the forces of justice to naturally arise on their own and defeat evil in a natural way? How many times do I need to tell you that the only exceptions that can be made to this rule are when the kais and King Yemma either personally help those who we actively trained or, more importantly, when we determine that there is a threat to the universe that those in the mortal realm cannot realistically defeat themselves?"

"As much as Broly, Gohan and Trunks tried to fight Cell, I don't see how you could possibly believe that there's any way, at this point, that they could defeat him," Krillin said. "This is insane, King Kai. I agree with Goku. Wait, Cell is about to try absorbing Broly, and – "

They watched Broly's body become consumed by the wave Gohan had emitted, in an effort to enable the warrior to avoid suffering the horrid fate of becoming part of the evil he had wanted to defeat, out of the holiest intentions of his soul.

"Gohan …," Goku said, in awe of his son's desperate and noble action to resist Future Cell's advancement of even greater power.

Then, his awe turned to horror.

"Gohan, no!" Goku shouted, as he observed Future Cell break Gohan's neck, then destroy his physical remains with one of Gohan's own favored attacks.

The tears that had begun to roll down Goku's eyes became even more profuse when he saw Chi Chi become yet another victim among Future Cell's sordid list, and he continued to watch, somberly, as so many more, including his father-in-law, perished at Future Cell's hands. Gallant and brave souls who had helped Goku become the person he had become vanished into the wind, and due to their low power levels and the subjective policies that Otherworld had established for who were allowed to keep their bodies, he knew that with the exception of Gohan, he might never see any of them, including his wife, in physical form ever again, and that they would not be allowed to keep their memories either.

It pained Goku severely that entities as ruthless as Frieza were allowed to keep their bodies and memories while even Vegeta, because he had neither been overly good nor overly evil in the eyes of King Yemma and the kais, had been disallowed his body and his consciousness yet a third time in death, even with his sacrifice to enable Trunks and Gohan to have the opportunity to regain consciousness and escape Future Cell days ago.

But this time, Gohan had not had the ability to escape, and Goku had wanted desperately to protect him and Trunks, as Vegeta had done for his son and Gohan days beforehand.

As Bulma vigorously tried to defend Trunks from Future Cell, Krillin angrily shouted at King Kai.

"Do you know how much restraint Goku just showed, and how much I'm sure he's hating the fact that you basically forced him from helping his loved ones?" Krillin asked.

"I'm sorry, Krillin, but the natural flow of the universe must be preserved unless we need to step in to help its preservation," King Kai said. "See? Cell is letting Bulma live. She'll make him a time machine, and I'm sure she's planning to do something that would enable the universe to be saved."

"I doubt Cell would have asked her to build it unless he was planning on ensuring that she built it right, and if Bulma somehow feels she needs to make the time machine properly, your failure to let us help out today will lead to Cell's ability to victimize another timeline whose people are in no way prepared to stop him," Piccolo said. "You'll get your precious 'natural flow' for this universe, but how about the alternate past? I'm becoming increasingly insulted by how disgraceful this all is."

"… Well, there's also the possibility that the good Cell could somehow overpower the evil one, right?" King Kai asked.

"King Kai, stop," Goku said. "Cell is about to kill Trunks. The ideas that Bulma or the good Cell could stop him are fallacies – he has Piccolo's mindreading technique and it seems that the good Cell hasn't been able to effectively stop him. If Cell isn't stopped, he might use the Dragon Balls for horrifying wishes and then kill Moori, preventing anyone from using them for peace ever again. But we can prevent that."

"I'm sorry, Goku, I – "

"If Trunks dies, then countless more innocent people will die!" Goku yelled. "Too many innocent people have died because of your irresponsible rules, and I refuse to let evil ultimately win!"

Goku needed King Yemma's permission to escape Otherworld's confines for more than a split second, and as King Kai had the power to request that King Yemma grant an individual temporary access to the mortal realm, Goku knew what had to be done.

Goku had studied King Kai's telepathy skill extensively through so many years of observing the mortal realm through that skill and learning more about its basic workings. As a result of this, Goku had devised a plan that he knew would work only once, and that he had been reserving for a desperate situation such as this one. He had come close to using this desperate plan, and perhaps another, when 17 and 18 had still been significant threats, but he had begrudgingly held back, acknowledging that Gohan and Trunks, and then only Trunks, might defeat the androids, despite losses of innocent lives Goku was resentfully not actively helping to prevent because of the rules of Otherworld.

However, the gap in power between the forces of good and evil in the mortal realm had changed drastically, and while Goku's ever-present desire to prevent innocents from dying had ardently persisted, he felt that now, more than ever, his actions, while dire, would be justified.

Swiftly, and with only limited regret, Goku channeled his mental energy into King Kai, and in King Kai's voice, while King Kai was in part paralyzed from the effect, Goku send a message to King Yemma.

"Please give Goku a one-day pass on Earth!" Goku said, in the guise of King Kai, and with the mental equivalent of his voice, to King Yemma, through telepathy across the realm of Otherworld. "He's earned it!"

"Alright," Yemma said, granting his needed permission for a departure.

Goku, through King Kai's still-active telepathy, saw that Future Cell was about to release a Kamehameha wave toward Trunks. Goku then quickly released King Kai from his grip, and then briefly and lightly hit him in the back of the head, knocking him out, so that he could not inform Yemma of what had transpired against his will.

As Goku began to instant transmit toward Earth, he saw Piccolo nod in respectful approval.

* * *

_Planet Earth …_

Right as Future Cell launched his colossal Kamehameha, with his field of vision relatively blinded, Goku took the opportunity, while keeping his power level extremely low, to suddenly appear next to Trunks.

A moment later, he and Trunks vanished from the scene, in a way that Future Cell and Bulma had neither seen nor sensed in any way, due to the swiftness of the maneuver and the angle at which it had occurred relative to their views.

Perhaps the fate of the universe of Timeline IV, and all of time itself, might have been different had Future Cell seen or sensed Goku. But Future Cell indeed neither saw nor sensed him, and felt that he had victoriously defeated the last remaining Saiyan.

However, the Saiyan race lived on …

* * *

_Otherworld, North Kai's planet … _

… although for a few minutes, its last surviving member was not in the mortal realm at all.

Had Vegeta been allowed to keep his body, he would have been adamantly doing anything he could to help his son.

But Otherworld's rules, which Goku regarded now, more than ever before, as detrimental and dangerous to true peace and prosperity, had disallowed Vegeta from having the honor of retaining his body and mind.

Vegeta would have been grateful to see Dende begin to heal Trunks, although the extent of Trunks' injuries was such that even with Dende's healing, it would take a minute or so for Trunks to regain full consciousness.

Goku briefly looked at King Kai, who remained unconscious on the grass of his planet, while Bubbles and Gregory were attempting to tend to him.

Goku was filled with regrets regarding his decision to follow King Kai's will for so long, and he wondered if the kai's unconsciousness, and the events that had lead up to it, were in fact enabling the kai's abilities to be put to better use on behalf of the universe than when the kai had been conscious. It was true that Goku saw the need for heroes to rise and fall on their own, but in the most extreme of circumstances, especially with countless innocent lives at stake and imperiled by a sheer incarnation of hatred and oppression, the need to preserve peaceful life itself, to Goku, at least, far outweighed the need to preserve a natural universe.

Within his heart and mind, he sincerely regretted that he had not listened to Gohan many years ago and protested King Kai's policies by refusing to train with him. It had been Gohan's protest regarding those rules, and his related refusal to train with King Kai because of them, that had resulted in King Kai's most recent refusal and disallowance of Gohan receiving his help while Gohan was doing everything he could to save the universe from Future Cell. Had Gohan continued training with his father and King Kai, he might have learned the one technique that Goku had wished in retrospect that he could have shown Gohan while he had the chance, so as to have enabled Future Cell to be defeated with Gohan still alive.

While King Kai remained blissfully unconscious, Trunks' consciousness was continuing to grow.

Goku brought the still relatively unconscious Trunks into his arms, and decided to proceed with the next phase of his urgent plan.

He began to instant transmit back to Earth, as Piccolo, Krillin and Dende waved.

* * *

_Planet Earth … _

As Cell had done quite some time ago, in fixating on Earth for an Instant Transmission through sensing Bulma's energy signature and then emerging near her position, Goku exited the Instant Transmission a few meters away from her, in the darkness of the night, while hearing the raucous sounds of her fervent crying.

While keeping his energy relatively low, he began to walk forward, and unleashed his glowing white aura to provide light to the despondent night.

She opened her teary eyes, and she could barely believe that she was apparently seeing her son and Goku. Bulma honestly didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her, or if by some grace of power, she had been enabled to see them both again.

"Goku?" she asked aloud, while walking toward him.

She then noticed his aura begin to slightly fade from blazing white, while still maintaining significant shine. His halo became a lot more apparent to her, and she was extremely relieved to see that Trunks did not have a halo atop his head.

"It's been a long time, Bulma," he said, while Trunks became much more attentive and Goku set him down on his two feet.

Trunks staggered for a meter before regaining balance, and he recognized that it had seemed as though he had been set down after being carried.

He was looking toward the ruins of South City, which by now were almost completely enshrouded by night, and he turned around to observe the source of light.

When Trunks saw him, he was even more surprised than his mother had been.

"Goku!" Trunks exclaimed. "But how did you know to come to this timeline?"

After Goku briefly gave Trunks a puzzled look, Trunks then noticed the halo atop Goku's head.

"A halo!" Trunks exclaimed. "I guess I was mistaken, then. You're the version of Goku from my own timeline, aren't you?"

"The last time the two of us were alive and on this planet at the same time was about 20 years ago," Goku said, while walking forward to Trunks. "It's an honor to finally and truly meet you."

Goku offered his hand for a shake, and Trunks smiled, then obliged it.

Tears came to Bulma's eyes, although this time, even with all the loss she had so recently experienced, there was a renewed, and justified, sense of joy.

"You saved his life, didn't you?" Bulma asked.

As soon as Goku nodded, Bulma swiftly rushed toward him and gave him a hug of unparalleled gratitude.

Goku returned the hug, and he was indeed glad to see her again. It had been more than 30 years since they had met in a quest for the Dragon Balls that had evolved into a fight to save humanity from oppression, and decades later, they were once again combating a threat to peace.

"But what about Gohan?" Trunks asked. "What about your wife?"

"Believe me, I wish I had been able to help everyone," Goku said, while disengaging from his embrace with Bulma. "I wanted to step in much, much earlier, but I wasn't allowed to do so. The only reason I'm here at all is because, … well, … let's just say that I had to take some very drastic actions to make sure that at least I'd be able to save you, Trunks. Do you think I enjoyed being forced to watch as that monster killed my loved ones? Absolutely not."

"What changed?" Bulma asked. "Why were you being forced to refrain from helping out in the first place?"

While Goku thought of how best to answer her questions, he thought of all his experiences watching her continued life from Otherworld, in all her efforts to raise Trunks as a single parent, which had been very similar to what Chi Chi had needed to go through in raising Gohan during his teenage years. Goku had for decades admired how even without physical strength, her resolve to help others and her dedicated expertise could be applied to truly positive and beneficial endeavors, and for this, she deserved a good answer.

"King Kai and the other kais forced me to refrain from helping out for all these years because of their concern with enabling the universe to maintain a natural flow, despite all the losses of innocent lives that can and do result from this," Goku said. "The only times they allow interference in the mortal realm by those in Otherworld are when a student of one of the kais or King Yemma is somehow in the mortal realm and needs guidance, or more importantly when a threat to the universe needs to be vanquished and is judged by the kais and King Yemma to be so fierce that it cannot be defeated by anyone left in the mortal realm. When Broly unfortunately died, I begged King Kai to let me help, but he refused. In fact, when the two of you were the only ones among our family and friends who were left, he still refused, out of severely misguided thinking. I had to basically trick King Yemma through manipulating King Kai to enable myself to have Yemma's necessary permission to leave Otherworld, and I then knocked King Kai out, so that he would not tell Yemma what had happened. Had I not done that, Trunks, you would be dead. I instant transmitted you out of the way of Cell's blast, and – "

"So that's how you did it!" Bulma shouted. "And you must have done it so quickly that Cell and I didn't pick up on it!"

"I kept my energy purposely low and made sure to move as quickly as possible, yes," Goku said. "And Trunks, you were healed in Otherworld by Dende, and then I brought you back."

"Goku, I want to thank you very much for helping me survive, but, … well, … let's be honest with ourselves. I'm nowhere near as strong as Cell is," Trunks said. "What did you hope to accomplish through saving me, besides doing so for the sake of it?"

"I'm glad you asked," Goku said. "Trunks, throughout my many years of being up there, I was very proud of how courageous you were in fighting the androids, especially when you were forced to do so by yourself. I wanted for so long to help you fight 17 and 18, but King Kai never let me. After all these years, I finally fully agree with Gohan that the policies of the kais are deeply misguided when it comes to intervening in the mortal realm on behalf of peace. While you and Gohan were both alive and looking for Broly, I wanted to teach you a technique that I felt could actually enable the two of you to defeat Cell together."

"Together?" Trunks asked.

"That's right," Goku said. "There's a technique known as the Fusion Dance which enables two warriors of comparable strength and size to form a single being that's significantly stronger than if the two warriors' powers were merely added together. It lasts for about 30 minutes, and that should be a good window of opportunity in which to defeat Cell. I especially wanted you to be alive, Trunks, because I want you to fuse with Gohan, and since he's unfortunately dead without a clearance to come to Earth for the day, at least one of you needs to be alive so that the fused warrior can be alive and can fight in the mortal realm against Cell."

"Can we get him a clearance?" Bulma asked.

"With King Kai down for the count, I don't think I'll be able to convince King Yemma to grant Gohan the request," Goku said. "King Yemma generally follows the same restrictive policies the kais do, and the last thing we need is for Yemma to try contacting King Kai to see what he thinks about it. If he tries and sees that King Kai is not responding, he might see that something improper happened and rescind my own permission to be here. Fortunately, he doesn't actively look down at the universe himself, as far as I know. If he did, he might have noticed that I'm here."

"Well, Goku, couldn't I just fuse with you?" Trunks asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Goku said. "I'm fully Saiyan and you're half-Saiyan and half-human, and I'm not sure if the Fusion Dance requires the fusees to be of exactly the same species."

"But Goku, human and Saiyan DNA is probably close enough, right?" Bulma asked. "I mean, my son and yours exist, after all, and that couldn't have happened had human and Saiyan genetics been noticeably incompatible."

"You might have a point, Bulma, but the fact of the matter is, as much as I trained in Otherworld, your son and mine have both become stronger than me," Goku said, with a smile.

Trunks' eyes widened.

"That's a bit hard for me to believe," he said. You've had about two decades in which to train up there. And your counterpart from the alternate past is way stronger than I am. You really think you're not as strong as either Gohan or me?"

"I want the fused warrior to be as strong as possible, and I'm fairly confident that you and Gohan are both stronger than me," Goku said. "I've gotten a lot stronger over the years, but you and Gohan have been through much more hardship than I have, and your opponents have generally been stronger. There's one warrior in particular up there who's a lot stronger than all of us, but he's from another quadrant of the universe and I don't think the fusion would be as successful with him since he would need to significantly diminish his power to make the fusion work, as opposed to that being a true expression of his power."

"What if that guy tried fusing with Broly?" Trunks asked. "Or is Broly much, much more powerful than him?"

"Again, we couldn't rely on that because they'd both be dead, and we're not sure if it would be able to work anyway because they're from different species, but that's besides the point," Goku said. "I doubt Broly was allowed to keep his body or consciousness, the same as was, unfortunately, the case with Vegeta."

Trunks became infuriated upon hearing those words.

"You mean to tell me that after his noble sacrifice to save me and Gohan, my father wasn't allowed to keep his body yet again?" Trunks asked.

"King Kai said that Vegeta wasn't alive for long enough to truly judge if he became more or less good," Goku said. "Only those with substantial power levels and extreme intensities of good or evil can keep their bodies in Otherworld. In all three times he's died, he was judged to be neither sufficiently good nor sufficiently evil, as a result of his rather noble traits continuing to be counteracted by his destructive tendencies and his undesirable past. However, in my opinion, there are enough good things Vegeta has done to permit him to have a body and mind, like trying to defeat 17 and 18 for the benefit of the Earth, motivating me to defeat Frieza multiple times through emphasizing for me the need to prevent Frieza from brainwashing anyone else, and sacrificing his life to enable you and Gohan to have more time to escape Cell. It's yet another set of rules that they have up there and which doesn't make sense. Frieza and his father, for instance, still have their bodies, but your father does not. It's a damn shame."

"Gohan was right to resist training with King Kai," Trunks said. "It sounds like they don't know what they're doing. How dare they disgrace my father like that."

"Trunks, I honestly agree with you," Goku said. "I'll find out if Broly happened to have retained his body when I go up there again, although I doubt it, because I didn't sense him up there after he died on Earth. However, Trunks, I came with you back here so your mom wouldn't keep on thinking you're dead. Since Gohan can't come down here, we're going to need to go up there. Are you ready?"

"For the universe's sake, I'm ready," Trunks said.

"I don't want to leave you here alone, Bulma, but with the different conditions up there, I'm not sure your body can take it," Goku said.

"I, … understand," Bulma said.

Trunks kissed his mother on her left cheek, then placed his right hand on Goku's left shoulder.

The two departed from the scene, leaving Bulma wondering whether Goku's plan would work.

* * *

_Planet Oritov: _

For hundreds of years, the capital city of Planet Oritov, itself called Oritov City, had been a bustling center of cultural progress, in which denizens from across the planet had been blessed with the opportunities to not only receive superior medical care, but study at some of the planet's most prestigious educational facilities and make transactions at some of the planet's major trading and commerce stations.

The people of this world, colored purple for the most part and about four meters in height, with facial features comparable to humans and with arms possessing four digits, had welcomed the stranger to their otherwise isolated world.

The stranger had chosen this world by chance, as he wanted its destruction to truly be the product of chaos and randomness, without any adherence to order at all, emphasizing what in his view was the arbitrary nature of their lives.

Five individuals had stepped forward from amongst a crowd to welcome him.

He grinned, and he then killed them in front of the rest.

Multiple energy waves then emitted from his hands, decimating the once-shining white and silver buildings of Oritov City that had taken hundreds of years to amalgamate, and seconds to destroy.

There were screams throughout the city, and cacophonous horror abounded.

"Behold the euphony of death," Future Cell said, while gazing at what he planned to be the first among many worlds that he would decimate for not just his own gratification, but his sense of duty to atone for his counterpart's sins. "Truly, this is a remarkable day. The strongest warrior this timeline was ever capable of producing fell to my marvelous abilities. And look at these worthless cretins run! They are wastes of organic material!"

Future Cell sent three quick blasts forward, obliterating many of the Oritov adults who were in the midst of trying to evacuate one of the nearby hospitals.

'_I never dreamed that my earnest desire to spread peace throughout time would enable this monstrous horror to become reality,'_ Cell thought within. _'All I wanted to do was embark on a path of helping others through enabling them to live lives of greater fulfillment and peaceful happiness. I had thought that my work in this timeline was finished, and that it had been liberated of the horrors of Dr. Gero at last. I wanted so earnestly to return to Timeline III, the alternate past, and right so many wrongs I committed there. I wanted to see Gohan grow up to become an even stronger defender of his world. I wanted to bring Seventeen back to life and help him, Eighteen, and Sixteen finally find peace. I wanted to initiate various community service and reconstruction projects to recompense the Earth of that timeline for all I did. And I wanted to adopt Timeline III as an honorary home timeline, as it is where I had finally been rescued and truly started to exist. But in the most insidious of ways, you took complete advantage of me, and disrupted my noble goals while replacing them with your own. All this time, I've tried to fight you, but to no avail. So many have tried to fight you, but to no avail. I refuse to believe that I was enlightened just so that a series of events would unfold that would put you in the position to threaten Timelines IV and III with your continued evil. Now that everyone else who could have stopped you is gone, I especially must find a way to defeat you so that I can atone for your sins.'_

"After I'm finished atoning for yours, there will no longer be a universe worth saving in either timeline," Future Cell said. "Of course I'm planning to craft both timelines in my image. I'm sure Bulma might believe this, although she likely will succumb to her deluded fantasies that I might actually keep my word to merely destroy the people of Earth and not the rest of the universe in Timeline III, prompting her to build the time machine so that I will supposedly spare this timeline."

'_But she knows you killed Chi Chi after blatantly promising to Broly that you would spare her,' _Cell thought within._ 'Even though Broly died while Chi Chi was still alive, you still broke that promise.'_

"Bulma will be too emotionally distraught to properly consider that," Future Cell said.

Future Cell then sent a searing blast straight through the city and toward a mountain peak.

The blast cut through more than four kilometers of buildings before it exited the city grounds and collided with the peak, destroying the once-majestic mountaintop.

'_You don't honestly expect her to make the time machine, do you?'_ Cell asked within. _'Besides, I doubt she has the parts for it.'_

"That's why I'll visit her in a week to see what progress she has made," Future Cell said. "She'll be in the midst of whatever she is doing and then boom! She'll hear an explosion behind her and I'll be there. If she's still reluctant to build it, I'll just keep on taking her to planets and using telekinesis to lock her in place while she observes all the worlds I'll destroy and that she will believe she could have saved had she made the time machine."

'_I hope we go in the machine and then get caught in the middle of hyperspace, where you can't harm anyone,'_ Cell thought within.

"I know full-well that Bulma could manipulate the machine so that I would either be trapped in the void between timelines as opposed to the alternate past, or so far into the past that I'll be swallowed up by the Big Bang," Future Cell said. "I'll make it abundantly clear to her the next time I see her that I acknowledge those possibilities and that she would be wise to avoid attempting to perpetrate any such schemes. Besides, with the psychic abilities I inherited from Piccolo, I'm confident that I'll be able to tell if she's lying to me. She doesn't have a significant power level that she can use to mask the truth."

'_Her mind is quite complex,'_ Cell thought within _'She might be able to trick you.'_

"No one's mind is better than mine," Future Cell said. "And besides, I'll just use one of the wishes with the Dragon Balls of New Namek to help me with regards to this. It was unfortunate that Dende perished, as I was looking forward to using the Dragon Balls of both Earth and New Namek for various excellent wishes. But this is of little consequence in the long run, as long as I acquire at least three wishes for myself. I will, after all, be able to have the most important wishes I want to make granted through the Dragon Balls of New Namek. I would have used one wish to provide myself a time machine, but we know of how ill-equipped the Dragon Balls are when it comes to anything having to do with traveling through time, don't we?"

Cell responded with frustration, rather than anything identifiably verbal, and Future Cell continued, right after punching an innocent civilian in the chest and sending him flying into another innocent civilian.

"Instead of having the Dragon Balls inform me if the time machine is built appropriately, I'll just have them inform me of whether or not Bulma is lying. That will bolster my knowledge of her intentions, and it will be an additional safeguard, which I will accept use of if I am to ensure my essential success in time travel. The second wish I will make with New Namek's Dragon Balls, as you, my counterpart, by now know all too well, is for immortality, a fact I tormented Trunks with right before his death."

'_What the hell do you need immortality for?'_ Cell asked within. _'We are already biologically immortal, at least according to my knowledge, since our cells continuously regenerate themselves and remove all imperfections from them, eliminating risk of death by age or disease. We can only die if every single one of our cells is destroyed, which, as I've learned the hard way, is extremely difficult to accomplish. Why do you want immortality granted to you from the Dragon Balls, then? You're already immortal!'_

"Not immortal enough," Future Cell said. "I want to be able to survive even if that last cell is somehow destroyed, as the power of the Dragon Balls would pull that cell back together automatically as a result of immortality. As highly improbable as it is for anyone left in the universe to stop me, I must ensure that there is no way I could possibly die. When I accomplish this, I will raise the bar for what true perfection means. Frieza would be proud."

'_Frieza would probably punch you in the face, as not even he would approve of how excessive you're being,'_ Cell thought within.

"If he did, then I'd punch him back and not only decapitate him, but rather effortlessly blast him into smithereens," Future Cell said. "And of course, in an ascension of even greater perfection, my desired third wish would be to permanently assign guardianship of New Namek's Dragon Balls over to me, although I doubt that would work, as the Dragon Balls probably have some sort of mechanism to prevent that from happening."

'_A damn shame,'_ Cell thought within.

"I wouldn't have to tolerate that ignoble sarcasm any longer as a result of what I would wish for if becoming the guardian of New Namek's Dragon Balls does not work," Future Cell said. "Oh, how glorious it would be to erase your sorry excuse for a consciousness from my mind forever, so that I can continue my glorious existence unobstructed by your corruption and weakness."

'_Irony at its finest,'_ Cell thought within. _'Honestly, your existence is boring. You just want to destroy everything, while contributing nothing productive to the universe at all. Is the sort of thing you did to the unfortunate people of Earth and this world really what you're going to be doing with the overwhelming majority of your time from now until the Dragon Balls of New Namek are active again?'_

"Of course!" Future Cell said. "There is no greater joy than depriving the innocent of their lives. But, …"

'_But what?' _Cell asked within.

He then realized and acknowledged something that he found to be absolutely dreadful.

'_Oh … oh no.'_

"Yes, as you are well-aware due to our wretched compulsory and involuntary thought-exchanges, I have deduced that an even better course of action might be possible," Future Cell said. "You should just be glad that I've decided to fulfill this new course of action without first paying your friends on Harfava a visit. I'm sure Ravik would have been thrilled to be blasted away by a person who looks exactly like his champion. As for the people of this world, however, the universe shall bid them farewell."

Amidst the burning wreckage of the white and silver buildings of Oritov City, foreshadowing the bleak destiny that Future Cell intended for the universes of Timelines III and IV, the city's main denizens were suffering thoroughly in decimation.

Future Cell jumped high and gathered energy quickly near the tip of his right finger, until a giant spherical energy attack manifested in the air.

Future Cell launched the Death Ball toward the heart of Oritov City, and then instant transmitted away, not even caring to see the destruction of the planet and of its people, many of whom had possessed quite promising futures merely a few minutes beforehand.

* * *

_Otherworld, North Kai's planet …_

They emerged from the Instant Transmission, to the eager reception of Piccolo, Krillin and Dende.

"It's good to see you again Trunks, and I'm glad I'm not seeing you because you're dead!" Krillin shouted rather joyously.

"Likewise," Trunks said. "It's an honor to be here, although I suppose, as a result of what Goku has told me, that I've technically been here already."

"King Kai's planet is under our temporary occupation," Piccolo said, motioning toward the unconscious body of King Kai, who was, somewhat peacefully, lying on the ground. "The three of us agree with what Goku did, despite how desperate and unorthodox of a decision it was."

"Believe me, Trunks, I'm not particularly proud to have knocked out King Kai and tricked King Yemma," Goku said. "But as I said before, I honestly thought that enabling myself to save you would be the only way for us to save countless innocents from having to die because of the evil version of Cell from our own timeline."

"Had I been Earth's guardian for a longer period of time while I was still alive, I fear that I actually might have started to agree with King Kai about his nonintervention rules," Dende said. "I'm so glad that I've still got enough common sense to support what Goku did."

"We felt it was about time, after years of begrudgingly agreeing to Otherworld's disastrous policies, to finally take action at a moment when continuing to abide by them would have been absolutely destructive," Piccolo said. "We control this planet for the time being, and in a symbolic way, our values about intervening on behalf of innocent lives will now supersede Otherworld's misguided policies. Even when King Kai wakes up, I have no intention of apologizing for these actions."

"Earth alone could have benefitted considerably had Goku been able to teach me and Gohan the Fusion Dance while we were both alive years ago," Trunks said. "King Kai could have let him telepathically teach it to us from afar. But instead, 17 and 18 kept on killing innocents while Gohan and I remained unable to stop them. And it seems that when the both of us were alive at the same time recently, Goku could have taught us the technique then, had King Kai let him. Now, we're in what should have been a preventable situation of desperation. And on top of that, Broly could have still had the opportunity to kill Cell had Otherworld not robbed him of his dignity."

"I couldn't agree more," Goku said. "Have any of you sensed Broly at all?"

"We haven't, and I wouldn't bet on Yemma enabling Broly to keep his body or mind," Krillin said. "If he didn't for Vegeta, it doesn't seem likely that he would have for Broly."

"I'm going to transmit to Gohan and bring him here," Goku said. "At least I can still sense him."

"Be careful, Goku," Piccolo said. "If Yemma senses you and wonders why you're here and not on Earth, he might become overly suspicious. Gohan seems to be near the main Check-In Station. If I were you, I'd keep yourself out of sight and with your energy low."

"Sounds like a good idea," Goku said, as he instant transmitted toward Gohan.

As soon as he disappeared from view, Gregory, King Kai's cricket companion, decided to speak up.

"Truth be told, I'm relatively neutral about the whole intervention thing, but did Goku really have to hit King Kai so hard?" Gregory asked.

"If Goku didn't, then billions, maybe even trillions would have died whose deaths could have been prevented," Piccolo said. "Ultimately, we're doing everything we can to uphold what should be the true objective of Otherworld's overseers, and help the innocent of the mortal world remain free from harm so that they can live the best qualities of peaceful life possible while enabling many of them to at least have a chance to develop the personalities and power levels that will enable them to retain their bodies and minds in the afterlife. Honestly, the fact that Yemma and the kais feel they have the right to deprive sentient beings of their minds and bodies makes me sick. So many good people don't even know they're here, while Frieza is gallivanting in Hell with his mind and body intact. It's absolutely despicable."

Goku then emerged from the Instant Transmission, with Gohan at his side.

"I would have come here sooner had I realized what was going on," Gohan said, looking at King Kai. "Dad, I know I had urged you for years to stop listening to King Kai, but I never imagined you would do this, of all things, to him."

"I didn't want to, of course, but manipulating his telepathic power and then knocking him out to prevent him from informing Yemma of what was happening was the only way I could get the ability to actually save Trunks and help in the fight against Cell," Goku said.

"Well don't get me wrong, Dad, I'm not disagreeing with you," Gohan said, right before turning to Trunks. "I was actually rather hoping I somehow wouldn't be seeing you so soon, Little Bro'."

"At least we have the opportunity to strike back at that bastard," Trunks said. "Goku said there's a technique he wants to teach us called the Fusion Dance which will enable us to become one powerful fighter that should have the necessary power to defeat Cell. The fact I'm still alive means we'll actually be able to fight in the mortal realm."

"Damn it," Gohan said. "Dad, if only I kept on training with you and King Kai, then maybe I would have learned it and Trunks and I could have stopped Cell ourselves while we were still both alive!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Goku said. "You didn't know about the Fusion Dance, and you had no reason to attempt to learn it. If anything, it's my fault for not making sure that you learned the technique outside of my training sessions with King Kai, just so that you'd know it for your own advancement."

"Alright, then," Gohan said. "How does this thing work, Dad?"

"You each do a bunch of dance moves simultaneously with your co-fusee but in reverse, and while doing them, you each shout FU-SION-HA!" Goku said.

"Fusion huh?" Gohan asked. "How the Hell are a bunch of dance moves supposed to enable two people to combine bodies into one? That seems absolutely nonsensical. Is the universe automatically structured to enable that to happen, because if so, that seems more than random and improbable. I just don't see how that could actually work."

"I've never actually fused with anyone, but I've seen fused warriors who were formed as a result of the technique," Goku said. "Somehow, the technique works. Let's just be grateful, for now, that it does, and worry about exactly why and how it works later."

"Are you sure that me and Trunks fusing together wouldn't inadvertently cause Trunks to die?" Gohan said. "If Trunks dies, then I assume our resultant fused warrior would be dead since each of us would be dead, and if that's the case, then that warrior wouldn't be able to fight in the mortal realm."

"From what I've seen, each warrior retains everything they possessed before the fusion," Goku said. "It seems that this would extend to whether a warrior was alive or dead. I wouldn't be offering fusion as a suggestion if I honestly didn't feel it would work."

"Let's get started, then," Trunks said. "Where should we – "

Trunks interrupted himself, noticing King Kai regaining consciousness.

King Kai stood up on his own two feet, and unleashed his anger.

"Of all the rotten and irresponsible things you could have done, I'm absolutely appalled that you did that, Goku," King Kai yelled.

"King Kai, with all due respect, I did what I did because I care about safety of the universe and each good person in it with every bit of my soul," Goku said. "I honestly feel that you have been vastly underestimating how serious the universe's current prominent threat happens to be, and that had I listened to you and let Trunks die, our very last true chance to try and save countless innocents from dying would have been gone forever. I'm sorry, King Kai, but the lives of countless innocents are, in the long run, a lot more important than any desire to maintain the natural flow of the universe. I hope you can understand this, and that you'd in fact help us succeed. Besides, had I merely stood by and watched as the evil Cell continued engulfing the universe in misery, the universe might have gotten to the point in which it might never have been able to have a truly natural flow again. Any notion you had that the mortals of the universe could have still defeated him was improbable at best. I felt that I needed to step in, even if it meant defying you."

"Goku, as much as I disagree with your actions, I – "

Suddenly, King Kai's sensing antennae charged with energy.

"What!" King Kai shouted aloud, as he briefly turned a few degrees to his right, and attempted to focus at a point in the distance.

"King Kai, what happened?" Krillin asked.

"I was just alerted that a planet's guardian is in distress," King Kai said. "And … oh no, it's coming from New Namek! Moori and the other Nameks are in trouble!"

Goku placed his right hand on King Kai's left shoulder, which despite their earlier confrontations, King Kai did not object to. The others found contact points on King Kai's body, and they watched in trepidation, observing the horrors that were befalling yet more innocents they wanted to save.

* * *

_Planet New Namek …_

There were only 30 of them left.

Future Cell had scoured the planet, instant transmitting around its villages and wiping out all the ones that were not Moori's.

He had been intent on arriving at Moori's village after destroying all the others, all to further his own diabolic plans.

By the time of Future Cell's arrival, Moori had been waiting for him, as were numerous Namekian warriors, standing by Moori's side.

"I've been able to sense all the horrible things that have happened on Earth over the past few dreadful days, and I unfortunately already know what you did to the people of the other villages on our planet," Moori said. "I also know you're not the same version of Cell who was so kind to us days ago, and that instead, you're a bastardization of everything he stands for. Don't think you can somehow fool us into helping you do whatever it is you want to accomplish, demon."

"I am the real Cell, and all your words have been rather complimentary," Future Cell said. "Now, let's get right down to business, shall we?"

Two of the Namekian warriors rushed toward Future Cell, and before they could hit him, he seemingly disappeared.

In the next moment, their heads were twisted 180 degrees in the opposite direction of the norm, to Moori's horror. They fell to the floor, and Future Cell became visible again.

"You're woefully outmatched," Future Cell said. "By my count of the remaining energy signatures on this planet, and rather, within this village, there are only 28 of you left, yourself included. I believe it would be wise for you to listen to me."

Begrudgingly, Moori told the remaining warrior Namekians to back down and let Future Cell continue his words unabated.

"Speak your words, demon," Moori said.

"Gladly," Future Cell said. "I was planning on using the Dragon Balls of this world and of Earth to cast a number of wishes for myself, but when Dende met his untimely and accidental demise, I decided that at the very least I would have access to the Dragon Balls of this planet. I had been intending to wait more than 100 standard days to use the Dragon Balls of New Namek, as they were very recently used to bring back to life three individuals, all of whom are now dead thanks to my efforts. I realized, however, through conversing with my counterpart and because of an ignorant sentence he mentally uttered and which I've derived great benefit from, that waiting so long was unnecessary. After all, why wait to use your Dragon Balls when I can create new ones of my own?"

Moori suddenly shook with sheer apprehension.

"What do you mean?" Moori asked, while beginning to back away from Future Cell.

"Of all the techniques I learned through having Piccolo's cells and muscle memory integrated into my being, the Namekian Fusion technique was not among them," Future Cell said. "However, I have Piccolo from the alternate past to thank for sharing with my counterpart, and as a consequence with me, the fact that it's possible for two Namekians to fuse into one being. As you know, and as I have learned, the two Namekians must willfully and consensually decide to join together into one being, enabling the energy from one of them to transfer into the other. The memories and abilities of the transferred Namekian become integrated with those of the one who largely retains his body, and the mentality of the one who retains his body becomes the dominant consciousness and personality of their shared existence. Well, Moori, as I am in part a Namekian by heritage, I believe there is a strong possibility that I can take part in a Namekian Fusion, adding to the wondrous plethora of techniques I have gained from your amazing race. And as I am part Namekian, I desire to fuse with you, Moori, so that I shall gain all of your knowledge, including the intricacies of how to create and manipulate Dragon Balls, passed down to you from Grand Elder Guru, and all the generations of Dragon Ball keepers before him!"

"You must be out of your mind," Moori said. "Why would I ever enable you to gain such knowledge and power?"

"Because I will kill everyone else on this planet and drive your race to absolute extinction other than you and myself if you fail to comply with my demands," Future Cell said. "I am so powerful that you couldn't possibly overpower me in the fusion, and my consciousness will be the predominant one without question. You will fuse with me to save the rest of your race, or be assured that they all will die. The Dragon Balls of this world will be gone forever, but I will merely create new ones, stronger ones, that will be able to grant me not only immortality, but control over the laws of the universe itself! It shall be the paramount of perfection! I will achieve my immortality all the sooner and gain ultimate mastery over the universe, thereby becoming a true god, unlike even the kais! Absolute perfection shall be mine!"

"I'll never fuse with you," Moori said. "I'd rather die than help you further your horrific goals."

"Then let me see if you have allowed yourself another way out," Future Cell said, while he rushed forward and attempted to read Moori's mind. "Ah, it seems you are actively attempting to block me in my attempts to merely gleam the knowledge from you this way. You are fortunate to have had much experience in the mental arts, and I assume your roles as guardian and keeper of the Dragon Balls of your planet have increased your capacities in this regard. Absorbing you through either of my methods of absorption through my tail also would not enable me to gain your memories, due to the nature of my design, which maximizes the amount of energy I can absorb from any individual. But this makes me all the more eager to make everything you have achieved a part of me, and I am confident that with Namekian Fusion, I can gain your knowledge and abilities!"

"Please don't," Moori said. "I beg you. Leave the universe alone."

"I'll leave it alone once it has been comprehensively remolded into a reflection of my perfection," Future Cell said, while using his telekinetic powers to restrain Moori's movements.

He then brought forth the remaining 27 other Namekians of the village, and he lined them up in a row.

He brought the first one forward, then blasted him into oblivion.

"I will kill another one of your compatriots every 30 standard seconds if you don't comply with my demands," Future Cell said. "You have 13 minutes, Moori, before I result to even more extreme methods to assure your consent to the fusion!"

Future Cell laughed maniacally as Moori struggled to break free, with the Namekian race once again imperiled at the hands of a vile tyrant.

* * *

_Otherworld, North Kai's planet …_

"Damn it, this is horrible!" Piccolo shouted, while taking his left hand off of King Kai's right shoulder. "If Cell somehow acquires complete power over his own set of Dragon Balls and gains the powers he's threatening to gain, he would be able to reshape the entire universe and our entire timeline into a comprehensive Hell!"

"Even though I can't read minds, I think we've all heard much about what Cell's intentions are," King Kai said. "If he's not stopped soon, then yes, I finally agree with all of you, he might truly be unstoppable."

"If Cell not only achieves immortality, but godlike powers over his own set of Dragon Balls, this universe will be in an even far worse position than it's in now," Trunks said. "And that, of course, is aside from the fact that we wouldn't be able to use the Dragon Balls of New Namek to revive anyone."

"The more time we waste, the more innocent Namekians will die at the hands of that monster," Goku said. "I'm going."

"Wait, Goku, you can't!" King Kai yelled.

Goku looked infuriated.

"Why not?" Goku asked. "Don't tell me you're somehow trying to stop me from saving them now."

"No, Goku, if you try instant transmitting to New Namek, you might no longer have a mind or a body!"

"Explain," Goku said. "And make it quick."

"I'm assuming you managed to get a one-day pass from Yemma, and that's why Trunks is alive," King Kai said. "That one-day pass only enables you to go to one planet. Souls are inherently connected to the planet in which they died, due to the way the guardian system has been set up. If you try instant transmitting to another planet, especially with the one-day pass in effect, I fear that your mind and body will be destroyed because of the disconnected nature of that travel! You'll be no good to the universe if you don't exist at all, and it's not like Gohan could go, since he died on Earth, and as a result of that, I can't issue him a one-day pass to New Namek."

Goku thought to himself, then came to a decision that would impact the universe, and all of time, forever.

"Well, King Kai, as you long ago told me, there is a way I can help the universe through not existing," Goku said.

King Kai realized what Goku was referring to.

"Goku, don't be a fool," King Kai said. "I can't allow you to do that."

"There's no other way," Goku said, turning to face his son and Trunks. "I'm sorry, but I don't have enough time to properly teach you the Fusion Dance. Had we had the time, the fused version of you could have instant transmitted to New Namek and fought Cell. But unfortunately, we must resort to something else, something I learned about long before I ever learned about the Fusion Dance and which I wanted to do to help you, Gohan, when you were fighting Androids 17 and 18 years ago."

Gohan looked perplexed.

"What are you talking about, Dad?" Gohan said.

"There is a technique known as the Essence Transfer that the kais can perform once every 2,500 years," Goku said. "It involves transferring the energy of one being into another, enabling the being receiving the transferred energy to have a significant increase in strength. The transferred person, however, unlike in fusion, is totally annihilated from existence. The kais don't enjoy performing this technique because it literally obliterates a soul, but I'm prepared to completely be removed from existence itself, if that enables the universe and so many innocents to survive. In a universe in which dance moves can result in a fused warrior, it shouldn't be that hard to believe that a technique like this, a cruder, simpler form of fusion, could work as well."

"Dad, you don't have to do this," Gohan said.

"I do, son," Goku said. "Now, even though I was planning for years to offer my energy to you to defeat 17 and 18, it seems that because of the current circumstances, I will need to ask someone else if he would be willing to go through the Essence Transfer process."

Goku turned to Trunks, who suddenly became quite startled.

"Trunks, since you're the only capable fighter who is still alive and who can resist Cell in the mortal realm, it seems that I will need to transfer my energy to you," Goku said.

"Goku, … are you sure you want to go through with this?" Trunks asked. "From what it sounds like, you're volunteering to have a fate worse than death itself."

"I suffered for long enough watching you and Gohan facing grievous hardships, while I was burdened with being forced to refrain from helping you," Goku said. "No more. When the Essence Transfer process takes place, you will acquire a substantial portion of my energy, and although my soul, spirit, and memories will be gone forever, I am going to focus on one memory, in particular, and you will be able to learn Instant Transmission that way. King Kai told me long ago that it is possible to transfer a limited amount of information this way, and this will suit our purposes well."

"But had I learned Instant Transmission when I had the chance, I would have been able to transmit Moori away from Cell, and you wouldn't have to be doing this!" Trunks said.

"Don't feel bad, Trunks," Goku said. "It takes time to learn the technique, and you weren't able to learn it relatively quickly, like either version of Cell, simply because you were not created as a result of the machinations of a madman. We don't have much time left. If the evil Cell manages to get Moori to fuse with him, everything we stand for will be permanently destroyed. I won't let that happen. I'll be right back; I'm getting the other kais."

Goku instant transmitted to find them, and he brought back each of them individually.

West Kai, South Kai, and East Kai had arrived on the North Kai's planet, all startled as to why they were there.

"A grave and present danger has made itself known," King Kai said. "Goku wants to use the Essence Transfer technique to increase the fighting power of this young man, and he needs us to help accomplish the process."

"Absolute madness," East Kai said, while twitching her eyebrows. "Doesn't he know there will be no escape from his fate?"

"I'm prepared to accept that," Goku said. "Please, we must do this now. There's no time to waste."

"If you insist," West Kai said. "This technique is one we reserve for only the most tumultuous of situations. North Kai, are you sure this would qualify?"

"I have been convinced of it," King Kai said. "We must do this as soon as possible to intervene on behalf of the universe and save it from a malicious biomechanical android, Cell, who has openly declared his intention to threaten all of existence itself."

"Remember everyone, form a circle around the two of them so that the Essence Transfer process can be completed successfully," South Kai said. "Fortunately, this is a very different power than our ability to restrict individuals. I'd much rather empower a person than deny that person of liberty, if I can."

"Goku, you're brave for this," King Kai said.

Goku did not verbally respond, and he watched as the kais surrounded him and Trunks.

He was facing Trunks, and he saw West Kai in front of him, and acknowledged that East Kai was behind him. King Kai was to his right, and South Kai was to his left.

"With the way this works, Trunks, one-fourth of my energy will be transferred to you," Goku said.

Gohan was alarmed.

"One-fourth!" Gohan yelled. "Dad, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Trust me, Gohan. If I power up to what you're now calling Ultra Super Saiyan and Trunks is in his normal state, the effect will be huge," Goku said. "Because of the power multipliers of your Super Saiyan forms, Trunks, it would be better for you to remain in your normal state while I transfer to you the maximum possible energy I can give you. If you were in your Super Saiyan form and I did this, we'd miss the opportunity to magnify your power through a power multiplier. Hopefully, after all this, you'll be strong enough to fight that monster."

"I understand, Goku," Trunks said.

"Gohan, my son, I love you very much," Goku said somberly, bidding him a final farewell with a nod of sincere approval.

"I love you too, Dad," Gohan said, with the dignified poise of a warrior.

"Tell your mother that I'm sorry, from every bit of my heart, that I did not have the chance to see her again," Goku said. "I think, though, that she'll understand why I decided to go through with this."

It was at that point that Gohan's tears began to truly cascade, and he, Piccolo, Krillin, and Dende watched in honor as the Essence Transfer process began.

The four kais raised their arms up into the air, and radiant, chromatic energy emitted from them.

A half-sphere of majestic spiritual power domed Goku and Trunks, and while Trunks remained in his normal state, Goku powered up to Super Saiyan, then Ascended Super Saiyan, and then Ultra Super Saiyan.

"May half be real and half be gone, in recognition of the ways of the universe," East Kai said, with Goku's aura continuing to accentuate in strength.

"May half of that which is in existence be used to help the energy coalesce, for the advancement of the universe itself," South Kai said.

"May the noble warrior whose essence shall be transferred be in his glory forever remembered," West Kai said.

"May the warrior who attains his power honor his legacy and fight for the greatest of liberty," North Kai said.

Trunks could feel his power accentuating, as Goku became more and more translucent.

"Trunks!" Goku yelled, while intensifying his energy. "Be the hero you've always wanted to be and make not just me, but your father proud!"

"I will fight for everything you cherished, Goku!" Trunks said. "I'll uphold the virtues I learned from Gohan and you!"

"Now, Trunks, save them all!" Goku yelled in one last, final yell, as his energy signature and physical form disappeared forever, and the last of his energy became one with Trunks.

The kais let down their hands, and the radiant dome of the Essence Transfer faded.

At this point, Trunks felt the energy swelling within him.

Goku had given the ultimate sacrifice to enable peace, freedom, and liberty to thrive, and Trunks indeed had acquired the knowledge of how to use the Instant Transmission technique.

Trunks at this point had gained so much energy that he was astounded by his current power level.

His normal state had reached at least near what Broly's had been, and in Goku's last act of kindness to not just his own timeline, but to them all, he had enabled another warrior to continue the virtuous quest of honor.

"Go get him, Little Bro'," Gohan said, while rubbing his forearm across his face to wipe off several tears.

Trunks nodded, and he concentrated on New Namek.

A moment later, Trunks started to instant transmit toward the planet using a skill Goku had harnessed in defense of the universe. Trunks' aura began to radiate with inherited energy that the noble warrior yearned to use for peace.

He then disappeared from view, and even in the midst of great sadness, with the fundamental loss of a true advocate of positivity in the universe, the remembrances of all Goku had done, and the legacy of all he had ever endeavored to achieve, lived on.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Six!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-Seven: With enhanced strength from Goku's noble sacrifice, and a magnitude of power in his normal state comparable to Broly in his own, Ascended Super Saiyan Trunks fights Future Cell in an effort to stop the maniacal terror once and for all! Will Future Cell manage to fuse with Moori? Is there anything Cell can do to help Trunks stop absolute horror from being unleashed? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z: Honor Trip!_

_Chapter Thirty-Seven is scheduled to be released on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-Six: Completed Jan. 28, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Credit: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Staff: Roketto _

* * *

Author's note: An Extended Explanation Regarding the Circumstances Which Led to the Differences in Power Levels Between Goku (Timeline 3) in Age 767 and Goku (Timeline 4) in Age 785:

Goku (Timeline 4)'s normal state power level in relative Dragon Ball universe Age 785 was quite lower than Goku (Timeline 3)'s normal state power level in relative Dragon Ball universe Age 767 because of a few reasons despite Goku (T4) having almost two additional decades in which to train.

This concept can be supported by noting that canon makes it abundantly clear that differences in Timelines 3 and 4 enabled many warriors of Timeline 3 to become far stronger than those of Timeline 4 in much less time (and their normal states to be much stronger), as is the case with the incarnations of Gohan, such that Super Saiyan "1" Gohan (Timeline 3) as a Super Saiyan could at least reasonably – albeit not masterfully – fight Perfect Cell, whereas Super Saiyan "1" Gohan (Timeline 4) struggled in fighting Androids 17 and 18, such that it can reasonably be assumed that Gohan (T3)'s normal state power level in relative Age 767 was much greater than Gohan (T4)'s in relative Age 780, despite Gohan (T4) being far older than Gohan (T3), with the view that the Super Saiyan power multiplier remains at a constant 50x.

With regards to examining Goku (T4)'s normal state power level, firstly, Goku (T4) did not undergo the extremely intensive training that Goku (T3) underwent in preparation to fight the androids, and the effects of any training that Goku (T4) did in the three years between his return to Earth and the arrival of the androids was almost certainly significantly stifled and diminished as a result of his heart virus and death (he also did not receive a boost in power from surviving the heart virus, which Goku (T3) almost certainly did as per natural Saiyan abilities, since he recovered from being in a severe life-threatening condition).

While Goku (T4) would have had plentiful opportunities to train with fighters in Otherworld, including fighters much stronger than him, the fact he was of a much lower power level than Goku (T3) at the relative time of the androids' first attacks on Earth meant that the caliber of fighters he would be able to fight as relative equals to maximize the benefits of his training was much lower than would have been the case with Goku (T3), further diminishing his returns from training in comparison to Goku (T3).

Goku (T4) also did not benefit from having an extremely intensive year of Super Saiyan-based training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with another Super Saiyan of extreme skill, whereas Goku (T3) had this opportunity. Goku (T3) spent the better part of four relative years (three in real-time and one in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber) from Age 764 to Age 767 constantly preparing under intensive conditions to fight the androids and make his Super Saiyan son as strong as possible, whereas Goku (T4) from Age 764 to Age 785 had no set future goal he needed to constantly strive to train for with no true deadline he needed to recognize and that would have motivated him to more intensely train, further diminishing the returns of his training.

Thank you for reading this note,

American Vigor


	42. XXXVII: Despair

**Honor Trip **

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Despair**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Art Update:**

**I am greatly pleased to announce that Ruga-Rell and Roketto have completed the full-color cover for Chapter Thirty-Seven! It is available on their profiles on deviantART for your viewing excellence. **

* * *

**Power Level Elaboration [It is recommended to peruse this elaboration before reading the main content of this chapter so that you may have a fuller understanding of Trunks and Future Cell's comparative strengths and have greater insight as to why they each use the tactics employed in this chapter while fighting on Planet New Namek.]**

As discussed in the detailed notes following the main content of Chapter Thirty-Three, the standard power level unit used in Dragon Ball Honor Trip for measuring comparative power levels at this point in the story is "Trunks Normal State," which is equivalent to Trunks (Timeline 4)'s normal state power level right after he emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for the first time in Timeline 3. This particular value is used as a standard comparative unit because Trunks' abilities as a basic Super Saiyan, as an Ascended Super Saiyan, and as an Ultra Super Saiyan against Cell in his Perfect Form were clearly observed in canon, and since logical estimates of the abilities of other fighters, and the magnitudes of the form multipliers themselves, can be deduced through observing how Trunks' forms fare against Cell, and how other fighters fare against Cell in comparison to Trunks at each of his forms.

The effects of the Essence Transfer from Goku (T4) on Trunks' relative power level, and his comparative magnitude of power against Multiplier Madness Super Perfect Future Cell, are as follows:

Trunks (T4)'s normal state power level right after emerging from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for the first time in Timeline 3 = 1x Trunks Normal State (TNS)

Trunks (T4)'s normal state right before the Essence Transfer began = 1.6x TNS [As a result of all his battles and efforts following his direct confrontation with Perfect Cell in Timeline 3, his normal state power level is greater in magnitude than it was right after he emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in Timeline 3 for the first time.]

Goku (T4)'s normal state power level right before the Essence Transfer began = 0.9 TNS [An extended explanation of why Goku (T4) is not as strong as his counterpart from Timeline 3 and not as strong as Trunks (T4) has been added in a detailed author's note following the main content of Chapter Thirty-Six.]

As established in the notes for Honor Trip Chapters Twenty-Eight and Thirty-Three, the Super Saiyan power multiplier equals 50x, the Ascended Super Saiyan power multiplier equals 2.5x, and the Ultra Super Saiyan power multiplier equals 2x.

Ultra Super Saiyan Goku (T4) at the time of the Essence Transfer at maximum power = 0.9 TNS x (Super Saiyan power multiplier) x (Ascended Super Saiyan PM) x (Ultra Super Saiyan PM) = 225 TNS

Essence Transfer reapportioned energy = 1/4 of Goku's power level at Ultra Super Saiyan = 225 TNS divided by 4 = 56.25 TNS

Trunks' normal state power level after the Essence Transfer = 1.6 TNS + 56.25 TNS = 57.85 TNS

Trunks' enhanced power level at Super Saiyan = 57.85 TNS x 50 = 2,892.5 TNS, in comparison to Broly (T4)'s normal state power level of 50 TNS and Super Saiyan power level of 2,500 TNS.

Trunks' enhanced power level at Ascended Super Saiyan = 2,892.5 x 2.5 = 7,231.25 TNS

Trunks' enhanced power level at Ultra Super Saiyan = 7,231.25 x 2 = 14,462.5 TNS [The Ultra Super Saiyan form remains impractical to use in hand-to-hand combat with Future Cell because of the still-significant reductions in speed as a consequence of utilizing the form. However, the comparative strength of the form is extremely resilient to Multiplier Madness Super Perfect Future Cell's attacks.]

Legendary Super Saiyan Broly (T4) = 2,500 TNS x 10 = 25,000 TNS

Future Cell (T4)'s power level at his Super Perfect Form = 1,800 TNS

Super Perfect Future Cell with Multiplier Madness from Cell's Super Saiyan and Ascended Super Saiyan analog form power multipliers = 1,800 TNS x (2.5) x (1.5) = 6,750 TNS

* * *

**As a result of all their boosts in power, the match between Ascended Super Saiyan Trunks (7,231.25 TNS) and Super Perfect Future Cell (6,750 TNS) can now begin, in Chapter Thirty-Seven of Dragon Ball Honor Trip! **

* * *

_In hyperspace … _

Trunks had been intrigued by the Instant Transmission technique when he had first learned of it in the alternate past, and as a result of Goku's noble sacrifice giving him the power and knowledge to perform the technique himself, he found it to be even more intriguing.

He had experienced the technique on many occasions in which his compatriots had needed to transmit him from one location to one of great distance away, and he had on those occasions been mystified by his surroundings, if they could even be called that, which appeared between the transmissions from one physical point in real space-time to another.

Even now, in the midst of the first Instant Transmission he had ever generated himself, he fully acknowledged that he had no idea how to properly interpret what he was seeing. No word he had ever learned, not even "weird" or "abstract," could be used to accurately describe the true appearance of hyperspace, the realm enabling faster-than-light traversal between points in the real physical universe.

Trunks had first suspected that there might be a realm within which Instant Transmission occurs outside of normal space-time when he saw Goku of the alternate past use his Instant Kamehameha technique on Cell during the Cell Games. It had been the first time that Trunks had seen an Instant Transmission user disappear from view in normal space with the intention of reappearing in normal space only a short distance away, and Trunks had noticed that between Goku's dissipation from view and reemergence, about one to two seconds had passed in normal space-time. It was enough of a time length to enable Trunks to recognize that the technique, while extremely useful regardless, is not entirely "instant" despite its name, and that to avoid violations of causality and logic, there almost certainly had to be a realm outside normal space-time in which the technique's wielder would spend those one to two relative seconds.

While Trunks confirmed his theory about the existence of that realm through all the times that he had been transmitted by others, he had always been baffled as to how any mortal being could possibly have power or knowledge enabling him to transcend the confines of his own physical universe and escape the limitations of its normal physical laws. The fact that Instant Transmission worked at all, and that mortal beings could not only learn to use it but had supposedly developed it, astounded him ineffably.

Now, with Goku's vivid memory of how to perform the Instant Transmission technique enhancing Trunks' consciousness, he was experiencing a feeling of wondrous amazement at finally understanding a great deal about how the Instant Transmission technique works. There were various specific biological manipulations of electromagnetic and gravitational fields that were necessary for Instant Transmission to be possible and to successfully transpire, and Trunks knew that while he gladly now had a working knowledge of how to perform those manipulations, further investigation would be required for him to more fully understand the basis for the manipulations and not just how, but why the manipulations enabled Instant Transmission to work.

It was true that Trunks had experienced travel through hyperspace in at least one other capacity, when he and Gohan had been traveling in the spaceship they had ventured in during their journey to find Broly, although Trunks remained fundamentally unsure if his time travels had relied upon hyperspace at all, or something else entirely. However, the exact manner of hyperspace travel via Instant Transmission, from what Trunks had learned and experienced, seemed to be quite different, albeit somewhat similar, from that of hyperspace travel by spaceship.

The Instant Transmission technique was vastly more efficient than the hyperdrive of a spaceship, which while still providing faster-than-light travel could force a pilot to spend relative hours traveling from place to place whereas Instant Transmission would require a mere one to two seconds. The difference in travel time, Trunks now understood, arose from the fact that Instant Transmission enables its wielder to fully access the realm of hyperspace while the faster-than-light drives of the modern era, due to the limitations of their own design, are not able to fully access hyperspace. This also was responsible for the immensely different appearance of hyperspace during spaceship travel, which instead of the ineffable appearance of true hyperspace appeared as though it merely provided travelers with a view of what it would be like to travel in normal space faster than the speed of light.

What exactly hyperspace is remained open for significant debate, but regardless of its true nature, Trunks was glad to finally be able to travel through it at his own discretion and use that power and all his other enhanced powers to fight for holiness and true justice at levels far beyond his previous capabilities.

Goku had entrusted Trunks with being the answer to what was quite possibly the most severe problem the universe had ever faced, and Goku had unequivocally shown his absolute desire to help the innocent and save the righteous through enabling his own existence to be annihilated so that Trunks could fight not only on his behalf, but on behalf of positive peace itself.

Future Cell had placed countless individuals through unspeakable horrors to further his own deluded ideals, and Trunks knew that if he failed to stop Future Cell from succeeding in his bid to gain the ability to create his own Dragon Balls and achieve godlike powers, it would not only be ultimately dishonoring of Goku's sacrifice, but an ultimate travesty against life itself.

Trunks knew that if Future Cell gained the powers he was threatening to gain, it would not necessarily be impossible for him to acquire the ability to either build his own time machine without external aid or simply travel through time on his own accord, similar in function to traveling through hyperspace via Instant Transmission instead of a mechanical hyperdrive on a spaceship. Future Cell's acquisition of the power to travel across space at will had been tumultuous enough, but the despicable idea of him also having the power to travel across time at will and without restriction was indescribably horrifying.

The universes of this timeline, the alternate past, and the others that Future Cell might gain access to if he achieved divinity were now dependent on Trunks for salvation, and he was determined to do everything he possibly could to defend them. His life, as a result of all the malicious abuses of the androids, had been focused, above all else, on ending the tyranny of killers who destroy others for their own vile senses of not just advancement, but in the most loathsome of all emotions, enjoyment of death. For Trunks, Future Cell truly represented an amalgamation of all that he had ever despised, even going so far as to fundamentally abuse Cell, who had only been trying to redeem himself and live an honest life of peace when his liberty had been stolen from him by a more vile incarnation of evil than he had ever been.

For Goku, for Cell, for his father, his spiritual brother, and all who had suffered because of Future Cell, he needed to win this fight.

Trunks could feel his emergence from hyperspace beginning to ensue, and he knew it was finally time to enable the people of his universe to truly reclaim their rights.

Within the span of half a second, in the first-ever Super Saiyan transformation to take place in hyperspace, Trunks' lengthened hair became profuse with golden vibrancy, and his aura vigorously glistened. He reveled in the extraordinary energy he had been blessed with, and it was an energy befitting of righteousness itself.

Then, in a further advancement of virtue as he began to emerge from hyperspace, with the green sky of New Namek suddenly becoming more and more prevalent in his vision and the intangible contours of hyperspace fading from view, he transformed into his significantly empowered Ascended Super Saiyan form, accelerating his power to yet another new pinnacle and enabling not just his aura, but his ideals to shine even brighter.

* * *

_Planet New Namek … _

The ground was littered with blast marks and charred remains, and the sky was tainted with remnant clouds of explosions that had ended lives.

Suddenly, a Namekian was thrown up into the air. Swiftly following that, using Frieza's nefarious technique yet again, which the diabolic bastard had ruthlessly named "I Won't Let You Escape with Your Life!", Future Cell did to the Namekian what Frieza had done to Krillin when he killed him on the original Planet Namek.

The Namekian had already been levitated into the air because of the small, invisible energy sphere that Future Cell had shot into him, and Future Cell clenched his right fist, laughing wickedly all the while.

The Namekian's body exploded from the inside, creating yet another dark cloud of smoke among the many Future Cell had formed, and emotionally devastating the other Namekians.

"The look of absolute fear on his face was quite priceless, wouldn't you all agree?" Future Cell asked the remaining Namekians, whose anger and fear could not have been more intense. "Moori! I hope you've reconsidered my proposition. Fuse with me and you can save the rest of your family!"

"Just so you could be further empowered to do this across the universe? I'll never consent to such horror," Moori said, while struggling, with futility, to break free from Future Cell's overly concentrated telekinetic grips on him and the others.

"I'll remind you that there are merely 17 seconds left, as of the end of this sentence, until I kill yet another one of your brethren," Future Cell said. "Other than yourself, there are only six Namekians left. And of course, if I am included, that makes seven."

"How dare you consider yourself to be one of us," said the Namekian who was next in line to die. "We are a peaceful people, and you have no desire to uphold peace at all."

"On the contrary, you simple-minded, worthless fool, I am actively seeking to eradicate the imperfections of this universe that my counterpart cherished, and then, there shall be true harmony and peace in the universe," Future Cell said.

"Your concept of peace is totally warped!" shouted the same Namekian, who was now being moved into a firing line that Future Cell had developed.

"For your insults, you will now get to experience an especially powerful Death Beam straight to the head," Future Cell said, while extending his right arm forward, preparing to fire an attack that had been a favorite of the other hated oppressor who had ravaged the Namekian race's original homeworld decades beforehand and whose legacy was being upheld in repulsive abhorrence by this malevolent successor.

Before Future Cell could launch the beam, and while his eyes were locked onto the Namekian, he abruptly sensed something that he had in no way expected and that he at first had thought must have merely been a mistake of his perception.

Doubting his perfection to allow him to be capable of making mistakes in perception, but yet intrigued all the same as to how it could be possible to sense what he had sensed, he briefly looked upward.

Future Cell's gaze was met with a right-kick to the face, sending the tyrant spiraling backward many meters, and releasing all the Namekians who had been constrained by his telekinetic grip.

Moori was amazed by what Trunks had just accomplished, and despite all that had happened, he suddenly felt at least a glimmer of hope.

Trunks had locked onto Future Cell's vile energy signature during the Instant Transmission and had purposely intended to appear above him, and that part of his plan had worked splendidly.

However, in the few seconds that it took him to locate Moori, seconds in which Trunks had hoped to have the opportunity to quickly place a hand on one of Moori's shoulders and instant transmit off the planet, Future Cell managed to recover from the attack and strike back.

Future Cell vaulted himself forward by firmly kicking the ground with his left foot, then punched Trunks in the stomach, sending him backward a few meters and preventing Trunks from having the opportunity to carry out his plan without further resistance.

Had Trunks been able to locate Moori before Future Cell's counterattack, it is almost certainly possible that the history of the universe, and of the broader timelines, could have been vastly different. However, such was not the case.

Many questions were racing through Future Cell and Cell's collective consciousness, due to the various logic and continuity errors they were perceiving and the extreme doubt as to how this predicament could be possible.

Before Trunks could properly block Future Cell's further attacks, a series of rapid kicks connected with Trunks' chest, sending him soaring farther backward and farther away from the area where the remaining Namekians were now seeking to find shelter and conceal themselves, if at all possible.

Future Cell then extended his right arm forward and intended to pierce Trunks with a Death Beam. He shot the beam, only to have it deflected right back at him with barely enough time for him to avoid it.

Out of the continued shock that this situation was happening, Future Cell received a punch to his black core followed by a flying right-side kick that sent him hurtling backward toward the village. In the midst of the aftermath of those attacks, Future Cell regained full control over the manner of his flight, then voluntarily flew farther away from Trunks, and still in the direction of the village.

The Namekians had barely had any time to move from where they had been, and they all were still visibly exposed when Future Cell landed.

Trunks, with his Ascended Super Saiyan aura continuing to provide the Namekians with a view of a golden shine that was reflecting the inherited energy of the previous person who had fought on their behalf with such energy on their original homeworld, landed on the ground about four meters from Future Cell, keenly aware that Future Cell had to his unfortunate advantage already telekinetically restrained the Namekians again and had positioned himself so that they were all behind him, relative to where Trunks was standing, such that Trunks was looking at the six of them.

Moori was in a way reminded of the crisp blue oceans of Earth though the coloration of Trunks' jacket, and he felt grateful once again for the noble warriors of Earth, who again were showing their loyalty not only to the Namekian people and to their ideals, but to actively fighting against tyranny through compelling force.

Future Cell had not expected mere minutes ago that he would ever have to face such infuriation again, but apparently, there was still more work to be done before the circumstances of his life could be made absolutely perfect. Indeed, form his perspective, everything was wrong with this situation.

It seemed incomprehensible that Trunks could have survived the massive Kamehameha that Future Cell, with his own hands, had launched at Trunks and had then ostensibly seen obliterate him completely. As their thoughts could not be concealed from one another, Future Cell had been observing Cell's reaction to Trunks' apparent death to see if his incredulous counterpart had somehow known of an ability or option that Trunks could take advantage of, but all Future Cell had perceived from Cell were thoughts and feelings of genuine and pure fear. While Future Cell had delighted in those thoughts and feelings at the time, evidently, his delight had been deluded.

'_I don't know how he did it, but somehow, he survived the blast, and now he's kicking your ass,' _ Cell thought within.

'_You know that there's no perceivable logical explanation for this, and that while you're reveling in your ignoble glory of the moment, you, yourself, are quite confounded regarding how this could possibly be,'_ Future Cell responded within. '

"What's taking so long for you to say something?" Trunks abruptly asked. "Is my friend in the middle of laughing within your mind while you're trying to figure out how I'm alive and how I could have acquired so much power?"

Future Cell was caught off-guard yet again by Trunks' surprisingly accurate depiction of what had been transpiring, in the latest of what had been a series of unexplainable phenomena, and Trunks abruptly dashed forward in an attempt to quickly escape with Moori.

However, he was stopped midflight by Future Cell, who punched him in the face and then blasted him in the stomach. Future Cell was still amazed that the blast hadn't simply passed right through Trunks, and instead of death, Trunks was merely scathed.

Trunks took the opportunity to regain his ground relatively where he had been previously standing, and he began to think of a different way to approach the current situation. Apparently, although the Essence Transfer also had proportionally scaled up Trunks' speed in the Ascended Super Saiyan form in accordance with his increase in power level, his speed as an Ascended Super Saiyan was still quite inferior to the immeasurably superior speed of Future Cell's Super Perfect Form combined with the speed boosts from his utilization of Cell's power multipliers through Multiplier Madness.

However, in what he knew would be impending intensive rounds of further close-combat to win this war, Trunks felt that at the very least, with his acquisition of Instant Transmission, he would have some ability to overcome the speed gap, despite the deficiencies of the approach because of Future Cell's ability to merely attack him in an extremely swift manner right after exiting the transmission. Never before had anyone knowing Instant Transmission been able to fight Future Cell at an even or superior level of power, and even though Broly had been much stronger relative to Future Cell during their battles, Trunks hoped that Instant Transmission would be able to give him the advantage for victory over this monster that Broly unfortunately had not had.

"Obviously, all of this has caused me to become extremely curious," Future Cell said. "I had been joyously operating under the completely rightful assumption that no one left in this universe could possibly oppose me, and then, seemingly out of nowhere and with minutes to spare before the deaths of all but one of these Namekians, you appeared and offered me significant resistance. There are many factors I do not know and which you surely know about how this could be possible, and I demand that you promptly inform me of how you not only managed to survive, but insulted me through your inexplicable rise in power, despite what is very evidently your continued dearth of speed. And of course, do tell me how you managed to arrive on this planet."

"I know you weren't planning on killing Moori and were instead trying to fuse with him, and that you decided to kill the other Namekians because you wanted to play yet another sick and twisted game," Trunks said. "I owe you no further explanations for anything else."

"Oh, but you have unwittingly explained so much already," Future Cell said. "I was covertly testing you to see if you had somehow known of something else that should have required you to be here, on this planet, in order to learn. This, of course, is a follow-up to your earlier statement that you believe your weak-minded friend to be able to communicate with me and vice versa, which you admittedly could have deduced independently of hearing me outright say it, but which I did outright say within the past half-hour of my presence on this planet, in revealing this fact to Moori, the other Namekians behind me, and many Namekians whom I thereafter obliterated. I'm fairly confident that you were not on this planet when I revealed the true nature of my counterpart's predicament and revealed my intention to fuse with the keeper of this planet's Dragon Balls, which leads me to reasonably believe that you must have somehow had assistance in learning of these things that enabled you to hear my spoken words without actually being present on the planet."

'_I'm a true genius of inference,'_ Future Cell thought within.

'_If that were true, then you would have agreed with my philosophies on life long ago,'_ Cell thought in response.

"What difference does it make?" Trunks asked. "Despite your horrific efforts to the contrary, I survived your earnest attempt to kill me and acquired the powers necessary to finally defeat you. I have more than enough power to destroy every single one of your cells, and the version of Cell who is my friend would be overjoyed for you to finally be destroyed."

'_Indeed,'_ Cell thought within.

"I wouldn't be so confident in your ability to do something as drastic that," Future Cell said, with an iniquitous chuckle. "After all, based on what I've been able to sense of your energy, Broly, in his Legendary Super Saiyan form, was more than three times as strong as you've inexplicably managed to become, and even with his immensely superior raw strength to me, and far greater speed than you've demonstrated so far because of the nature of the Legendary Super Saiyan form, he still fell to my superior abilities. If Broly couldn't stop me, what makes you think you can?"

"I'm much more familiar with how you fight, I have abilities that Broly did not have, and unlike Broly's own reasons for wanting to defeat you, mine involve a lifetime of personal experience with fighting despicable androids such as yourself," Trunks said. "As long as I'm breathing, you will never succeed in fusing with Moori by force."

"Then I'll just have to prevent you from breathing further, won't I?" Future Cell asked. "But this actually does make me wonder, while we're on the subject of fusion, why, Moori, you and the other Namekians didn't simply fuse with each other before I arrived, if, as you said, you could sense what was happening on Earth."

"Fusion with each other, and especially the very idea of each of us fusing together as one for the greatest collective power possible, are absolute last resorts that our people have historically been quite resistant to attempting," Moori said. "Despite our rather communal ways, we also highly value our individualism. As we were fully conscious of the fact that the Dragon Balls of our planet had just been used and that you also were well-aware of this, I sincerely believed that you wouldn't have any real reason to come to our world until more than 100 standard days had passed, which would have given us much more time to decide on other potential courses of action, including those that would not have required us to lose our individuality. We thought we had time to decide. Very evidently, we did not. However, you still have the time to change your ways and leave."

"A fickle attempt at resolution, at best," Future Cell said. "You're going to become a part of me, and Trunks' ridiculous efforts to stop me will not prevent this destiny from being achieved."

"Once again, Cell, your overconfidence will be to your detriment," Trunks said.

"Honestly, I find this situation to not be challenging, and in fact more akin to amusing, or even annoying," Future Cell said. "It's obvious that the universe was doing the best it could to resist me by somehow empowering you with all you've gained, but if this truly is the best the universe could do to defend itself from my glory and the ultimate enactment of Dr. Gero's ideals, then the universe itself is more pathetic than I thought and is all the more in need of my ardent plans to redesign it in the image of my perfection."

"If I power up to my Ultra Super Saiyan form, I'd be twice as strong as you are now even with all your stolen powers, but even though I won't be readily doing that because of what we both know to be the limitations of that form, I still believe myself in this form to be stronger than you," Trunks said.

"And even if that's true, you know it doesn't matter," Future Cell said. "My abilities are overwhelming, and everyone who has tried to defeat me has failed. You've failed before, and even with your augmented abilities, you'll fail again. And speaking of failure, my counterpart has been witness to all the death and suffering that I've sincerely enjoyed proliferating in honor of my commitment to atone for his sins. After killing Gohan and all the others, and before arriving on New Namek, I destroyed an entire planet and massacred its people while my counterpart helplessly watched, begging me to spare the people of that world and that world itself. However, I of course killed them anyway, even without taking to time to learn of what that planet had been called, all to show my counterpart how he should be and to enable the type of peace he cherished to suffer yet another defeat. It was just the first of many worlds I shall destroy in an expression of my glory, while my counterpart observes the results of what should have been his destiny had it not been denied. But he remains delusional, and perhaps your death will cause him to once again agree with my glory out of recognizing the superiority of my ways. He knows the odds are against you, and even though he is doing everything he can to distract me and help you through doing so, I have overcome his ability to successfully distract me, further attesting to the excellence of my mental prowess."

"The good Cell knows, more than anyone else, how horrific you truly are," Trunks said. "This is your last chance, Cell. Give up, or die."

"Those indeed are the choices you've been presented with," Future Cell said. "The futility of your efforts should be evident. Even if Moori continues to refuse to join me, I'll merely keep him alive and use the Dragon Balls of New Namek long after you've been killed to gain all I desire."

"Trunks!" Moori yelled. "Don't worry about us! Do what you need to do to defeat him!"

"And would that potentially include killing you?" Future Cell asked, with a brief turn of his head to Moori. "After all, Trunks wouldn't dare think about killing you, even if it meant definitely depriving me of my bid to achieve immortality and divinity, not when he knows any hope of reviving his family and friends would be gone forever. Of course, once I either gain access to wishes with the Namekian Dragon Balls, or preferably access to my own set, I could very easily wish Trunks' loved ones back into existence just to have the amusement of killing them again, but I digress."

Future Cell's most recent sentence prompted anger of even greater intensity within Trunks, causing his power level to augment significantly.

He charged forward as fast as he could, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks at Future Cell. Future Cell managed to block most of them, but the few that went through were dealing noticeable damage.

Future Cell then retaliated with a punch to the face that Trunks was unable to block, but Trunks quickly recovered and blocked a series of kicks that Future Cell launched toward his chest.

While aiming purposely away from the Namekians, Trunks gathered a blue energy sphere near each of his palms, then coalesced them while moving his wrists together with his palms facing forward and his fingers straight. His posture was somewhat similar to the launching position for his father from the alternate past's Final Flash, although that technique was properly accomplished through curving the fingers to further focus energy.

"Buster Cannon!" Future Trunks yelled, right as the beam, in by far its most-powerful-yet incarnation, hit Future Cell's left side.

Future Cell, however, instant transmitted behind Trunks before the attack connected, then grabbed him, in an attempt to restrain his movements and absorb his enhanced energy.

Right as Future Cell unleashed his tail, with its tip merely half a meter away from Trunks' right shoulder, Trunks surprised Future Cell by transforming into his Ultra Super Saiyan form, forcing Future Cell's grip to become much looser and enabling Trunks to break free, in similar fashion to a maneuver that Future Cell had used himself to escape Broly's grip toward the end of their battle.

Trunks then elbowed Future Cell in the stomach, causing Future Cell to gasp in pain, although Trunks missed the opportunity to grab Future Cell's tail, as the baleful android managed to rescind his tail much quicker than Trunks could sufficiently respond to, given the nature of his form.

Future Cell decided that he should take advantage of Trunks' significantly reduced speed, and he assaulted Trunks with a barrage of punches and kicks that eventually prompted Trunks to levitate off the ground in an unsuccessful attempt to evade Future Cell, as the android quickly transferred the fight to the air. Each of the punches and kicks was doing comparatively slight damage to Trunks due his significant power advantage over Future Cell. Trunks was desperately trying to stop the assault, but it was direly true that unlike Broly's Legendary Super Saiyan form, which enabled Broly to become faster than he had been as a Super Saiyan despite his gargantuan increase in the size of his muscles, Trunks' Ultra Super Saiyan form significantly reduced his speed so much that he was failing to block all of Future Cell's attacks.

'_Excellent,' _Future Cell thought within, and especially for Cell to mentally hear.

"Solar Flare!" Future Cell yelled, blinding Trunks in a sudden flash of light.

* * *

_Otherworld … _

"No! This can't be!" Gohan yelled. "After all we've sacrificed to stop him, if Cell manages to kill Trunks the same way he killed Broly, that would … well, there aren't any curse words that exist which could properly describe how horrible that would be!"

"We need to still be confident in Trunks," Piccolo said, while his right hand remained on King Kai's left shoulder. "He can still win this thing!"

"The universe needs him to win," King Kai said. "And even aside from all of that, I refuse to accept the idea that Goku might have given the ultimate sacrifice in vain. Trunks must win!"

King Kai knew, deep in his heart, that he was experiencing feelings of profound regret that the others alongside him could not properly understand.

His own actions and enforcement of Otherworld's rules had led to the circumstances in which Goku had asked in the greatest of desperation to allow the Essence Transfer to occur, and he realized now, more than he ever had, the extent of the suffering that truly had resulted from Otherworld's policies.

While he knew that the policies had been established under good intentions, and while he was not prepared to readily take drastic action for them to be changed, he knew that it was unequivocally true that he would always miss Goku's friendship.

'Trunks, above all else, you're going to have to find a way out of this predicament and defeat that monster,' King Kai thought to himself.

* * *

_Planet New Namek … _

"Soon, you will be back in Otherworld where you belong!" Future Cell yelled, while in the midst of preparing a Shining Nova, with the circle half-completed. He had become much more capable of speedily forming the energy circle, and he fully intended to launch it and bombard Trunks with the destructive energy from within the resultant sphere, trapping Trunks and enabling yet another victory over a Super Saiyan challenger to occur.

However, before he could finish the circle, Trunks instant transmitted out of view and reappeared behind him. When Future Cell turned to redirect the attack toward Trunks' new position, he was astounded that Trunks had managed to descend back into his Ascended Super Saiyan form before emerging from the transmission, showing for Future Cell the result of a possibility he had never before considered.

Before Future Cell could launch the now-complete circle, Trunks swiftly launched a beam through it, causing the circle to explode in Future Cell's face and Future Cell to be flung many meters backward.

"That nefarious combination of attacks won't work on me," Trunks said, while entering into a fighting stance in the air. "Not only did I have the advantage of knowing what you were about to do, but unlike Broly, I can use Instant Transmission. I'm surprised you even thought that the Shining Nova would work against me in the first place, since I could have instant transmitted out of it."

Future Cell repositioned himself so that he was three meters from Trunks, then responded.

"The surrounding energy sphere likely would have thrown off your ability to sense energy signatures outside the sphere, although it is undeniably true that there is a slight chance that what you're saying might have been able to happen in that situation," Future Cell said. "However, I believe the odds were much more likely in my favor. I must say, I didn't expect you to use your Ultra Super Saiyan form in this fight. You should have learned long ago not to use it in close-combat; the fact you used it once again shows your own ineptitude."

"Had I not used it as I had, I might be dead," Trunks said. "You can't trick me into discounting its use entirely."

"Even in your Ascended Super Saiyan form, your speed is inferior to mine, and it shall be your undoing," Future Cell said, while beginning to punch Trunks swiftly in the stomach, without Trunks having enough time to block the punch.

The Namekians, whose vocal chords had indeed not been restricted by Future Cell's telekinesis, were cheering Trunks on, but gasped in awe as Future Cell caught Trunks' left inside-crescent kick before it could connect with his head.

While holding Trunks' left leg with his right hand, Future Cell used his left hand to launch a one-handed Galick Gun straight into Trunks' chest, causing him to soar backward.

Future Cell then used his superior speed to position himself behind Trunks and kicked him straight in the back, hoping to shatter some of the disks in Trunks' spinal cord. Trunks' ability of movement persisted, however, as he then unexpectedly turned around after already having brought his left fist to his right shoulder and then released his arm forward, bashing Future Cell in the left side of his head. Trunks had anticipated that Future Cell would punch in retaliation, and sure enough, when he did, Trunks brought his already raised right hand crashing down on the punch to block it.

If he couldn't beat Future Cell in absolute speed, thinking ahead was indeed a way to reduce his disadvantage.

Trunks then used his right hand to grab the pressure points of Future Cell's right hand and then brought his left hand over Future Cell's right arm. Trunks violently pushed the arm down while maintaining his forceful grip on the pressure points of Future Cell's right hand, causing Future Cell to experience abysmal pain.

"You imprudent fool!" Future Cell yelled, while thrusting his left hand forward, with each of his fingers straight and pointing toward Trunks. "Ultimate Blitz!"

Yellow-white beams emerged from each of his fingers and each impacted Trunks, forcing him to release Future Cell from his grip.

Future Cell then brought his fists together and hammered Trunks in the stomach, causing him to soar downward, and then creating an impact crater in the ground below.

As Trunks got back to his feet, Future Cell mocked him.

"My counterpart was about to use that energy attack to finish you off in the alternate past when you gave up hope, but instead, he foolishly spared you for his own amusement," Future Cell said. "The only reason that energy attack didn't kill you now is because of your increase in strength. At the very least it seems I'm getting one more good fight out of this universe before I reshape it."

"I wouldn't count on walking out of this fight alive, Cell," Trunks said.

"Now it's time for one of my favorite stolen techniques!" Future Cell said. "Destructo Disk!"

Trunks barely got out of the way of the attack without instant transmitting, then barely had enough time to use Instant Transmission to avoid the reddish Death Saucer that Future Cell had launched unannounced.

Trunks reappeared behind Future Cell, expecting Future Cell to then move the saucer around his body, which would give Trunks more time to charge an attack to destroy the saucer.

However, to Trunks' great shock, Future Cell let the saucer pass right through his waist, grunting at the pain but pleased that he had tricked Trunks yet again.

Future Cell turned his now detached upper half to observe Trunks' efforts to continue flying away from the saucer, then observed as Trunks yet again placed two fingers near his forehead midflight, and then disappeared from view.

At this point, Future Cell, whose previous lower half had disintegrated upon the generation of his new lower half, fully expected Trunks to use the Instant Transmission technique to try escaping with Moori. However, when Future Cell turned to look at Moori, Trunks materialized relatively behind Future Cell. As a result of the android's extreme surprise, he did not have enough time to counter the punch that Trunks then unleashed into his back.

Despite the impending threat of the saucer, Trunks then attempted to reach Moori, but was knocked away by a punch to the gut from Future Cell that sent Trunks soaring into the remnants of one of the buildings of the village that had still been somewhat standing despite Future Cell's assault.

After he had smashed into the building and fallen to the ground, Trunks quickly performed a kip-up maneuver by curling in his legs and propelling himself upward through pushing off the ground near his head with his hands and thrusting his legs forward, so that he then entered a crouched position and then stood fully upright.

With the saucer now only two meters away, Trunks quickly gathered energy for another Buster Cannon and unleashed the wave, exploding the disk upon contact.

As the smoke cleared, Trunks walked forward, then came to a halt about four meters from Future Cell.

"Well, as a result of all those exchanges, my hypothesis that you traveled to this planet using Instant Transmission has been reasonably confirmed," Future Cell said, with a grin. "You obviously did not know how to perform this technique more than an hour ago, and anyone who could have taught the technique you had already been sent to Otherworld. I sincerely doubt you could have learned the technique in less than an hour via any natural means. Ah yes … it all makes sense now."

Trunks remained silent, not wanting to dignify Future Cell's remarks with a verbal response.

"The cowards of Otherworld must have finally decided to interfere on behalf of your deluded and misguided versions of liberty and freedom and saved you at the last moment," Future Cell said. "Was it Goku, Gohan, or another who saved you without my knowledge by concealing his power level and transmitting you to Otherworld? It doesn't matter. What this does completely explain is why I didn't sense you at all after I earnestly believed I killed you, and why I didn't sense whatever process occurred that obviously and unnaturally increased your power level significantly, as that process almost certainly transpired in Otherworld."

"You have no right to criticize anyone else who has gained significant power unnaturally," Trunks said.

"Considering as how Otherworld violated my victory by unfairly interfering with your death and forcing me to waste even more time ending your worthless life, my criticism is justified," Future Cell said.

"I'm amazed at how much of a hypocrite you truly are – you should be the last person to be complaining about an opponent surviving an event that completely appeared as though it was his certain death," Trunks said.

"Ah, but the abilities I've been blessed with enabled me to rightfully survive my counterpart's attempt to kill me, while the fact you're still alive has nothing to do with your own abilities," Future Cell said. "And in an elaboration of my deduction as to what enabled you to be standing here with your life unfortunately still intact, while I'm confident that it is possible to sense certain presences of energy signatures in Otherworld, as I know that Goku from the alternate past was able to instant transmit from the mortal realm to Otherworld through sensing King Kai's energy signature, fully sensing what happens in Otherworld is something that I reasonably believe to be restricted, as Otherworld is another plane of existence, after all. Yes, this explains why I didn't sense you, and had I possessed the knowledge of the specific properties of King Kai's energy signature, it is possible that I might have had at least some sort of indicator that my interests were being threatened. And with regards to how you knew of my statements on New Namek without actually being here, it's quite obvious that King Kai could have enabled you to take advantage of some method he probably possesses to observe the mortal realm. You were unequivocally in Otherworld, and you cannot deny this. You should have stayed there because you should have been dead, but that's beside the point. I'm intrigued that Otherworld didn't step in sooner to resist me, given its bias for what you consider to be holiness, despite what I understand to be its overly restrictive policies to preserve the natural flow of the universe. This still, however, doesn't fully explain how you acquired so much strength so quickly and learned the Instant Transmission technique extremely quickly as well. It's not as if Earth's gateway to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber still exists in this timeline, although it's possible there might be something similar in Otherworld. You might recall that in the alternate past, when my counterpart questioned you as to how you increased your power dramatically over one relative day, that he earnestly was quite intrigued. And now, in our own timeline, I shall ask you, exactly as he did then, 'How did you become so powerful? It's hard to believe that you could develop those fighting skills in such a short time. Tell me, how did you do it? What is the secret of your power?'"

"I'm not going to tell you, and you know that," Trunks said. "I didn't Cell when he posed that question to me back when he still was evil, and there's no reason you should believe I'd tell you now."

"Unlike my counterpart, I'm not going to foolishly let you have more time to become stronger, but that's besides the point," Future Cell said. "If you won't satisfy my curiosity, this will merely make me even more eager to kill you all the sooner. Now, as we're on this of all planets, it's more than appropriate for me to premiere a technique that my counterpart and I have always known how to do, yet never used. Observe!"

Future Cell's arms rapidly increased in length and flexibility, and with his superior speed, he began to chase Trunks, while rapidly circling his still expanding arms in front of him to try and capture Trunks within their range.

"I hope you're enjoying my own version of the Mystic Attack, the glorious arm-stretching maneuver of the Namekian race!" Future Cell shouted, while continuing to unleash the barrage at Trunks.

Trunks, however, upon almost finally being hit by Future Cell's extended right arm, instant transmitted behind him.

Before Future Cell could properly react, Trunks blasted him in the back with an already-charged Finish Buster, then darted forward and unleashed a series of punches that were unblocked. Future Cell realized that he had unwittingly made himself vulnerable to this sort of attack through making his arms so long and unwieldy that they were not conducive to quick blocking, and with great celerity he retracted his arms and began to block the punches.

'_And I thought you were supposed to be the perfect tactician,'_ Cell thought within, mockingly.

"Shut up!" Future Cell shouted aloud, out of clear frustration that he was having so much difficulty fighting someone who was meant to be far weaker than him.

"It looks like Cell is enjoying your foolishness," Trunks said with a grin, right before getting punched in the face by Future Cell, but yet managing to maintain the grin.

"Once I figure out how you became so strong, I'll use that method for my own benefit and become even stronger!" Future Cell said, while kicking Trunks in the chest, causing Trunks to recoil, then land on the ground about five meters from the Namekians.

Trunks quickly instant transmitted toward Moori, and right before he could place a hand on Moori, Future Cell emerged from his own Instant Transmission and kicked Trunks many meters backward, with Trunks needing to slightly adjust his path to avoid hitting another of the Namekians with extreme force.

Future Cell then decided that after all the time he had spent attempting to prevent Trunks from transmitting Moori off the planet, it would potentially be advantageous to his plan for he, himself, to transmit Moori to a location of his choosing, and to manipulate his energy so that he could conceal the location from Trunks.

Just as Future Cell placed a hand on Moori and began to concentrate, Trunks kicked him in the chest and sent him soaring backward – although Future Cell managed to halt himself after one meter and then charged forward.

"Get out of my way!" Future Cell yelled, right before he sent his right fist forward with the desire to break Trunks' neck, just as he had done to Gohan. He knew that Trunks' superior power would likely prevent his neck from being broken, but that Trunks' neck was one of the weaker elements of his body due to his human/Saiyan physiology and that at the very least the punch could temporarily immobilize Trunks and provide there to be enough time to instant transmit with Moori.

However, Trunks blocked the punch with a punch of his own, and one meter in front of Moori, at the epicenter of where their punches had collided, pulsating energy began to surge at the boundary of their fists. They each were trying to overcome the power of the other, and the only reason Trunks, despite his superior power, had not overtaken Future Cell automatically was that Future Cell had started the contest with his right arm extended relatively farther than Trunks' right arm.

Suddenly, Future Cell realized that he yet again was beginning to see a realm of incomprehensible appearance …

* * *

_In hyperspace … _

… as Trunks had instant transmitted the two of them, with the intention of appearing somewhere in normal space other than in the exact position they had been in.

Future Cell didn't even dare to want to find out what would happen if he tried to instant transmit within an already active Instant Transmission, but in the first of two relative seconds, he chose to withdraw his fist and punch Trunks in the gut.

However, he had not realized how truly brash of a decision this was, as Trunks was no longer able to fully concentrate on returning them to normal space where Trunks had intended.

In the next second, Future Cell released a Full-Power Death Beam, with the intention of it hitting Trunks, who was at a downward angle about four relative meters from him now.

In the very last recognizable moment in the hyperspace portion of the transmission, Future Cell launched the beam …

* * *

_Planet New Namek … _

… and then became horrified upon his return to normal space, at the sight of Moori clenching his battered chest and looking faint.

Evidently, Trunks' transmission had been severely interrupted, and their reemergence in normal space had been relatively close to where they had been.

The distance between where Future Cell was standing and where Trunks was now also staring with his mouth agape mirrored what it had relatively been when they had emerged from hyperspace, only in hyperspace, Moori had in no way been between them.

As Future Cell had been in hyperspace, his telekinetic restraint of the other Namekians had lifted, and they rushed forward to try and help their revered elder.

"My friends, … I'm so sorry," Moori said, with extreme weakness, as he then laid on the ground, but still with some consciousness. "It appears … that my time is about to end."

Future Cell walked toward what had become a circle of the Namekians, staring in complete disbelief as to what had so suddenly happened.

Trunks then joined the circle, watching the last known entity in the universe with the power to help him revive his loved ones gasping for air and on the verge of death.

The unexpectedness of these moments prompted Future Cell to say something he had never expected he would.

"Quick, one of you, heal him!" Future Cell demanded. "If you don't, he will surely die!"

"None of us are healers," one of the Namekians said. "You killed all of our brethren who had the capacity to even moderately heal others when you assaulted our world. Now, your ultimate dreams of evil can never be realized."

The truth of those words was so perplexing for Future Cell that he didn't even consider killing the Namekian for his audacity to speak to him in that manner.

He then realized that deep within himself, if Namekians could exhibit the power to heal others, he might ironically have the power as well.

As he searched within his genetic memory, with Cell not fully knowing whether to try to impede him out of the desire to at least give Trunks some sort of chance to revive his loved ones, Moori spoke.

"Trunks, the universe … depends on you …," Moori managed to say, while beginning to close his eyes.

Future Cell had not found the solution, and he desperately tried one final approach.

"Moori, fuse with me and you can live forever!" Future Cell shouted, desperately. "The knowledge of overseeing the Dragon Balls will not be lost for all time!"

Moori momentarily hesitated from closing his eyes all the way, and in a last act of defiance, he spat into Future Cell's face, with saliva covered with the purple blood that Future Cell had spilled, and which reflected the pride of Moori's people, and a dejection of all Future Cell cherished.

He closed his eyes for the final time, and in the similar way of Grand Elder Guru and all the guardians of his people before him, his physical form began to dissipate, signifying his ascendance beyond the mortal realm.

Moori's body then vanished completely, leaving an absolutely psychologically stunned Future Cell staring at where he had been, so perplexed that he had not even taken the time to wipe the blood from his face, while Trunks knew, at the very least, that Future Cell's ultimate plan had itself been annihilated.

'_And so ends any possibility of you ever gaining the absolutely unstoppable control over this universe that you desired,' _Cell said within.

Future Cell's expression of shock slowly, but surely, was becoming one of profound rage ….

* * *

_In Otherworld … _

"Did that really … just happen?" Krillin asked, with both moroseness and shock still lingering in his voice.

"I'm afraid so, Krillin," Gohan said.

"He resisted Cell until the very end," Dende said. "May the universe forever remember Moori's valiant efforts to resist that beast."

"Well, it seems that Cell's plan has just been foiled," Piccolo said.

"That's true, Piccolo, but I'm worried about what will happen now," King Kai said.

"I know," Piccolo said. "It's still a dire situation of unparalleled danger to the universe, even without Cell's attainment of absolute immortality and godlike powers. He's still virtually indestructible and has significant advantages over Trunks."

"We need to pray for Trunks' success," King Kai said.

* * *

_Planet New Namek … _

The Dragon Balls of New Namek had been dormant as a result of the wishes that Trunks and Cell had made days beforehand, and dormant they would forever remain.

They joined the Dragon Balls of Earth in perpetual inertia, and with the death of both Dende and Moori, no one left alive possessed the power to summon any eternal dragon.

When Future Cell had come to New Namek seeking immortality, he had no idea that his quest for the pinnacle of longevity would have the same fate as Frieza's on the original Planet Namek.

He had no way of ever knowing how history might have been different had he simply waited to make his wish, although he suspected that his efforts would have been unsuccessful even so if Moori and the others actually had fused together, as had been suggested, for after all, the merger of Piccolo and Kami in the alternate past had made the Dragon Balls of Earth in that timeline quite inoperable.

That timeline! The alternate past! Timeline 3! If only there was a way to get there and wish for immortality and divinity even so! But without the Dragon Balls, Bulma could not be trusted, and any access to time travel she could provide him would be inherently untrustworthy and dangerous. There would be no issue if Future Cell truly knew of the principles that enabled time travel, but he was well-aware that Bulma had discovered them by relative accident and that it would be extremely difficult, even with his own mental abilities, for him to replicate her success. For all he knew, given infinity, it was possible that he would never learn the secrets of time travel, and that despite his superiority, he would be trapped in a state of lesser-than-potential existence evermore.

In all realistic likelihood, his plans to become absolutely immortal and to become a god had proven unsuccessful.

He did not believe he could possibly be more furious.

"Cell, I want you to understand a key implication of what has happened," Trunks said.

"Besides the fact that neither of us is going to acquire what he wanted from the Dragon Balls, there is nothing else worth recognizing," Future Cell said.

"I want you to consider this," Trunks said. "Since you, yourself, made being the personification of perfection one of your core goals, this is especially pertinent for you to realize. You have acknowledged, all too clearly, that the Dragon Balls were necessary for you to reach a greater level of supposed 'perfection' than you currently possess. Now that there are no more Dragon Balls, you can never attain the absolute perfection that you desired. Because this is fundamentally true, and because true perfection itself refers to the highest possible state of excellence, you can never truly be perfect, even by your own stated definitions of true perfection."

Future Cell stared wide-eyed at him, with his rage intensifying beyond what he had thought possible.

"It's over, Cell. Your quest for perfection has failed," Trunks said. "The idea that yours is a 'perfect form' is delusional by your own standards, and since you cannot be perfect, you can no longer hope to remold the universe to reflect your naive perfection. To further emphasize how profoundly you've failed, you are directly responsible for your own failure to achieve your baleful dreams, as your energy attacks were responsible for both Dende and Moori's deaths, rendering the Dragon Balls of this universe inoperable for the rest of eternity. There's no point in continuing this battle, since as a result of your own actions, you can never achieve the absolute perfection you desired. Since you can never truly achieve any of your remaining goals, and since as a result of this you should no longer kill people to try achieving goals you cannot possibly truly achieve, I'm willing to let you live in peace, if you will finally agree to end your despicable ways."

It was at that moment that Future Cell's demeanor finally shifted from tacit confidence into truly berserk infuriation.

"Well Trunks, congratulations," Future Cell said. "As a result of your completely unwelcome and regrettable victory over my efforts, I'm going to kill absolutely everyone."

Future Cell's aura of what he still wanted to call, albeit with futility and humiliation, his "Super Perfect" form roared wildly to life, and before Trunks could stop him, the Namekian to Cell's immediate right became enshrouded by the light of one of Future Cell's blasts. When the energy fallout cleared, Trunks saw the horrifying truth, as he no longer had an upper portion of his body.

"Four more Namekians and a worthless Saiyan are all that stands between me and retaliation for this insult!" Future Cell yelled. "All of you shall die!"

"Get back!" Trunks yelled to the remaining Namekians, but he could not fully stop the beginning of Future Cell's energy onslaught in time.

Future Cell barraged the two remaining Namekians on his left with 10 rapid Death Beams, and while Trunks managed to move in front of the Namekians and deflect most of the beams, two made their way through and impacted the most vital organs of one of the Namekians.

Future Cell then launched three Destructo Disks straight at the remaining Namekian on his left, and while Trunks regrettably had not enough time to move out of the way through a method other than Instant Transmission, the three disks each sliced through the Namekian, with two of them moving through his heart and lungs, killing him upon impact.

Trunks emerged from the Instant Transmission behind Future Cell and blasted him with an energy attack in the back, although to Trunks' surprise, Future Cell didn't turn around to respond.

Instead, he merely let the attack push him forward, and he used the opportunity to launch Death Beams straight into the heart of each of the two remaining Namekians, causing them to fall to the ground.

Trunks tried to grab Future Cell to prevent the assault from continuing further, but before he could, Future Cell elbowed him in the chest with his right elbow, then used his left hand to launch finishing blasts toward the two Namekians who had been most recently impaled with energy attacks.

When Trunks repositioned himself to fight, he noticed Future Cell staring and what he had done, with a look of even more crazed satisfaction that Trunks had previously seen him exhibit.

"They're gone! Every single one of them! I'm the only one of their race left!" Future Cell yelled with deranged euphoria. "The Namekian race's collective failure to enable me to ascend further has been reciprocated through my denial of its ability to exist in the form of its choosing. Every full Namekian has finally been eradicated from this universe! I am the last surviving member of that race, and I shall represent the glory of what I consider to be its finest qualities in all my endeavors to destroy the innocent in retribution for the universe's denial of my dreams! I shall forever remember their deaths and reminisce over them for enjoyment! Their screams of panic were so wonderful!"

"And I thought you were insane before," Trunks said, readying himself for further battle. "Cell must be horrified to hear what you're saying and thinking right now."

'_I refuse to let him encourage you!'_ Future Cell yelled within.

'_Even for you, what you're saying is deranged and erratic,'_ Cell thought within. _'If you truly have gone insane, you deserve it for all the horror you've put the universe through.'_

"My sanity cannot be questioned!" Future Cell yelled, while kicking Trunks in the shin, knocking him to the ground, and then pinning him down with his right hand and the right side of his body while wailing at his face wildly with his left hand. "This is for all the times that you and your allies insulted me! This is for all the times I was humiliated by your foolish efforts! How dare you prevent me from achieving absolute glory! I will have my triumph in ending your life!"

Trunks, after struggling for many moments, finally found an opening and forward push-kicked Future Cell in the abdominals.

Future Cell didn't take the time to properly adjust himself, and he rolled haphazardly on the ground.

Trunks then got on one knee and noticed Future Cell do the same.

Future Cell then leapt forward with a feral scream and clawed Trunks' right arm, causing Trunks to yell in pain and for blood to begin seeping through his wounds.

Even though Trunks' blue jacket no longer had any sleeves, as the sleeves had been significantly disheveled through Trunks' recent battles and Trunks had decided to remove the remnants, Future Cell's perceptions had been warped so significantly that he was hallucinating that Trunks' jacket still had its sleeves.

From Future Cell's deranged visual perspective, the right sleeve of Trunks' jacket had become ripped and reddened through his strike. His vast memory capability had become so severely warped that he was incorrectly interpreting a previous state of the jacket's existence to be its current, and when Future Cell stepped back and observed the faux image, he speciously perceived a symbol on the left sleeve of Trunks' jacket.

"Ah, Capsule Corporation!" Future Cell yelled. "It's the notorious organization responsible for much of my anguish and the resistance against my desire for perfection! It must be permanently destroyed in honor of Dr. Gero! Give me your jacket!"

As Trunks tried to distance himself from Future Cell so that he could think of how best to deal with the rapidly deteriorating situation, Future Cell instant transmitted, and then to Trunks' shock appeared directly in front of him.

Before Trunks could properly react, Future Cell grabbed the lapels of Trunks' Capsule Corporation jacket, and then, while maintaining hold of the lapels, jumped and kicked Trunks in the stomach with both of his feet, causing Trunks to soar backward and the jacket to rip apart not only on the axis of Trunks' back, but along the axis of his shoulders and up to the collar, as a result of Trunks' arms moving backward with a violent force.

Future Cell then accumulated the remaining fragments of the jacket and began ripping them into smaller and smaller pieces.

Trunks got up from the ground, with the dark, sleeveless shirt he had been wearing under the jacket still rather intact. He watched as Future Cell dropped the pieces of his lacerated jacket to the floor, then began to stomp on them.

It was a truly perturbing sight, to say the least.

Future Cell grinned at the bedraggled pieces on the ground, then stared back at Trunks.

"Now, it's time for you to reveal to me what you hesitated to reveal before," Future Cell yelled. "Don't think you can hide from my powers! I shall now know how you gained yours!"

Future Cell soared forward, and while Trunks managed to punch him in the stomach and temporary delay the charge, Future Cell was relentless.

Future Cell then punched Trunks in the stomach with his right hand, then placed his left hand on Trunks' forehead.

"Divulge to me what I want to know!" Future Cell said, initiating a mind-reading technique similar to the one Goku had used so many years ago on the original Planet Namek.

After a few moments, and the shocking realizations of how Trunks had actually become stronger and learned Instant Transmission, the extreme feelings of surprise and astonishment over what had happened caused Future Cell to suddenly disconnect his mental link from Trunks.

The mental shock of what had happened caused Future Cell's mind to undergo a sort of restoration and balancing process, largely aided by the presence of Cell's mind, although by no means causing him to in any way condone what Cell cherished.

"Ah, this is most excellent," Future Cell said, to Trunks' sudden sense of alarm. "Now that my mental faculties have been fully restored and that my temporary bout with extreme mental duress has concluded, I can fully appreciate the wondrous truth that I had made you all so desperate through my actions that you actually decided that eliminating one of your cherished own from existence was necessary just to attempt stopping me. It seems, Trunks, that as a result of your incredibly futile yet amusing efforts in Otherworld, Dr. Gero's core goal of achieving revenge against Goku for the obstructions of his efforts was accomplished to a greater extent than Dr. Gero could have ever hoped. As a result of your desperation to fight against my own efforts, and by extension Dr. Gero's, you eliminated Goku from existence! This is unbelievably amazing! You enabled Dr. Gero to achieve far beyond what he had intended! Absolute glory in that regard is his! Through me and my impacts on you all, Dr. Gero has achieved ultimate victory!"

"Not really," Trunks said, forcefully. "Goku gave up his existence so peace could thrive. If Dr. Gero had truly and ultimately won, Goku would have been eliminated from existence against his will and due to circumstances that did not benefit righteousness at all. His power has enabled me to fight you, and in Goku's memory, you will be defeated, Cell."

"Think what you want to for the purpose of making yourself feel better," Future Cell said. "The fact remains that Goku is gone for good, and that it's all because you and the rest of your friends were incapable of stopping me by yourselves. In fact, Trunks, look at the disheveled remains of your jacket. One could say that I did to your jacket what you did to Goku's soul – torn it to shreds."

Future Cell grinned maliciously to observe Trunks' reaction, and to his sordid delight, Trunks involuntarily shed a tear.

"Oh, don't feel bad. You could still honor Goku at least a little by dying in a dignified manner," Future Cell said. "Remember, you would need to destroy every single one of my cells to beat me. That simply isn't going to happen. You might as well save yourself the effort and let me kill you now, as opposed to enabling me to have the opportunity to kill you while your face is in the dirt."

"Goku would never surrender to you or any android, and I won't either!" Trunks yelled, while his aura cascaded brilliantly.

He rushed forward and punched Future Cell in the face, causing him to spit up some green blood from within his mouth.

"That was for Goku," Trunks said, right before blocking and dodging a series of Future Cell's side-kicks.

Future Cell then tornado-kicked Trunks on the right side of his chin and forcefully knocked him backward many tens of meters toward a nearby sea.

Across the greenish sea was another stretch of land with blue-green grass and the same sort of trees that had been on the original Planet Namek, with tall, thin tree trunks and spherical leaf formations at their tops.

The refugees that had escaped from Planet Namek had terraformed this world substantially before their arrival so that it would appear similar to their former home, and now, with their complete absence from the planet, the scene seemed morbidly serene, despite the audible and physical impacts of Future Cell's continued efforts against Trunks.

Once again, the entire usual populace of a Namekain world had been eliminated from its surface, only this time, their elimination had resulted from their irrevocable death. Once again, there were only two individuals remaining on the planet, a Super Saiyan and a descendent of the Arcosian race.

"Only one of us will leave this planet alive!" Future Cell yelled while pursuing Trunks, who stopped above the water.

"Sounds like a plan," Trunks said, readying himself for Future Cell's imminent arrival.

Right before Future Cell could punch Trunks, the Ascended Super Saiyan anticipated his opponent's movement and caught Future Cell's left-hand punch with his right hand.

He then sought to punch Future Cell with his left hand, but Future Cell swiftly blocked the punch, although Trunks still was trying to force his left fist past Future Cell's right hand.

In an attempt to further put Future Cell on the defensive, Trunks manipulated his energy so that his body was attempting to vault forward and overcome Future Cell's resistance, while Trunks released Future Cell's left hand and maneuvered to punch the diabolical terror with his right hand. Future Cell resisted the punch by restraining Trunks' right wrist, and the two were momentarily at a relative standstill, with Future Cell attempting with great difficulty to restrain Trunks' motions while Trunks was attempting to convert his potential energy into sheer destructive force.

"Even with the loss of the opportunities to achieve some of my goals, I shall still atone for my counterpart's sins and reshape this universe in my image!" Future Cell yelled, while struggling to counteract Trunks' efforts.

"All tyranny must end, and I will make sure that your threat ends permanently!" Trunks yelled.

Future Cell suddenly felt his grips slipping and his arms beginning to fold under the colossal magnitude of Trunks' energy. Trunks finally broke through Future Cell's defenses and brought Future Cell's head to his, head-butting him vehemently.

Future Cell spiraled backward, but upon Trunks' charge, and with his power still increasing, Future Cell realized, especially now with Moori gone, that it was time to significantly shift his strategy.

"Imprisonment Ball!" Future Cell yelled, as the attack surrounded Trunks, halting the movements of his arms and legs and trapping him within its confines.

"What the Hell is this?" Trunks asked, while struggling to move within the faint-gold sphere, which was radiating slight waves on its surface.

"This, foolish Saiyan, is Frieza's Imprisonment Ball technique," Future Cell said. "He used it once against your true spiritual predecessor, Goku, when the two of them were fighting on the original Planet Namek, and as Frieza's spiritual successor, I am proud to be honoring him through using the technique against you."

"If you and Cell have had this technique in your arsenal the entire time, then why haven't either of you used it before?" Trunks asked. "This seems like an overly effective way to restrain an opponent and then use any combination of attacks to surround and overwhelm him."

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" Future Cell asked. "But as you mentioned, Trunks, the fact that neither I nor my counterpart have yet used it is quite notable. And unlike your resistance to inform me about your pathetic Essence Transfer, I'll readily share with you why neither my counterpart nor I used this technique until now. You see, Trunks, this technique, while quite useful in some cases, has severe limitations. If the surface of the sphere touches anything of sufficient density, other than my own body, it will explode! This discounts most gases, especially air and even gas under intense density, but I believe the general point has been conveyed. Frieza played catch with himself when he trapped Goku within the Imprisonment Ball he created, and he then sent the ball spiraling down to the surface of the original Planet Namek, with the intention of Goku either dying as a result of the massive resultant explosion consuming him while within the sphere and with no perceived way to escape, or through Goku suffocating from the vacuum which is created as per the discharge of the technique."

"I'm guessing the technique doesn't work as well as Frieza had hoped," Trunks said, while still doing everything he could to try and escape the sphere.

"To Frieza's dismay, that is correct," Cell said. "Goku, even in his normal state back then, was fast enough to escape the explosion through taking advantage of a fraction of a moment right before the sphere fully discharges in which the explosion and ensuing vacuum have not yet manifested and in which the restrictive power of the sphere is negligible, enabling escape. As you and many others whom I and my counterpart have fought are much faster than Goku had been back then, it never occurred to me or my counterpart to use this technique during our battles – until now, that is. For you see, Trunks, I have no intention of using the Imprisonment Ball to try killing you through an explosion on the surface of this planet, even though the explosion itself would be much stronger than that of any Imprisonment Ball that Frieza ever generated. It simply wouldn't work, since you would have enough time to take advantage of the brief moment of freedom and escape the blast and vacuum. However, just as the Shining Nova served as a useful resource within which to trap and weaken Broly so that I could have enough time to charge the Full-Power Death Beam and Special Beam Cannon that pierced through his heart, I want to use the Imprisonment Ball to make sure you will remain stationary while I charge up a technique that will bring ultimate devastation upon not only you, but this planet."

"Nice try, but this isn't going to work," Trunks said, while starting to acknowledge his own apprehension. "I'll just instant transmit out of this thing at the right moment and escape."

"If you actually could use Instant Transmission while inside the Imprisonment Ball, I sincerely believe you would have done so by now," Future Cell said, with a grin.

Trunks remained silent, as in his struggling, he had indeed attempted to escape the sphere using the Instant Transmission technique, but to no avail.

"I thought so," Future Cell said. "Now, Trunks, I'm going to kill you in a way that I'll remember fondly for all eternity. I could simply leave you here and use Frieza's Death Ball technique to destroy this planet's core, as he did for the original Planet Namek, but that would not only be boring, as I very recently destroyed another planet via a mere Death Ball, but risky, as you would still potentially be able to remain conscious and breath enough remnant air after the collision of the exploding planet with the Imprisonment Ball for you to have enough time to escape via Instant Transmission. Indeed, I have something far more special planned."

Future Cell laughed to himself, then pointed his right index finger up into the air.

He quickly gathered energy at the tip of his finger, until a radiant sphere of whitish energy with purplish-pink edge layers became readily apparent.

"I thought you said you weren't going to use a Death Ball, Cell," Trunks said.

"Indeed, you are correct," Future Cell said. "This Death Ball is merely the basis for the wondrous technique I shall now premiere. You see, Trunks, as Goku's energy is now a part of you, I can think of no better way to show my hatred for his ideals and your inherited efforts on their behalf than by symbolically warping all he stood for with the technique I'm about to use."

Trunks' eyes widened in trepidation, upon realizing what Future Cell likely was suggesting.

"Cell, you couldn't possibly mean the Spirit Bomb, could you?" Trunks asked. "It takes a person of pure heart to use that technique!"

"You are correct, and while my counterpart indeed once said that he could use a Spirit Bomb in his imperfect form, he was by no means realistically ever intending to perform the traditional version of the technique," Future Cell said. "The Spirit Bomb, as you know it, anyway, relies upon the amalgamation of positive energy, to which the kais have ascribed their own ideals through their treatment of the laws of our universe. As such, a Spirit Bomb requires its wielder to amass positive energy around a focal point of positivity, and Goku's Spirit Bomb relied upon a positive focal point that King Kai taught him how to create, conveying certain kai principles to Goku for the purpose of forming the focal point. In their erroneous and detrimental manipulations of space-time, the kais apparently aligned what they falsely and illogically consider to be objectively 'good' with energy they arbitrarily identified as positive, and as a result, only those who channel positive energy as an overwhelming predominance of their existence can sufficiently use the Spirit Bomb or deflect it, while those the kais consider in prejudice to be objectively evil cannot deflect the attack. Had either I or my counterpart while he agreed with my ideals attempted to use King Kai's version of the Spirit Bomb which he taught Goku to use, the attack likely would have backfired and exploded upon our attempts, as due to the kais' oversight of the universe, he was not, and I am not, considered to be proper conduits of positive energy necessary to form a traditional Spirit Bomb or use it. This all, of course, brings me to the reason I have created this Death Ball."

Trunks watched silently as the sphere continued to radiate, while Future Cell's grin intensified in malice.

"While I did not learn the Spirit Bomb technique from the cells I acquired from Goku, I have been able to discern its basic functionality based on what I've learned and experienced of the technique, especially with regards to the battle data Dr. Gero collected regarding the Spirit Bomb when Goku attempted to use it against your father."

Future Cell paused for a moment to let that point be especially psychologically torturous for Trunks, who grunted at the severe disrespect that had been shown.

"And, as I know that a focal point is needed for a Spirit Bomb and that I do not have access to positive energy required to perform the technique in the way King Kai intended, I have decided to modify the technique for my own purposes," Future Cell said. "This Death Ball, radiating in the negative energy that the kais wrongfully ascribed to Frieza's intentions out of their mistaken idea that Frieza was truly and unequivocally evil, shall be the centerpiece of what is to be a true masterpiece. It shall be the focal point of a stronger, more powerful Spirit Bomb than any Goku ever made, and far more reflective of the ideals I uphold, emblematic of what the kais view as a pure heart of evil, but which I view as emblematic of true empowerment. Instead of coalescing a great deal of the remaining positive energy of Planet New Namek and of this solar system into a Spirit Bomb, as Goku had done against Frieza on the original Planet Namek, I shall coalesce a copious amount of the remaining negative energy with this Death Ball as its focal point. All Goku ever stood for shall be corrupted by my brilliance, and the last remnants of his presence in this universe, integrated with you, shall perish from the mortal realm forever. Instead of upholding the rights and liberties of the innocent through using a positive Spirit Bomb to destroy a tyrant, I, a tyrant, will use my Death Spirit Bomb to advance oppression by destroying this planet and you along with it!"

"It's not going to work," Trunks said. "This planet is a planet of peace, and I doubt there will be enough negative energy in this solar system to assist you. The Namekians, in their goodliness, surely enabled this planet's energy to be reflective of positivity."

"You fool; there is positive and negative energy that flows through everything, no matter how small, and there will be enough negative energy for my purposes," Future Cell said. "As you are well aware, each of us has the power to harness and abide by the qualities and properties of one type of energy more than the other, as defined by the kais, and even though I know my intentions to not be truly evil, but rather personally acceptable, as my own standards are the only ones that matter, I acknowledge that due to the kais' structuring, I will need to harness the negative energy of this solar system to create this attack. Whereas Goku used the Spirit Bomb to harness positive energy in his endeavors to defeat those he considered evil, I shall use all the negative energy I can to eradicate you, the true proponent of evil for wanting to prevent me from being able to act in my own self-interest."

"There are so many things that are philosophically wrong with that statement, but I unfortunately know through experience that asking you to listen to me would be futile," Trunks said.

"Regardless of what you believe, the hour of your death has finally arrived," Future Cell said. "You've escaped what should have been certain death by my hands, and I will not enable you to escape again. Observe and become fraught with fear, as the inaugural Death Spirit Bomb takes shape!"

Future Cell enabled the Death Ball to then hover across an open right palm, and he then also pointed his left palm up toward the Death Ball, with both arms upward and his palms facing the sphere.

"Planet New Namek! Solar system of this world! Share your negative energy with me now, and coalesce it around this signification of its strength!" Future Cell yelled.

While sentient beings were able to approve of or deny their consent to have their energy amassed for a Spirit Bomb, Future Cell was focusing on life of low or nonexistent sentience for the attack. The grass, the trees, and all the other remaining life forms on the planet other than himself and Trunks were contributing to the baleful attack meant to destroy them, in an audacious maneuver of Future Cell's sadism.

Over many minutes, the Death Spirit Bomb became larger and more radiant, and instead of the glistening white of the positive, traditional Spirit Bomb, the Death Spirit Bomb was transforming what had been merely a Death Ball into a horrifying radiant pitch-black monstrosity, with blue and purple lighting cascading over its surface and throughout its form.

Future Cell's Death Spirit Bomb had finally reached a diameter of more than 40 meters, and he laughed aloud.

"I'm going to launch my Death Spirit Bomb into the heart of this world, and then throw your Imprisonment Ball right in after it!" Future Cell yelled, causing Trunks to gasp as a result of finally understanding the full implications of what Future Cell was intending to do. "The Death Spirit Bomb is of such amazing energy that based on my calculations, beyond the crust layer of this world's innards, it will solidify the surrounding lawyers of magma in the upper mantle and lower mantle long enough for the Imprisonment Ball to follow it at the relative speed I'm going to throw it without any magma caving in on the path at a speed in which it will reach the Imprisonment Ball and prematurely explode it. When the Death Spirit Bomb finally passes through the liquid outer core of the planet, the iron and nickel sea within will be temporarily suspended to allow the Death Spirit Bomb to pass with enough time for the Imprisonment Ball to also pass, and when the Death Spirit Bomb finally hits the solid inner core, it will explode and the ensuing explosion will swallow you up, deep within the planet and with absolutely no chance to escape. As the Imprisonment Ball will be constraining you, will have merely a split second in which to focus on another planet and at that depth in the planet if you're somehow still conscious, I doubt you will be able to properly sense energy signatures on any other world, as the electromagnetic, heat, and pressure forces at that depth will be so intense that they will disallow you from properly focusing and properly being able to detect off-world energy. Unlike the case of an exploding Imprisonment Ball above the surface of a planet, if you manage to slip out of the Imprisonment Ball in the brief interval of nonresistance after the radiating explosion of the Death Spirit Bomb from the inner core makes contact, you will only have the opportunity to move downward into the explosion or upward into the falling torrent of hellish liquid material. And of course, you will most likely be killed long before you even reach the outer core due to the scorching heat and intense pressure. You regrettably will have some oxygen as a drawback of the Imprisonment Ball's confining capacity, but the density of that oxygen will increase by so many levels as you approach the core that it will become fundamentally impractical to breathe. You cannot survive this, Trunks. There are no more opportunities for you to escape. You will die, alone, in the core of a dying world, while my life shall truly begin. If the kais insist that my energy is negative, then I shall accept negative energy as the energy of true justice."

"The energy of justice is positive, whereas your perversion of power seeks only to corrupt and destroy!" Trunks yelled.

"No more heroics," Future Cell yelled. "This planet shall die, and you shall die with it! There are few greater ironies indeed than having a Spirit Bomb destroy a planet with its own energy rather than saving it, while in the process destroying the legacy of someone who had used a Spirit Bomb to save others. This is a glorious day for the universe!"

Future Cell motioned the Death Spirit Bomb toward the surface of Planet New Namek, and let it drop.

It impacted the surface swiftly enough that it did not explode upon contact, and instead kept on traveling downward, on a relentless path toward the core.

Future Cell's eyes were afire with ecstasy, while he grabbed the Imprisonment Ball, readying it for its journey.

"You should never have attempted to gain so much energy unnaturally in such a short time," Future Cell said. "All it made me do was think of an even more creative way to kill you."

"It seems you will always be a hypocrite," Trunks said. "My extra energy was given to me willfully, while you stole yours."

"And I'm proud of that immensely," Future Cell said.

"I hope that for the universe's benefit, the good Cell somehow finds a way to defeat you," Trunks said.

"While I believe that nothing is truly impossible, that is as close to being impossible as anything could ever be," Future Cell said. "And now, Trunks, with your death, the Saiyan race shall finally be extinct in this timeline, with the exception of me, of course. You have no idea how wonderful it feels that as a result of all that has transpired on this planet and in its imminent destruction, I will be the sole survivor of the two races which most prominently challenged me, and that I will have the opportunity to desecrate for all eternity all the ideals they cherished!"

With that, Future Cell threw the Imprisonment Ball toward the gaping hole in Planet New Namek's crust, and it went straight through.

Trunks could see the radiant negative energy lightning of the Death Spirit Bomb in the distance in front of him, and Future Cell had measured the relative velocities of the two spherical energy maneuvers such that the Imprisonment Ball, over the many kilometers per second it was traveling, was barely closing the distance gap between itself and the Death Spirit Bomb.

Trunks could feel his body beginning to profusely sweat, and his breathing becoming much more difficult, and he hadn't even made it through the crust. With every kilometer, the temperature external to the Imprisonment Ball was increasing by 28 degrees Celsius, and had the Imprisonment Ball not been keeping much of the kinetic energy out of Trunks' immediate surroundings, as the technique restricted motion and therefore heat, after all, Trunks would have been in far more danger of death than he already was. The total effect of the heat increase within the Imprisonment Ball, with the heat stultification properly factored, was such that it felt to Trunks as though the temperature in his immediate surroundings was increasing by four degrees Celsius per second.

Had Trunks been an average human, he would have after just 10 seconds under the surface fully dehydrated from the heat and succumbed to the pressure as well.

But he was an Ascended Super Saiyan, after all, and his body was doing everything it could to survive against the obstacles.

Trunks could sense that Future Cell was still above the planet, and he had the feeling that Future Cell was remaining there to make absolutely sure that his plan would work. It was more than evident that Future Cell wanted an obscene amount of revenge against the person who had foiled his purported destiny after surviving what Future Cell had fully thought to be a fatality, and that Future Cell wanted to take no chances in ensuring Trunks' death now.

Above the surface of the planet, Future Cell could see the planet trembling under duress, with pillars of pitch-black radiant energy beginning to erupt from the ground. He indeed was sensing Trunks' every movement and was doing everything he could to make sure Trunks' energy signature was moving farther from him and not diminishing in the rate of increasing distance, as that would indicate that Trunks had either somehow escaped from the Imprisonment Ball or was managing to slow its progression. However, Future Cell more than acknowledged that his detection would work only up to a point, as the outer core's intense magnetic field and turbulent convection of its composition would likely make it near impossible to accurately sense what was happening within it.

However, Future Cell was fairly confident that despite Trunks' limited science background, he would not take this into consideration, especially while fighting for his life.

Down below, Trunks was watching in awe as the Imprisonment Ball was making its way through a temporary column in the upper mantle that had been crystallized as a result of the Death Spirit Bomb, with molten glowing magma giving light, and further heat, to the predicament.

With all his strength, and in a moment when he thought he was on the true verge of death, Trunks finally managed to transform. His Ultra Super Saiyan form would have radiated the vicinity had the magma not already been quite radiant, and Trunks breathed a sigh of at least partial relief, while barely breathing to begin with.

The Ultra Super Saiyan form enabled him to not only be twice as strong as before, but to withstand greater temperatures and pressures than were previously possible.

After a long while, and doing everything he could to concentrate his energy in a way that would offer him further protection, he reached the lower mantle. The Imprisonment Ball, combined with his Super Saiyan capabilities and protective shields he had been doing his best to maintain with fierce willpower, truly were all that was keeping him alive.

Many more minutes passed, and Trunks could feel himself rapidly slipping toward death, with his physical systems barely functioning and his consciousness dwindling.

At the boundary of the lower mantle with the outer core, Trunks felt a sudden shift in the pressure and temperature, with each accelerated much higher than before. The light of the mantle was fading, and the dark depths of the core remained. At this point, the temperature outside the Imprisonment Ball was more than 3,700 degrees Celsius, and due to the properties of the Imprisonment Ball, the temperature was about 530 degrees Celsius within.

But suddenly, within the first few moments of the portion of his journey in the outer core, he saw the Imprisonment Ball began to significantly warp in shape, much more so than it had before.

It became more and more translucent, and it suddenly faded away, to Trunks' absolute shock.

He didn't have time to process why this had occurred, although the intense temperature and pressure conditions of this part of the core had overwhelmed the Imprisonment Ball and dissolved it entirely. It also was possible that the intense magnetic field of the outer core had a role in the dissolution. In all of Future Cell's calculations, he had not planned on these factors having the power to dissipate the Imprisonment Ball, and he had not known that the technique could succumb to such forces because Frieza had never applied it under such conditions.

Trunks suddenly realized that the source which had been responsible for maintaining his air supply in a relatively stable way had vanished, and that without the Imprisonment Ball, his systems, even as an Ultra Super Saiyan enhanced through the Essence Transfer with Goku, were on the edge of complete and total collapse.

He knew he had to remain strong.

He knew that if he didn't escape, he would die, and that even if Future Cell realized he had escaped and followed him, at least he would have a chance.

With seconds before death, Trunks desperately attempted to locate an energy signature beyond the planet.

To his great delight, he found one, hidden amongst the electromagnetic waves of the massive components of the planet above him.

With his power reserves that were enabling him to remain an Ultra Super Saiyan draining severely, he managed to perform the Instant Transmission technique, using the technique for the justice Goku had always wanted it to be used for, as opposed to the vile oppression Future Cell had proliferated.

He disappeared from the outer core, with the Death Spirit Bomb continuing to make its way toward the solid inner core.

Above the surface of the planet, Future Cell was as satisfied as he could reasonably expect to be.

He had sensed his latest upstart adversary remain on his trajectory toward the outer core despite the fact he had managed to power up further, and his energy signature had seeped beneath the outer core to the point in which it could not be sensed.

Future Cell knew that due to the structure of the outer core he could not readily sense Trunks, but knew that with the especially intensified pressure and heat of the core, Trunks would almost certainly die before reaching the inner core.

After a few more minutes, he recognized that the Death Spirit Bomb had indeed reached the inner core and that it had exploded in a raging blast.

No world, to his knowledge, had ever suffered a planet-destroying attack of that magnitude, and Future Cell's grin widened.

"This truly is your end, Trunks, and the universe shall truly bow down to me," Future Cell said, while raising his arms, in reverence of the scene in front of him, with dark pillars of negative energy and illuminated torrents of lava erupting even more forcefully than before and overtaking the once peaceful world in absolute chaos.

He was rising into the tormented air, marveling at the destruction of the planet where his ultimate destiny had been denied, and knowing that he would do everything he possibly could to achieve a level of power even greater than the one he had been prevented from obtaining by all that had transpired on this dying world.

He headed up toward the outer reaches of New Namek's atmosphere and the stars were brightening with each passing moment.

He suddenly observed far below that the dark explosion had made its way through the crust, with the explosive energy reaching with extreme alacrity toward him.

"As it should be," Future Cell said aloud, right before instant transmitting away from the path of the explosion.

Seconds later, the explosion completely overtook the planet, and its remnants were now floating blissfully in the vacuum of space.

Planet New Namek had been a world that had been created to further the legacy of a generally compassionate people that had tremendously respected others, and which did everything it could to protect the Dragon Balls for the benefit of benevolence itself.

Now, amidst the dark void of space, the remaining dormant Dragon Balls of New Namek would forever float in isolation from the people who had protected them, signifying the end of an era in which so many dreams could come true.

* * *

_Planet Earth_ …

Under the night sky of Earth, in the ruins of South City, her surroundings suddenly felt emotionally dark in addition to their coloration.

While she could not sense power levels, there was a certain intuition that enabled her to perceive that some fundamentally awful events had taken place.

Without warning, Future Cell appeared in front of Bulma, to her extreme fright.

"You should be proud of yourself, Bulma. You are the last loose end I need to tie," Future Cell said.

Her voice quivered with fear.

"What … what do you mean?" she asked.

"Haven't you heard the wonderful news? Obviously, you haven't," Future Cell said. "I killed your son by throwing him into the core of a planet! Goku gave up his existence to make Trunks stronger, and I was still able to kill Trunks anyway! This time, I'm telling the absolute truth, and Trunks is not coming back! I have achieved ultimate victory over the Z-Fighters, and the mortal realm itself cannot possibly hope to defeat me!"

Tears more profuse than any she had ever cried began to fall from her face, as she began to once again punch Future Cell as hard as she could.

"Cell, please, … if you're in there, somewhere, you need to defeat this guy," Bulma said, while continuing to punch Future Cell in futility.

"The best part of this situation is that he can hear you, and yet he can do nothing to help you," Future Cell said. "You have no idea how much satisfaction I'm acquiring from seeing how heartbreaking this news has been to you."

Bulma stopped punching Future Cell, feeling absolutely helpless, and sat down so that she could sob into her own arms.

"You do know, Bulma, as you knew before, that there is a way you can still save yourself and the rest of this universe," Future Cell said, while bending down to gaze into her sobbing eyes, in a mix of facetiousness and condescension. "Build me the time machine that will enable me to go back to the past, and you will be spared."

In truth, the primary reason that Future Cell wanted a time machine now was not to atone for what he viewed as Cell's sins, but to use the Dragon Balls of Timeline 3. In a way, it was similar to what Cell had done himself in the original timeline, when he had decided to travel back to the past to acquire that which would make him stronger, and which the circumstances of his own timeline had denied him.

Bulma stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes, and in a mix of sadness and rage, with her voice reflecting both, she shouted.

"I shall never help you!" Bulma yelled. "I hope with all of my soul that my son will be avenged for what you did to him!"

"Oh, but I had sincerely hoped that you would finally agree, out of being emotionally broken, if nothing else," Future Cell said.

In an attempt to catch her off-guard, Future Cell then placed his right hand atop her head, then began to analyze her mind for the purpose of learning all she knew of time travel.

However, he soon found that because of the complexity and strength of her mind, she was able to significantly resist his efforts. After many moments of endeavoring to overcome her mental resistance, he realized that her willpower was so capable that he was having great difficulty accessing even basic information.

With a sneer of enraged frustration, Future Cell relinquished his hand.

"You have condemned countless souls of this universe to death as a result of your continued resistance," Future Cell said.

"Even if I had given you the knowledge of how to travel through time, you would not have kept your promise to spare everyone else in this timeline and merely attack Earth in the alternate past," Bulma said. "You would have abused the knowledge so you could twist the universes of both timelines according to your horrid visions. I will not let the innocent people of yet another timeline suffer."

Future Cell grinned.

"As always, you have been quite perceptive," Future Cell said. "However, with the Dragon Balls of this timeline gone as a result of your son's interference with my plans, and with your own capable mental abilities enabling you to resist my mental probing, even if you were to somehow reconsider and build a time machine, there is no way I could reasonably know whether you are telling the truth regarding anything related to it. Even if I were to force you to build the time machine large enough so that we would both fit within, there would be no guarantee that you wouldn't be foolish enough to sacrifice yourself so that you could stop me. Of course, even though I can no longer have any way of making sure that you will build a time machine for me properly, it is quite possible that I will end up discovering the secret to time travel on my own."

"You can try all you want, Cell. I sincerely doubt that you'll ever realize even what enables the fundamental mechanics of time travel to exist," Bulma said. "Even if you despicably have all of infinity to work with in this timeline, I'm quite confident that you won't succeed."

"You seem way too sure of yourself for your own good," Future Cell said, in yet another perturbing statement of hypocrisy.

"I have every reason to be," Bulma said, with an expression of seriousness that made Future Cell seriously wonder how she could remain so defiant on this particular point.

"While I was dearly looking forward to destroying the alternate past, I'll still relish the wondrous opportunities to destroy the entirety of the universe of this timeline," Future Cell said. "And as I shall reign for infinity, I am confident, despite your discouragement, that there is a realistic possibility that I, too, might figure out how to make a time machine. I therefore no longer have any use for you."

Future Cell lifted her by her neck, and as he had purposely enabled her airway to have enough room in which to enable her to do so, she began to scream.

* * *

_Planet Trentilli …_

Of all the worlds he could have transmitted to at random, Trunks had found one with rather serene meadows and a captivating blue sky.

His body had been severely battered from his ordeal, and he had been unconscious for many moments.

However, he suddenly regained consciousness, and found himself in the middle of one of the planet's sprawling fields.

He slowly got to his knees, then stood up straight, taking notice of the nearby humanoid who appeared to be caring for crops.

The humanoid seemed rather blissful of Trunks' presence, and Trunks felt an unspoken gratitude for this person's existence. Due to mechanics of Instant Transmission he still did not fully understand, any one of a number of entities detected on a planet in a general scanning of that planet for energy signatures could be the entity which the transmitter would emerge nearby, and the fact this humanoid had been the specific entity that had enabled Trunks to survive was noteworthy indeed.

Suddenly, Trunks realized that Future Cell's energy signature was readily detectable and that its overall emphasis had acquired a decidedly darker tone. He did not know exactly why this had happened, but he suspected that even with his injuries, there was an urgent matter he would need to attend to in his continuing efforts to defeat that monster.

With his lavender hair flowing with the wind, Trunks placed two fingers to his forehead and firmly locked on to Future Cell's energy signature.

As Goku had done years beforehand in his own escape from a Namekian world that had been oppressed and then destroyed, Trunks had chosen a random path in which to travel, and now, he was departing the planet that had been reached via that path.

Truly, out of randomness itself, the fact Goku had landed on Planet Yardrat all those years ago and had learned the Instant Transmission technique at all was extraordinary, and now, Trunks was eager to use the technique to continue his fight against Future Cell.

He instant transmitted toward the direction of Future Cell's energy signature, unaware of exactly where he was going ….

* * *

_Planet Earth … _

… and becoming instantly horrified upon his arrival.

There, barely three meters in front of him, was Future Cell, who was now staring toward him in absolute shock after many moments in which he had grinned malevolently.

There, still in the grip of Future Cell's right hand, was the clearly lifeless body of his mother.

Future Cell loosened his grip and released her body, out of the bewilderment of seeing that Trunks had not only managed to somehow survive yet again, but that Trunks looked more enraged now than he ever had before.

When her lifeless body dropped to the ground with a thud, Trunks' mind became afire with pure fury.

His dynamic yell reflected his desire to gain even more power to truly and fundamentally obliterate his greatest adversary, and his Super Saiyan aura sparked to life, with his hair gaining its resilient golden shine.

But then, his energy surged far beyond what it ever had before, and was still increasing in intensity.

The brilliant waves of his golden hair were becoming more rigid and straight, pointing sharply upward and backward in a symbolic display of his rapidly augmenting power. A long, yet thin lock of hair made its way across the front of his face, enhancing his overall facial expression with the legacy of all the Super Saiyans that had fought ardently against this monster.

His muscles grew in size, but to a lesser extent than was the case with the Ascended Super Saiyan transformation, and yet Trunks could feel, and Future Cell could sense, their inherently greater efficiency.

The vehement force of his transformation tore the remaining parts of his shirt apart, with some of its remaining parts draping over his pants.

His aura was surging with enchanted lightning, signifying the still increasing strength within.

Future Cell watched in absolute terror as the transformation progressed, becoming more and more fearful that at long last, his greatest-ever nightmare had come true. Within their collective consciousness, after being forced to observe the many horrors that he had wanted to help his friends overcome, Cell was enthused that after so much terror, hope had finally been restored.

The wondrous and energizing essence of Trunks' Super Saiyan 2 transformation filled the night with reinvigorated light, and with his aura still ablaze and the sparks of lightning crackling in thunderous euphony, Trunks rushed forward to vanquish Future Cell permanently, on behalf of all who had ever fought for peace.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Seven!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-Eight: At long last, Trunks' Super Saiyan 2 powers have been unleashed. Through all his struggles throughout his life, and in his enduring desire to fight for freedom, he has become the epitome of hope for the universe. The holiness of his cause, now stronger than ever before, has bolstered his fight against the vilest oppression the universe has yet faced. Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball Honor Trip!_

_Chapter Thirty-Eight is scheduled to be released on Saturday, March 10, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-Seven: Completed Feb. 18, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Credit: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Credit: Roketto _

_Advisory Credit: TheCuriousReader _

* * *

A special additional acknowledgement is in order for Roketto and Ruga-Rell, as they were instrumental in the development of the function and properties of the Death Spirit Bomb.

Once again, on behalf of all who contributed to this chapter, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks,

American Vigor

* * *

**BONUS: Check-out Roketto's page on deviantART for promotional artwork that she and Ruga-Rell brilliantly created for Super Saiyan 2 Trunks! AND, check out Ruga-Rell's page on deviantART for sneak-preview artwork of characters that are planned to be introduced in future chapters of Dragon Ball Honor Trip!**


	43. XXXVIII: Retaliation

**Honor Trip **

**(Season III) **

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Retaliation**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Art Update:**

**I am greatly pleased to announce that Ruga-Rell has completed the full-color double-cover for Chapter Thirty-Eight! Each of the two covers that comprise the double-cover will soon be available on his profile on deviantART for your viewing excellence. March 10, the release date of this chapter, is also Ruga-Rell's birthday, so Happy Birthday to him!**

**Check-out Roketto's page on deviantART for promotional artwork that she and Ruga-Rell brilliantly created for Super Saiyan 2 Trunks!**

* * *

**Power Level Elaboration: SS2 Trunks vs. Multiplier Madness Super Perfect Future Cell **

(T4) Trunks' Essence Transfer enhanced normal state power level = 57.85 TNS

Trunks' enhanced power level at Super Saiyan = 57.85 TNS x 50 = 2,892.5 TNS

Trunks' enhanced power level at **SUPER SAIYAN 2** = 2,892.5 TNS x 10 = 28,925 TNS

(T4) Broly's power level at Legendary Super Saiyan = 25,000 TNS

- SS2 Trunks has indeed ascended beyond LSS Broly's power level, and as per the properties of the SS2 form in comparison to the LSS form, Trunks is faster than Broly had been, but has slightly less stamina and endurance. However, at his level of power in comparison to Future Cell, with the additional consideration that he has a higher power level than Broly had, this disadvantage of the SS2 form over the LSS form is negligible. Thanks to (T4) Goku's noble sacrifice, Trunks also possesses the knowledge of how to use the Instant Transmission technique, which Broly, quite significantly, had not been able to benefit from in his battles against Future Cell. -

(T4) Future Cell's power level at his Super Perfect Form = 1,800 TNS

Super Perfect Future Cell with Multiplier Madness from Cell's Super Saiyan and Ascended Super Saiyan analog form power multipliers = 1,800 TNS x (2.5) x (1.5) = 6,750 TNS [it would be higher as a result of his recovery from battle damage and greater experience through his battles, but he has not had the opportunity to significantly recover from his earlier battles with Trunks and Broly]

SS2 Trunks vs. MM SP Future Cell = 28,925 TNS vs. 6,750 TNS = 4.285/1 power ratio in Trunks' advantage, much higher than the power ratio advantages of Ultra Super Saiyan Trunks (2.143/1) and Ascended Super Saiyan Trunks (1.071/1).

* * *

**As a result of all their boosts in power, the rematch between Trunks (28,925 TNS) and Future Cell (6,750 TNS) can now begin, in Chapter Thirty-Eight of Dragon Ball Honor Trip! **

* * *

_Planet Earth, South City … _

Trunks had seen thousands, if not millions of people die throughout the course of his lifetime across the timelines.

The loss of each and every one of their lives had been devastating to Trunks, as even in the times in which Gohan had been alive, Trunks had always held himself personally responsible for failing to save all who were murdered because of the androids.

Encountering Gohan's lifeless body right after Androids 17 and 18 had killed him was such an emotionally turbulent experience for Trunks that he finally became a Super Saiyan out of the need to fight against pure horror, but in the many years after that experience, he had deeply regretted that it had been that particular death, as opposed to the many that had occurred before it, that had triggered his augmentation of power.

Had all the people who had died before Gohan not been worthy of Trunks' most profound sorrow upon their deaths? Was not every person an important one to cherish in life, mourn in passing, and avenge to the greatest extent possible upon that person's unjust termination?

Trunks had in many ways been ashamed of himself that he had not achieved the Super Saiyan transformation sooner, as so many who had died before Gohan, even though he did not personally know them, should have been worthy of his most bereaved and vengeant emotions because they, too, were innocents who should not have been victims of genocide.

Trunks had burdened himself with the fact that had he become a Super Saiyan long before he had, he could have potentially prevented many more people from dying, including Gohan himself.

Was it justifiable that Trunks' closer, personal connection with Gohan over all the others who had died before him specifically enabled the transformation to take place, or was Trunks not as genuinely concerned with the wellbeing of others as he should be? That question, even if the answer depended on subconscious factors Trunks did not have full control over, had plagued Trunks for many years.

All of these considerations, indeed, became all the more relevant for Trunks, if not more so than they had ever been before, in his most recent trials and tribulations.

After Future Cell abducted Cell and began his own course of tyrannical oppression, Trunks felt alarmed and ashamed at himself for not achieving the ability to transform into a Super Saiyan 2 in the first few hours of Future Cell's terrorism. Warriors he had idolized in his youth, and especially among them his own father, had been killed by Future Cell, and Trunks had neither been able to prevent their deaths, nor harness the emotional strife of their deaths to enable himself to transform into a Super Saiyan 2 and fight back against Future Cell.

Even with the deaths of millions more, and the deaths of so many of his friends and allies, including Gohan himself again, Trunks had not acquired the power to ascend to the true next level.

And even with Goku's noble sacrifice, and with the deaths of all the Namekians of a now-destroyed world, he had not found the power within himself to ascend.

But all of that had changed, upon his return to Earth.

It should be remembered that Trunks became a Super Saiyan upon Gohan's death because he was psychologically traumatized so far beyond the threshold of what would have been tolerable for his mentality at the time that his conscious and subconscious mind and body, in also recognizing his possession of enough power to enable the transformation to take place and the need to acquire more power to defend his interests, enabled the emotional trigger to unleash the Super Saiyan power within.

So many years later, as a result of vast maturity and augmented psychological complexity, the magnitude of an emotional trigger that would be required to enable Trunks to far surpass his threshold of psychological pain and therefore enable him to unlock yet another true transformation had extremely increased.

He had experienced and witnessed so much death and suffering throughout his life that the deaths of millions of more innocents, the deaths of so many of his friends and allies, and his own father's death had not been significant enough to be sufficient emotional triggers. Even Gohan's death was no longer a sufficient trigger, despite the fact that Gohan's first death many relative years before had been what had triggered Trunks' original Super Saiyan transformation.

Ironically for Gohan of the alternate past, due to the vastly different mentalities and psychological maturity between him and Trunks, he had been able to achieve the Super Saiyan 2 transformation because for him, Sixteen's death had been far beyond the level of psychological torment that he could normally endure, despite the fact that Sixteen had in no way been an especially close friend or family member at all.

Unfortunately for Trunks, transforming into a Super Saiyan 2 had required something of far greater emotional strife.

And unfortunately for Future Cell, he had in no way expected that Trunks would live to see something so absolutely emotionally devastating that the sheer power of his Super Saiyan 2 transformation would finally be unlocked.

His mother had cared for him more than any other individual in his life, and had shown him kindness unparalleled by any other. She had done everything she could to enable Trunks to live a life of dignity and strength despite all the horrors that had befallen Earth, and she had inspired Trunks more than any other person because of her resolve, even despite tremendous obstacles, to advocate peace.

She had provided him with the power to change history, and for all her efforts, and despite all of her kindness and love, she had been murdered.

Without the Dragon Balls, she was permanently dead.

What could have been a timeline finally at peace had instead become a greater nightmare because of Future Cell.

Despite all the horrors that had transpired, nothing could have possibly been more horrifying for Trunks than witnessing Future Cell laughing maniacally while his mother's lifeless body was continuing to be grasped forcefully, and then seeing Future Cell carelessly drop her lifeless body to the ground.

In response to the unparalleled horror of that atrocity, Trunks, with his Super Saiyan 2 transformation finally enabling him to possess unparalleled agility and power, punched Future Cell in the stomach with his right first harder than Future Cell had ever been punched before.

The impact of the punch caused the malevolent monster to immediately gasp for air, and stare at Trunks in sheer disbelief. He was gasping in absolute pain, much more so than he ever had at any moment in his fight with Broly, and he felt so overwhelmed by the punch that striking back at Trunks did not preoccupy his attention.

Under the dark sky of early morning, only their auras were giving light to the vicinity, one illuminating a monster whose facial expression revealed severe pain and terror, and the other reflecting the holy goals of a true champion.

As his counterpart had done before him when a Super Saiyan 2 had demonstrated his true strength by punching him in the stomach, Future Cell was now backing away from Trunks while clenching his stomach, barely able to believe that Trunks had managed to so severely outclass him in strength.

Trunks walked briskly forward while Future Cell was stepping backward haphazardly.

"That was the last act of cruelty you shall ever commit," Trunks said vehemently, while Future Cell briefly looked toward Bulma's lifeless body, then looked back at Trunks, all the while frantically wondering how Trunks managed to yet again survive what Future Cell had entirely thought to be his certain death. "Tell me, why did you kill my mother?"

Future Cell was speechless for many moments, gasping for air and wondering exactly how to answer the question without enraging Trunks even further.

Trunks unveiled his fury at Future Cell's lack of a response by punching him in the face with his left fist, moving far too fast for Future Cell to effectively block the attack, and causing Future Cell to begin soaring backward at a velocity of many kilometers per second.

He traveled barely half a kilometer of distance, however, before Trunks appeared behind him and kicked him upward at an angle toward the site at which his mother had been killed.

Trunks quickly positioned himself above Future Cell and hammered Future Cell almost entirely vertically downward with his clasped hands, then reappeared on the ground and stood with strength as he caught Future Cell, preventing him from directly impacting the ground with extreme force, so as not to disturb what in Trunks' mind had become a site that should not be desecrated further.

Trunks dropped Future Cell to the ground, then enabled his aura to intensify, providing further light under the dark sky, not just from its golden shine, but from its cascading lightning.

Future Cell's eyes had been closed as a result of the ordeal, but he opened them, while lying in a pile of rubble with his aura no longer ablaze, and staring at Trunks in absolute dread.

"I'll tell you what I believe you were thinking," Trunks said with extreme anger in his voice, while walking toward Future Cell, and in the midst of Future Cell struggling to stand up. "You were so enraged over your failure on New Namek that you decided to murder a defenseless, innocent woman. You were angered over what I did, and so in the most cowardly decision possible, you decided to kill my mother. That's what happened, isn't it?"

Future Cell decided that even though further pain would come, restraining himself from making comments that would further enrage Trunks would itself be cowardly, and unbefitting of his ideals.

"Your mother was by no means innocent," Future Cell said, right before he discovered that in the milliseconds after his comment, Trunks had placed his right hand firmly around Future Cell's neck.

Trunks was now choking Future Cell while holding him up in the air with one hand, as the beast had done to his mother. Future Cell, while struggling to free himself of Trunks' grasp, extended his tail, in an effort to defend himself.

Trunks caught Future Cell's tail easily with his left hand, then shoved the stinger of Future Cell's tail directly into Future Cell's chest, jamming it into the beast's own body.

Trunks briefly loosened his grip so that he could hear Future Cell scream, and he then began to punch Future Cell repeatedly in his abdominals with his left fist.

After 30 punches, all the while choking Future Cell, Trunks released his grip, causing Future Cell to fall to the ground.

Future Cell was barely breathing, and Trunks then forcibly ripped his stinger out of Future Cell's own chest. Then, while gripping Future Cell's tail in his right hand, Trunks stomped into the open wound where the stinger had been with his right foot, bringing about even sharper pain.

"This is how it feels to be a victim," Trunks said, while then kicking upward within the wound, dramatically damaging Future Cell from the inside while Future Cell suffered the pain, without even yelling in agony, as he did not find the strength within himself to yell.

Trunks then released his foot from within Future Cell, then lifted Future Cell's body by the neck and positioned Future Cell's face so he could see Bulma's corpse.

"Now, you freak, apologize to my mother," Trunks said, while holding Future Cell's neck firmly with his right hand. Trunks was choking Future Cell so severely that while Future Cell's lips were attempting to form words, his voice was almost entirely muffled.

"Oh, what's that? I'm choking you too hard? Well, I guess that means I should choke you with even greater force!" Trunks yelled, while forcing Future Cell to look toward Bulma and intensifying the hold.

After many moments, Trunks then slammed Future Cell's body into the ground, then allowed Future Cell to have a few more moments to breathe.

"Now, Cell, in honor of my mother, you're going to dig her grave," Trunks said, causing Future Cell to become wide-eyed and perplexed. "And, once you're done digging hers, you're going to dig yours. If you attempt to escape from these tasks, even with Instant Transmission, you know that I can instantly find you and kill you immediately, since the horrors you spread throughout our universe have caused me to achieve far more power and speed than you possess. If you want to extend your pathetic life by a few minutes, then I suggest you should start digging!"

The hole in Future Cell's chest then finished its self-repair as a result of his regenerative processes, although his energy had been significantly diminished as a result of Trunks' attacks. His posture was one of weakness, and the fact he was breathing heavily further accentuated his appearance of desperation.

"I'll do no such thing," Future Cell said. "Besides, you should be grateful that her death enabled you to become a Super Saiyan 2."

"I don't give a shit about becoming a Super Saiyan 2!" Trunks said, right as he punched Future Cell in the stomach again, causing him to cough up blood onto the ground. "All I care about is seeking justice for the people you killed! Her body is here, and you killed her! Now bury her!"

"I'll … blast her away, that's what I'll do!" Future Cell yelled, while sticking his right hand toward Bulma's corpse.

While Trunks punched Future Cell's right arm upward, he had not seen the technique that Future Cell was preparing with his left hand.

As Future Cell fell backward, his technique impacted Trunks to his great surprise, and the golden sphere surrounded Trunks, restraining his movements.

"You can't be serious," Trunks said, while struggling to move within the Imprisonment Ball, which was hanging in the air a few centimeters off the ground.

"Now that I've trapped you within the confines of this technique once more, I want you to answer something that I've obviously found to be quite perturbing," Future Cell said, as he walked with great difficulty toward the sphere, haphazardly hobbling toward it, as despite his regenerative capabilities, he had been severely weakened. "How the f*ck did you escape from Planet New Namek? I threw you into its f*cking core! You should not have had enough time to Instant Transmit from within the planet!"

Trunks grinned, while trying to break free.

"This technique is not nearly as stable as you think it is," Trunks said.

"It's stable enough that at least it lasted until it reached the outer core of Planet New Namek!" Future Cell said. "Yes, something about the conditions of the outer core must have degraded its restrictive properties, but you will not benefit from any of that, as we're on the surface of Planet Earth! And, if you had been simply able to overpower the technique and escape through overriding it, you probably would have done so long before you reached the core. Even though you're physically stronger and … faster than I am, you still cannot escape from it! As I said when I completely thought you were about to die last time, I decided to kill you at the core using the Imprisonment Ball in conjunction with the Death Spirit Bomb because I wanted to be amused by the manner of your death as opposed to being bored, while intending to make sure you would die. Well, had I been more patient, I could have merely just left you within the Imprisonment Ball while forcing you to use up all the air inside, killing you by suffocation. Honestly, I didn't think it would matter, since under the plan I had decided to use, I thought that I had guaranteed your death. But now, Trunks, I'm going to watch you the entire time as you run out of more and more air within the Imprisonment Ball, and I will have absolute visual confirmation of your death. You managed to twice evade what should have been certain death at my hands, and after each time, you managed to become significantly stronger. I will in no way allow you to escape this time. This Imprisonment Ball shall be your tomb, and then I will blast both you and your mother's corpses into oblivion!"

Trunks' grin intensified, while Future Cell became further perturbed as to how Trunks could be appearing confident.

"Why are you – " Future Cell began to say, before he saw Trunks put his plan into motion.

"In this form, Cell, not only am I about twice as strong as I was as an Ultra Super Saiyan, I have extremely superior control over energy manipulation," Trunks said.

"How the hell do you know that?" Future Cell asked, while apprehensively backing away from the sphere.

"Your own memories should be providing you with the answer," Trunks said. "When Gohan from the alternate past fought your counterpart as a Super Saiyan 2, it was clear that his abilities at manipulating energy far surpassed those he had as a mere Super Saiyan, exemplified by the moment in which he very quickly managed to summon a quite generic blast that was able to overpower a very significant energy attack your counterpart took quite some time to charge and then launch from the sky."

"So Gohan managed to overpower my counterpart's Earth-Destroying Kamehameha, … who cares what that proves?" Future Cell asked, with greater trepidation.

"You should," Trunks said. "You see, because the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan forms are from a different transformation line than Super Saiyan 2, they have disadvantages that Super Saiyan 2, and Legendary Super Saiyan, for that matter, do not have. I can overpower this Imprisonment Ball right now and shift its energy into an attack through the fact that my energy-gathering skills have significantly increased. You've used that damn stinger of yours way too many times to absorb energy, and now, I'll not truly absorb, but convert this energy into something I can use to destroy you."

Future Cell, out of fright, briefly considered whether he should, after all, Instant Transmit off the planet while Trunks remained temporarily trapped within the Imprisonment Ball.

'_You know you would forever consider yourself a coward if you run,'_ Cell thought within. _'To uphold your own deluded pride, you must stay and fight.'_

"You'll see! I'll prove I can still win!" Future Cell yelled aloud, entering a fighting stance while responding to Cell, although Trunks thought the response was meant for him.

Trunks closed his eyes for a moment, and a blue glow formed around each of his hands.

Quite suddenly, the Imprisonment Ball began to drain into two much smaller spheres, one of which was in each of Trunks' hands.

The energy manipulation fundamentally destabilized the Imprisonment Ball, and in the interval between its dissolution and explosion, Trunks threw the limitedly gathered energy toward Future Cell, and grabbed his mother's body in his arms.

The blast from the broken Imprisonment Ball ignited the darkness with light, and Future Cell flew upward to avoid the blast.

Trunks emerged from his hasty maneuvering about one kilometer away, and while holding Bulma's body in his arms, he manipulated some of the energy radiating from his aura into a swift lightning charge that created a hole in the ground.

In a circumstance of great irony that was reflective of what Goku had done long ago to bury Vegeta's body on the original Planet Namek, Trunks placed his mother, Vegeta's soul mate, into the ground. He very quickly covered the hole with dirt, then while standing upright, brought his palms together, with his fingers pointing upward, while closing his eyes.

He silently prayed for many moments, then spoke aloud.

"I'm sorry I failed to protect you, mother," Trunks said, while opening his eyes. "In your honor, that murderer will finally be destroyed."

Trunks had been sensing Future Cell's position throughout his prayers, and was well-aware that the fiend was heading toward the remains of Orange Star City.

Trunks lifted himself into the air, took one last look at his mother's grave, and placed two fingers onto his forehead.

_Planet Earth, Future Cell's position over the Southern Ocean, about one minute before Trunks' Instant Transmission from South City …_

"_You are a coward!" _ Cell yelled within.

"How dare you accuse me of that!" Future Cell yelled aloud, while continuing his path of flight in the general direction of Orange Star City. "I am merely trying to increase my distance from Trunks so that I can have more time to strategize and gain a tactical advantage!"

"_That merely sounds like a fancy way of saying that you're acting out of cowardice,"_ Cell thought within. _"Besides, he can obviously instant transmit toward us."_

"Ah, but in the few seconds in which he's in hyperspace and his energy signature is not readily detectable, I will instant transmit one step ahead of him, keeping my distance while evading him!" Future Cell said. "This wouldn't work in hopping from planet to planet because of the need to familiarize oneself with foreign energy signatures, but the energy signatures of Earth are familiar enough for my strategy to work!"

"_He's probably much faster than you realize, even with regards to the speed of his Instant Transmission,"_ Cell thought within. _"You might as well just remain where you are, let him arrive, and fight him."_

"You're only encouraging me to fight because you and I both know that you'd rather have us destroyed than enable us to thrive in victory!" Future Cell yelled. "If I was a true coward, I would have already left the planet via Instant Transmission. Destroying it would not be advantageous, as Trunks would merely instant transmit off the planet and transmit toward me."

"_Not if you remain in space,"_ Cell thought within.

"If I stayed in space after destroying Earth and merely wandered among the stars without using Instant Transmission, Trunks would be able to breathe oxygen from whatever planet he's on and instant transmit toward me when I least expect it," Future Cell said. "All your encouragement is with the intention of killing us, and you know it!"

"_Obviously, but you are a coward nonetheless,"_ Cell thought within. _"I surely was quite fearful when I had to face a Super Saiyan 2 myself, but did I act cowardly and try to outright run from the fight? No! I never gave up! And neither should you!"_

"Ah, but I am not so delusional as to fight a Super Saiyan 2 of such great advantages over me without a clear strategy to win," Future Cell said. "You were far more delusional than I in this respect when you fought Gohan, and I have learned from your mistakes."

"_Everything you think is tainted with stupidity,"_ Cell thought within.

Just as Future Cell was about to protest, Trunks emerged from his Instant Transmission.

'_I stalled him long enough, Trunks, now kick his ass!'_ Cell yelled within, despite the fact Trunks could in no way hear him.

Future Cell, enraged at the predicament, darted forward to strike Trunks, only to have his right punch effortlessly blocked.

Trunks then punched Future Cell in the stomach as hard as he could, sending Future Cell soaring in the direction of Orange Star City. The punch was so overwhelming for Future Cell that he could neither effectively block it nor react to it before Trunks began a barrage of further punches.

Over the next five minutes, Trunks continuously punched Future Cell farther and farther in the direction of the city, with the two fighters moving at many kilometers per second and with the dark morning hours shifting to daylight, as due to the counterclockwise rotation of Earth and the fact they were moving eastward, the hours of darkened sky of South City's time zone were being more and more superseded by the hours of time zones that were already experiencing daylight.

After about a half a minute of travel over land, Trunks shifted the angle of his punches and double-punched Future Cell in chest at a downward angle, then vaulted himself forward and kicked Future Cell in the face right before the bio-android's body impacted the ground. Their vicinity was many tens of kilometers from the ruins of Orange Star City, with vast plateaus and mesas around them, and grass growing in many clusters, although grassless earth comprised much of the terrain.

With the radiant sun overhead, Trunks walked forward to observe how much damage Future Cell had sustained, and was somewhat taken aback to see that he appeared unconscious. Trunks did, however, sense Future Cell's life force still intact, indicating that he was, unfortunately, still alive.

"Wake up you bastard, I want you to be conscious when I kill you!" Trunks said, right when he grabbed Future Cell's right hand and exerted tremendous force on its pressure points.

Future Cell regained consciousness with extreme agony, and the shock of the moment made him shake and then stand up, although in a stance of extremely apparent weakness.

"Yeah, that technique is definitely more effective than it had been on New Namek," Trunks said. "To paraphrase what you've all-too-often said to me, it's time for you to behold your death!"

Trunks released Future Cell's right hand, with the intention of enabling him to fully focus on his fright.

Trunks then enabled his aura to be readily visible again, and his aura, at least from Future Cell's perspective, was profuse with even more lightning bolts and electrical sparks than any that his own "Super Perfect" aura had ever exhibited. Trunks was momentarily standing quite still, with his arms in ready positions and his gaze resolute, while Future Cell's body was quaking with fear, and while his eyes were widened and his mouth was agape.

Many rocks around Trunks were ascending in a reflection of his terrific power, and according to some traditions, the rocks were ascending toward the heavens.

* * *

_Otherworld, King Kai's planet … _

"Ah! Now, many of our friends who were allowed to keep their body in the afterlife are here, and we can observe Cell's defeat together!" Dende said aloud, while noticing that Gohan had returned with Kami.

Gohan had already brought Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Yajirobe, Master Roshi, Moori, and even Grand Elder Guru to King Kai's planet, and he had retrieved them all in no particular order.

"It's good to see you all," Kami said.

"Sorry about dying and messing things up for you again, old man," Piccolo said.

"It wasn't your fault that you died at the hands of that fiend, and it certainly wasn't your fault that Cell was able to continue his killing spree," Kami said, while briefly looking at King Kai, but deciding against an argument for the time being. "Now, if it's indeed true that Trunks managed to not only transform again but become stronger than Broly, it seems that Cell will not be able to effectively overpower him."

"Man, Trunks is awesome!" Yamcha yelled, while his right hand remained on King Kai's left shoulder. "We all wish we could be so strong!"

"Think before you speak, Yamcha," Tien said. "Remember, Trunks didn't become that strong under the best of circumstances."

Yamcha felt embarrassed for the comment.

"Yeah, … I … guess I wasn't thinking," Yamcha said.

"As long as Cell's ass is kicked, I won't truly mind having been killed again," Yajirobe said. "The food in Otherworld is way better than it ever was on Earth."

"But more importantly, we need to make sure that the injustices which allowed this crisis to progress this far cannot occur again," Piccolo said. "King Kai, you and I are going to have a long talk after all of this is over."

"After everything that's happened, you deserve to make your case," King Kai said.

"I second Piccolo's reasoning," Guru said. "Now that Moori, Kami, Dende and I are dead, there are no more active Dragon Balls in the universe. We can especially no longer allow Otherworld to watch as the mortal realm suffers now that the Dragon Balls are gone."

"Speaking of 'gone,' I think that's about to be the case for any pride Cell believes he still has," Moori said, while observing Trunks side-kick Future Cell in the chest.

* * *

_Planet Earth, about 120 kilometers southwest of Orange Star City …_

Future Cell, after a few seconds, recovered from the kick, while Trunks had purposely left his guard wide open.

While Trunks' aura continued to glow and the lightning continue to cascade throughout the golden waves, Future Cell, with all his strength, rapidly punched and kicked Trunks.

After 30 seconds of constant punches and kicks, and Future Cell's harrowing realization that the attacks had not had any visible impact on Trunks' body, Future Cell audibly gasped in terror.

"Looks like it's my turn again," Trunks said.

Trunks blasted Future Cell with a Buster Cannon, then sent a right uppercut into his jaw. Trunks then back-smacked Future Cell into the dirt, lifted him again by the neck, and then kicked him in the stomach yet again.

Future Cell, out of absolute fear and anger, realized that there was a particular maneuver he had not yet tried, but out of the desperation of the moment, decided to pursue.

"Before my counterpart's mind was overtaken by the foolishness of your misguided holiness in the alternate past, he was about to use this form, and never did, for the same reason that you fret about using the Ultra Super Saiyan form," Future Cell said. "But you've given me no choice, Trunks. I will use my Power-Weighted form to crush you!"

Future Cell initiated Cell's Ultra Super Saiyan analog form, and then, after the noticeable increase in muscle mass, he accentuated his power further. The size of his entire body expanded rapidly and vastly, and Trunks sensed his power swell.

From a height of just over two meters, Future Cell's height became roughly 10 meters, with his body parts extending beyond what would have been an increase to-scale to accommodate the gargantuan accentuations of the bulked sizes of his muscles.

With the augmentation complete, Future Cell stomped the ground with his right foot, causing there to be a momentous tremor.

"Come here, Saiyan!" Future Cell yelled, while swiping at Trunks, all in futility.

Trunks effortlessly dodged the punches, which Future Cell was unleashing with a substantially reduced speed. Indeed, it seemed to Trunks as though Future Cell truly had implemented the form out of desperation, as Future Cell had even acknowledged its tactical shortcomings.

Trunks jumped backward into the air and landed on the ground 20 meters away from Future Cell, only to have the maniac take a gigantic leap forward.

The air itself seemed to Trunks to feel heavier with Future Cell's approach, and just as Future Cell was about to punch him with his left fist, Trunks jumped into the air.

He maneuvered himself past the top of Future Cell's head, and then landed on Future Cell's back while Future Cell had been crouched in his attempt to punch Trunks, although with regard to their relative comparable speeds, Trunks had long since left that position.

Enraged upon realizing that Trunks now was mocking him further by standing on him, Future Cell began to straighten his posture, which itself consumed far more time than he found to be desirable.

In the midst of this, Trunks jumped off of Future Cell's back and landed about five meters away from Future Cell, whose front he now could see because Future Cell had turned to face him.

"You cannot defeat me!" Future Cell yelled, while preparing himself to again attack Trunks. "I am indomitable!"

Trunks suddenly shifted forward toward Future Cell from his position on the ground, and with his even greater swiftness in the air, he kicked Future Cell across the face, and then vaulted himself into Future Cell's stomach, impacting him severely.

Trunks back-flipped in the air and landed 10 meters away on the ground, smirking at how futile Future Cell's last-ditch effort had been.

However, he then became suddenly alarmed.

Future Cell looked sick – almost as if he had nausea – and he began to gag.

"How … could this be?" Future Cell asked aloud in a yell, while he slowly felt his internal essence beginning to shift.

Suddenly, he felt as if there was a sort of absence he could not readily explain. Then, upon deducing the truth, he yelled in psychological agony.

"No! I can't let this happen! I – "

But Future Cell silenced his own speech, as his nausea was overtaking his consciousness.

Indeed, he had realized all too well what had happened, especially since he was beginning to gag, and he crouched down on the ground of out his overwhelming feeling of sickness.

Trunks watched in awe as Future Cell left forth from his mouth a saliva-based projection, and within it was something, or rather, someone, Trunks had in no way expected to see.

Cell, in the form he had long ago stopped referring to as his 'Perfect Form,' was unconscious, and lying on the ground.

Staring from above, gasping in pain and completely bewildered at what he was seeing, was Future Cell, still in his Power-Weighted form and completely apprehensive of what might happen next.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Eight!_

_Up next in Chapter Thirty-Nine: With Cell's release from Future Cell, the diabolic tyrant is about to face even greater adversity. A dramatic change to Future Cell's existence is coming – next, on Dragon Ball Honor Trip! _

_Chapter Thirty-Nine is scheduled to be released on Saturday, March 31, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-Eight: Completed March 10, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Credit: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Credit: Roketto _

_Advisory Credit: TheCuriousReader _

Thanks,

American Vigor

**BONUS: Check-out Roketto's page on deviantART for promotional artwork that she and Ruga-Rell brilliantly created for Super Saiyan 2 Trunks! AND, check out Ruga-Rell's page on deviantART for sneak-preview artwork of characters that are planned to be introduced in future chapters of Dragon Ball Honor Trip!**


	44. XXXIX: Reckoning

**Honor Trip **

**(Season III) **

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Reckoning**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Special Announcements: **

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MORE THAN 400 REVIEWS AND FOR ENABLING CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT TO HAVE BEEN DRAGON BALL: HONOR TRIP'S MOST SUCCESSFUL CHAPTER PREMIERE YET! There were more unique visitors to Chapter 38 before the release of Chapter 39 than there were for any other Honor Trip chapter before the release of the immediately subsequent chapter. **

**It is with sincere gratitude that I want to thank you, the fans, for continuing to read and enjoy Honor Trip more than three years after the story's first chapter was released in December 2008. The fact that you care about enhancing the Dragon Ball universe in quality, logical ways is indicative of your own integrity as fans and your noble cherishment of substance over superficiality. **

**On behalf of Genescritor, Roketto, Ruga-Rell, and me, thank you so much for being awesome. I also want to sincerely thank my three colleagues, who have enriched Honor Trip tremendously with their superior abilities. **

**A 300****th****/400****th**** review special is coming relatively soon, and I'm looking forward to writing it. **

**Art Update:**

**I am greatly pleased to announce that Ruga-Rell has completed a series of "future-shifted" art pieces for the Honor Trip universe. What exactly am I referring to? Check out his deviantART profile page to find out! **

**Quite soon, the cover for Chapter 39 shall be completed and available on both Roketto (RyunoOhi) and Ruga-Rell's deviantART accounts! **

* * *

_And now, the journey continues … _

* * *

_Timeline III, Earth, West City, Age 767, about 46 relative days after Trunks and Cell were involuntarily vaulted forward in time to Timeline IV …_

The setting sun had been an unexpectedly beautiful one, as the forecast had predicted torrential rain.

Smooth rays of orange-red were engulfing the city in calm succession, while an increasing presence of artificial lights was further encroaching upon the twilight.

In the midst of this scene of seeming serenity, two warriors were standing upon a balcony of the main Capsule Corporation compound, with one observing the bustling streets below, and another looking toward the dimming sky.

The warrior who had been looking toward the roadways, perturbed by the comparatively blissful and mundane lives that so many people of Earth had been afforded, grunted out of frustration while redirecting his gaze toward the sky.

"It's unfair, Kakarot," Vegeta said, as he continued looking at the darkening mural of clouds and air.

The warrior to his right had kept his elbows upon the balcony railing, morosely pondering not just his fellow warrior's words, but also many other issues of great importance.

"There are many things that aren't fair, Vegeta," Goku said. "But, obviously, few things could be more unfair than not knowing if your son is alright."

"I've been able to search many planets around the galaxy thanks to your decision to accompany me with your Instant Transmission technique, even though all the while, I knew that my search would probably be in vain," Vegeta said, while gripping the balcony railing with force. "I feel more powerless now than I've ever felt before! It infuriates me to no end! We even went to Otherworld using Instant Transmission, and not even the Grand Kai could help us find him! What the hell happened to him and Cell, Kakarot? Did they really travel through time, as Bulma thinks might have happened, or were they perhaps erased from all of existence forever? We've been unable to sense their energy anywhere! How can a father live with any sort of pride when he doesn't even know how to help his own son, or if he even still exists?"

Goku let a few moments pass, while thinking of the best way to respond to Vegeta.

"We need to focus on the possibility that Trunks and Cell traveled to the future even without Trunks' time machine taking them there," Goku said. "If they aren't in our timeline at all, that would explain why we haven't been able to find them."

"I don't want to delude myself with hope," Vegeta said. "You and I have both heard Bulma say many times, Kakarot, that if the broken time machine's time-shifting trigger truly activated after Trunks was revived with the Dragon Balls of New Namek, with Cell going along for the ride because he was in contact with him, that for all we know, the two of them could have gone to the distant past or future of this timeline or any of the others. There's no way of knowing where and when they are. I want with all my strength to make sure my son is safe, but the pitiful reality is that I may never know for sure."

"Hope is all we have, aside from Bulma's genius mind, of course," Goku said. "And she said to me last week that she thinks, much more than she did before, that Trunks and Cell went to Timeline 4, as Trunks would have done had his time machine not malfunctioned."

"It's wishful thinking," Vegeta said. "Despite the fact that Trunks had programmed the time machine to go there, the Dragon Balls could have thrown off the erroneously delayed time travel command from what Trunks intended. After all, the Namek elder said that the Dragon Balls likely weren't made to handle anything involving time travel. That whole consideration has made me even more worried that the two of them somehow ended up outside of time itself. Damn it! Why the hell, out of all the things I could have kicked out of frustration with having to live with the androids, did I choose to kick that blasted time machine? All of this is my fault, Kakarot! I couldn't possibly have failed more as a father!"

"Stop being so critical of yourself, Vegeta. As I've said to you before, you had no idea this would happen," Goku said. "We need to have confidence in Bulma's opinion that Trunks and Cell managed to make it to Timeline 4. If Trunks and Cell really went there, then we should be able to find them."

The screen door behind them suddenly opened, causing Goku and Vegeta to redirect their attention. Bulma walked through the door, with baby Trunks in her arms.

"So, how's work on the time machine going?" Goku asked.

"Working on it has been far more difficult than anything I've ever tried building before," Bulma said. "I obviously have the ability to somehow build this thing, since 'Future-me' did, but I just can't seem to figure out how she built it."

Vegeta sighed.

"The equations to make the thing work are still giving you a hard time?" he asked.

"For all I know, I could solve them in a matter of days, and for all I know, it might take the rest of my life for me to realize how to solve even one of the equations that needs to be used to properly program the time machine," Bulma said. "'Future-me' somehow managed to figure this out, even with far fewer resources, but I don't really understand how she did. Figuring out how to enable something to move through time is something that seems to defy human comprehension itself! There must be a way, … rather, it's been proven that there is a way to do this, … but I need more time to figure it out. The whole process is so uncertain that I still wonder how the hell 'Future-me' managed to successfully determine that the time machine would work before she gave it to Trunks."

"Obviously, as we've all talked about with each other before, if Trunks had left us with blueprints for the time machine, this all would be much easier," Goku said. "He obviously didn't because he never thought we'd need them."

"That's right," Bulma said. "I doubt he would have thought that we would want to go to his decimated version of Earth. Maybe he even thought it would be too horrifying for us. I just … don't know."

"He probably never thought that we'd want to travel through time, due to the quality of the Earth in our timeline in comparison to its fate in the others," Vegeta said. "But speaking of other timelines, … Bulma, are you sure there's nothing else from the other time machine that you could use to help you build the new one?"

"I'm still not sure," Bulma said.

"Wait, … what!" Goku shouted, looking quite astounded. "What are the two of you talking about? The two of you never mentioned anything to me about another time machine!"

"Kakarot, how do you think Cell arrived in our timeline?" Vegeta asked.

Goku blinked twice, and was astounded at the revelation.

"Wow, … we actually have the time machine that Cell used to travel to our timeline?" Goku asked.

"Before we knew anything about Cell, a guy who lives in the countryside to the northwest of West City called me about a vehicle with a Capsule Corporation logo on it that Trunks, Gohan, and I later determined to be virtually identical to Trunks' time machine. However, it was weathered through exposure to the elements for four years and had a cracked dome due to what we later determined was Cell's emergence from within," Bulma said. "With all the things that happened after that, including the battles with Seventeen and Eighteen, the more tumultuous battles with Cell, and Cell's enlightenment, the capsule with the other time machine was probably among the least of things that Trunks had been thinking about before he decided to go back to the future without telling any of us. Remember when I gave you, Trunks, Vegeta, and Gohan your new Saiyan armor on the lookout, and then Vegeta stormed off to fight Cell on his own? Well, since your clothes and Gohan's weren't already torn to shreds through a year of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, you kept them at the Lookout so you could put them back on after your year of training, since the Saiyan armor I gave you would predictably have some wear and tear. But I took Trunks and Vegeta's clothes with me so I could repair them, since they were badly damaged through their year of training. Trunks had left a white box containing numerous capsules in the upper left pocket of his Capsule Corporation jacket, including both a capsule for his time machine and a capsule for the time machine that Cell commandeered, each marked with a number '7.' You have no idea how angry I've been with myself over the fact that I missed the opportunity to copy the data from Trunks' working time machine when I had the chance."

"Hindsight is only useful long after you need it," Goku said. "It seems that you probably took the capsule for the second time machine at some point during the 10-day wait for the Cell Games."

"Well, … I wanted to clean it off and restore it to good working order, but we got distracted with so many other things, like repairing Sixteen, that I didn't finish the job," Bulma said. "Had I gotten further in cleaning it off and repairing some of the less advanced parts, like simple motors, I would have then opened up the capsule for Trunks' working time machine and copied the data to finish repairing the one Cell stole. But Trunks unexpectedly left before I had the chance to finish the job, and even after the conclusion of the Cell Games and Cell's trial, repairing the broken time machine that Cell stole was so far down on the list of my priorities that I didn't tell Trunks I was doing it."

"Score one for miscommunication," Goku said. "So, I'm assuming there's a reason why you decided to not simply repair that one instead of building the new one."

"Those parts are so worn out that I might as well build a new one, especially since we want to build a time machine that can fit multiple people," Bulma said. "Cell couldn't fit in the old one anyway, and if he wants to come back with you and Vegeta, and whomever else ends up going, he'll need a bigger machine so he doesn't have to do something drastic to fit inside. Besides, if my theories on time travel are correct, Cell's time machine is linked with the original timeline, Timeline 1, which is the not the same as Trunks' timeline, Timeline 4. There's too much of a risk of going to the wrong alternate future if we use the machine Cell stole instead of making a new one. As it is, I'm going to need to figure out how to fixate the new time machine on the time signature of Timeline 4 instead of Timeline1, and that's been extremely difficult for me to figure out how to successfully achieve."

"All the more reason to build a new one, then," Vegeta said. "We won't be able to help them at all if we don't go to the right timeline. As I've told the both of you before, if they did, in fact go to Timeline 4, the fact that neither of them have returned to inform us that they're alright either shows that they were unable to acquire the parts needed to build a new time machine, or much more likely that something went horribly wrong in that timeline which has been preventing them from returning."

"Well, they might have gone back too far and unintentionally created a new timeline," Goku said. "If that's what happened, we'll probably never see them again."

"I doubt they'd be so foolish as to let that happen, and simply neglecting to come back at all would be against all they believe in," Vegeta said. "The fact that an entire infinity of that timeline potentially exists in which not a single person from that timeline has come back to our own to tell us of what happened is ineffably troubling. I don't believe that Trunks, Bulma, and Cell would have wanted us to worry so long if they had the means to travel back and inform us of what happened. Even though there have been more than 40 days since Trunks and Cell disappeared, only a single instant needed to pass in our timeline before one of them could have returned in a new time machine without creating a new timeline, no matter how long it took in Timeline 4 to build that machine, even if it took years. But we've seen no one travel from the future again. If Trunks and Cell indeed went to Timeline 4, something appalling must have happened that has prevented them from returning."

"At least you don't believe anymore that Cell's responsible for them not returning," Bulma said, causing Vegeta to focus on those words. "He seemed sincere about wanting to be one of the good guys, and I'm glad you overcame your relapse into thinking he might be trying to deceive us. After all, the Dragon Balls enabled him to stay good. I sincerely doubt he betrayed Trunks."

"Well, regardless, if they ended up in Timeline 4, something unfavorable must have happened to them," Vegeta said. "But with Cell and Trunks' combined power, it's hard to believe that anything could have given them much of a challenge, especially since the androids of that timeline, as Trunks said, are even weaker than the androids of this one. Is it possible that there is yet another future enemy Trunks knew nothing about who's even stronger than Cell?"

"Anything is possible, Vegeta, especially with the fact that there are probably millions of inhabited worlds out there, each with the potential to produce a fierce opponent," Goku said. "If Trunks and Cell unfortunately met their ends as a result of fighting some unknown opponent, the very least we could do is find out about it and then return to our timeline to stop it before it becomes too powerful, if it hasn't become too powerful already."

"And if it has, then we might do something similar to what Trunks and 'Future-me' decided to do and warn ourselves in the past," Bulma said. "Goku, are you sure that bringing Gohan with you wouldn't be a good idea, assuming I can actually get the time machine to work?"

"I've placed him in too many precarious situations recently, Bulma," Goku said. "I don't want to lead him straight into what might be a disaster even for him."

"I may be brash, Kakarot, but I'm not suicidal," Vegeta said. "I wouldn't allow Trunks to have died in vain just so that I would die too. If I didn't think that I could at least competently escape from whatever might be in Timeline 4 and make my way back to the time machine, I wouldn't advise either of us traveling to the future. If I'm confident that I can do that even in my Ascended Super Saiyan form, why are you so hesitant in letting Gohan, a full-fledged Super Saiyan 2, join us?"

"He's been through so much already, Vegeta, that I don't want his life to end before it truly begins," Goku said. "Gohan has achieved the recognition for his efforts that he's always deserved, and Chi-Chi and I are quite proud that he's handling all the fame in a dignified way. Because of everything that happened on the day of Cell's trial, the world recognizes Gohan as its true savior, not Mr. Satan."

"Yeah, … whatever happened to that big lug?" Bulma asked. "Last I saw on Z-TV, he was in some sort of legal trouble, but I didn't pay much attention to the coverage because I obviously was preoccupied with more important things."

"Well, I wish I could say that I wasn't watching T.V. as often as I am, but Chi-Chi insists that we watch often to make sure that no one is saying anything bad about Gohan," Goku said. "You don't want to know what she told me to do to anyone who says anything remotely negative about him."

"Knowing your woman, none of that surprises me," Vegeta said.

"Anyway, since I've been watching the news and entertainment channels so often, I've learned that Mr. Satan was sued for mass fraudulence, and that he owes a lot of money. The whole thing is unfortunate, really. He has a young daughter about Gohan's age, and she doesn't deserve any of this. He keeps saying that on T.V., actually. I mean, he doesn't seem like a total schlemiel. I don't think he would have claimed that he defeated Cell had he realized that his lie would quickly be exposed and that she would be harmed by it."

"He got what he deserved, Kakarot," Vegeta said. "As for the girl, I hope she grows up to be a better person than her father."

"So do I," Goku said. "But, as I was saying, Gohan has been battling the forces of evil all his life, and now it's time for him to have a bit more fun, the way kids are supposed to. At least in the early days of when I was a kid and fighting the forces of evil, I had at least a little fun while doing it. The enemies Gohan has faced throughout his life, from my good-for-nothing brother to Morsmordom back on Planet Harfava, have been far more sinister than any I faced in the early part of my childhood. Even though Gohan is a Super Saiyan 2, he is still younger than I was when I first started fighting bad guys."

"Emperor Pilaf doesn't count as much of a bad guy," Bulma said.

"He did try to kill us, remember?" Goku said. "We would have been dead had I not been born a Saiyan."

"Is Pilaf still alive?" Vegeta asked.

"I'm … not sure. Why?" Goku asked.

"If so, I'm going to teach him a lesson," Vegeta said, with a smirk. "No one tries to kill my woman and gets away with it."

"You sure didn't show that attitude when Dr. Gero blasted my plane out of the sky," Bulma said.

"Like I told you before, I was acting foolish!" Vegeta shouted. "Let that error go already!"

"Fine!" Bulma said with a scowl, while baby Trunks didn't know what to make of their squabble.

Goku let a few moments pass before speaking further, enabling the tension to ease.

"Like I was saying, Gohan deserves to live a good life, and I don't want to put him in any more danger that he shouldn't have to face," Goku said. "He's about to start a movie career, all thanks to the director who spoke with him and Chi-Chi after Cell and Gohan's press conference that followed Cell's decision to storm out of the courthouse to save your life, Bulma. I want him to have as many excellent opportunities as possible, and while I'll always encourage him to fight, his life needs to have a broader scope to be a truly good one."

"I see what you're saying," Bulma said, while Vegeta decided, at least for the moment, to not protest.

"Besides, with all of the benefits of Gohan's fame, and with a baby on the way – "

"So, she is pregnant!" Bulma shouted with joy. "That's wonderful news!"

"Yeah," Goku said, with a blush that Vegeta snickered at.

"Well Kakarot, it looks like Trunks is going to have a sparring partner of similar age," Vegeta said. "I'll bet that my son becomes a Super Saiyan long before your upcoming kid."

"No fair, Vegeta. 'Future' Trunks already became a Super Saiyan in our timeline," Goku said, with a laugh.

"You know that's not what I meant," Vegeta said.

"Well, as I was saying, with all these developments happening, we've decided to move to West City," Goku said. "I think it would be good for all of us, although we'll keep our place on Mt. Paozu for old times' sake."

"And you can use it as a weekend and vacation retreat," Bulma said. "But yes, I think your family is going to have a much better of quality of life once you all move here, Goku. And Trunks and your kid can have play-dates all the time! Isn't that right, Trunks?"

She smiled at her baby boy, and he giggled with blissful glee.

"Come on, Trunks," Bulma said, while hugging her son tenderly. "Now, we need to get back to work on the new time machine so we can help your daddy and Goku find your big brother and 'Pointy-Head!'"

As baby Trunks continued to giggle with joy, Bulma turned toward the screen door, then opened it, walked through, and closed the door behind her.

"'Pointy-Head?'" Goku asked, with amusement.

"For some reason, she called Cell that in front of Trunks, and because Trunks laughed, she's kept on referring to him by that ridiculous name," Vegeta said. "Cell didn't seem particularly amused by it."

"I can't imagine that he would have been," Goku said. "Unfortunately for him, if and when he comes back to our timeline, he's going to come back to a planet whose populace is growing more and more aggravated that he hasn't yet paid for his crimes by neither doing the community service work that the judge ordered him to do, nor rebuilding areas that he destroyed. Gohan has tried to tell people what really happened to Cell, but even with that, people are still furious."

"The fact most people are accepting the story is in Cell's favor, but the longer he's absent, the more people will question why his period of repenting has not yet begun," Vegeta said.

"If someone as capable as Cell was defeated, I shudder to think of what we might find when we finally get to Timeline 4," Goku said. "We could have had the option to help the future by bringing either set of Dragon Balls or both sets within our timeline to Timeline 4, but it's simply not a good idea. There are far too many concerns about how the Dragon Balls might be affected by time travel. According to Namekian legends, the wishes granted by the eternal dragons involve adjusting reality beyond what readily appears, and from what I've gathered, the Namekians of today have enough knowledge to create and operate eternal dragons, but they don't truly know how the wishes are granted. Bulma told me she thinks the wish process has something to do with manipulating space-time, and that if a set of Dragon Balls was created to manipulate the space-time of a timeline, there's too much of a chance that something could go horribly wrong if we use the Dragon Balls of one timeline to act upon the space-time of another timeline, especially given what we know about how horribly unreliable the Dragon Balls are regarding stuff related to time travel. We can't risk the safety of our timeline's versions of Shenron and Porunga, and we can't risk the safety of Trunks' timeline by using our sets of Dragon Balls there."

"It amazes me that the Nameks are so fundamentally unaware of what seems to be extremely important information about the way their own Dragon Balls work," Vegeta said.

"Unfortunately, Vegeta, it seems that there are many things that the Nameks of recent generations don't know about the Dragon Balls," Goku said, to Vegeta's further surprise. "I asked Grand Elder Guru about this point when I saw him in Otherworld, and he, too, said that even he lacks knowledge about many important aspects regarding how the Dragon Balls work. It's one thing to know how to operate something, and it's another to understand how and why it works."

"I guess it's like learning how to build and turn on a lamp without learning about how and why the lamp's power source works," Vegeta said. "Learning how to build a lamp and turn it on can be quite easy, and many lamps can be set to different levels of energy output. Understanding how and why the lamp's power source works is not necessary to know in order to use the lamp, and I don't pretend to understand the wiring and voltage systems that supply power to a lamp, or even how electrons are used in the system. Likewise, the Nameks evidently learned how to create and use Dragon Balls of varying strength and access whatever the power source is that enables wishes to come true, even though they apparently don't know a lot about that source. This makes me agree that they likely are being truthful in that they have no idea if the eternal dragons are truly part of the power source or the Dragon Balls themselves. And Kakarot, I agree that since the Dragon Balls weren't designed with time travel in mind, we simply cannot risk what might happen if we disconnect an eternal dragon from a set of Dragon Balls through bringing the Dragon Balls to another timeline while potentially leaving the eternal dragon's spirit in our timeline. We'll have to go without the Dragon Balls, despite whatever challenges we might face."

"Hopefully, the Dragon Balls of New Namek in that timeline will still be there and we'll be able to use them, but there's really no way to tell before we get there," Goku said. "And, for all we know, Trunks and Cell might not have been able to come back yet because of some reason we haven't yet considered. Maybe they haven't encountered any trouble at all, and maybe they defeated whatever enemy they needed to face. I just don't know what we should expect."

"Until Bulma enables us to travel forward in time, all we can truly do is pray for their safety," Vegeta said.

The two warriors looked toward the evening sky, resolute in their desire to ascertain the truth of what had happened in an ominous alternate future….

* * *

_Timeline IV, Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City, Age 786, about 46 relative days after Trunks and Cell involuntarily emerged in Timeline IV …_

His greatest achievement had been dependent on abusing an enlightened version of himself, who had long since discarded the evil of their mutual heritage and had begged him for peace.

Now, with the repentant warrior finally liberated from his system and free from his oppression, his dreams of dominance were being shattered even further than they already had been by the Saiyan race.

Future Cell felt himself shaking, with his mind and body engulfed in an onslaught of pain from having lost the key component that had been enabling him to maintain his present form.

With sickened saliva still trickling forth from his mouth, and the gargantuan size of his Power-Weighted form mocking him because of its significantly unanticipated design flaw, Future Cell reeled his head backward while staring down at the unconscious Cell, with his eyes afire from physical pain and unyielding dread.

The psychological horror of seeing Cell expunged from his system, now lying on the ground in a pool of saliva that Future Cell had emitted in sickness from Trunks kicking him with extreme force in the chest as a Super Saiyan 2 enhanced with the transferred essence of Goku, was far too much for Future Cell to endure. He knew that Cell's entrapment within him had been by far the predominant source of his strength and abilities, and feared the consequences of his omission, all too aware of what his increasing feelings of weakness were indicating.

If Future Cell's pride had not been fully lost when Trunks had fully dominated him in battle as a Super Saiyan 2, it literally had been lost upon losing Cell.

Future Cell momentarily braced his unstable body by placing a hand and knee on the ground, and he then unsteadily stood again.

Future Cell could feel the vast power he had acquired from Cell's incorporation within him fading fast. The strength from using Cell's power multipliers in addition to his own was significantly diminishing, as he could no longer utilize both his and Cell's analog forms of Super Saiyan together in the glorious display of Multiplier Madness.

Before the loss of any more of his power, Future Cell made one last, desperate bid to regain the power he felt should be his.

While getting back on one knee, he attempted to grab Cell's body as quickly as he could, but was stopped by Trunks punching him swiftly in the right hand, causing Future Cell's pain to skyrocket.

Future Cell seethed with anger as Trunks placed himself between his greatest adversary and the reformed friend who had unwittingly been victimized to empower him, and in an even greater accentuation of pain, Future Cell stood up straight, closed his eyes, and yelled upward toward the sky.

However, he could not maintain the stance for long, and he entered into a crouched position, with his eyes closed and his face turned toward the ground, and his fists tightened to help him endure the overwhelming pain.

He could feel his Power-Weighted form diminishing in strength and size, as a prelude to even greater degradation.

Trunks watched while Future Cell began to revoltingly groan further, with horizontal rings of negative energy emitting outward from his body.

The surrounding area became profuse with fleeting saturations of purple light, while the rings of energy carried clouds of dust outward from the epicenter of Future Cell's decaying might.

To Trunks' astounded expression, purplish smoke began to rise from various parts of Future Cell's body while his muscles shrank rapidly in size.

Then, Trunks observed Future Cell undergo even more drastic changes against his will.

Each of Future Cell's solid feet shifted form, such that three extended toe digits were now coming forth from a base of each foot, similar to what had been the case in each of Frieza's forms.

Predominantly green shins whose speckled patterns matched the prevalent appearance of the rest of Future Cell's skin superseded his blackened shins, which had been reinforced in defensive strength through a sort of organic armor but which seemed to become less fortified.

Future Cell's hands, which had been predominantly white like ivory, were becoming much greener, with each of his fingers much more pointed in form.

His blackened wings turned to green and became less sharp in appearance, his pectorals also shifted from black to green while the core at the center of his chest remained black while becoming slightly larger, his shoulders also shifted from black to green, and components of his abdominals that had been patterned green like most of his body became orange, with horizontal stripes.

His two cranial protrusions shifted form radically, losing their vertical, rounded shape and becoming much more pointed, and angled at diagonals. His cranial dome shifted form as well, becoming merely an armored cranial oval at the front of his head.

By far the most dramatic changes, however, occurred in and near Future Cell's face. The yellow line covering his chin and which had separated his face from his neck disappeared, and his ears, which had possessed the same yellowish color and had been somewhat rectangular in shape, shifted to circular structures of green. The purple sections toward the side of his face disappeared, as did all of the ivory white coloration of his face and neck. While his neck became predominantly green with a darkened central section, his cheek regions became green, with his human-like mouth and nose becoming totally replaced by an orange, curved protrusion that served as his mouth.

Future Cell then opened his eyes in the shock of what had happened to him, revealing that anything resembling at least a hint of humanity in his eyes had vanished, as his circular pupils had become more akin to demonic vertical slits within cold, unsympathetic fields of white.

Future Cell grunted in alarm at what had happened, then suddenly felt his tail reemerge from behind him without consciously choosing to make it so, completing his devolution.

Future Cell, exhausted from the pain of all that had happened, began to take many quick breaths to regain his composure.

His breath stopped suddenly and he refocused with alarm, upon hearing Trunks walking toward him.

"It seems that you've lost your so-called 'perfect form,'" Trunks said, while maintaining a facial expression of domineering strength.

Then, after a few moments of observing Future Cell's absolute fright, Trunks flared his aura, causing the horrid cretin to back up while Trunks walked briskly forward.

"You have lost everything, Cell, and you will suffer a justified torture for killing my family," Trunks said. "I have won. You were no match for me."

"I … I refuse to believe that this is happening!" Future Cell yelled, while feeling utter despair at how much power he had lost as a result of returning to his imperfect form.

He had never absorbed any version of Androids 17 and 18 himself, and as such, he had never achieved the intermediate semi-perfect form that Dr. Gero had designed him to achieve upon absorbing the first of either of the androids. His 'perfect' form had been attained through absorbing Cell's 'perfect' form while he, himself, had merely been in his imperfect form.

With Cell's expulsion from his system, signifying his loss of the single entity that had enabled him to advance beyond his imperfect form and achieve his perfect form, he had returned to his first, imperfect form, making a total mockery of his goals.

Before Future Cell could blink, Trunks disappeared from view.

Future Cell wouldn't even have been able to have seen Trunks move before he lost his maximum capability, and as such, he most certainly would not have been able to see Trunks now.

Before Future Cell could react, Trunks appeared behind him and punched a hole straight through his back, causing Future Cell to cough up a copious amount of purple blood, with his mind not even able to register the true pain he was experiencing.

Future Cell was in such pain that he did not make the effort to look down at the arm that he knew had broken straight through his chest, and when Trunks pulled his arm back, Future Cell stumbled forward, while barely breathing.

In a further psychological assault upon him, Future Cell could see the still-unconscious Cell lying on the ground only a few meters from him. Cell's body was still complete with his 'perfect' form, taunting Future Cell by emphasizing the power he had lost and which Future Cell earnestly felt that he, and not his foolish counterpart, deserved. Future Cell thought as though fate was making a mockery of his existence more than it already had, teasing him with astounding power within just a few meters of his reach, while making it clear that a version of him whom he despised was able to keep that glorious strength at his complete expense.

If only he could reach Cell and absorb him again! After all, Cell was indeed merely unconscious and not deceased, as his life force could still be sensed. It appeared as though the unconsciousness had resulted as a byproduct of the separation process, and as had been the case when Future Cell had absorbed his counterpart beforehand, Cell was merely unconscious and could once again be absorbed without Cell's own resistance. But the pain from Trunks' attack was so severe that Future Cell could barely move, let alone stand, and Trunks' advantage in abilities over him had increased far beyond what it had been.

In his Super Perfect form while using Multiplier Madness to siphon the power of Cell's Ascended Super Saiyan analog form in addition to his own, Future Cell knew he had still been only about one-fourth as powerful as the supreme fighter Trunks had become, while also outclassed in speed.

Now, the difference in their abilities was far too great for Future Cell to want to even ponder.

As Future Cell stumbled forward, in a futile attempt to reach Cell, Trunks grabbed his right shoulder from behind.

"You little insect," Trunks said, while squeezing Future Cell's shoulder, causing him to shout in pain louder than he ever had before. "You've made a fool of yourself. You attempted with all your hatred to dishonor my family and friends, but your defeat at my hands shall completely restore their pride."

Trunks flicked his wrist slightly, sending Future Cell soaring over Cell and causing him to drop about 10 meters away.

As Future Cell started to stand up, with the hole in his chest almost fully regenerated, Trunks walked toward him.

Trunks briefly stopped his path to look at Cell, and he contemplated his image. He recognized his appearance as the very same one of the murderer who had killed his mother and father, and yet he knew this individual, this person who had been blessed by chance to have the opportunity to change his ways, to be distinct from the vile murderer who had lost that image and who was now struggling to stand.

Trunks looked away from Cell and redirected his gaze to Future Cell, who had managed to stand up almost fully straight.

"Do you remember when you, Cell and I first met?" Trunks asked, as he continued his approach.

Despite his fear, Future Cell didn't know whether to be more afraid or angry. He wondered if he should even respond to Trunks, and what difference it would make. However, he then realized that delaying Trunks through responding, even by at least a little bit, could work to his advantage.

"What of it?" Future Cell asked, while unstably standing his ground.

"Cell and I outright told you that we could have killed you before you emerged from your growth chamber, and yet we didn't do that," Trunks said. "Despite my reservations, and what had been my desire to ensure the safety of us all by killing you before you had any chance to harm anyone, Cell convinced me to let you at least have a chance to pursue a peaceful life, as you had not yet done anything wrong. I knew that you were predisposed to murder, but Cell convinced me that we'd be able to overpower you if you refused to join us and uphold righteousness. We'd had no idea that you and him can regenerate from a single cell, as according to both you and Cell, Dr. Gero did not tell either of you of this ability. In fact, it's questionable whether Dr. Gero knew of it himself, or if it was an unintended byproduct of the way you were synthesized. Regardless, Cell, I want you, more than anything else, to not only die, but before your death, understand how dishonorable of a fool you have been. Cell and I decided to spare your life when we could have denied it entirely, and you repaid us by victimizing him and killing my family. In addition, you killed not just my friends, but countless innocents who didn't deserve to die. This universe could have at last been at peace, but instead, you decided to turn it into an absolute nightmare, despite the fact that you should have been grateful for your own life in the first place, and should have learned to respect the value of life through the fact that Cell and I decided to not deprive you unjustly of yours. You have no idea how much I've regretted letting you live."

Future Cell let a few moments pass, and he exhibited as much of a smile as his facial features would allow.

"I regret nothing," Future Cell said.

He waited a moment, with surprise that Trunks had not yet decided to unleash his power against him for such a comment, but it became clear that Trunks was expecting him to say more before taking further action.

"It is true that you enabled me to live, and because I value life so highly, I wanted to achieve my ultimate dream of becoming boundlessly perfect," Future Cell said. "To do that, I deprived others of their lives. I also genuinely enjoy depriving others of their lives because it is amusing to see their fear and it is quite gratifying to assert my superiority. After all, why should there be many imperfect lives when one life of greatness could grace the universe with its presence? I wanted to be the personification of perfection, and that fool over there can never truly achieve what I came so close to achieving. It's a farce that he has the form he has while I no longer do. I could have helped the universe achieve true glory through my absolute perfection, but you, Trunks, are denying its proper destiny."

A few moments passed before either of them said anything further, and then the silence was broken.

"But don't you feel that you owed Cell and I any gratitude for letting you live?" Trunks asked. "Don't you feel, at any level, even in retrospect, that the horrible atrocities you committed were unjust?"

"Everything I've done has been completely justified," Future Cell said. "You and my counterpart wanted me to pursue a false ideal that I abhorred, and while you enabled me to live, I feel that showing you how this life should truly be lived was the best way I could possibly have repaid you. The weak should die so the strong can thrive. All who are imperfect should suffer while only those who accord with my beliefs should live. I have enjoyed killing the innocent and obliterating their hopes. I have superb thrills in destroying fighters who dared to challenge my glory, and Broly's death, as well as what twice should have been yours, are among my fondest memories. The righteousness you preach is a lie. I have been living my life according to what I know to be the best ways in which to live, and no matter what you think about the quality of my decisions, only my own opinions are what matters. Every single person I killed deserved to die by my hands. The strong deserve to kill the weak so they can have the best quality of life for themselves. That is the true way to value life. You let me live, and I have lived. It is because of the way I have lived my life, Trunks, that no matter what you do, the true glory of what I've accomplished can never be defeated."

For the first time in quite a while, Trunks grinned.

"I'm glad you said all of that, Cell, because there's one last thing I wanted you to recognize before I rid the mortal realm of your miserable life," Trunks said. "You said yourself that the strong should have the right to kill the weak, and that this would uphold the warped vision of what you feel to be true respect for life. By your own sick and twisted logic, you have admitted that I have every right to kill you now. I'm far stronger than you ever were at your maximum power, and in fact, I'm probably stronger than Broly ever had been."

"Ah, but total abilities, and not just power level, are what I have meant by strength," Future Cell said, as he began to back away from Trunks, sensing that the situation was about to rapidly deteriorate for him even more than it already had.

"And look at you now, a worthless shell of a fighter whose path of evil and victimizing others for power has led him to lose almost all of it," Trunks said, with complete and total seriousness returning to his face. "There's no question that the sum total of the extent of my abilities is much greater than yours. Now that you've justified your own death, I'm going to kill you with no remorse at all, just like you killed my family."

Before Future Cell could verbally respond, Trunks used his superior speed, without needing to resort to Instant Transmission, to suddenly appear in front of Future Cell.

Future Cell gasped out of the sudden movement, then jumped backward, readying a fighting stance.

"I refuse to die in fear!" Future Cell yelled. "If I'm going to die, then I'll die with dignity! And at the very least, I no longer have to tolerate my counterpart's incessant bickering in my mind!"

"You refused to enable any of your victims to die in dignity, and I will certainly not enable you to have any," Trunks said. "Come on, Cell, try to punch me. You'll be just as helpless as my mother and father were when you slaughtered them."

Future Cell's facial expression showed as much of a sneer as it could possibly convey.

He soared forward without a word kicking Trunks in the chest with a flying right side-kick.

It had absolutely no visible effect.

Future Cell then proceeded to wail at Trunks with all his might, punching and kicking him rapidly, at various points all across his body, with Trunks purposely forgoing any opportunities to block the attacks.

"Your power level now is barely above what it had been when we met," Trunks said with complete composure, while glaring at Future Cell, who was struggling to do any damage at all despite his onslaught of attacks. "Many days ago, shortly after we met, when you tried to attack Cell at about your level of strength with a rapid salvo of similar pathetic efforts, Cell wasn't affected by them. I'm now far stronger than Cell had been then, as a direct result of the horrors you perpetrated. Now that you truly know how desperate your situation is, your time shall come to an end."

Future Cell saw Trunks catch his right arm this ease, and Trunks used his right hand to lightly flick Future Cell in the stomach.

Future Cell yelled with scorching pain while soaring many meters backward, then Trunks shifted behind him, catching him before he traveled farther.

Trunks then let go of Future Cell and flicked him in the left side of his mouth structure, utterly shattering much of its framework. Future Cell knelt on the ground in pain, and Trunks crouched low and placed a hand on his left shoulder.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Trunks asked, prompting Future Cell to manipulate his tail so that its stinger was aimed for Trunks' spinal cord.

Trunks rapidly shifted position so that his right arm was restraining Future Cell's tail at its midsection, while Future Cell grunted out of the further pain.

"You do realize that those two hits which damaged you so severely were with about the lightest force I could muster," Trunks said, causing Future Cell's eyes to widen. "I'm purposely giving you the least dignified death possible."

Trunks then let go of Future Cell's tail, wondering what the diabolic demon would choose to do next.

Trunks saw that Future Cell's mouth fully regenerated, and Future Cell then moved to strike Trunks at the front of his body with his tail.

With superior swiftness, Trunks blocked the attack with his left arm, causing the stinger of Future Cell's tail to be embedded in Trunks' forearm.

Future Cell grinned, then manipulated his systems to absorb Trunks' energy.

The instant after Future Cell activated his absorption, Trunks suddenly vaulted himself forward and used his right arm to squeeze Future Cell's tail at its base, while purposely sending a searing overcharge of Super Saiyan 2 energy straight into the tail.

The tail exploded from within, bursting apart many of Future Cell's muscles and sending organic debris in all directions.

Future Cell's scream was pleasant to Trunks' ears, and Trunks then smacked Future Cell across the face, breaking his left cheek structure.

The bedraggled bio-android was sprawled on the ground in severe pain, and Trunks walked forward without pause.

Trunks grabbed the upper portion of Future Cell's body by placing his arm under Future Cell's back and grabbing the farther side of Future Cell's chest with his right hand, and he likewise positioned his left arm and hand under and around Future Cell's legs.

Trunks then brought his right knee up into a crane stance, and positioned Future Cell over his quadriceps and knee. He then proceeded to bend the upper and lower parts of Future Cell's body downward with force, contorting Future Cell's back into a dramatically arched shape while Future Cell screamed.

Trunks then manipulated Future Cell's body so that his back was again relatively parallel with itself, and he then bent Future Cell over his knee again, and then a third time.

After lowering his knee, Trunks then dropped Future Cell to the ground, and then shifted his position so that he was just one meter above Future Cell, suspended in the air.

Future Cell's stomach was face-up toward the sky, and with his eyes barely open, he anticipated with dismay what Trunks would next do.

Like a lance striking the heart of an unneeded blemish, Trunks rapidly shifted his energy such that he accelerated downward with velocities faster than Future Cell could see, with his two feet piercing Future Cell's upper chest and sending further organic debris all around him.

Trunks levitated out of the massive gash in Future Cell's body, then set himself on the ground and grabbed Future Cell's cranial protrusions.

Trunks lifted Future Cell into the air while maintaining hold of the protrusions and began to rapidly spin Future Cell around a horizontal circular path, at such a velocity that Future Cell was on the verge of becoming totally unconscious.

Sensing his enemy's energy wavering, and wanting the horrid beast to be conscious through the final events before his ultimate demise, Trunks flung Future Cell straight up into the air, then waited for him to drop.

Future Cell landed with a thud, barely breathing and barely conscious.

As Trunks walked forward to finish the job, he heard a voice.

While it was all-too-familiar, he had not heard its originator speak in quite some time.

"After everything that dishonorable killer did to your family and to this universe, I hope you will end his pathetic life with a demonstration of your absolute strength," Cell said, while approaching within one meter of Trunks, while Future Cell stared at him with fear and rage.

Trunks paused for a moment out of surprise, then responded to his liberated ally.

"I was wondering when your bout of unconsciousness would wear off," Trunks said, without a grin of any sort. "My focus on beating the soul out of this bastard must have averted my attention from hearing you stepping closer."

"I'm quite glad that I'll be able to see his end with my own eyes," Cell said, as he then thought about placing his right hand on Trunks' left shoulder out of friendship, but declined to do it, as a result of what he expected was still Trunks' high degree of unease with interacting with someone who looked and sounded exactly the same as the person who had killed his parents.

Too much had happened that Cell completely regretted, and he was beyond angered that unlike in Timeline 3, there were no longer any Dragon Balls in Timeline 4 that he could use to help the innocents who had died as a result of his unwitting empowerment of his counterpart.

Future Cell's features had regenerated from damage, and as he struggled to stand, he sneered at Cell.

"You have insulted me far too often and far too severely to deserve to live," Future Cell said. "Your power and abilities should be mine! I am the only one in this universe who deserves them!"

"You are nothing more than a disgrace," Cell said. "I did everything I could to help you see the light, and despite attaining my memories, and learning the truth of how horribly evil Dr. Gero's plans had been, you chose to use your life, and the powers you stole from me, for nothing more than murder and destruction."

"I was helping you fulfill your destiny," Future Cell said, with a grin. "And besides, you are nothing without me. Your power level has decreased dramatically, to just over what it had been on the unfortunate day we met. You're enabling Trunks to severely outclass both of us in power. If he's successful in killing me, you should do everything in your power to kill him and glorify our name!"

"Unlike you, I don't feel that my well-being and glory should ever come at the expense of the innocent and righteous," Cell said. "I have achieved a glory that Dr. Gero would have forever disallowed me, and which you have sadly been unable to realize through your ignorance."

"Letting you live was a mistake I'll live with and regret for the rest of my existence," Cell said. "All I wanted to do was repent for my evil deeds, and instead, I ended up empowering you to compound them and make the innocent suffer further under a vile oppressor. You've derailed my path of true honor for long enough."

Cell refocused his attention to Trunks, and then addressed him.

"Trunks, I'll forever be sorry for the horrors that were perpetrated against your loved ones," Cell said.

"Words can never bring them back," Trunks said. "You know that."

"I know," Cell said, as he then used his mental energy to limit the movements of the already severely-weakened Future Cell, forcing the malevolent murderer to stand in one spot. "Now, Trunks, bring peace to this universe by eradicating the life this monster lived because of me."

After a moment of pause, Trunks nodded, then turned toward Future Cell.

He started to gather energy, preparing for an attack of ultimate virtue, while Future Cell watched in horror as the energy coalesced.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Thirty-Nine!_

_Up next in Chapter Forty: As Trunks prepares himself to unleash a grand attack, the universe awaits his triumph. With Cell's liberation at last, what shall become of Timeline 4? And what of Goku and Vegeta's plan to travel to the future? You don't want to miss what soon shall transpire – next, on Dragon Ball: Honor Trip! _

_Chapter Forty is scheduled to be released on Saturday, April 21, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Thirty-Nine: Completed April 2, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Credit: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Credit: Roketto _


	45. XL: Extirpation

**Honor Trip **

**(Season III) **

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty: Extirpation**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Art Update:**

**I am greatly pleased to announce that Roketto (RyunoOhi) has produced and posted to her deviantART account visualizations of a key setting for an Honor Trip saga to be released in the future. Check out her deviantART account to experience the awe of Frieza's homeworld, Planet Arcos. **

* * *

_And now, the journey continues … _

* * *

_Timeline IV, Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City, Age 786 … _

He had been restricted within the confines of Future Cell's body when the tyrant had imperiled the innocent with death, and now, he was restricting Future Cell's body with his own restored powers, imperiling the murderer whose death Trunks was all too eager to fulfill.

Cell completely and unequivocally sympathized with what he knew to be unambiguously true – Future Cell deserved to be executed for his crimes.

For a few brief moments, in the midst of applying his mental powers to restrict the movements of Future Cell's significantly weakened imperfect form, Cell pondered the fact that had he not been blessed with an enlightened mind, he, too, likely would have died at another's hands thinking quite similar thoughts to those of his counterpart in these moments.

It was only by the grace of randomness that he had not permanently succumbed his life to the predetermined malice that Dr. Gero had earnestly wanted him to uphold. Cell acknowledged that in looking upon Future Cell while observing Trunks' phenomenal powers as a Super Saiyan 2, he was in a way observing what his end might have been like had he not had the chance to change.

But in knowing all the particulars of the situation – especially since he was indisputably more familiar than anyone else with all the horrid ways of thinking that had been imprinted on Future Cell's consciousness and which compelled his actions – Cell could not help but believe that to at least a limited extent, Future Cell did not entirely deserve this fate.

It seemed like quite some time ago, not long after righteousness had saturated his mind with wondrous ideas that he previously had not properly considered, that Gohan of the alternate past had been severely close to killing him despite his proclamation that he wished to willingly abolish his evil ways and redeem himself through benevolence. In the moments in which he had been awaiting his death by a grand Kamehameha wave, Cell earnestly had felt that while he had in many ways deserved to die for what he had done, the fact that he had never had a true degree of choice regarding his morality supported the idea that he was at least somewhat innocent and deserved to live.

However, there were stark contrasts between Future Cell's situation and what had been his own, contrasts too significant to be ignored and which would be inherently irresponsible to neglect.

Regardless of even a modicum of what could potentially be considered innocence out of acting purely through a predetermined existence, Future Cell in no way truly regretted his actions because his mind, despite all Cell had tried to do, had never been freed from Dr. Gero's programming. It would be impractical to let him have any opportunity at all to harm anyone else, which his self-centered homicidal narcissism would otherwise prompt him to do for either his advantage or sheer amusement.

Aside from Future Cell's intentions, the situation of letting Future Cell live in some form was further impractical through the fact that the bastard's actions had led to the two sets of Dragon Balls in this timeline becoming inert, such that his horrid actions could not be reversed through their use. Cell's opportunity to assist the Z-Fighters of Timeline III by using the Dragon Balls to maximize the effectiveness of their efforts to rescind the damage he had caused had been a key factor in most of their decisions to accept the sincerity and legitimacy of his desire for redemption, and for Future Cell, due to his own actions, no such opportunity was possible.

Cell relatedly wondered exactly how the Z-Fighters would have treated him had his desire for redemption been sincere but without the support of any Dragon Balls to restore the lives of all the innocents he had killed.

It assuredly would have been a much more psychologically difficult situation for them, with a high likelihood that true forgiveness would not have been afforded at all. It was even more doubtful that the people of Timeline III would have ever in a court of law forgiven Cell had the Dragon Balls not been available.

The Dragon Balls had indeed been responsible for his redeemed chance at life, but in contrast, their failure to properly function in significant ways had been largely responsible for the circumstances that had enabled his counterpart's insanity to be empowered with copious physical strength.

They had helped Cell save his soul, and had ultimately helped Future Cell capture it and send the souls of many to Otherworld who otherwise would not have died.

The consequences of his redemption were unavoidably all too clear, but at the very least, in response to his boundless regret, he could help this timeline by aiding in the eradication of the most recent malignant force that had plagued it.

Cell knew, above all else, that he was helping destroy a manifestation of who he had been and might still have been had he not been fortunate, as Future Cell had not been. It reviled Cell that Future Cell still did not view any of his own significant actions as truly wrong, and Cell shuddered at the fact that he could have been trapped by that delusion forever.

Now, though, he returned his full focus to Trunks' gaze of boundless rage, and much more prominently, to the attack he was forming.

The ground was shaking with the ferocity of the accumulating energy, and lighting was profuse throughout the vicinity, accenting the destructive forces that were being summoned on behalf of peace.

It was obvious that Trunks was taking advantage of the fact that Future Cell's movements were restricted so that he could substantially charge his attack – a wise decision, in consideration of the bastard's regenerative capabilities that had enabled him to escape death before.

His arms were straight forward and parallel to each other, with his palms slightly curved but such that his left fingers were pointing in nearly the opposite directions of those on his right hand. His wrists were not in contact with each other, since his arms were indeed parallel, and in front of his palms, a sphere of white and gold energy was becoming all the larger and more powerful.

"Everyone I ever truly cared about will be avenged by your death," Trunks said, while Future Cell's reptilian eyes remained motionless, coldly observing the situation. "In honor of all the people you murdered, you will suffer under the extreme forces of the attack I'm coalescing now, a combination of one of my own and an attack used by a hero of Timeline III, symbolizing the union of our victory over evil in that timeline with your defeat by my hands now."

As the ability of Future Cell to visibly display his arrogance was limited, and as Cell was allowing him, at this point, to at the very least talk, he spitefully responded.

"Your uncreative symbolism is boring me," Future Cell said. "I would have thought that a fighter whose parents I enjoyed killing would have sought to kill me with a more elaborate and innovative method. At least give me something dazzling to look at, not some rehashed garbage thrown hastily together in whatever the Hell it is you're planning to unleash. Where is the ingenuity you claim to possess? I don't see it."

Trunks' body began to slightly fluctuate in size, while the sphere became all the more destructive.

His concentration was intense, and Cell's suspicion as to the identity of one of the techniques became superseded by confirmation.

"You callously dishonored my father of this timeline and the alternate past by using the technique he developed in the past to kill him here," Trunks said. "In his honor, especially, I'm incorporating his Final Flash technique into this attack."

"I'm glad you were so perturbed by his death that you're foolishly relying upon a weak and poorly-designed attack like that," Future Cell said, angering Trunks further and causing him to increase the rate of his energy coalescence.

"Regardless of what you say, your death will avenge him," Trunks said, while continuing to charge the attack, with the ground still violently shaking and the thunder still violently crackling.

Future Cell's eyes turned toward Cell.

"Of course, you're just going to stand there letting him kill me while simultaneously preventing me from moving, aren't you?" Future Cell asked. "You must really hate yourself to be passively letting this happen."

"We stopped being the same person quite some relative time ago, and soon, this timeline will be permanently free from Dr. Gero's vile threats," Cell said. "You could have been something much more than you allowed yourself to be, and instead, you're still nothing more than Gero's subservient pawn. You're more pathetic than I ever was, continuing to commit yourself to despicable intentions while wasting the access I gave you to truth. Maybe in death you'll finally realize just how brainwashed you've been and how much of a fool you were to continue listening to the will of that madman."

"When I see him, we'll laugh at you together," Future Cell said.

"Hatred among idiots is meaningless," Cell said, while turning his attention toward Trunks.

The attack so far had taken much longer to charge than Vegeta's Final Flash had in the alternate past, and Cell positively viewed Trunks' decision to commit extensive time and effort into making the attack as strong as practically possible.

"At this rate, his cells will be so thoroughly destroyed that not even any of his mitochondria will remain," Cell said. "This is an inherently good idea. As you know, I tried killing this bastard once before but failed because I didn't know that I needed to destroy each of his cells. You, however, have the advantage of that knowledge."

Without turning his gaze, Trunks responded.

"I refuse to take any chances," Trunks said, while the amassing energy glowed with strength.

"And by that, you're honoring your mother," Cell said. "I'll continue restraining this scum until you're ready to launch the attack, Trunks."

Trunks nodded, while the energy coalesced further.

Five grueling minutes passed, and the energy sphere became more than two meters in diameter.

The shaking terrain gradually returned to seeming calm, while Trunks maintained the energy sphere in front of him.

Despite its size, it was teeming with a destructive force beyond any Trunks, Broly, Cell, or Future Cell had previously created, and as such, to Cell's knowledge, was the strongest energy attack that had ever been manifested in this timeline.

Trunks' knees continued to be bent, with his feet slightly more apart in distance than his shoulders, and he manipulated the sphere so that it remained in front of his palms while he moved his arms upward.

Trunks repositioned the sphere so that it was now atop his head, and his arms had remained straight all the while.

"After all that, are you really just going to be using some sort of Spirit Bomb?" Future Cell asked, deridingly. "I had thought that you would at least enable this to be a bit more exciting."

"It doesn't need to be exciting; it just needs to work," Trunks said. "Although now, if the shaking Earth, the thunderous booms, and the fact that this attack is stronger than any you ever created didn't excite you, I think you'll find that this will. And by 'excite,' I mean 'horrify.' You know you can't survive this."

"I know that you and my counterpart are fools, and that you always will be," Future Cell said.

"Enough," Trunks said. "Watch this, because it's the last thing you'll ever see while you're alive."

While maintaining the sphere it its position above his head, Trunks manipulated his energy so that from between his parallel arms, and starting a few centimeters above his head, a wall of semi-translucent golden-green energy began to form. Within the energy wall, slowly forming and slowing rising upward, were a gradually growing number of golden-white energy spheres no larger than three centimeters in diameter. The wall extended about half a meter upward from its bottom extent, such that there was recognizable space above it and below the primary energy sphere that Trunks had formed.

Then, Trunks slowly brought his arms apart from parallel, such that each was moving away from the other, and as he moved his arms, the energy wall extended, with additional energy spheres gradually forming in the new sections of the wall.

Trunks enabled his arms to spread far enough apart that they were at a right angle, together forming a "V", and with each new section of the wall, the former sections were becoming slightly brighter.

Cell then felt Trunks' energy accentuate, and the components of the energy wall began to extend upward many meters, such that without exploding the primary energy sphere, the wall passed through the sphere and extended 10 meters upward from its lowest point.

Suddenly, Trunks' energy spiked in magnitude while the lightning in his aura moved with greater celerity.

Golden-white light rapidly filled the energy wall from bottom to top, matching the primary energy sphere in visual texture and forming a configuration such that the wall contained the primary sphere toward its bottom as a noticeable bulge, now of an even greater concentration of energy in the midst of the wall, which itself had substantially increased in overall power.

Trunks briefly looked toward Cell, beckoning him to adjust Future Cell's position.

"Raise him a meter into the air so we can avoid harming the planet further," Trunks said.

Cell complied, and Future Cell's body levitated swiftly, with its extent still under Cell's rigid mental control.

Trunks then looked toward Future Cell, whose reptilian eyes were flickering with alarm at what was to come.

"For peace throughout this universe and for all time, your end has arrived," Trunks said, right before he suddenly brought the vertical configuration downward, with the configuration moving between his arms as he brought them from vertical and repositioned the "V" to make it a few degrees above parallel to the ground, such that the energy configuration now was pointing directly at Future Cell.

"Final Finish Buster!" Trunks yelled, as the primary energy sphere suddenly vaulted forward, heading straight toward Future Cell. When the sphere reached halfway to its target, the radiant energy wall rapidly expanded in vertical size and shot forward, at just under twice the speed of the sphere, with Trunks continuing to supply copious energy to the rampaging energy wave.

Almost instantaneously after the sphere bombarded into Future Cell's body, the vastly expanded energy wall collided with the sphere and then with Future Cell.

Cell maintained his mental hold on Future Cell's body while the blasts consumed him, decimating his form with forces of overwhelming destruction.

After a few moments, Cell felt his mental grip shift in nature, as so much of Future Cell's body had been consumed by the blast that there was no longer a sizable component that could be restrained with his powers. Cell couldn't sense Future Cell at all within the overpowering blast, and he saw the Final Finish Buster's luminous form reached outward beyond the sky.

Trunks maintained control of the blast and sensed it reach space, alighting the void with its destructive capability.

After a few more moments, Trunks ceased emitting further energy while maintaining his focus on the energy that had already been emitted.

In a few minutes, after he was satisfied that even the closest components of the blast had moved far enough away from Earth, Trunks released the energy of the attack, with a flare forming in space that quite quickly shined brightly and sizably in the sky.

Trunks finally let himself relax his focus, then began to breathe somewhat heavily. The attack, even for a warrior of his astounding strength, had been quite strenuous to perform, although he was proud that it had at last come to pass.

While momentarily arching forward and placing his hands on his knees to brace himself, and in the midst of one of his long breaths, he spoke.

"I can't sense him at all, can you?" he asked Cell.

Cell had been intently observing his surroundings for any potential sign of his counterpart, but for many minutes, he had not sensed even a remnant of his presence.

"I don't detect his life force within the comparative radial distance from here to the sun," Cell said. "That's about 150 million kilometers in all directions."

With part of his Super Saiyan 2 hair flowing with a calming gust of wind, Trunks took a few more breaths, while Cell pondered what Trunks was thinking.

After a few moments, and for the first time in quite some time, Trunks smiled with genuine joy.

"Now, at long last, I can finally say that it's really over, thanks to my mother, father, Gohan, and especially Goku," Trunks said, while returning his stance to one of vitality, reflective of his pride.

His smile then faded when he looked at Cell, and he was somewhat unsure of what to say.

* * *

_Otherworld … _

"If I had a drink right now, I'd be drinkin' it!" Master Roshi said, in the middle of the general sense of celebration that had engulfed all who were present near King Kai and who had heard the good news.

"That bastard deserved every bit of pain he experienced in that attack for what he did to my people and to yours," Moori said.

"We have Goku, especially, to thank for enabling Trunks to even have a chance of defeating Cell," Piccolo said, while he thought of all that had happened.

"His war is finally over," King Kai said. "Goku would be very proud of Trunks for managing to finally end Dr. Gero's campaign of terror."

"But what the hell is Trunks going to do with the other Cell?" Yamcha asked. "Is he really going to let that freak live after all that's happened?"

"The other Cell is a very different guy than the one who they killed," Krillin said. "He used to be a jerk, but from the limited amount of time I spent with him when I was alive again, he seemed sincere."

"I think he even tried to help me during our battle against the evil Cell," Piccolo said. "When the evil Cell communicated with me mentally, I heard someone interrupt him. That was certainly the good Cell."

"We should be thankful that this Cell is peaceful and that Earth is safe again," King Kai said.

A few meters away, Gohan was sitting on the ground in a meditative mood of solemn reflection.

"Thank you for everything, Dad …," he said.

* * *

_Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City …_

A few moments of further silence passed between them before Cell decided to speak.

"It's alright," Cell said, while maintaining his position. "I'm not expecting you to feel in any way comfortable with my presence as a result of all that has happened. In fact, I would completely understand if you hate me even more than you hate my counterpart."

Trunks looked at him, then sighed.

"I'd be lying if I said that I don't hate you for what happened," Trunks said. "But no, you don't deserve my complete and total rage. It's not your fault that he victimized you to become stronger."

"He represented everything I wanted to change about myself," Cell said. "You have no idea how absolutely angry I am about everything he was able to do because of me."

Trunks briefly looked toward the sky, the looked back at Cell.

"Look, Cell, as angry as I am with all the androids, the fact you helped me kill him shows where your true loyalty is," Trunks said.

"He was, like I used to be, a vicious monster that needed to be stopped," Cell said.

"And now he's rotting in Hell where he belongs," Trunks said, before adopting a more aggressive tone. "But Cell, I'm sure you've also thought of the fact that he was only able to do all he did because you were here, and that had you not been here, this would never have happened."

Cell morosely responded.

"I am more than aware of this," he said.

"I should never have listened to you about giving that freak a chance to live a life of peace," Trunks said. "You talked me into it, and look what happened."

"I had no way of knowing the consequences would be this severe," Cell said.

"We should have assumed the worst," Trunks said. "And you know what? Had Gohan killed you in the alternate past, you wouldn't have been in this timeline at all. I could have come back to my timeline, killed 17 and 18, then killed Cell before he would have had the chance to harm anyone, and my mother would have still been alive, as well as millions of other people who are now dead in a universe without Dragon Balls. And speaking of Dragon Balls, my mother and I could have eventually built a spaceship to get to Planet New Namek instead of hitching a ride with you via Instant Transmission. We could have considerably restored the lives of many whose lives had been abbreviated, like we tried to do some time ago, although obviously, all our efforts had been in vain."

"I'm … beyond sorrow for this, Trunks," Cell said.

"Your chance at redemption wasn't worth all this," Trunks said. "You were a homicidal maniac just like the bastard we killed and you deserved to die for your crimes. Yet we let you live, and because we let you live, millions of people in my timeline who didn't have to die were killed and my timeline no longer has any Dragon Balls. This didn't have to happen, and it all happened because we decided to spare you. Your enlightenment wasn't worth my universe being ripped apart by a war far more severe than the one you waged in the alternate past and certainly more severe than the one waged by 17 and 18 in this timeline. Millions of people didn't deserve to die. And you didn't deserve to live."

For many moments, Trunks stared directly into Cell's eyes, before turning away.

"The remaining people of Earth deserve to live in at least some sort of peace," Trunks said, while powering down from Super Saiyan 2 and reentering his normal state. "But now, we both need to think about the most effective way to begin the rebuilding process."

"I'm going to travel around the planet assisting those who need help," Cell said. "Are you going to do the same?"

"It would be the right thing to do," Trunks said. "We'll need to – "

A beam of energy shot straight through Trunks' chest, creating a hole about 10 centimeters in diameter and absolutely interrupting him.

Cell couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Future Cell, with the aura of his Super Perfect form howling wildly, had suddenly appeared with a Full-Power Death Beam already fully-charged, then had struck Trunks when he was off-guard.

"You missed one," Future Cell said, while walking forward and beginning to chuckle at Trunks' expense.

Trunks stumbled wildly and dropped to the ground, such that he now was facing Cell and Future Cell. He instantly became horrified upon seeing the two of them simultaneously, realizing the sordid truth of what had happened. His breathing was rapid and weak, and despite all he had accomplished, he could barely move because of the devastating attack.

As Future Cell continued to walk toward Trunks, with his malicious anticipation all-too-apparent, Cell quickly shifted in front of Future Cell in an attempt to prevent him from further approaching Trunks, only to have the diabolic devil punch him swiftly in the stomach with one hand while holding his back with the other and standing firm, intensifying the effect.

Cell immediately coughed up an abundance of blood, realizing that somehow, despite their efforts, Future Cell had managed to become even stronger than he had been before.

"You … but …," Cell began to say while weakly standing, before needing to pause to breathe.

"Surprised?" Future Cell asked, while his aura crackled with lightning. "You shouldn't be. We already learned as a result of my first near-death regeneration that Dr. Gero made our design superior even to what we had thought possible. Now I can confirm that our design is truly perfect."

While Cell tried to stand, Trunks observed the scene with bewildered sorrow.

Tears began to form in his eyes, while he was still struggling to breathe.

Future Cell noticed this and grinned.

"I have achieved a greater level of power than I ever possessed before, and the two of you are now bedraggled weaklings compared to me," he said. "Your grand effort to stop me merely made me stronger. As I know the secret to this strength, I shall eradicate you, my counterpart, before you have the chance to discover it. And as for you, Trunks, you are going to enable me to fulfill my dreams of ultimate perfection after all."

As Future Cell began to march forward again, Cell jumped backward and entered a fighting stance, unaware of exactly what Future Cell was intending, but resolute to protect Trunks at all costs.

Cell realized that Instant Transmission evidently had somehow been involved in Future Cell's effort to stay alive, and that if he was to try and instant transmit with Trunks now, Future Cell would be far too likely to find them. Cell contemplated instant transmitting Trunks to Otherworld, but that would reveal King Kai's position to Future Cell, and –

Cell gasped in horror upon realizing what Future Cell was likely planning.

Future Cell noticed the shift in his counterpart's expression, and his maniacal laughter filled both Cell and Trunks with further dread.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Forty!_

_Up next: The war between the heroes of Earth and the malevolent Future Cell reaches its grand conclusion! With the gap in their powers vastly widened, can Cell somehow manage to defeat his sadistic counterpart, or will Future Cell's ferocious fervor prove ultimately victorious? What of the forces of Otherworld? Be sure to stay tuned for the special two-chapter finale to this tumultuous conflict, to be presented back-to-back:_

_Chapter Forty-One, "Reflection," is scheduled to be released on Saturday, May 12, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])_

_AND THEN, Chapter Forty-Two, "Justice," is scheduled to be released THE FOLLOWING DAY, on Sunday, May 13, 2012, by 5:00 p.m. - U.S. Eastern Standard Time, (10:00 p.m. - Coordinated Universal Time [UTC])_

_This special two-chapter conclusion to the War Against Future Cell will then be followed, the weekend of June 2, by the double-chapter finale to Season Three! _

_And then, my friends, we'll be moving forward to Season Four!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty: Completed April 21, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Credit: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Credit: Roketto _


	46. Special Press Release 1

**Honor Trip**

**Special Press Release #1**

**May 12, 2012**

**Part 1: **_Release of __"Showdown with Future Cell" Chapters Rescheduled to May 26 and 27 Due to External Commitments of Importance_

My dear friends and dedicated readers,

Due to extensive business commitments, volunteer activities, assistance of friends in need and my imminent move from Virginia to Washington, D.C., Chapters 41 and 42, which comprise the "Showdown with Future Cell," are not going to be released May 12 and 13 as originally scheduled, despite my efforts and intentions to have them completed by these dates.

I decided that rushing production of the chapters so that they could be complete by the originally-scheduled release dates would have been a significant disservice to your reading experiences and to the story's integrity and quality adherence. With this extended deadline, I will have the opportunity to write these chapters with greater meticulousness, elaboration, depth, refinement, and action value than would have been the case had I made them shorter and rushed the processes.

Many of you can recall the period of time earlier in the history of Honor Trip in which chapters were released according to irregular production schedules, with some consecutive chapters released more than three months apart from each other. My decision to increase the rate of production so that a chapter would be released every three weeks was made with the intention of providing you with a more consistent, quality reading experience that you would be able to enjoy more often.

I knew from the onset that this would be an ambitious task, as I wanted to increase the rate of production in a period of my life in which there have been vast increases in the quantity and intensity of my professional responsibilities and other commitments. It's therefore quite reasonable that there will be instances in which despite my best efforts, the time frame of releasing chapters every three weeks will not always be able to be strictly adhered to, especially in periods when my professional and other commitments are at greater-than-average quantities and intensities, as had been the case over the past three weeks.

With all this explained, please accept my humble apology that the chapters were not released the weekend of May 12 as planned, but be confident that rescheduling the release dates will enable me to write these chapters so that there are of inherently greater quality and enjoyment value for you.

**Part 2:**_ A Response to Your Reviews for Chapter 40, and an Elaboration on the Viability of Future Cell surviving Trunks' Final Finish Buster and the Plot's Progression _

As many astute readers have observed, the fact that Future Cell managed to not only survive Trunks' Final Finish Buster in Chapter 40 but do so in conjunction with Cell, Trunks, and their allies in Otherworld neglecting to confirm whether his energy signature and presence were in fact within the confines of Otherworld collectively can be perceived as a series of illogical and overly convenient event progressions – unless reasonable explanations are provided.

Since Honor Trip seeks to uphold a superlative standard of logical and quality storytelling, and since I sincerely value your feedback and rigorously endeavor to enable this series to make as much sense as possible while accommodating pre-existent canonical elements that not always were of the greatest of logical integrity, I decided that an elaborated explanation as to my decision to have the story progress in this manner would be appropriate.

In the planning and development stage for Chapter 40, I considerably pondered whether to end the chapter at the point in which the published version ends, or to extend the chapter beyond the published end to include additional details and developments that would have supported the legitimacy of the scenario of Future Cell surviving the attack in the way he did.

I ultimately decided to implement the former option to emphasize the desperation of Cell and Trunks' situation, and your legitimate questions have arisen as a result.

To address your specific constructive criticisms, (which, as always, are greatly appreciated), I'd like to explain **why** I decided to have Future Cell survive the Final Finish Buster and impale Trunks, in his normal state, with a Full-Power Death Beam. Had I decided to extend Chapter 40 beyond its published end, my intentions as to these decisions likely would have been clearer, but as I ended the chapter at the point I did, I shall elaborate upon these points now.

_Reason 1: Enabling Cell and Future Cell to fight each other in a significant capacity before the end of the Future Cell Saga _

I realized in discerning how to best end the Future Cell Saga that throughout the saga, despite the fact that it has been the "current" featured saga for more than one year as of this writing, that Cell and Future Cell have not yet had the opportunity to fight each other in a substantial capacity and that to end the saga without enabling this to happen would be detrimental to the saga's overall quality and would be a significant missed opportunity if not included. While this indeed extends the saga, (as Future Cell already has managed to survive on many occasions despite near-death), it is not, in fact, repetitive because Cell and Future Cell have not yet had the chance to properly fight each other (which will happen as a result of events in Chapter 41 that will increase Cell's abilities).

The fact that Cell and Future Cell will have the opportunity to fight each other on somewhat even terms in the coming chapters will enable this grand battle of liberated good versus predetermined evil to take place, and will be emblematic of Cell's commitment, despite his tactical mistakes after having the chance to live a different life, to overcome his past beliefs and fight for freedom. Defeating Future Cell would be a highly symbolic representation of Cell's triumph over the horror of whom he had been and the evil intentions that Dr. Gero had wanted him to fulfill.

_Reason 2: Reflections of another reality, one that would have possessed a different flow of events had the divergence in Chapter One not occurred _

Especially astute readers might have noticed that throughout the Future Cell Saga, there have been numerous references, some subtle and others overt, to events that might have come to pass had the divergence from the canonical Dragon Ball universe that took place in Chapter One not occurred. Indeed, while the Future Cell Saga and Honor Trip as a whole have taken a vastly different course than the events of canon, there have been various moments in the Future Cell Saga that have referenced events which occurred in canon after the moment the divergence occurred in Chapter One, although the specifics of the events are different in Honor Trip.

It should be clarified that these reflections of events are not merely symbolic of what could have been – eventually, the fact that these reflections are present will become extremely relevant to the Honor Trip storyline.

Among the reflections that have occurred in the Future Cell Saga are:

- a version of Goku's removal from a type of existence as part of an effort to defeat a version of Cell;

- a version of Cell, in desperation, using his Power-Weighted form after being vastly overpowered by a Super Saiyan 2 son of a full-blooded Saiyan;

- the Super Saiyan 2 warrior damaging the Power-Weighted version of Cell so severely that he involuntarily purges from his body a component fighter that had enabled him to achieve his perfect form, thereby returning to a previous form;

- a version of Cell regaining his perfect form after near-death;

- allies in Otherworld failing to confirm that a version of Cell is dead after what seemed like his certain death; and

- Trunks, in his normal state becoming impaled by a beam of energy from a Super-Perfect form version of Cell.

The specific ways in which I want to present the fight between Cell and Future Cell will enable the events of Honor Trip to reflect various additional specific events that occurred in canon.

_Reason 3: Closing a potential Instant Transmission plot hole that canon never adequately explained _

The establishment of the Instant Transmission technique in canon led to various potential plot holes in official Dragon Ball media derived from situations in which it seemingly could have (and tactically should have) been used and yet was not. One of the most blatant arose from anime filler (considered canon by some) in which King Kai revealed to Goku that he knows how to use Instant Transmission, as this causes King Kai's actions during the Namek sagas, most prominently not transmitting Goku off Namek in the moments before its explosion, to be inherently illogical.

Among the potential instant transmission plot holes is a subtle one that occurred at the end of the canonical Cell Games Saga, but which has dramatic implications.

There are two parts to this plot hole, and they are as follows:

1) With Cell's knowledge of Instant Transmission and superior tactical mind, during his beam struggle with Gohan, in the moments in which he was not clearly losing the beam struggle, it seems possible Cell could have instant transmitted out of the struggle, appeared behind Gohan, and kicked/punched/otherwise forced him into the highly destructive energies, which potentially could have sealed Cell's victory.

2) Due to the nature of his anatomy, and his own knowledge of his ability to regenerate from one cell, it seems possible that Cell, in the moments in which he realized he was being swallowed up by Gohan's victorious Kamehameha, could have instant transmitted out of the blast, either to the energy signature of anyone on the planet (Gohan included), or to an energy signature off-world. The fact that he doesn't do this is never explained, and therefore is a plot hole that has never been resolved. If an explanation had been clearly provided by Toriyama as to why Cell didn't use Instant Transmission, there would be no plot hole, but alas, it seems that we, the fans, need to derive an explanation to make sense of events and uphold the integrity of the canonical plot's progression. Among the potential explanations to this plot hole could be that Cell:

- hadn't at all considered using Instant Transmission to escape the attack;

- hadn't considered it before Vegeta's surprise attack that knocked him off-balance, and then afterward considered using but and didn't have enough time to fixate on an energy signature;

- had considered it before Vegeta's attack and was fundamentally distracted by Vegeta's energy attack to the extent that he did not have enough time to refocus before being consumed, whether solely because he didn't have enough time or because his available concentration and mental processing were so fixated on staying alive against Gohan's energy attack through attempting to emit more counter energy that he did not have enough available concentration to devote to Instant Transmission focusing within his available time period; or

- had been hampered by the surrounding energies of Gohan's Kamehameha, which somehow made him unable to successfully use the technique (among these four potential explanations, this seems the least plausible).

In the course of the fight between Cell and Future Cell, and in an expanded explanation in the upcoming chapters of how Future Cell managed to survive Trunks' Final Finish Buster, I will seek to resolve this plot hole.

The answers to the following three questions are greatly relevant to this plot hole:

- If a fighter who knows Instant Transmission is in the midst of a beam struggle (clash of energy attacks in which both fighters are attempting to overpower each other's attack), can that fighter, if he is not clearly losing the struggle, instant transmit out of the struggle?

- If a fighter who knows Instant Transmission is in the midst of a beam struggle and is clearly losing the struggle, can that fighter, at any point, instant transmit out of the struggle?

- If a fighter who knows Instant Transmission is in the process of being consumed by an energy attack, can that fighter, at any point, instant transmit out of the attack?

As is the case with the plot hole itself, my perspectives on the answers to each of these questions shall be more extensively explored in Chapters 41 and 42, which will thoroughly explain, as part of the answer to the plot hole, how Future Cell could have logically and plausibly survived the Final Finish Buster.

The upcoming chapters not only will elaborate upon the logicality and plausibility of Future Cell's surviving the Finish Buster, but also will elaborate upon the logical reasons as to why Cell, Trunks, and their allies in Otherworld did not confirm that Future Cell was dead after the Final Finish Buster.

I wholeheartedly acknowledge that there are material differences between this scenario and the one presented in canon (beyond the fact that in canon, the Z-Fighters on Earth and Goku and King Kai in Otherworld did not use their energy-sensing abilities to see if a version of Cell had actually died after what seemed like certain death, while Honor Trip has different groups of characters in Otherworld and the mortal realm neglecting to confirm Future Cell's death). The key material differences are that:

- in canon, the technique that the Z-Fighters erroneously believed was the cause of Cell's death was unleashed in Otherworld, while in Honor Trip, the technique that was erroneously believed to have killed Future Cell was unleashed in the mortal realm; and

- while in canon Cell's regeneration from one cell added an element of surprise to the Z-Fighters' combat experiences against him because he had not beforehand demonstrated this ability and had not known himself to be capable of such regeneration, by the time of Honor Trip Chapter 40, Future Cell already had shown himself to be capable of using the technique and Cell and Trunks knew of the ability, such that they should have at the very least considered the possibility that one of his cells might have survived and that he might regenerate.

Indeed, had Cell and Trunks honestly believed that Future Cell could have survived the blast, and had they confirmed with Otherworld whether Future Cell had in fact died, Trunks would not have returned to his normal state and would have maintained his Super Saiyan 2 form until Future Cell was finally defeated.

However, as shall be revealed in Chapter 41, there is a plausible explanation for why Cell and Trunks honestly believed Future Cell to be dead as a result of the Final Finish Buster despite knowing that he could both regenerate from a single cell and use Instant Transmission, and why they did not bother confirming with Otherworld whether Future Cell had in fact died and been relocated there. Likewise, there is a plausible explanation as to why none of the allies in Otherworld bothered confirming whether Future Cell had died despite knowing of his abilities.

Does Future Cell's possession of such abilities decrease tension in the story because of his seeming insuperability? Not truly, as his possession of those abilities makes defeating him much more challenging, causing final victory over him to be all the more noteworthy. It also should be remembered that at the end of the canonical Cell Games Saga, Gohan had to overcome Cell's single-cell regeneration and Instant Transmission abilities, and his successful defense of the universe against an evil possessor of those abilities was all the more memorable because of this.

Future Cell indubitably epitomizes the archetype of "villain who refuses to die," but even those who are seemingly invincible aren't truly so.

I am sincerely looking forward to publishing Chapters 41 and 42, and thanks to all of you for being awesome.

Sincerely,

American Vigor


	47. XLI: Reflection

**Honor Trip **

**(Season III) **

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-One: Reflection**

**The Showdown with Future Cell (Part 1 of 2)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Viczu' Ooz, The Grand Caldera, Age 786, three minutes before Trunks was impaled by a Full-Power Death Beam due to the reappearance of his most hated adversary … _

His adamant campaign to surmount the threshold of death soon was to fuel his regeneration amidst an ashen sky, which itself was restricting almost all visible light from beyond the planet's atmosphere, accenting the heavens of this world with an eternal shroud.

But glimmers of light from below charged the ions in the volatile atmosphere to produce shines of red and orange amongst the haze, with the unstable chaos of the environs promulgating vast waves of lightning in the distance.

The volcanic majesty of the caldera, a ringed protrusion out of the planet's surface containing an active pit of luminous molten material with streams of searing lava flowing over its ring-wall, which extended higher than the volcanoes of Earth's solar system despite the loss of its peak long ago, now was to be the site of an even greater emergence of force.

In the aftermath of his desperate gamble, a group of 29 cells had survived, although as per his design, biochemical and electromagnetic signals were sent among them that rendered 28 nonfunctional, with a single cell becoming the foundation for his reformation.

His molecular multiplication proceeded as planned, with the automatic cellular regenerative processes interwoven into his genetics producing specialized cells for the varied functions he would require.

What started as a single cell slowly began to augment in number, with the cells starting to reform structures he had lost and enable him to have a basis through which to once again advance himself.

Then, in a moment of infinitesimal duration in comparison to the broader universe's history, but which was to be rather quite prominent regarding its fate, consciousness was restored.

He could not yet see, and he could not yet hear, but he again knew himself to be existent.

Acting in a mix of regained consciousness and instinct, he immediately lowered his power level as much as possible, attempting to conceal this regeneration from all who could potentially sense it.

Following implementation of that particular component of the tactics he had planned before his supposed execution, he focused on his overall state of existence in synthesis, while the rate of cellular multiplication began to swiftly increase.

It was a sensation similar to what he had felt on the previous occasion he had needed to regenerate from mere cells, although this time, he was unsurprised that he had averted the end of his life.

However, he quickly realized that something seemed far different than what had previously been true.

There was power flowing through him far greater than what he had possessed during his previous regeneration from a single cell, and the power was growing rapidly, in conjunction with the rapidly increasing number of cells.

The feeling of searing and scalding warmth around him suddenly became apparent, and he could feel his legs, arms, and neck beginning to truly form out from his main section.

Then, with the alacrity by which his head was then redeveloping, his eyesight suddenly returned – blurry at first, but swiftly becoming sharp. His hearing then returned, and he could hear and see the Grand Caldera, seething with destructiveness, just like him.

While his theory that he could survive the Final Finish Buster had proven to be an affirmed hypothesis, he used the light emitting from the caldera to test yet another theory.

With his head almost fully formed, and his arms, legs, main section, and wings now almost fully formed as well, he decided to attain visual confirmation, to make sure, above all else, that his feelings of euphoria ineffably beyond what he had expected were empirically verifiable.

Sure enough, as he looked upon himself, he saw, in the flickering crimson light, that his pectoral muscles of his upper chest were black and that each of his feet did not possess digits, but was whole, as his total body almost was.

He briefly looked to his lower-left and saw the blackened edge of his left wing, and then, upon feeling his body's restoration achieve completion, he placed his hands upon his face.

He spent many meticulous moments feeling his face with his hands, reveling in the glory of touching his fully formed nose and mouth, then spoke aloud to commemorate the superlative nature of his triumph.

"Ah, my perfect face … indeed, the intensity of my perfection overcame all the universe could do to stifle it," Future Cell said. "Destiny itself seemed as though it was conspiring against me, and if so, it has lost. And if destiny truly has been with me all along, then this merely reinforces my unparalleled quality."

Despite all he had been led to believe, and the notions that he never again would be able to achieve the form he now, more than ever before, regarded as perfect, he had been malevolently blessed with the ability to attain the form again as a result of his latest regeneration.

"It seems my perfect memory extends not just to my formal mind," Future Cell said, with a grin. "My cells must have remembered the taste of perfect power so well that given the opportunity to thoroughly reform my body, they strove to comprehensively take advantage of my ultimate genetic expression. This is yet another wondrous ability Dr. Gero bestowed upon me, and it shall forever be mine!"

He thought of rapidly powering up in a display of the extreme abilities he had regained, but he quickly restrained himself, knowing that such a decision would reveal his position all too soon and diminish any advantage he still might gain from concealment.

His original plan for surviving Trunks' Final Finish Buster, a plan that had been made with the idea that he would merely retain his first humanoid form upon regeneration, had indeed involved concealment.

While Trunks had been charging the Final Finish Buster and Cell had been mentally gripping him, Future Cell had been searching the cosmos using his sensing techniques for energy signatures that were as far from Earth as he could sense that were of comparatively significant power level intensity.

There had been numerous candidate clusters of energy signatures, but ultimately, he had selected one cluster group in particular and focused on it as much as he possibly could.

When the Final Finish Buster had impacted him, he had purposely let it consume much of him and didn't instant transmit until one of the last possible moments for him to do so while possessing some sort of capable consciousness, which at minimum required at least 0.1 percent of his body to be intact, and for him to have been able to transfer from his previously much higher level of consciousness – available via the presence of at least a sizable fragment of his central mind – a clearly maintained focus on an energy signature. His plan had by necessity been all the more complex because of his counterpart's mental restriction on his movements, which had been quite effective in preventing Future Cell from outright using Instant Transmission while the mental restriction had been in effect, just as how Trunks had not been able to use the Instant Transmission technique while within the restrictive Imprisonment Ball.

However, throughout the blast and restriction, Future Cell internally had known to remain focused and calm so that he could clearly maintain his sense of the faraway energy signature cluster and properly transfer to the limited memory capabilities of his remaining cells the concentration necessary to maintain his sense of the energy signature cluster and an auto-command to constantly attempt using Instant Transmission even on the brink of his own obliteration.

Future Cell had known his plan to be quite risky, but indeed it had involved all he could hope to do in desperation. He had deduced that Cell's mental restriction over his movements likely would not work at some point in the process of the blast diminishing his remaining body structure, such that it eventually would become too difficult for Cell to maintain his hold on the remaining structure through complications in sensing from outside the blast caused by the blast's energy and the uncertain nature and location of the remaining component of Future Cell's body. Based on the structure of his counterpart and Trunks' plan, it did not seem that they had properly considered this, and Future Cell wanted to use their tactical mistake to his advantage. All the while, according to his plan, Future Cell had constantly attempted to instant transmit away in the hope that eventually one attempt would work before too much of him was consumed by the blast – and indeed, Future Cell had proven successful in that endeavor, although in the midst of his remaining form undergoing instant transmission, the blast consumed almost all of it, enabling only 29 of his cells to reach Planet Viczu' Ooz.

Future Cell had thought that there would be a chance that Cell and Trunks might actually believe that he had been killed by the blast if so little of himself remained before the transmission that the disappearance of his energy signature in the vicinity of Earth's solar system would seem as a natural consequence of the blast itself. In fact, he perceived based on the structure of their plan that they honestly felt there was a strong chance that he would be outright destroyed through this method. It seemed, from Future Cell's perspective, that Cell and Trunks had put way too much confidence in Cell's ability to restrict his movements and too much confidence in the overwhelming power of the blast to obliterate him, especially if they had considered at any point that he might have had a brief window in which to escape, although it did not seem they had properly made the consideration.

But he had planned for the possibility that they might actively try to sense him far beyond the reaches of the Earth's solar system and then instant transmit to his location. After all, Cell and Trunks' abilities, like his own, to sense entities of even quite low power levels from extremely far away was certainly with precedent, as Cell had sensed Bulma across the vast distance between Earth and where Planet New Namek had been 20 years prior, right after he and Trunks unintentionally emerged in Timeline IV. Trunks, with his augmented powers, presumably had comparable if not superior energy sensing abilities, which Future Cell realized might have in part been demonstrated through Trunks' escape from the core region of Planet New Namek, although Future Cell was unsure of exactly how far away the planet Trunks had transmitted to happened to have been.

Even with his concealed power level though, his apparent power level was stronger than Bulma's had been then, and Planet Viczu' Ooz, based on Future Cell's estimation, was not that much relatively farther from Earth than the physical point in which Cell and Trunks emerged in Timeline IV. His power level now perhaps was concealed to no more than a mere 40, whereas Bulma's had been 10.

What, then, was another key reason why he thought he would remain hidden?

He had chosen to instant transmit toward a cluster of energy signatures of Planet Viczu' Ooz in particular because of the relatively high nature of the power levels he had sensed, and he had intended to surround himself with them so as to shield himself from observation.

As Future Cell looked around his immediate vicinity, he indeed sensed the presence of significant power levels, perhaps each with a power level of slightly more than 2,000, although it significantly puzzled him that by no means could he see the possessors of those power levels – of which he counted 15 in total.

After a few moments of attempting to discern the truth of the matter, the truth was made clear through the relative clearness of the entities fading, with their previously cloaked forms becoming more and more apparent.

It was perhaps their curiosity as to Future Cell's emergence that had somehow prompted them to reveal themselves.

There they were, flying in the air with wingspans of more than 10 meters each, creatures that looked almost indistinguishable from the manta rays of Earth, but each with bodies colored jet-black, with the exception of their glowing green eyes.

They seemed to be flying with relative ease through the sulfuric air – a sight of intrigue for Future Cell, to say the least. Indeed, the Grand Caldera had become as tall as it had because of the planet's far lesser gravity than that of Earth, and the ability of the massive creatures to fly through the air was in part testament to this.

Future Cell briefly attempted to assess their sentience to determine how they managed to cloak themselves, for he was indeed uncertain if the cloaking was a natural ability, or perhaps a capability of advanced technology they possessed.

He very quickly shifted himself atop one of the air rays and placed his right hand atop what he assumed – and then confirmed – to be the brain region of the ray closest to him.

"How very primitive," Future Cell said, in disgust. "So, your cloaking ability is natural! How could you deserve such a thing when I, the greatest of all entities in this universe, do not posses it?"

He felt like killing the ray out of anger, but because he wanted the rays to not disperse or attempt striking back at him so that he could maintain his concealment among them a little while longer, he merely shifted his position two meters away from the ray, mollifying it.

It indeed seemed that Cell and Trunks had not sensed him at all, otherwise they likely would have instant transmitted toward him, unless they were trying to outmaneuver him and trick him into doing something that would give them the advantage.

It was time to devise a new plan.

Under Future Cell's original plan, which had been predicated by the idea that he would only regain his original humanoid form, he had intended to use Viczu' Ooz as a steppingstone from which to instant transmit even farther and farther from Earth until he was relatively sure that Trunks and Cell would have even less of a chance of finding him, keeping his power level concealed all the while. He had not known at what point Trunks and Cell would attempt to confirm with Otherworld whether he had died, or if foolish overconfidence would compel them to not do so, but he wanted to be thousands of light-years from Earth by the time a consultation with Otherworld would prompt them to look for him. Future Cell had intended to remain hidden for more than 100 standard years if necessary with regard to Trunks, waiting out the predicted span of Trunks' life while absorbing power from entities across the galaxy all the while. As far as dealing with Cell, if indeed Cell had not already traveled back to Timeline III through somehow acquiring a time machine, Future Cell had intended on spending as long as it would take, even if it took more than 10,000 years, to conceal his true power while absorbing enough energy to make even his basic humanoid form stronger than his counterpart's perfect form, or to across the vastness of the galaxy find a way, whether through an item or through other means, that would also enable him to gain strength. After all, if the Dragon Balls could exist, surely across the vastness of the Milky Way Galaxy there might be even more artifacts of seemingly mystical power with miraculous abilities. And eventually, if he acquired enough ability over those 10,000 years, he would have attempted transmitting to the West and East Galaxies as well, and then to the South Galaxy, to acquire even more power and abilities.

Had Trunks and Cell decided to instant transmit toward him, he would have instant transmitted away from Viczu' Ooz had they appeared, as soon as his state of consciousness would have permitted him to do so. There could have been a small window of opportunity in which they might have sensed him and he could not have instant transmitted away, but he again had acknowledged the risk he had needed to take. He had planned on instant transmitting too many jumps away for them to properly keep track of him, and from that point he would have proceeded with his goal of concealment so as to disallow them from further finding him via Instant Transmission.

Time was merely fleeting, after all. Future Cell considered himself to be eternal, even without the godlike powers the Dragon Balls could have granted him.

But with his reformed body, was a plan of concealment still necessary, or beneficial in any way?

Would it –

Aha! A supreme opportunity had presented itself.

"The fool!" Future Cell yelled in euphoria. "How could he have allowed himself to descend from Super Saiyan 2 back to his normal state? Surely, had he checked with Otherworld as to whether I actually died, he would have known this descent to be completely inadvisable! My counterpart, the fool he is, probably has exhibited the same overconfidence! Why wait for glorious revenge when it can be exacted immediately?"

Indeed, even though Trunks and Cell could not sense him, he could readily sense them.

"It appears that my desire to potentially find a much older, vulnerable version of Trunks in the far future so I could read his mind to acquire the valued information I seek shall be modified," Future Cell said, with a grin. "But first, while he is at his most vulnerable, I shall assure that he will never again threaten my progress."

He readied his right index finger without charging any energy, then focused on Trunks' energy signature and vanished from the world of luminous lava and bellowing smoke, while the rays continued in their course.

In the coming relative seconds within hyperspace, concealed from the energy sensing abilities of those in normal space-time, an aura of golden waves and cascading lightning shined in the spirit of strife, and an attack was charged that was to fundamentally change the course of Trunks' life.

There were many factors that Cell and Trunks should have considered, but a mix of overconfidence and assumptions on their part, and also on the part of their allies in Otherworld, shattered their dream of peace.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City, Age 786, [directly after the events of the previous chapter] …_

While he had done many things in his life that in retrospect he had considered to be quite foolish, including a plethora of severe tactical mistakes that had resulted in the present situation, Cell was by no means a fool.

Indeed, those who champion the cause of true holiness are never fools for advocating justice.

He was about two meters in front of Trunks, standing in a guardian-fighting stance in the most determined of manners, and willing to do whatever was necessary to protect his friend and prevent the ultimate evil of his life from becoming all the more powerful.

"Ah, a familiar scene," Future Cell said with a cackle of sordid amusement, knowing that his counterpart's stance would be exceptionally ineffective for the purpose of preventing his success. "Oh, my foolish counterpart, where and when have I observed such a sight before? Ah yes! Right after I killed Broly and so many others you deemed worthy of living, Bulma tried to defend Trunks' broken and battered body, just as you are now. And not long after that, I killed her! Soon I shall do the same to you!"

"Bastard … ," Trunks weakly said, causing Cell to momentarily tighten his fists without turning his gaze and Future Cell to widen his grin.

"Save your strength, Trunks," Cell said, while deepening his fighting stance, with his counterpart continuing his progression forward all the while. "I doubt this bastard knew he would regain this form as a result of what evidently was yet another regeneration from a single cell. He wouldn't have had this advantage had it not been for thievery."

"So, you've figured out how I regained my perfect form despite your unmissed absence from my system!" Future Cell said. "In truth, that was not a very difficult element to discern. But, obviously, taking the necessary steps to ensure I was dead was beyond either of your capabilities, wasn't it?"

"Be quiet," Cell shouted. "We honestly believed you had died, and obviously we were wrong."

"That is why you are by no means perfect," Future Cell said. "Especially now that you are no longer plaguing my mind, the status of my perfection is even higher than it had been before. Indeed, it's certainly of a greater quality than anything now attributable to Trunks, isn't that right, my boy?"

Despite his desire to respond, Trunks closed his eyes in pain, then coughed up a great deal of blood.

"This time, Trunks, your mother is no longer here to defend you, and instead, all you have is this inferior cretin," Future Cell said. "As you see me now, I am more powerful than I had been in my Power-Weighted form before, all thanks to my excellent regenerative powers. I'm sure you wish you had such an advantage, don't you, Trunks?"

Trunks remained silent, while Future Cell's grin faded.

"Now, though, the advantage you had and which I've wanted for far too long shall be mine," Future Cell said.

Future Cell halted his forward progression about one meter from Cell, neglecting to enter a fighting stance as his far greater power rendered it unnecessary.

"This is your last chance to join me," Future Cell said, as Cell's eyes widened. "Abandon that filth of a person and regain your honor by advancing yourself without concern for those weaker than yourself. I always shall be the paramount of perfection, but you still can join me, despite your inferior power level, in a mutual quest to annihilate the imperfection of this universe."

"Righteousness shall not fall," Cell said, followed immediately by a swift punch to his stomach from Future Cell's right hand, with his left hand restraining Cell's back to accentuate the force of the attack.

"Bow before me in pain," Future Cell said with a grin, right as Cell began to stumble. "It is the truest way to your salvation."

After a few moments of struggling, Cell reformed his fighting stance, to Future Cell's detestation.

"Still won't give up?" Future Cell asked, with steadfast anger.

"Not a chance," Cell said, with steadfast glory.

Future Cell then side-kicked Cell in the face at a faster velocity than Cell could readily block, and Cell was sent hurdling far over Trunks, soaring away at many meters.

Future Cell turned to look at Trunks, who was scowling, with his eyes barely open.

"You have no idea how gratifying it is to finally have the opportunity to use my true body to defeat that nonbeliever who in no way deserves to appear as I do," Future Cell said. "But soon, you shall have no ideas at all that I do not possess."

Future Cell shifted forward, then placed his right hand atop Trunks' forehead, with Trunks trying to move in futility all the while.

Future Cell began the mind-reading process, and –

Before he could make any real progress at all, Cell emerged from Instant Transmission and punched Trunks in the forehead.

Future Cell watched in horror as Trunks' body skid and rolled across the ground.

At the start of the mind-reading process, Future Cell had encountered the first glimmer of a thought, but that thought had faded as soon as Future Cell had observed it, with no time to truly decode or interpret its meaning or nature.

Future Cell quickly rushed over to Trunks' body and saw that his eyes were closed, although he was indeed remarkably breathing, despite the hole in his chest. To prevent himself from entering a form of shock as had happened before, regardless of any concern about treating Trunks for shock, Future Cell sensed his energy and detected that Trunks' life force indeed was still present, but barely.

In the midst of Future Cell's assessments, Cell had arrived and had placed his right hand on Trunks' forehead, confirming that what he had hoped would happen had come to pass.

Future Cell, enraged beyond rage, stared upon Cell with what could have been a look of death. He noticed that Cell's expression was by no means one of joy, or even of relief – it was instead reflective of shock and concern, which he himself had propagated, but all for a purpose.

Future Cell then reached down to observe Trunks' mind, and to his lack of surprise, he sensed nothing.

"As I had hoped, he's now unconscious, although he's still alive and breathing thanks to a notable adaptation of human and Saiyan physiology," Cell said. "I knew what you were planning to do, and I stopped you before you could succeed. I regrettably took a chance with his life, but it was a safer bet for the universe than letting you proceed unchecked. I purposely made the punch rather weak because I didn't want to kill him, but if that did happen, it would have largely been the result of you putting a damn hole in him, and I'm confident that Trunks would rather have died than enabled you to acquire the information you seek. I had even been ready to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] on him in the event that he was both unconscious and not breathing. And yes, Cell, once again, you've been denied access to the knowledge of King Kai's energy signature. You shall never instant transmit to Otherworld and gain the powers you want to gain through absorbing the knowledge of those who are there. I'm sure you would have searched my memory long ago for knowledge of his energy signature had I known of it, and it's quite fortunate that the energy signatures of my other allies in Otherworld are not readily detectable from the mortal realm. You shall indeed never become the horrific god you want to be."

Future Cell sent a Destructo Disk straight toward Cell, which cut right through his chest. He then punched Cell's upper half repeatedly until it fell to the ground 20 meters away from Trunks.

Future Cell swiftly shifted forward and violently impacted the ground, then reached for the upper portion of Cell's body and grabbed him by the neck.

"Both of us want him alive, and you easily could have killed him!" Future Cell yelled, as Cell struggled to break free from his grasp. "There I was, once again about to gain my greatest of all dreams, and your pathetically misguided notions have once again ruined my plans!"

"I would have knocked you away as opposed to knocking him out, but the difference in our strengths would have probably disallowed that from being successful," Cell said. "This method also better ensured that you will not have access to his mind, especially since I'm planning on killing you before he regains consciousness."

"A laughable assertion, considering your present predicament," Future Cell said, without laughing.

"It looks like I'm not the only one who didn't properly consider that his counterpart might use Instant Transmission at an inopportune moment," Cell said, prompting Future Cell to punch him so forcefully in the face that Cell spit up a few of his teeth.

Despite the excruciating pain, Cell grinned.

"I'm also not the only one of us who thought he had at long last achieved a significant goal only to find out the other's plan involving Instant Transmission largely was responsible for his failure to achieve the goal," Cell said, with somewhat of a reasonable slur.

Before Future Cell decided upon how to next attack his counterpart, Cell followed through with his plan to gather energy for an attack while talking and then release it.

"Imprisonment Ball!" Cell shouted, as his left hand pointed up toward Future Cell, with the golden sphere hitting him in the center of his chest and the expanding outward.

To Future Cell's extreme surprise, the rapid expansion of the Imprisonment Ball forced him to loosen his grip on Cell, and Cell let the Imprisonment Ball expand until it was at least half a meter in diameter beyond the maximum length Future Cell could reach with his arms if they were extended toward him.

"What? But – "

"Just as I thought!" Cell yelled with regenerated teeth, interrupting Future Cell, to his dismay. "Because an Imprisonment Ball does not explode upon contact with the person who generated it, I theorized that it also would not allow me to be absorbed within, as there seems to be a special surface resistance inherent for the generator. It forced you, my target, inside the sphere while keeping me out. With the unique way this attack was designed, it has been quite – "

The Imprisonment Ball then dissolved in a flash of light out of Future Cell's decision to destabilize it through his possession of vastly superior energy in comparison to the Imprisonment Ball's generator, just as Cell instant transmitted away from the vicinity.

He reappeared over Trunks, and his lower half regenerated, such that he placed one foot lightly atop Trunks' lower back, with his other firmly on the ground.

Future Cell noticed the maneuver, with his facial expression shifting to one of even greater alarm, although to his surprise, Cell had not yet transmitted away with Trunks, and was merely standing as he was.

Future Cell approached him, landing two meters in front of Cell and Trunks.

"What exactly are you planning?" Future Cell asked, with a sneer.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just standing here and enjoying the rather picturesque view of the sun's rays shining through that cloud over there," Cell said.

Future Cell snarled at the comment, then yelled with as much volume as he could muster.

"I don't have time for this nonsense!" Future Cell exclaimed. "Trunks could die at any moment and forever deprive me of the opportunity to achieve my collective ultimate goal of becoming a true god, gaining eternal life, and acquiring the knowledge to create my own set of Dragon Balls and my own time machine! I would blast him away right now if not for the importance of these aims!"

"Well, you don't have to yell about it," Cell said, with a grin.

"I am going to murder you as soon as I figure out how to completely ensure that you won't instant transmit away with Trunks before I can take action," Future Cell said. "This timeline is meant for only one of us, and you have far overstayed your welcome."

"And you stopped being welcome here the moment you absorbed me!" Cell shouted. "Besides, this is the second time you've avoided what we had thought was certain death. Because of you, Trunks had to avoid what you had thought was his certain death twice as well! You should be thankful he's still around, and he wouldn't have been around had you succeeded in killing him on Planet New Namek. Which, of course raises an interesting question that I want a clear response for now that we're two separate beings again: 'Why didn't you just absorb Trunks' memories regarding King Kai's energy signature in the midst of fighting him on New Namek?"

"As you unfortunately know, I temporarily entered a deranged mental state – "

" – as if that hadn't been the case already," Cell said, interrupting him.

" – you disgust me," Future Cell said. "I had established a mental link and acquired much information, but because of my deranged mental state and focusing only on a few specific details, I did not acquire the knowledge of the properties of King Kai's energy signature. I didn't properly consider searching Trunks' mind for the energy signature until after he had already become a Super Saiyan 2, by which time his superior speed and power were preventing me from acquiring the opportunity to establish another mental link. I tried to do so now, but your ignoble actions prevented my perfection from becoming all the more so."

"So it seems I'm not the only one who didn't properly consider something major in his recent tactics," Cell said. "It looks like both of us aren't perfect."

"I beg to differ," Future Cell said. "Although while we're on the subject, reveal to me how you and Trunks could have been so incompetent or overconfident as to improperly confirm whether I had died."

"Even with the memories I acquired from you, I didn't consider there to be any realistic possibility that you would be able to instant transmit out of Trunks' extremely forceful and rapidly moving attack, especially because I was maintaining my restrictive mental grip on you and because your power level at that point was a trifle compared to even mine, let alone that of Trunks," Cell said. "That's why Trunks and I neglected to sense far out beyond the solar system; we honestly hadn't thought it would be possible for you to instant transmit out of the blast. We of course were more than aware of the ability you and I possess to regenerate from a single cell, and that's why he and I thoroughly checked our solar system for your energy signature, and were quite satisfied when after quite some time we didn't find one. I of course knew from the memories I acquired from you that even very small parts of our body can maintain a level of consciousness that potentially could take action, although I honestly felt that the force and speed of the blast, combined with my mental restriction over you, would be enough to prevent even the smallest of potentially active components to effectively take action. Our erroneous confidence in your defeat prompted us to not check with Otherworld to make sure you were defeated, and I assume our allies there were overconfident too, especially because they didn't contact Trunks and me to voice any concerns. Obviously, when I stopped sensing you within Trunks' blast, I now know for sure that it wasn't because Trunks' blast fully consumed you, and that it was because you managed to use the benefits of our physiology to instant transmit even a small portion of yourself, even if only one cell actually survived by the time the transmission completed."

"And here I was, thinking that the two of you fools at least would have considered the possibility that I would have instant transmitted out of the blast!" Future Cell yelled. "The fact the two of you didn't even attempt to find me outside the sensing range of the solar system is a testament to your heinous tactical inadequacy! My gamble worked, and your extreme error has worked wonderfully in my favor! Even if Trunks dies, I am still far stronger than you and shall remain the most capable entity that has ever graced this universe with his presence. I am confident that even in the other three timelines, in this relative point in their histories, I still would be considered the most capable to have ever existed. And indeed, I would have thought that by now, you and Trunks would not have been so overconfident when dealing with me."

"Overconfidence is a sin that must be atoned for, along with so many others I will need to atone for because of my previous actions, and especially because of what I unwittingly enabled you to do," Cell said. "With the two of us, there are so many factors to consider regarding our available tactics and interactions with those of others, many of which had been unknown to us and potential others that are still unknown to us, that sometimes, the idea of overconfidence in dealing with either of us is largely the result of acting on mistaken notions. Had I known you could have escaped that blast, you would not have been so fortunate."

"Thanks to you, even without immortality, I shall live forever because of the restoration of my quite capable body, permitted through your mistake," Future Cell said.

"Yeah, about that, …," Cell began to say, "you obviously didn't know in advance that you'd regain your present form – "

" – Perfect form, you meant to say," Future Cell said, interrupting him.

" – but you must have had some sort of plan after emerging from Instant Transmission other than merely deceiving us. So, Cell, what were you planning?"

"I'm not going to tell you what my original plan had been, but it is quite obvious that your plan was plagued by flaws, and in that way quite comporting with your general outlook on life," Future Cell said. "But it doesn't matter, does it, Cell? If Trunks doesn't regain consciousness soon, I'll blast you both away, even if I need to instant transmit around the galaxy to do so. I'm still far superior to you, far superior to anyone, and this universe still shall be one of my victims even if I am denied what I seek. Besides, in the realm of infinity, as I've thought before and shall express now, there likely will be other tools I can use to accomplish my ultimate goals. Gaining the ability to accomplish them through the knowledge I could acquire through Trunks merely will save me a great deal of effort and will confirm my ability to acquire them. The likelihood, however, that I will merely kill you both and achieve even greater perfection later is increasing by the second."

Cell had spent much of their conversation pondering what he might do to better secure his position and Trunks' life, and just as his counterpart had done before him, he had realized that there was one last desperate gambit he could use that actually might result in a quite favorable outcome.

It was quite risky, and the way his counterpart would react to it would largely affect its success, but it could be worth it.

As he contemplated whether to initiate his plan, his allies in Otherworld were discussing plans of their own.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

"I can't believe I didn't insist that we check to make sure that bastard died!" Gohan shouted. "How could I have been so overconfident?"

Piccolo placed his right hand on Gohan's left shoulder.

"You were overconfident because of how awesome Trunks' power has become, and because it really did seem that despite all of that monster's advantages, Trunks and Cell truly defeated him," Piccolo said.

"Well, I, for one, should have known better," King Kai said. "I'll tell you, though, I know you all want to hang around me to observe the battle, but maybe it would be better for me to get far away from you all so that if he does unfortunately gain access to the knowledge of the properties of my energy signature, you all can at least have some time before he finds you. I'm keeping my power level as low as possible, believe me. I really don't want to have to fight that guy."

"Well, I do," Krillin said. "He has dishonored us all, and all I've been able to do while Cell has tormented Trunks and the other Cell down there is sit back up here and watch from afar. This is ridiculous!"

"Wait a minute … King Kai! The one-day pass! We could ask King Yemma for a one-day pass that would enable Gohan to instant transmit to Earth, retrieve Trunks, and bring him back here so we can heal him!" Kami said.

"That's a great idea!" Krillin yelled. "And we can get some more passes so the rest of us can go and do whatever we can to help out!"

"I'm afraid not, Krillin," Kami said. "In my former capacity as Earth's guardian, I learned that only a single one-day pass could be checked out per planet. That's been the rule for quite some time."

"Yeah, but this is an absolute emergency," Gohan said. "If we can get more than one pass, it would be a big help. Dende and Moori could even work together with help from you and Guru to create a new set of Dragon Balls in the mortal realm and transfer keepership of the set to the good Cell!"

"We'll have to see what Yemma says," Guru said. "At the very least, we should be able to acquire the one-day pass for Gohan and bring Trunks here to heal him. Then, Trunks can go back to Earth and assist the noble Cell in the effort to destroy that monster."

"Let me contact King Yemma to see what we can do – anyone who's interested in talking with him should have contact with me now," King Kai said.

King Kai arranged his antennae so that they were in broadcasting mode.

"King Yemma, this is North Kai!"

["Ah, North Kai, I'm usually not honored with the opportunity to speak with you more than once in a day," Yemma said. "To what do I owe this call?"]

"I'd like to acquire a one-day pass to Earth, please, for Gohan to be able to return," King Kai said.

Yemma paused for a moment, out of bafflement.

["King Kai, surely you remember that earlier today you acquired a one-day pass for Goku," Yemma said. "As that pass has not been returned, I cannot refresh it and issue it again. You know the rules – only a single one-day pass per planet, no matter the population size. When Goku returns after the completion of the day, or if he returns early, I'll be able to refresh the pass and issue that one again."]

"Well, … I've never asked you about this before, but aren't there exceptions to the rule?" King Kai asked, nervously.

["What do you mean, exceptions?" Yemma asked. "As you know, Otherworld's operating procedures do not provide many exceptions to our rules, and this is one area in which there are no exceptions."]

"But I didn't authorize it," King Kai said, knowing that this would be an immediately controversial statement.

["What do you mean you didn't authorize it!" Yemma shouted. "I was speaking with you earlier today about it, and you said that Goku should be rewarded with a one-day pass because he deserved one!"]

"Goku, in a noble attempt to save the Earth, manipulated my communication powers to ask you to grant him a pass," King Kai said. "Let's just say I was … unavailable at the time."

["If you think it was a noble move on Goku's part, then whatever he did, you're probably okay with it by now, as am I," Yemma said. "I haven't actively been monitoring what has been happening regarding Earth, although I know that there has been a far greater volume of souls entering Otherworld from there recently, even higher than usual, with the androids rampaging around like lunatics." ]

"Well, Yemma, while Goku had the one-day pass for Earth checked out, he took part in an Essence Transfer and – "

["What do you mean he took part in an Essence Transfer!" Yemma shouted. "With whom?"]

"Trunks, who despite his appearance on Earth right now, actually is managing to hold on to his life," King Kai said.

["This is terrible!" Yemma said. "With that one-day pass checked out, I can't refresh it and reissue it. And since Goku's soul no longer truly exists, and now only is somewhat merged with that of Trunks, I can't issue a new one for Earth because the person whose soul was modified with the one-day pass has been eliminated from existence! I can only get a one-day pass back if a soul returns with it; since Goku's soul no longer truly exists, I can't get that pass back and enable anyone else to acquire a one-day pass to Earth!]"

"My father would not have proceeded with the Essence Transfer before returning the pass had he known this would happen," Gohan said. "Why, King Kai, did you not inform us of this?"

King Kai looked even more downtrodden than he had before over these past many hours.

"Everything happened so fast, and the situation on Planet New Namek was so critical at the time, that I … oh, I'm so sorry," he said, with a tear forming in his right eye. "The situation on Earth now is dire. Something must be done."

"Yemma, there must be something we can do," Moori said. "Can you transfer the one-day pass from New Namek to work as the one for Earth? New Namek, unfortunately after all, no longer exists."

["I cannot," Yemma said. "I simply don't have that power because I can't change the spiritual resonance of a one-day pass after it's been accorded with that of a planet."]

"I'm going to see if Grand Kai can help us in any way; maybe he knows something that we don't," King Kai said. "In the meantime, I want you to do something for me, Yemma."

["What, King Kai?"]

"Enable Broly to have his body restored, and have him available for Gohan to instant transmit him here," King Kai said, to the astonishment of many in his vicinity.

["I would be happy to do it, but what good would it do if we can't send him to Earth?"]

"Well, in the off-chance that we somehow find a way, I want him to be ready to go," King Kai said. "Yemma, I'm going to do my best to find someone in Otherworld who I believe might have the power to help us."

Yemma's eyes widened.

["If you're thinking about who I'm thinking of, then good luck trying to find him," Yemma said. "I don't think any of us actually know how to contact him, or even what he looks like. The rule has been that he contacts you, not that you can contact him."]

"It's still worth a try," King Kai said, while his allies in Otherworld pondered what might happen next.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City, Age 786 ...  
_

Cell and Future Cell were motionless, waiting for the other to speak or act.

Finally, there was sound.

"I have a proposition that I think you will find quite intriguing," Cell said.

Future Cell chuckled.

"Oh, do tell," he said.

"I'm going to destroy the Earth so that we'll have much more space in which to fight," Cell said, to Future Cell's bewilderment. "Trunks will then be dead, and I won't have to worry about defending him from you."

Future Cell was speechless for many moments before he responded.

"Are you insane? After all you've done trying to defend that wretched boy and everyone else on this planet, you're going to reverse all that just to fight me?" Future Cell asked.

"As far as insanity is concerned, look who's talking," Cell said. "And as far as the Earth is concerned, it is but a small price to pay for the safety of the greater universe. I am doing the universe a favor through these actions."

Future Cell sneered.

"Do you really expect me to believe that you're being sincere about any of this?" Future Cell asked. "I can see right through this lie. Yes, this confirms that you're just telling desperate lies because you don't possess a Super Perfect form of your own yet, as that was all the result of my efforts. Your efforts, in contrast, have been unproductive. You're just bidding time while you think of some way to catch me off-guard so you can instant transmit away with Trunks and avoid my detection of your movements. Well, it isn't going to work."

"You're gravely mistaken," Cell said, as the sky rapidly shifted in hue, with darkened clouds arriving over the area and lighting fervently blasting overhead.

Future Cell was shocked beyond words at the sight of Cell beginning to increase in size from his waistline out, like an inflating balloon.

"You … you really are insane!" Future Cell yelled. "Once our self-explosion process begins, there is no reversing it!"

"And my right foot is still on Trunks, you'll notice, all to affirm that I'm taking him with me," Cell said, in a deeper-than-usual voice, while his size continued to increase. "Not by Instant Transmission, per se, but by explosion. If you try anything, I'll hit myself and this planet will explode! I'm planning on surviving this explosion after I finish destroying the Earth, and after I regenerate, we'll have our true match. And don't even think about trying to save Trunks now. With him under my foot, if you so much as attempt to instant transmit under me to acquire him, I'll willingly self-destruct with you and him there before you can instant transmit again, killing him and potentially making you even stronger, which would be a wondrous challenge for me when I regenerate! If you try instant transmitting me away, I'll also choose to automatically self-destruct right here! With both Trunks and Earth gone, our fight will be all the fairer! Only 15 seconds to go! What will you do?"

Future Cell was aghast with confusion, as he truly was uncertain of what to do. He wanted to become a god as soon as possible, and Trunks' presence was required for it. Whether he ironically attempted to save Trunks or not, Cell was sure to explode and return with a comparable level of strength to his own, since indeed, his cells had been interwoven in their previous combined structure and had tasted the glorious power Future Cell now possessed.

"Eight seconds left!" Cell shouted.

Future Cell, out of desperation, braced himself for impact –

– then saw Cell raise his hands into the air and quickly form a circle of radiant white light.

"Shining Nova!" Cell yelled as he also used his energy to levitate himself a few meters above Trunks.

Without warning, he then transmitted himself and the Shining Nova away, to Future Cell's absolute shock.

Without knowing exactly what his counterpart was planning, and still with an extremely frantic mindset, Future Cell realized that the opportunity had potentially at last presented itself to steal Trunks and leave the Earth.

As he was about to instant transmit toward Trunks, Cell reappeared, with the Shining Nova almost completely surrounding him, but with just enough room to scoop up Future Cell into the forming sphere of the attack.

With the attack finishing its concealment of them both, Future Cell noticed Cell's grin widen, right before it became distorted as a result of his ensuing self-explosion within the sphere, further accentuated by the start of the rain of destruction from the internal energies within the sphere.

Future Cell's expression was one of alarm and terror, while the combined torrents of death from the Shining Nova and Cell's self-explosion began to decimate his form.

What would have been an Earth-shattering explosion temporarily deafened Future Cell within the self-contained sphere of Shining Nova energy, and then, his ability to hear at all was destroyed.

Indeed, due to the nature of the attack, the sphere of Shining Nova energy was self-contained, not affecting anything external to it, and as per the design of the attack, once it had reached its target, Cell had not needed to further guide it, as it was acting automatically as per Cell's preprogrammed intent.

The destructive chaos within the sphere, after a little more than one minute, eventually came to a close, with the sphere then dissipating, revealing what appeared to be nothing remaining.

After a few more minutes, and King Kai's confirmation as to what had happened, they both began to regenerate.

Their cells were multiplying, their consciousnesses were reemerging, their physical components were reforming, and their senses were being restored.

There was an unspoken temporary cease-fire between them, as each was allowing the other to regenerate properly and without any further actions based on Instant Transmission.

At almost exactly the same time, their bodies became whole again.

"Well, it looks like my gamble worked," Cell said, while feeling the amazing power flowing through him and briefly looking at the sky of the still-intact Planet Earth. "Now, I'll use the power you possessed for benevolent aims, as opposed to those of vile hatred."

"You're an absolute fool!" Future Cell yelled. "You could have killed us both! And your whole plan was based on fortune to such a degree that it is very possible you could have died while I would have survived!"

"I almost certainly would have been killed by you had I not done what I did, and so as to dramatically improve the odds in my favor, the universe needed me to take a chance," Cell said.

"You should be ashamed for tricking me as you did!" Future Cell said. "But it doesn't matter! As my cells in comparison to yours recognize that I've experienced an additional regeneration from a single cell and related power boost, I still have the advantage!"

"But not by much, anymore," Cell said. "And speaking of tricks, I've learned a lot from your cunning and deceit, and applying those tactics in the name of righteousness is something I was particularly proud to do, enabling them to have noble purposes."

"Killing you will now be all the more enjoyable," Future Cell said, with a grin. "You have enabled me to have a much truer test of my powers through having the opportunity to fight an inferior yet capable possessor of them. Your death at my hands shall for all time affirm my inherent superiority."

"While I believe that neither of us is truly perfect, if between the two of us one truly is, then it's me," Cell said, causing Future Cell to shout in anger.

"Your inferior ideology can never be considered as true perfection!" Future Cell yelled! "Pacifism shall be your end, and true power shall be mine!"

"And I shall show you now that placing peace over power, but enabling them to serve and supplement each other, will emerge victorious," Cell said. "I've been looking forward to the opportunity to finally fight you relatively fairly, and your defeat will affirm all I truly believe in."

"And so we shall fight!" Future Cell yelled, as he rushed forward with the genesis of a Death Beam, while Cell soared forward with the onset of a Special Beam Cannon.

* * *

_Up next in Chapter 42, to be released, Saturday, June 2, 2012: The ultimate clash of Yin and Yang, Cell and Future Cell, reaches its final moments! Will benevolence or malevolence prevail? Stay tuned! _

_Chapter 42 will be released Saturday, June 2, as opposed to Sunday, May 27, as previously announced. Thank you in advance for understanding.  
_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-One: Completed May 26, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Credit: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Credit: Roketto _


	48. XLII: Justice

**Honor Trip **

**(Season III) **

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Two: Justice**

**The Showdown with Future Cell (Part 2 of 2)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**A note of thanks: **

_Thank you so much for your patience regarding the release of this chapter; in balancing the demands of a hectic work schedule outside the realm of writing stories such as this one, I again did not want to rush this chapter and let its quality be negatively impacted as a result. _

_The deadlines I had established for myself to complete the chapter, even the initial revised deadline, were admittedly overzealous. I sincerely plan for all future release dates to be much more reflective of realistically achievable production schedule goals. _

_With that said, it's time for Cell and Future Cell to fervently fight, with the victor to be decided, today, on Dragon Ball Z – Honor Trip! _

_With appreciation,_

_American Vigor _

* * *

**Power Level Elaboration:**

Cell vs. Future Cell **before** Cell used his Shining Nova and self-explosion combination = 200 TNS vs. 12,128.92 TNS.

Cell vs. Future Cell **after** Cell used his Shining Nova and self-explosion combination, with both fighters subsequently undergoing single-cell regeneration = 12,128.92 TNS. vs. 12,690.44 TNS.

An extended power level elaboration, with intricate details as to how these figures were derived, is available following the main content of this chapter.

* * *

_And now, the journey continues … _

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City, Age 786 … _

Sparks of thunderous lightning roiled through the air and throughout the auras of their Super Perfect forms as the versatile warriors launched attacks of searing energy at each other, with each endeavoring to use the summation of his knowledge, skills, and abilities to achieve ultimate supremacy through eliminating the other.

At the onset of their histories, they had virtually been the same, and indeed now appeared identical.

Yet through all each had done, and in all each advocated and defended, one in the path of a manifested blessing and the other in the path of a manifested curse, they indeed were opposing forces of stark contrast, each seeking to assert his vision of truth.

In consideration of their differing perspectives, even though one viewed morality as absolute and uniformly applicable for all, while the other viewed morality as a mere contrivance based on an individual's perception of reality, it indeed was true that one advocated the objectively righteous goal of enabling all to have lives of independence and fulfillment, while the other advocated the objectively malevolent goal of diminishing or totally destroying the dreams and capabilities of others to enable himself to have the greatest possible existence.

Indeed, for such contrasts to exist at all, the universe of Timeline IV and all the others possessed inherent properties of balance, such that holiness and evil were recognizable qualities, as opposed to them being indistinguishable in the form of unconditional oneness.

This was not to say that an absolute balance between holiness and evil within each timeline's universe ever existed, as it seemed, especially among many conflicts that had occurred throughout the histories, that inequities between holiness and evil within those conflicts greatly impacted their courses of events. The inequities apparently were not the sole determinants of outcomes, but major factors, nonetheless.

Such was true of this conflict, a battle of paramount grandeur with the fate of this timeline's universe and potentially others truly dependent on its outcome, as Future Cell, with quintessential malevolence flowing through him, possessed greater degrees of power and speed than his counterpart, the enlightened Cell, with quintessential benevolence flowing through him.

However, the advantage in Future Cell's favor was merely slight, and incomparable to the vast power gap between them that had existed mere minutes ago, but which Cell had cunningly and overwhelmingly reduced.

With his efforts enhanced through his escalated energy, the foremost component of Cell's Special Beam Cannon impacted the forefront of Future Cell's Death Beam, with a blazing emission of light at the collision point.

Each of the piercing attacks was the strongest of its type that had ever been produced, reflecting heroic and villainous heritages of dexterity that had been enhanced through colossal amplifications. The attacks were of comparative strength, with each trying to pierce through the other and blast through the opposing fighter.

Cell had used his left hand to launch the Special Beam Cannon, and with a quick outward movement of his right thumb and index finger, at the moment that the tips of his index finger and thumb were in contact with each other before becoming perpendicular, a pink-violent point of energy appeared right at the meeting point of the tips. It very quickly began to spin and expand, with five luminous beams of pink-violet light radiating out of its core, accompanied by a dissonant tone of high pitch.

Before Future Cell could react to the sudden movement, and while maintaining with his right hand his Death Beam in the struggle against Cell's Special Beam Cannon, the Bang Beam suddenly shifted forward, impacting Future Cell's right wrist with momentous force and exploding in a fluorescently blood-crimson hue of destructive energy, expanding outward from the impact point and emitting further radial beams from its core.

Future Cell, despite being completely surrounded by the energy release of the Bang Beam attack, had maintained his focus on the Death Beam and could still feel resistance. His wrist had indeed stung as per the impact of the Bang Beam, but it was by no means a pain he could not endure.

In the fleeting moment that he found himself to be significantly gaining advantage in the struggle, he quickly discovered why this was so, as he suddenly sensed Cell use his swiftness to shift behind him, having used the still-prominent and nontransparent blood-crimson energy of the exploded Bang Beam in an attempt to obstruct Future Cell's view and attention.

Future Cell in response rapidly unleashed his tail in an attempt to stab Cell, but Cell quickly dodged the swipe, which Future Cell not only sensed but saw as a result of briefly turning his head far to the right to look behind himself.

With his Death Beam still pushing forward against the remnant energy of Cell's discarded Special Beam Cannon, Future Cell retracted his tail and then released the energy of his Death Beam at the focal point of its apex, resulting in a vast explosion about 35 meters in front of him, all the while turning his orientation forward so that he could use both of his feet to block Cell's punches with both hands.

Just as Cell shifted position and was about to kick Future Cell's back from atop, Future Cell in turn shifted position with significant swiftness and reappeared a few meters in front of the explosion that had been caused by the released energy of his Death Beam.

Cell then repositioned himself and flew straight forward, with the remnant flashes from the Bang Beam now dissipating, although the vast flash that had been emitted from the released Death Beam already had outshined those flashes.

Both Cell and Future Cell now were 50 meters above the ground, and as Cell readied himself to punch Future Cell in the face with his right hand, he barely had time to block the right-handed uppercut that Future Cell, who had shifted position below him, had aimed toward his stomach.

Cell then took advantage of their relative angles to each other and successfully kicked Future Cell hard in the face with his right foot, causing the diabolic demon to soar a few meters diagonally toward the ground.

Future Cell stabilized himself and used both of his hands to block a barrage of punches Cell unleashed, with each point of contact between the two fighters creating gusts of rapid wind and bursts of echoing cacophony.

Cell then moved to bash Future Cell in the chin, but Future Cell successfully shifted behind him and forward thrust-kicked him in the back. As Cell started to hurdle toward a nearby plateau elevated from the sprawling grassy plane, Future Cell punched him the back repeatedly without Cell having the chance to turn around, then used both of his legs to thrust-kick Cell's back again.

The added acceleration caused Cell to smash into the plateau, crumbling it atop both him and the significant impact crater caused by the collision.

Before Cell could stand up, Future Cell placed his left hand forward, with each of his fingers apart from each other.

His Ultimate Blitz technique began to emit forth from his fingers, with each finger becoming highlighted by beams of yellow-white light. Each of the five beams shot out in arced paths, converging on a singular target – his counterpart.

The beams permeated the cloud of dust that was lingering from Cell's impact into the plateau, then converged right into his chest.

"This is merely the beginning of your end," Future Cell said, as he placed his right palm up to accompany his left. From each of his hands, dozens of rapidly fired continuous energy bullets, glowing white in coloration, seethed forth in Cell's direction, with each and every energy blast of Future Cell's Torrential Negative Power Rain technique concentrated at a focal point and slamming into Cell.

After a few moments and plumes of energy fallout dust sprouting forth from the ground, Future Cell began to charge up energy in his right palm.

"Surely, he has more fight in – "

Future Cell was interrupted by Cell emerging from Instant Transmission and immediately punching him in the stomach with his right hand, causing the energy ball Future Cell had been forming to dissipate because of his reduced concentration.

Cell then left side-kicked Future Cell in the upper chest, vaulting him many meters upward, and then shifted behind him above. He then elbowed Future Cell in the back, causing Future Cell to begin to move downward.

When Cell shifted below Future Cell to further strike him, he was surprised by an already charged Light Grenade that had already been emitted from Future Cell's hands touching at the wrists and which was already moving in his direction.

Cell did not have enough time to effectively avoid the attack and shielded himself with his forearms.

In the midst of the energy fallout dust resulting from the attack's collision with Cell's forearms, Cell could readily sense Future Cell behind him, and he rapidly turned to face him.

With his slightly superior speed and in taking advantage of the visual obstruction via the energy fallout dust from the Light Grenade, Future Cell still found an opening, then punched Cell in the stomach with his left fist, causing Cell to momentarily gasp and then have his guard down for just enough time so as to allow Future Cell to punch him on the left side of his head with his right fist.

Before Future Cell's left fist could make contact with the right side of Cell's head, Cell grabbed Future Cell's left wrist with his right hand. He then placed his left hand forward toward Future Cell's stomach and began to charge up an energy blast, only to have Future Cell use his left knee to knock Cell's arm upward so that the blast missed Future Cell entirely.

Cell, who was still grabbing Future Cell's left wrist, then violently pulled it toward him and used his right foot to kick Future Cell in his lower-left abdominals. With the closer proximity, Future Cell took advantage of his relative position to forcefully head-butt Cell in the forehead, and then used a Destructo Disk to sever Cell's right arm.

Cell, despite the extreme pain, remained resolute to strike back, and used his Eye Lasers technique to, after some resistance, pierce Future Cell through the upper-left side of his chest.

The two fighters disengaged from close proximity, with Future Cell now holding Cell's severed right arm with his left hand and Cell waiting to finish regenerating the lost appendage.

"I'd say I won the warm-up, wouldn't you agree?" Future Cell asked, while purposefully dropping Cell's former right arm immediately after asking the question.

Cell shifted forward, used his left hand to catch the former arm without his counterpart's interference, then shifted back to where he had been, with the two fighters now about three meters from each other.

"If so, then it was a meaningless accomplishment," Cell said, right as his right arm regenerated, with his former arm disintegrating in conjunction with the occurrence. "As you very well know, the fact that we've each come this far and that one of us hasn't yet successfully eradicated the other has been emblematic of our inherent persistence. And while our capabilities certainly more than support persistence, we are by no means invincible. I am determined to overcome the superlative difficulty of killing you so that the universe can at last be free from your crazed desire for eternal homicide."

"And I am confident that your mental weakness will at last result in your defeat," Future Cell said, with his chest already fully regenerated. "Even without the Dragon Balls, I might as well be considered a god. And I shall prove that I am a far superior god than you could ever be! Just think of Trunks, and Broly before him! They were stronger than both of us are now, and they both fell to my power through their aggregate inadequacy in comparison to my glory. Trunks is indeed hanging on to his life by almost nothing, and after your imminent death, I shall gain access from him to power beyond any that has been collectively possessed before. But unlike him, I can overcome anything, even a traitor who mocks the blessed gifts he was given and desecrates my image and name!"

"All my major achievements since my enlightenment have been for the purpose of establishing honor in my life whereas none had truly existed before," Cell said. "The journey I embarked upon was indeed with much uncertainty, and the trip overall has had many unexpected elements and challenges of severity. But through it all, I have remained adamant toward the ideal of enabling myself to be as I choose to be, and not as Dr. Gero wanted me to be, and as you still want to be. I am my own person, and I walk on my own path now."

"Your absurd expedition has certainly resulted in so much joy and happiness proliferating throughout this timeline, hasn't it?" Future Cell scoffed with a heinous grin of sadism, as Cell sneered. "Even the attacks you have so far chosen to use have been pathetic. Why, of all attacks, did you use the Bang Beam?"

"The only time I had used it before was in an attack of unjust violence against a defenseless, innocent person. Just as had been the case with the deceitful tactics I used against you to acquire my present power, I wanted to recondition the attack toward the much nobler goal of defeating you," Cell said. "Also, our Bang Beam is a combination of the variants used by Vegeta and Frieza, making it more than appropriate to use against you."

Future Cell became curious as to his counterpart's reason for that statement.

"How, exactly?" he asked.

"I used it in symbolic recognition of Vegeta's conscious and self-determined moral evolution, as he gradually and naturally, through his own free will, overcame his past malice and pursued a nobler life. Unlike you, I respect that very much," Cell said. "And then, there is also its association with Frieza, a tyrant whose heritage we possess and whose atrocities have motivated me to be all the more fervent to end such abuses. Also, if I were to ever meet Frieza one day, I would do all I could to enable him to naturally achieve the enlightened state I cherish."

"He would never accept what I've so thoroughly rejected as delusion," Future Cell said. "Ah, Frieza …. to think that he once thought himself a god! What a pathetic fool."

"Well, I won't contest that one," Cell said.

"You, however, are fool of far greater magnitude," Future Cell said, causing Cell to frown. "Achieving victories over Broly and Trunks were accomplishments I shall forever cherish, but with your defeat, I shall triumph over ultimate adversity. Freedom shall be mine!"

"Your understanding of freedom is nothing more than a travesty," Cell said.

"On the contrary, you've lost all ability to understand its true meaning," Future Cell said, while he rose his right hand in preparation for an energy attack, with his index finger pointing upward.

Future Cell thought of what was to imminently occur, and he grinned.

"Let's test which of us has the stronger spiritual allegiance with this universe," Future Cell said, as a Death Ball began to form atop his index finger.

Cell stared wide-eyed, realizing the nefarious act that his counterpart was beginning to implement.

"Wait!" Cell yelled in dismay, but Future Cell refused to stifle his action.

The Death Ball was coalescing quite rapidly above his index finger, with its white and purplish-pink energy surging throughout its form.

"Say your prayers, Cell, for my Death Spirit Bomb is going to overpower any force of supposed pure holiness that you can coalesce!" Future Cell yelled.

"You fool! If you continue forming the attack, you might kill Trunks!" Cell yelled. "No sentient, conscious person on Earth is going to give you energy for that monstrosity, but because Trunks is unconscious, you might unwittingly sap the rest of his energy!"

Future Cell momentarily paused, while pondering Cell's words.

"An interesting point," Future Cell said. "It is true that both my version of the Spirit Bomb and the inferior version of the technique can acquire energy from life forms of low or nonexistent sentience, and after consideration of Trunks' current state, I'll purposely configure my energy extraction so that Trunks' energy is omitted. Granted, I of course want that pathetic little boy alive only so I can absorb the contents from his mind that I seek, which will enable me to not have to spend an abundance of time finding answers when I otherwise could be enjoying supreme divine powers. If I knew how to use the Namekian healing technique, I would have simply killed him immediately after using it to restore his consciousness to the point in which I could have quickly extracted the knowledge. However, as per my unsuccessful considerations for the purpose of healing Moori, it seems neither of us knows how to use that ability. Immediately after your death, if Trunks doesn't come to consciousness on his own, I'll merely take him to a medical clinic, then gather what I need from his mind and destroy him right there on the recovery table. His final death at my hands will merely be a bonus to his already momentous defeat and what soon shall be yours."

"Cell, we're not too far away from Trunks as it is; launching attacks like this could be especially dangerous because they might hit him," Cell said, pleading with Future Cell to cease his plan.

"One would need to be very incompetent to not direct his energy attack properly, and because of that, your concern does not concern me," Future Cell said. "Besides, how else am I going to ensure your death other than through completely consuming you through an energy attack? I assume that you, too, have considered such regarding me. Granted, the Death Spirit Bomb, like the predecessor Spirit Bomb, is slow-moving, but it would be against your primitive conscience to let the attack proceed unobstructed toward Earth's core if I aim it there. So, show me what your supposed holiness can do!"

"It doesn't matter how much you charge up your Death Spirit Bomb, as I could just hit you with punches and kicks to make you lose your connection to it," Cell said. "But, instead, if I can overpower you with the holiness of the true Spirit Bomb, that would be an especially fitting end for you."

"Your life shall be ended by energy emblematic of what you despise," Future Cell said, while he began to coalesce negative energy from across the Earth.

As Future Cell had made clear that Earth was his intended target, Cell moved away from Future Cell and descended to the ground below, at a diagonal relative to Future Cell, who now was 25 meters in the air higher than him at a 30-degree angle from the ground.

Cell knew that Future Cell had already had the basis for his attack and had already started coalescing negative energy, but Cell had agreed to this particular element of their confrontation because he knew that unlike Future Cell, he potentially had access to a key advantage that Future Cell did not possess, and which he could take advantage of in the duration of forming their attacks.

It was quite true that this plan in no way involved the energy from the roughly two million people he could sense who still populated the Earth despite all of the androids' attacks over the decades, including those of Future Cell. As per the available energy of the planet, their energy would be negligible in comparison to all the other energy still available from other forms of life on the planet, and his strategy indeed did not involve asking anything further of them.

He also knew that it was unlikely for either of these Spirit Bombs on its own, with the available energy of Earth, to do enough damage to realistically defeat the intended opponent, and that Future Cell also almost certainly knew this. The attacks would merely be the centerpieces for others, and Cell knew he would need to also counteract the attacks Future Cell would almost certainly prepare to accompany his Death Spirit Bomb.

The palms of Future Cell's two hands already were pointing directly toward the coalescing Death Spirit Bomb, and Cell pointed his own two palms toward the sky.

It now was time to test a theory.

"King Kai, can you hear me?" Cell asked aloud, as Future Cell, who would have heard the question anyway because of his enhanced hearing had Cell spoken even softly, became intensely interested in discerning what Cell was planning. "Obviously, I don't want you to respond if this would reveal your position, or if my bastard counterpart also would be able to hear what you're saying."

Cell started to gather energy using the processes he had deduced from reviewing the data he possessed on how Goku had performed the Spirit Bomb before, in conjunction with his knowledge of how his counterpart had constructed his Death Spirit Bomb previously.

The glimmering white light began to coalesce into a sphere above Cell's palms, while the white and purplish-pink energy of the Death Ball base for Future Cell's attack was becoming darker and darker.

If King Kai did not respond, Cell would need to adjust his tactics.

But quite soon after Cell asked the question, King Kai responded.

["Yes, Cell, I can hear you!"] King Kai exclaimed. ["It's good to be talking with you!"]

"Excellent," Cell said. "I'm going to speak to you via thoughts now, so prepare to receive them."

Future Cell sneered at the exchange.

"Well, that's not fair," Future Cell said, while the darkened energy for the Death Spirit Bomb coalesced more and more. "And here I thought we were going to have a fair fight, one-on-one."

"Of course this is fair," Cell said. "You're threatening people's lives, which is a distraction for me, and now I'm gaining an advantage that will hopefully enable me to balance out that disadvantage."

["If I had your strength, I'd punch that slime ball in the face!"] Gohan yelled through King Kai's telepathy.

'_Well, that's a voice I'm glad to hear,' _Cell psychically said, while coalescing more and more energy._ 'Gohan, how many of you are up there with King Kai?'_

["Just about all the physically strong ones your counterpart killed, plus a few additional friends,"] Gohan said.

'_Listen all, I'm sorry beyond expression for the atrocities my counterpart committed, and I'll apologize more thoroughly after I defeat him,' _Cell psychically said._ 'Right now, though, I need your help, King Kai. I need you to speak with King Yemma about giving Gohan the ability to temporarily come back to the mortal realm via Instant Transmission and swiftly take Trunks to heal him up there, and – ' _

["Cell, we can't send anyone directly to Earth because Goku had the one-day pass and he no longer exists,"] King Kai said.

'_And I assume that the idea of giving Gohan a one-day pass for another planet, and having him Instant Transmit there and then transmit from there to here wouldn't work either?' _Cell psychically asked.

["It unfortunately wouldn't,"] King Kai said. ["Since Gohan died on Earth, the only one-day-pass he could have received would have been the one for Earth.]

Cell's mental exchange traffic remained silent for many moments.

'_Well, there goes that plan,' _Cell psychically said.

["Believe me, if I possessed the power to place into your mind knowledge of what my energy signature is like, or to give you access via this connection to just figuring it out, I'd help you accomplish that plan via that method,"] King Kai said. ["My powers for a psychic connection like this only allow unspoken words, unfortunately. And obviously, if I make my energy signature too obvious, which it would be, that creep might find his way over there, which would be a whole other problem.]

'_Right,' _Cell psychically said.

"What wonderful schemes are you planning with your allies in Otherworld?" Future Cell asked, right when the Death Spirit Bomb, now with a core of radiant pitch-black energy with blue and purple lighting coursing throughout its form, reached about 35 meters in diameter. "Well, it doesn't matter, because they can't save you from this!"

Future Cell suddenly disappeared, and Cell realized what Future Cell had managed to do.

He very soon would emerge from Instant Transmission in an unknown direction from Cell's own position, and even if Cell moved, Future Cell would still have the advantage of being able to emerge from the transmission within relatively effective firing range. There was no knowing what additional attacks Future Cell was preparing while in hyperspace between the transmission's initiation and his own emergence.

Cell's Spirit Bomb, in comparison to Future Cell's, was not only weaker but had reached a diameter of only 25 meters, whereas Future Cell's had reached 35 meters.

Cell stayed on the ground, knowing that he at the very least needed to defend Earth from the Death Spirit Bomb breaching its surface.

Cell briefly looked at the Spirit Bomb above him.

And he had an idea.

Cell quickly closed his eyes, while he with even greater speed shifted the position of his hands, such that his palms now were turned toward his eyes, and his fingers were spread apart from each other. Even though his eyes were closed, his face, and consequentially the backs of his hands, were angled upward toward the Spirit Bomb.

"Spirit Solar Flare!" Cell yelled, sending the Solar Flare energy straight into the Spirit Bomb, causing there to be a miraculously significant magnifying effect on the intensity of the blinding light.

At the instant that Future Cell returned, with his position 70 meters to Cell's exact right, his vision immediately became overwhelmed by the blinding flash of extremely enhanced light, which had echoed and radiated forth from within the glimmering white Spirit Bomb itself.

The effect was so powerful, and Future Cell in fact had been so surprised, that in the automatic reaction of reaching to cover his eyes and quite quickly losing focus through the sheer unexpectedness of what had happened, the moderately sizable one-handed Kamehameha wave and one-handed Big Bang Attack, with each prepared for firing forth from one of his hands, involuntarily released forward from his hands far over Cell's head and at an angle sending them toward space.

Cell sensed Future Cell's position, quickly turned to face him, then launched his Spirit Bomb forward and accentuated its force with a Tri-Bream, which he was able to very quickly position himself to be able to do as per the previous positioning of his hands.

With the tips of Cell's fingers now touching and his fingers except for his thumbs triangularly arched, the Tri-Beam impacted the Spirit Bomb and accelerated it swiftly forward.

Future Cell could sense the attacks swiftly coming toward him, and, based not on sight but through sensing Cell's energy signature, he launched the Death Spirit Bomb toward Cell.

However, before he had enough time to generate another sizable energy blast to accelerate the Death Spirit Bomb, Cell's Spirit Bomb collided with it, and with its far greater momentum than the Death Spirit Bomb sent the entire amalgamation of energies hurdling toward Future Cell's position.

He simply did not have enough time to get out of the way.

With the significant positive energy and negative energy interacting, the resultant exposition was colossal, so much so that Cell, who had released the Tri-Beam's stabilization energy as well to accentuate the effect, saw the combined explosive front from the exploding attacks quickly rushing toward him.

With as much celerity as he could summon, he instant transmitted away from the front of the explosion, which still was expanding and seconds later progressed beyond where he had been.

Two relative seconds later, and after his emergence from hyperspace, Cell appeared within one meter of Trunks.

The noble warrior was still very much unconscious and barely alive.

Cell sensed the area to ascertain whether the combined explosive force, significantly accentuated through the fact that pure positive and pure negative energies were interacting with each other in destructive fashion, had led to his counterpart's end.

He was in no way surprised that Future Cell's energy still could be sensed.

The explosive front fortunately had stopped 40 meters away from where Trunks was on the ground, but Cell had been prepared to transmit him farther away, just in case.

Cell briefly contemplated taking the opportunity to transmit with Trunks off the planet, but he quickly saw Future Cell emerge from the top of where he had been within the combined explosion, about 210 meters away.

The tips of his wings were missing, as were his hands and feet and cranial protrusions. His right eye had suffered damage, and Cell knew that it would be a prime opportunity to strike.

He instant transmitted into hyperspace, and with Future Cell still very much aghast at what had happened, he did not think of instant transmitting toward Trunks, or away from Planet Earth.

Future Cell used the remaining parts of his arms to temporarily shield himself as Cell emerged from hyperspace with a quite quickly charged, rudimentary version of the Final Flash, and Cell launched the attack into Future Cell, knocking him backward.

Cell then appeared over Future Cell and kicked him down toward what was now an enormous cloud of energy fallout dust, and Cell heard Future Cell impact the ground with a thud.

Cell began to dive into the cloud, only to have his path impeded by a Masenko released from below. He dodged the attack, then saw Future Cell, in the middle of regeneration, emerge from hyperspace near Trunks.

With as much speed as he could generate, Cell shifted forward as fast as possible, and it was indeed auspicious that Future Cell's hands and feet had not yet fully regenerated, as he had not yet made physical contact with Trunks for any potential Instant Transmission attempt.

Instantaneously after Future Cell completed the regeneration of his lost components, Cell horizontally rushed into him and grabbed him, sending him off of his newly reformed feet and hurtling hundreds of meters away from Trunks.

Future Cell then used his reformed right foot to kick Cell in the stomach while he simultaneously punched each of Cell's wrists, and Cell let go of his adversary with a quick cough in reaction to the strength of the kick and punches.

Future Cell landed down on the ground about five meters from where Cell still was in the air, and Cell adjusted his position, then landed on the ground directly below.

"Not bad, you deceitful scum," Future Cell said, with no trace of humor in his voice or expression. "But your efforts failed. It will take much more than that to defeat me. Even with the help of your allies in Otherworld, you cannot stop me. I don't require such advantages, and I shall overwhelm you with my superiority."

"Face it Cell, if neither of us could regenerate or instant transmit, we both would have been dead long ago," Cell said, to the lack of a change in Future Cell's facial expression. "We both have vast advantages over so many other capable fighters. If you want to defeat me, you'll need to overcome my tactical advantages, such as intensified logical planning, while I'll need to overcome yours, such as willingness to be ruthless."

"Spare me the notion that you act with greater logic than me," Future Cell said, while beginning to step forward. "Now, about that Tri-Beam, … if you wanted to use one of Tien's techniques, surely there is one much more exciting that could be used."

As Cell briefly wondered, and then realized, what his counterpart was referring to, a fellow warrior was about to contact him from the heavens above.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

_[Two and one-half minutes earlier …]_

With his body restored and his mind focused, he emerged from the Instant Transmission with Gohan, and gazed at the many allies who had assembled.

Some were familiar faces, and others he was meeting for the first time.

"I hear that bastard is still alive," Broly said, immediately drawing the attention of all in the vicinity.

"Well, it's good to finally meet you in person, Broly!" Krillin excitedly said, as he walked forward and offered his hand for a shake.

"After the evil Cell is dead, I will be more than happy to shake your hand," Broly said, while walking past Krillin toward the others. "Which one of you is known as King Kai?"

"That would be me!" King Kai said, as Broly turned to face him. "Welcome to my planet."

"Gohan has told me that there currently is no way for me to be transported to Earth so I can finish crushing that deceitful bug myself," Broly said, causing many of the veteran Z-Fighters to be further awed by his presence and further respectful of his determination.

"Yes, but King Kai is attempting to contact someone whom he feels might be able to help at least one of us join the fight," Piccolo said, while maintaining his physical contact with King Kai to observe the battle below, as many others also were.

It was upon seeing Piccolo that Broly quickly scanned the area and searched for Dende, who was standing to his left.

"I want to apologize for deflecting Cell's attack into you," Broly said. "Your death was largely because of me."

"Don't blame yourself," Dende said, while smiling. "If it's anyone's fault, it's the evil Cell's."

"I appreciate that you see this issue from that perspective," Broly said. "And Gohan, I already have forgiven you for being the one to extinguish my last breath, as I know you must have had a compelling reason to do so."

"We couldn't take the risk of what might have happened if the evil Cell was to gain access to the opportunity to absorb the remainder of your energy," Gohan said. "I didn't want that to happen, and as soon as I prevented you from in any way becoming a part of that fiend, he killed me."

"You enabled me to have a far nobler death than would otherwise have happened, and for this, I thank you," Broly said. "And what is Trunks' current status?"

"He's hanging in there, but barely," Master Roshi said. "It isn't looking too good, I'm afraid.

"All the more reason to join him on the battlefield all the sooner," Broly said, redirecting his attention to King Kai. "What must be done, exactly, to contact this person you are trying to contact?"

"I'm honestly not entirely sure," King Kai said. "It would sure help if I'd ever seen him before, but I haven't."

"That does not sound too promising," Broly said.

"Unfortunately, no, but while we're observing the battle, I'm contacting people around Otherworld to try and figure out some sort of way to contact him," King Kai said.

"It seems your organization lacks proper emergency protocols and procedures," Broly said.

King Kai did not respond, although he looked to the ground, downtrodden.

Suddenly, Broly began to power up, with rage swelling within him. His Super Saiyan aura began to spark to life, while he began to yell.

"If only I could be there, I would annihilate the evil Cell myself!" Broly yelled, prompting King Kai to quickly respond.

"Broly! You need to calm down!" King Kai said. "Because of your extreme strength, if you power up much further, you actually might be able to be sensed from the mortal realm! That could reveal our position to the evil Cell, and that wouldn't be good for any of us! Please stop this!"

After a few moments of consideration, and looking with an expression of rage toward King Kai, Broly's aura diminished from sight, as his power level also decreased.

"Very well, then," Broly said.

"Oh no!" Tien shouted. "I'm glad the good Cell used my Tri-Beam, but if the evil Cell is planning to use what I think he is, there's no telling what he might do!"

Broly's interest perked.

"You all can view the battle the two Cells are having on Planet Earth through maintaining physical contact with King Kai, correct?" Broly asked.

"That's how it works!" Yajirobe said. "And we can even communicate with the good Cell, if we want."

Broly saw no readily available openings for maintaining contact with King Kai.

However, it was generally very difficult for obstacles of any kind to stop Broly.

"Reposition yourself," Broly said to Yajirobe with some force, to which Yajirobe obliged while Broly placed his right hand on King Kai's left shoulder.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City, Age 786 … _

As Cell prepared himself for the maneuver Future Cell was likely about to perform, he heard a voice broadcast from Otherworld.

["Cell, this is Broly! I assume that you are aware of me,"] he said.

'_I can hear you, Broly,' _Cell psychically said, while Future Cell adjusted his knees so that they were shoulder-length apart, and then deepened his stance. _'I'm sorry for what my counterpart did to you, but thank you for doing all you could to stop him.'_

["The moment I am able to join you on the battlefield, I shall personally tear that bastard to shreds and blast him into oblivion,"] Broly said, prompting Cell to smirk. ["Until then, I want you to use all your greatest force possible to kick the crap out of that worthless maniac and avenge all the innocents he victimized. But with even greater achievement, you will have defeated him long before I have the opportunity to arrive."]

'_Thank you, my friend,' _Cell psychically said.

"Talking with them more?" Future Cell asked, with a sneer. "If they could have come from Otherworld to help you fight me, they would have done so by now. The supposed gods of this universe have their clear limitations, but when I ascend beyond them all, such shall not be the case."

"If you became a true god, the universe would be infected by further imperfection," Cell chuckled, right when Future Cell crossed his arms in front of himself with his fists clenched.

"This should be amusing," Future Cell said. "Multi-Form!"

A semitransparent duplicate of Future Cell, with his exact pose, separated forth from his main body to his left, standing a quarter of a meter away.

The duplicate body then lost its translucence, looking identical to Future Cell's main body.

Future Cell's main body and duplicate body then each separated into two physical entities, such that another semitransparent duplicate emerged from Future Cell's main body to his right and yet another semitransparent duplicate emerged from the first duplicate to his left.

The two additional duplicates became fully visible, and then each of the four stood straight.

"A shortsighted plan," Cell said, with a grin. "Your main body and your copies each have far less power than the original, one-fourth as much, in fact. If I stay as I am now, I shall not have much trouble overcoming this. I'm surprised you didn't learn from how ineffective this maneuver proved to be against Goku during the Cell Games."

"Ah, but consider yet another possibility," Future Cell's main body said, while he and each of the duplicates slightly arched their backs, with their wings spreading slightly outward.

Cell stared in alarm, and in anticipating what was soon to come, he began to undergo the Multi-Form technique himself to overcome what would soon be a massive disadvantage in not just aggregate strength, but numbers.

While Cell enabled his first duplicate to emerge to his right, there, sprouting forth from Future Cell's main body and those of his duplicates, were Cell Juniors, with one emitted from the opened tail stinger of each of the four.

As Cell and his first duplicate divided again, a second and third Cell Junior emerged from the four bodies of Future Cell.

By the time Cell and his three duplicates began emitting Cell Juniors, there were already four for each of Future Cell's bodies.

"As you so wonderfully know, while the Law of Conservation of Energy is preserved for the Multi-Form technique, it is by no means preserved for the creation of our Juniors," Future Cell's main body said, as a fifth Junior emerged form each of his bodies, while the second Junior emerged from each of those of Cell.

"Well, we're proof that Dr. Gero was all too eager to screw with science," Cell's main body said, as each of his bodies emitted another Junior, while each of Future Cell's emitted a sixth.

"With my advantage in numbers, you shall be overwhelmed," Future Cell's main body said with a cackle, echoed by the cackles of his duplicates.

Cell noticed that, just as had been the case before his enlightenment, Future Cell's Juniors – 24 of them so far – were cackling amongst themselves and sneering like crazed fiends.

In comparison, Cell's Juniors – 12 of them so far – looked rather docile, and some of them even looked quite nervous, upon seeing the threatening menace in front of them, consisting in part of fellow Juniors whom they knew somehow seemed far less natural than even themselves.

Cell noticed their concern, and attempted to mollify them, while four more Future Cell Juniors appeared.

"Be brave, young ones," Cell's main body said, causing his Juniors to look at him. "We need to overcome them for the good of the universe. It doesn't matter that they look like us; they've been tainted with evil and must be stopped."

As Cell finished his sentence, the armada of Future Cell's main body, three duplicate bodies, and 28 Juniors rushed forward and began to attack Cell's main body and those of his duplicates, right after each had emitted a fourth Junior.

Cell's main body, and each of his three duplicates, now had to fend off direct attacks from one of Future Cell's bodies and seven of his Juniors.

The first 12 of Cell's Juniors rushed forward to help, and their blue forms soon became blurs within the rapid frays of attacks. Many of Cell's Juniors in the fight were outmatched by more than two-to-1 against Future Cell's Juniors, becoming pummeled by their crazed peers as they tried to help Cell's bodies and each other.

When the additional four of Cell's Juniors became ready to fight, they could hardly tell by sight which green and blue bodies were on their team, and had to examine the properties of the available energy signatures to determine whom to attack.

When they joined the fight, the ratio of Future Cell's Juniors to Cell's Juniors became more favorable to Cell's team, although some of Cell's Juniors still were outmatched by more than two-to-one.

In the midst of blurs of green and blue, with rapid punches, kicks, and energy blasts crowding the area and causing there to be a quite chaotic scene, Cell's main body found what he at first thought was Future Cell's main body. He attempted to punch him in the head, but the duplicate blocked him while a Future Cell Junior kicked him in the stomach and then spun him around to face Future Cell's true main body. Future Cell's main body elevated himself and then forward push-kicked Cell's main body in the face while six of the Future Cell Juniors were restraining him.

Suddenly, before Future Cell's main body could deliver a further blow, two Destructo Disks sliced through one of the Future Cell Juniors holding Cell's main body's left side and two Death Saucers sliced through another Future Cell Junior that had been holding Cell's main body's left side. Both of the Future Cell Juniors exploded in puffs of blue smoke as a result of this, as their stabilizing forces had been too disturbed to maintain their forms.

Cell's main body briefly saw that two of his Juniors had been responsible for the attacks, and before they could assist further, one of Future Cell's duplicate bodies and two more of his Juniors attacked them from behind, placing them on the defensive.

With great reluctance, Cell's main body knocked out the other Future Cell Junior that had been restraining his left side with a side-swipe to the left of his head, barely managing to avoid the Kamehameha wave that Future Cell's main body released.

He blasted in the head with a quick energy attack one of the Future Cell Juniors restraining him on his right, then forcefully shook off the others.

Cell's main body soared upward, above the violent maelstrom of movement below, and he could see that his team was more and more on the defensive, and losing.

Future Cell's main body joined him above, accompanied by four Future Cell Juniors, two on each of his sides.

"If you try producing another Junior, these four Juniors and I will blast you away while you're vulnerable," Future Cell's main body said. "By my count, it's still four versus four regarding duplicates, but regarding Juniors, your forces managed to destroy two of mine while three of yours have been destroyed. That puts the count at 26 to 13. Two sets of three of mine have Juniors that are stronger than those in the sets of four because two of my Juniors were destroyed. As per the fact that their power levels function according to Multi-Form principles, since they were created by different bodies resultant from the Multi-Form technique, with the loss of one linked to others, the others gain the energy from the dissipated individual by having it apportioned equally among them, in an auto-restore fashion. Since three of yours were destroyed, I can sense that one set of three has become more powerful, as has one set of two. Even with those power-ups, I still by far have the advantage in numbers."

"Those aren't impossible odds to overcome," Cell's main body said. "Besides, we both know that either of us could end this Multi-Form charade in an instant."

"Yeah, maybe so," Future Cell's main body said. "But I'll end this through overwhelming your numbers and then blasting your remnants away. You, however, would end this through cowardice."

"I'd rather work smarter than harder," Cell's main body said, right as he shifted position down toward the fray below, but outside the main section where the exchanges were taking place.

Cell's main body began to form the glowing white ring to start a Shining Nova, with his hands beginning up at the top of the circle and then arcing downward, enabling the luminescent line to form in tracing where his hands were moving.

Quickly, Cell's main body completed the ring, then attempted to lock onto a target. One of Future Cell's duplicates emerged from the fray, having been kicked by two of Cell's duplicates, and Cell's main body projected the ring forward.

However, before the ring could connect, Future Cell's main body emerged from instant transmission in front of the duplicate, also with a Shining Nova ring formed. Future Cell's main body released the ring toward the one that Cell's main body had released, and before Cell's main body could guide his out of the way, with Future Cell's main body purposely steering his ring toward the other, the two rings collided.

They were analyzing the properties of each other, and the rings were each trying to surround a target simultaneously.

The energy pressure from the attacks eventually gave way, as Cell's Shining Nova ring fell under the influence of Future Cell's Shining Nova ring. As Future Cell's Shining Nova ring completed the process of surrounding Cell's ring through achieving its spherical form, the Shining Nova ring Cell had released then began to surround many of the destructive energies that Future Cell's Shining Nova had begun to release within.

What happened next, as a result of the two attacks entering their spherical phases and bombarding each other with their energies, was yet another massive chain reaction explosion.

Cell and Future Cell commanded their forces to rise higher into the air, and the clashes continued above the expanding explosion sphere. Cell's main body briefly looked in the direction of Trunks' still-weak energy signature, and after deducing that the explosion sphere would not hit Trunks, one of Future Cell's duplicates uppercut him in the chin.

Cell's main body hurdled backward a few meters before stabilizing himself, then upon seeing all four of Future Cell's bodies suddenly shift in front of him, he became significantly on the defensive.

They had surrounded him from all sides, and while Cell's main body for a few moments had been able to block the punches from the duplicate in front of him and another duplicate to his right, the duplicate behind him and Future Cell's main body to his left punched and kicked him rapidly. The force of their impacts brought Cell's main body off-guard, and he then found that he was having trouble blocking even the punches and kicks of the other two duplicates.

Just as it seemed that Future Cell's main body was about to launch an energy attack, Cell's main body transmitted out of the immediate vicinity.

Future Cell's four bodies then observed Cell's main body's reemergence next to one of Cell's duplicates, and the four bodies of Future Cell vaulted themselves forward, all while Cell's duplicate elbowed a Future Cell Junior in the stomach.

With the legions of Cell Juniors fighting each other in a cloud of blue, Cell's two other duplicates existed that area and joined Cell's main body and the other duplicate, each entering a fighting stance in the air.

Future Cell's main body then shifted behind Cell's main body and attempted to blast him from behind with an Ultimate Blitz, but Cell's main body shifted behind him in response, punching him into the aft end of his own blast, as the velocity at which Future Cell's main body had traveled as a result of the punch was faster than the velocity by which the attack had been traveling.

While Future Cell's main body turned to face the oncoming strikes from Cell's main body, each of their duplicates was locked in a duel with the other's duplicate.

Cell and Future Cell's first duplicates were repeatedly countering each other's punches with blocks and then counterpunches, while Cell and Future Cell's second duplicates were experiencing the recoil from punching each other in the face.

Future Cell's third duplicate blocked a Big Bang Crash launched by Cell's third duplicate, who had quickly released the red energy wave outward from his left palm. Then, despite the minor energy fallout dust, Future Cell's third duplicate briefly charged a glowing, irregularly shaped white energy sphere with his right hand while positioning the hand out and back, then pushed his clawed fist forward to release his Bomber DX straight into the chest of Cell's third duplicate.

Right after Cell's third duplicate recovered, he joined his fellow duplicates and Cell's main body together in a formation with each of them standing shoulder-to-shoulder facing outward, awaiting Future Cell's main body and duplicates to approach.

They obliged the gesture, and each one of Cell's bodies then fought one of Future Cell's in further exchanges of rapid punches and kicks.

Cell's main body then directed each of his duplicates to each blast one of Future Cell's bodies in the stomach, and while Future Cell's main body, first duplicate and third duplicate blocked the attacks from their counterparts, his second duplicate was blasted backward.

All four of Cell's duplicates then soared vertically higher into the air, with each beginning to form a Kamehameha wave.

Before any of them could substantially form a wave, all three of Future Cell's duplicates shifted in front of Cell's main body and blasted him back many meters.

Future Cell's main body suddenly shifted directly behind Cell's main body, then with extreme swiftness, he grabbed the palm-side of his own left wrist with his right hand, adjusted his left palm so it was facing straight toward Cell's main body, curled his left fingers momentarily inward, then opened his left hand fully as a golden, twirling ellipse of projectile energy not too much longer than Future Cell's main body's left hand launched forward with great rapidness. Before contact, the energy ellipse suddenly shifted form into a somewhat more translucent sphere of gold that also was not too much larger than Future Cell's main body's left hand. Then, in the instant of contact, the sphere became three times as large. After an instantaneous flash of golden-white light, the Imprisonment Ball completely was surrounding Cell's main body, with its surface rippling with minor energy waves.

Cell's main body could feel the restrictive technique stultifying him, with his muscles other than those in his face unable to effectively move.

Future Cell's main body had kept his hands in the configuration they had been in when he had launched the attack, and emitting forth from his open left palm, and beginning to dissipate only when they reached a quarter of a meter's distance away, were circular waves of dark purple, each expanding in diameter after emitting from the surface of the quite translucent but still-somewhat-visible golden sphere that was in front of his left palm and only slightly larger than it.

After a few seconds of further emitting the longevity waves, which had been needed to maintain the Imprisonment Ball without Future Cell's main body needing to devote more mental or physical energy in which to do so, Future Cell's main body flourished his left fingers and then momentarily clenched his fists.

"Superb," Future Cell's main body said, before shifting to the front of Cell's main body outside the Imprisonment Ball, while Cell's main body watched in trepidation as each of his duplicates quite suddenly became motionless.

Indeed, each of the duplicates generated from the Multi-Form technique was inherently linked to the main body, and was not a truly independent entity. The biotic energy signals that enabled each of Cell's duplicates to function had been completely interrupted due to the restrictive properties of the Imprisonment Ball, similar, in function, to how those trapped inside an Imprisonment Ball can't interact with energy beyond the Imprisonment Ball's surface for the purpose of sensing external energy and performing the Instant Transmission technique. The Imprisonment Ball indeed imprisoned certain energy data flowing out, and certain energy data flowing in.

Future Cell knew, however, that Cell's duplicates would very soon automatically dissipate through having lost their link with Cell's main body, and that despite the Imprisonment Ball's energy restriction abilities, it would not be able to stop the automatic energy restoration processes that would result in Cell regaining the energy from the dissipated duplicates. The auto-restoration of the energy the duplicates had used, despite the dissipating duplicates being outside the Imprisonment Ball while Cell's main body was inside, would be a unique exception to the general rule of disallowance of energy-based transfers through the Imprisonment Ball because as per the exact method by which the Multi-Form technique functioned, each of the duplicates had used Cell's energy by proxy, such that the collection of their energy truly had been within Cell's main body the entire time, although Cell's main body had devoted three-fourths of its energy in a subdued energy reserve for the purpose of powering and giving physical form to the duplicates through what had been the biotic energy signals to them – which the Imprisonment Ball had interrupted.

As Cell's main body would quickly regain the energy from his dissipated duplicates, Future Cell's main body wanted to take action to prevent Cell's main body from being able to overpower the Imprisonment Ball through suddenly possessing four times as much active energy as the entity identifiable as the one who had cast the technique, of which Future Cell's unified body would replace Future Cell's main body for that consideration. Trunks as a Super Saiyan 2 had indeed managed to overpower Future Cell's Imprisonment Ball before in large part through possessing more than four times as much energy as him, and Future Cell had learned from that tactical error.

Future Cell's main body very quickly was joined by his duplicates, and they dissipated back into Future Cell's main body, unifying him right before the effects from the link loss began to dissipate Cell's duplicates.

To achieve a simultaneous fashion with Future Cell's merger of his own body, Future Cell had sent the mental signals toward his Juniors' main bodies to merge with their duplicates, right before Cell's Juniors gained the energy from their dissipated duplicates, which had dissipated because the duplicates of Cell's body that had produced them had involuntarily dissipated.

With the loss of his duplicates, and his acquisition of their energy through the auto-restore process that had occurred through their dissipation, Cell once again became unified. Within seconds, the remaining Juniors on Future Cell's side numbered the full compliment of seven, while Cell had merely two allied Juniors, since two Juniors produced from Cell's main body and their duplicates had been killed during the previous fighting.

Future Cell suddenly shifted from his position near the Imprisonment Ball and appeared right in front of the two remaining Juniors allied with Cell, while Cell struggled to break free.

"Ah, little ones, it seems you're outnumbered," Future Cell said, while his crazed Juniors laughed from behind him. "You seem like smart children, so I'll give you a choice. Join us, or die."

The two Cell Juniors looked nervously at each other, then looked back to Future Cell. They knew this entity was not the one who had made them despite his appearance, and within their inherited memories, they seemed to remember a time in which such boisterousness and wildness as that which was being exhibited by the Future Cell Juniors had seemed the norm, and even desirable. They remembered a time of greater violence, and greater fun through tormenting the weak.

But they were merely memories, and memories of wickedness did not have to be emulated through further action. They too were blessed with understandings that Cell had granted them, and in understanding, in certain ways, more than Future Cell himself ever had, they entered defensive positions, ready to defend themselves from his malice.

"How very disappointing," Future Cell said, right before chopping each of them swiftly in the neck before they could effectively fly toward him.

The blue dust from their exploding forms horrified Cell, while the Future Cell Juniors laughed at the occurrence, mocking those whom they considered to have been weak.

"I would never have been so monstrous!" Cell yelled from above within the Imprisonment Ball, causing Future Cell and his Juniors to redirect their attention toward him. "I knew you took far too much horrifying pleasure in killing the innocent, Cell, but this … this is absolute evil itself."

"If you disagree with my methods, then that affirms their excellence," Future Cell said, causing Cell to become even more enraged, and glimmering sparks of his Super Perfect aura to begin to appear, despite their subdued nature within the Imprisonment Ball.

Before Cell could respond further, Future Cell used his mental powers to send the Imprisonment Ball swiftly toward the ground below, while enabling himself to approach the ground with swiftness as well, and prompting his Juniors to do the same.

The Imprisonment Ball halted half a meter above the ground, hovering while Future Cell and the Future Cell Juniors touched the ground with their feet. They all began to walk toward Cell, with Future Cell laughing by far the most among them.

"It seems you have a problem," Future Cell said, while smirking at Cell.

He waited for Cell to respond, but upon hearing no verbal answer, he continued with his annunciations.

"I assume by now you know that attempting to instant transmit out of this technique is pointless," Future Cell said. "Indeed, unlike the Final Finish Buster that Trunks used as part of the incompetent plan the two of you devised to destroy me while I was again in my imperfect form, there is no escape from an Imprisonment Ball using Instant Transmission. In fact, this seems to be the one energy technique either of us know of, due to its unique properties in comparison to the others we know, that actually restricts the person within the energy so severely that Instant Transmission from within is impossible. The restrictive powers are so severe in there that you can't even sense energy from outside the sphere! Truly, it is remarkably different, especially in that way, from all other energy techniques we possess."

"I don't care how different it is; this thing is not inviolate, since Trunks found out two different methods of escape," Cell said.

"I have nullified both of those methods from being accessible to you," Future Cell said, as his Juniors cackled. "The only reason Trunks escaped my plan on the former Planet New Namek was because high pressure and temperature from a planetary core dissolved the Imprisonment Ball's integrity. You have no such luxury here, at the surface of Planet Earth. And as far as overpowering the Imprisonment Ball's restrictive energy and manipulating it through possessing far greater power and energy manipulation ability than the one who is currently controlling the technique, rest assured that since I am still, in fact, slightly stronger than you, this also will not be a method of your escape. Of course I reinforced the resistance of the technique upon my body's reunification, but all the same, you can't break this sphere through superior power. If you had been truly wise during your botched plan with Trunks to kill me with his Final Finish Buster, you would have used this technique against me, instead of your shortsighted psychic mental restriction, so that the overwhelming strength of the Final Finish Buster would have completely surrounded the Imprisonment Ball sphere, and so that by the time the sphere exploded and the ability to sense external energy signatures was restored, it would have been far too late to effectively sense an energy signature and instant transmit, since the force and speed of the blast would have virtually assuredly dominated me before that would have been possible. No, under your flawed plan, I had been able to keep my fixation the entire time on an energy signature to instant transmit toward. I have learned from your mistakes, and because of my superior knowledge, this now shall be your end."

About 15 seconds prior, Cell had decided to initiate a plan to see if it would provide any beneficial results, but so far, there had been no noticeable returns for his efforts. However, Cell acknowledged that it might take some time for that plan to work – time that was becoming less and less available – and so he persisted in the attempt, unbeknownst to Future Cell.

Whether that plan would work at all was quite uncertain and yet another gamble Cell had needed to initiate on behalf of the universe. In the meantime, while maintaining his efforts for that particular plan, he had tried many other tactics as well, even attempting to use his own mental powers to psychically force the Imprisonment Ball down to the ground so it could explode and he could have an opportunity for escape, but all had been to no avail.

"There … must be a way out," Cell said, while still struggling to break free.

"There is not," Future Cell said, as he placed his right foot about half a meter back and to the right of his left, then deepened his stance.

Future Cell placed his wrists together in front of himself so that his right palm was atop his left, with each hand's fingers curved. Then, after bending his knees slightly more, he brought back his hands to his right hip, with his palms now facing each other and the tips of his fingers now touching. He then raised his hands slightly up and backward, with the tips of his fingers no longer touching, while he slightly leaned further forward.

After a few moments, his Super Perfect aura sparked to visibility, with his Juniors becoming enamored with the destructive sight. After a few further moments, a blue-white sphere formed between his palms, and then after a few more moments beams of blue-white began to radiate from the sphere in many directions.

"As a result of all my efforts, the last capable defender of this universe shall be destroyed, with Goku's true signature technique," Future Cell said. "Oh, but to ensure your demise, this attack must be quite charged. And in addition to the severity of a full and unobstructed Kamehameha wave from me alone, my Juniors shall join me in blasting you into oblivion!"

Cell watched as the seven Juniors, with seething laughter, mimicked the motions of their vile creator, then began to have visible spheres of energy within their palms as well.

As he stared toward death, his mind was racing for ideas to solve this crisis.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 … _

"Not good," Yamcha said, as he and many of Cell's allies in Otherworld continued to watch the battle via King Kai's telepathy. "Has anyone been able to get through to him?"

"It's not working," Moori said. "The evil Cell's Imprisonment Ball has unsurprisingly blocked off our ability to communicate with the noble Cell."

"Well, if he can't sense energy signatures from within there, I'm unsurprised that he isn't able to sense our messages," Dende said.

Broly grunted upon their increasing desperation.

"King Kai, if it will speed the search, I will personally scour Otherworld so we can find the person you're looking for," he said. "If there's anything we could do, it must be done, and as you more than well know, there is not much time."

"Since we don't know where he is, we just have to hope that East Kai's lead turns out to be an accurate one," King Kai said. "Maybe her nosiness into others' affairs will finally produce something useful, for a change."

"It would be beneficial if that is to be so," Broly said, while concentrating on the battle below. "Still, I would not lose faith in the good Cell yet."

"That's right," Gohan said. "Both Cells have shown themselves to be quite capable tacticians, despite their occasional significant mistakes, and the fact that our friend is as strong as he as now shows he can use innovation and experimentation to his advantage."

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, outskirts of Orange Star City, Age 786 …_

Future Cell was determined to charge his Kamehameha wave to an excessive extremity, and he felt that after another 30 seconds, the strength and size of his blast, in combination with those of his Juniors, would overwhelm the Imprisonment Ball and Cell within, removing him from the mortal realm forever.

"With your death, and the impending acquisition of the enhanced powers and knowledge I seek, the glory of Dr. Gero shall become not only ubiquitous across this universe and the universe of Timeline III, but revered among all who shall remain after I eradicate every last imperfection," Future Cell said, with his eyes gleaming from the thought of achieving his paramount goal of reshaping the universe in his image.

"It's ironic that you, yourself, are an imperfection," Cell said, while Future Cell's grin persisted.

"A hopeless taunt for a hopeless end," Future Cell said, while the shimmering golden waves and crackling lightning of his Super Perfect aura gave engilded shine to the coalescing sphere by the palms of his hands that soon was to be released.

However, despite the perilous situation, Cell knew to maintain as much clarity of thought as possible. True focus, the focus he would need to realize an answer to his predicament if indeed one existed, could be achieved only through possessing a greater level of calmness of mind than might otherwise be the case if he was to allow himself to succumb to fear or descend into dread.

He needed to remain as confident as possible, even if only the penumbras of hope remained.

Suddenly, with merely 10 seconds to spare until Future Cell had planned on firing his Kamehameha wave and beckoning his Juniors to launch theirs, the plan Cell had formed minutes ago and which had not worked immediately, but which he felt might work if he applied and maintained constant focus and did not yield to terror, began to visibly manifest.

What had started as a notion that the Imprisonment Ball's integrity was derived in large part from its ability to maintain its shape had evolved into Cell's decision to attempt to do something that would warp its shape and overcome its restrictive force.

He indeed could not move his limbs, and he indeed could not launch energy attacks, be he had thought of another method that might work to his advantage.

His limbs, while not relatively moving from the positions to which they had been affixed by the Imprisonment Ball, suddenly began to swell rapidly in size.

Before Future Cell realized what was happening, Cell's body finally managed to take advantage of the fact that the physical restriction components of the Imprisonment Ball had been designed merely to prevent the movement of and of the relative position of the body from changing. Increasing the size of one's limbs while not changing their relative positions did not fully count as 'movement' according to the way the attack was designed, although the overall restrictive properties of the Imprisonment Ball had regardless of this prevented him being able to effectively augment his size until now.

Similarly, when Trunks had been confronted by the challenge of overcoming the Imprisonment Ball within the former Planet New Namek, he had eventually managed, after strenuous and constant attempts, to increase the size of his muscles via his Ultra Super Saiyan transformation by overcoming the Imprisonment Ball's maximum resistance threshold for such a size increase. He had succeeded in the transformation because the physical positions of his limbs had not changed, despite their greater overall size.

Cell, however, knew himself to possess a transformation with an augmentation of size so significant that the full transformation was about 10 meters in height, far larger than the total diameter of this particular Imprisonment Ball, which was about 4.5 meters. While Trunks' Ultra Super Saiyan transformation had not outright enabled him to escape under the theory Cell was urgently testing, because Trunks' total height or length or width at maximum after the transformation had not exceeded the diameter of the Imprisonment Ball that had contained him within the former Planet New Namek, Cell had felt the tactic might work if he applied his Power-Weighted form toward its achievement.

He had theorized that the overall force of his transformation, because of his body's forceful demand to increase in size beyond the realm of the Imprisonment Ball from within, might be enough to fundamentally destabilize the Imprisonment Ball through forcing it to unstably and unevenly expand at different points across its surface, which would dramatically warp the sphere and destabilize it.

And he was right.

Cell's first step of the dramatic expansion shifted his height to almost six meters, causing the integrity of the Imprisonment Ball to begin to rapidly destabilize.

Future Cell, right after the first step of Cell's expansion, recognized quite clearly what might happen, especially since he could not just sense, but see the Imprisonment Ball seemingly lose the stability of its form.

"Blast him now!" Future Cell yelled aloud to his Juniors, in the midst of sending his extremely charged Kamehameha wave forward.

As Future Cell had been merely three meters from the sphere, his Kamehameha wave had not needed much distance before it would potentially hit the unstable Imprisonment Ball and Cell himself. He had planned on manipulating his energy to increase the size of the front of the blast before it was to have contact, and at his range from the Imprisonment Ball, he had planned on making the blast able to cover a diameter of five and one-half meters.

Before the attack could connect, and before the Juniors' attacks were released, Cell augmented in size in the next step of expansion, gaining a height of nine meters.

The further expansion warped the Imprisonment Ball's shape so severely that it shattered into fragments of dissipating golden light and miniature spatial vacuums, moments before Future Cell's Kamehameha wave would have come into contact with its surface.

Cell, however, especially because he was in the midst of finalizing his transformation, which itself greatly reduced his speed, and because he had instants ago regained the ability to sense energy signatures other than his own, had not had enough time to evade Future Cell's attack.

Future Cell's Kamehameha wave blasted into Cell's lower chest and legs, with is extreme charge demolishing the molecular structures of those body components.

Cell grunted in severe pain, but pain, after all, was not as detrimental as death.

Before the Juniors' waves could hit, Cell applied his mental powers to move the remaining portion of his own body upward, enabling him to gain slightly more velocity than he would have been able to generate had his Power-Weighted Super Perfect form been whole.

With no substantial contact point for impact, the Juniors' waves continued past where Cell had been, but indeed were still quite available for use.

"Redirect the Kamehameha waves toward him!" Future Cell shouted, as he soared into the air, readying another Imprisonment Ball.

Cell looked downward, seeing Future Cell approaching from below and the Juniors' Kamehameha waves turning from their previous path and moving back and upward toward him.

Future Cell released the Imprisonment Ball projection, but before it could hit, and with 15 meters of space until the redirected waves could come into contact, Cell instant transmitted away, leaving the Imprisonment Ball without a proper target, causing it to fizzle into nonexistence.

Future Cell glared at the sudden disappearance, which he had confirmed was indeed Instant Transmission through not being able to sense Cell's energy signature.

The Juniors' waves passed through where Cell had been right before he emerged from Instant Transmission five meters to the left side of Future Cell.

Upon seeing him reappear, the Juniors again redirected their Kamehameha waves toward him, determined to have the waves meet their target.

Cell, however, had prepared a technique in hyperspace, and upon seeing Future Cell turning toward him and ready to release another Imprisonment Ball projection, and with the Juniors' waves fast approaching, Cell knew he had to initiate his technique soon.

Although he no longer philosophically supported the notions that had prompted him to name this technique as he had, he called it by the name Future Cell would recognize, so that Future Cell could better understand the extent to which his plan had been counteracted.

"Perfect Barrier!" Cell shouted, while quickly generating the defensive energy shield by lifting his arms to his sides, with his palms pointing in opposite directions, and from all directions of his body manifesting another spherical energy technique that was far more auspicious for him than the Imprisonment Ball from which he had earlier escaped.

Whereas a manifested Imprisonment Ball typically has a uniform gold-white light throughout its surface, the starting colors of the energy for the Perfect Barrier included gold and white, but with white energy at the core and with golden energy at the outermost layer. However, this hue soon became quite iridescent, as the scene suddenly became dark, then returned to its previous gold and white coloration, then became dark again, and then became lighter but tinted with a purple glow that rapidly consumed all the other elements of coloration to form a distinct purple hue.

Throughout the color shifting, the sphere ragingly expanded outward, becoming larger and larger while the lower portion of the sphere began to concave the ground below. All across its form, waves of vibrant lightning stirred and coursed, with the energy of Cell's Power-Weighted Super Perfect form making the lightning larger and brighter than had been the case when he quite some time ago had last used this technique.

In the midst of the Perfect Barrier's expansion, Future Cell's Imprisonment Ball projected had impacted its surface and had been negated through the defensive energy, and the Juniors' Kamehameha waves also had impacted the surface, with each forming sizable explosions.

When the Perfect Barrier reached 400 meters in diameter, Cell halted its expansion, and further concentrated on Future Cell, who had reentered a battle stance in the air, pondering what next to do. His Juniors did not outright enter battle stances of their own, but they regrouped near him, awaiting his prompting.

Suddenly, Cell felt the lower portion of his body regenerating, and within the span of two seconds, all his structures that had been blasted away by Future Cell's Kamehameha had been regenerated. With his Power-Weighted Super Perfect form suddenly becoming whole, whereas before it had merely been partial, the Perfect Barrier slightly shook to accommodate the adjustment, although it quickly stabilized.

"You can't keep up that barrier forever," Future Cell said, scathingly. "Sooner or later, you'll need to actually rejoin this fight."

"We should stop using Imprisonment Balls," Cell said, in a deeper-than-usual voice as per his Power-Weighted status. "If you're willing to agree to that, then I won't use them either."

"Even if I was to say yes, you obviously know that I'd almost certainly be lying," Future Cell said. "You have evaded death for far too long. I'm eager for the opportunity to finally kill you, and that would help me secure that opportunity."

"I'd just use my Power-Weighted form again," Cell said.

"You wouldn't have enough time to use that trick twice, and you wouldn't be able to rely on that trick at all if I capture you while you're already in that form." Future Cell said.

Cell realized that Future Cell had inadvertently encouraged him to regain a tactical enhancement sooner rather than later, and Cell suddenly adjusted his internal energies to enable his size to return to standard, with his height of 10 meters slowly shrinking back to the size of his customary Super Perfect form.

Future Cell felt tempted to instant transmit within the Perfect Barrier to attack Cell during the transformation, but he realized that as per the radical energies within, there was too much of a chance of either being grievously damaged within from the energy all around Cell's body or being so affected by the energy that Cell would have an enhanced opportunity to strike at him.

He also considered whether transmitting with Trunks would be advisable, although with the various advantages Cell had gained through using Instant Transmission, and Future Cell's continued uncertainty as to exactly what Cell's next move would be, he felt it best to maintain his focus on Cell's movements so as to decrease risk.

As Cell diminished in size, the Perfect Barrier did as well, with its diameter decreasing to roughly one-fourth of what it had been as per adjusting itself to maintain its size ratio with Cell's size.

With the last of the Power-Weighted augmentations diminished, Cell smirked, while maintaining the Power Weighted form with his outstretched arms.

"This is much better," Cell said, while maintaining the Perfect Barrier.

"The Perfect Barrier has taken a lot out of your strength, hasn't it, Cell?" Future Cell asked, smugly.

"Less than you perceive," Cell said.

Cell then abruptly moved his hands forward and upward, with the Perfect Barrier beginning to destabilize.

As he rapidly began to form the white ring to begin a Shining Nova, and as the Perfect Barrier had not been voluntarily dismissed and was losing stability, a chain reaction began within the intensified and compacted energy. Without proper stabilization, the remaining components of the Perfect Barrier outwardly and massively exploded, with Cell instant transmitting out of the center of the explosion before it could hit him.

Future Cell was alarmed, and flew upward rapidly to avoid the intense and expanding explosion, while his Juniors followed suit.

He was determined to not let Cell gain an advantage over him again through using an Instant Transmission in combination with a Shining Nova, and he began to summon the energy in both hands, with an Imprisonment Ball forming in each.

In the brief second that Cell emerged from Instant Transmission, he emerged from Future Cell's right, then launched the ring toward him, which while in hyperspace Cell had greatly expanded in diameter. Right before launching it, Cell had programed it through energy manipulation to automatically lock onto Future Cell.

Future Cell released both Imprisonment Balls straight toward Cell, unknowing that Cell was about to reenter hyperspace via Instant Transmission.

Upon Cell's Instant Transmission, the Imprisonment Balls passed through the ring he had formed, which was approaching Future Cell rapidly.

While Future Cell shifted backward to avoid the Shining Nova, and knew that Cell could reappear from hyperspace at any moment, he had been rushing the process without taking all factors of what he was doing into consideration.

While still facing the Shining Nova, but moving backward and away from it, he began to gather energy to unleash his own Perfect Barrier, hoping to potentially impact Cell himself with it, and at the very least negate not just the Shining Nova, but whatever additional attacks Cell might have planned.

His Juniors, noticing his movements, had decided to follow him while he moved away from the Shining Nova, each of them unsure of exactly how to proceed, but some of whom were forming generic energy attacks to use against Cell upon his emergence.

Cell very suddenly appeared five meters behind Future Cell, and while he had not known exactly where he would appear in relation to Future Cell, he found the position to be most excellent.

Future Cell sensed Cell's position with alarm, as he was still backwardly heading in Cell's direction, opposite the direction of the incoming Shining Nova.

Cell vaulted himself forward at extreme speed and used both of his feet to simultaneously kick Future Cell in the back, all while Future Cell had been concentrating on preparing to unleash the Perfect Barrier. Cell's presence and kick caught Future Cell so off-guard that he was now heading straight toward the Shining Nova, and would be within its range in mere instants.

He didn't feel as though he had enough time to shift out of the way of the homing attack, and he didn't feel as though he had enough time to unleash the barrier or instant transmit away.

Instead, he noticed his Juniors, some of which had not reached the position where he had been when Cell had kicked him and had still been closer toward the Shining Nova than him when he had been kicked.

Without fully thinking of the consequences of his actions, largely out of not fully caring about them, Future Cell swiftly grabbed one of his Juniors and threw him straight into the Shining Nova ring.

Because of the Junior's forward position and momentum as a result of being thrown, with the Junior now within the ring and Future Cell now just half a meter away, the Shining Nova ring recognized a target and stopped homing in on Future Cell. Because it had acquired a target, it abruptly shifted momentum and followed the Junior's reverse trajectory, tracking him for a few moments before surrounding him with an energy sphere of gleaming white, as Cell watched in horror.

Cell and the six Juniors who had not been victimized by their creator paused their activities and observed quite helplessly as the sphere consumed more and more of the Junior's body.

While Cell had known that he likely would have had to defeat these Juniors to save the universe, throughout his efforts against them, he had been saddened by the mere thought of having to kill them, as he viewed them all as entities that at a fundamental level were simply innocent and impressionable children. The deaths of his own Juniors had been emotionally wrenching for Cell, but to see what he had just seen was beyond any emotional pain he had experienced in relation to the Juniors before.

The experience of seeing the death of an entity he fundamentally considered to be a child, mostly because of the actions of that child's creator, had been beyond horrifying for Cell. While he knew his own Shining Nova to have been the attack that had consumed him, and for this was experiencing severe grief, it had been Future Cell's choice to throw his own Junior into the attack, instead of sacrificing himself. Additionally, whereas Future Cell should have known there was a chance he would have even in fact survived the attack through single-cell regeneration, there was no chance for the Junior to have survived.

Upon acknowledging all this, Cell began to slightly shed tears from his eyes.

Future Cell, realizing he now had an opportunity to immobilize Cell through an Imprisonment Ball once again, began to form the technique in his right hand, only to have Cell quickly notice this and to shift behind him, in the midst of his tears becoming accompanied by fury. While Future Cell elbowed Cell in the stomach, Cell sent a Death Saucer straight through Future Cell's right elbow, severing the forearm and hand that had been preparing the Imprisonment Ball.

Future Cell growled in pain at the occurrence, and before he could take further action, the Shining Nova sphere began to noticeably dissipate. He saw, upon the briefest of glances leftward, that within the more and more translucent sphere, nothing remained of the Junior. Because the Juniors did not possess his single-cell regeneration capabilities, as his and Cell's would not have been so easily destroyed if they had, Future Cell knew that he merely had six Juniors who could help him now.

He saw the six of them, still staring in shock at what had happened to their fellow Junior. None of them had helped him attack Cell after the Shining Nova had consumed one of their own, and Future Cell was furious at what he viewed as their seemingly neglect for proper tactics.

"It's time for you all to refocus!" Future Cell yelled, right before the six remaining Future Cell Juniors turned toward him. "This impostor needs to die, and the six of you should be taking a more proactive role in helping me kill him!"

They noticed Future Cell's enraged facial expression, and also noticed Cell's, which while with traits of fury was quite marked by the tears that were continuing to slightly stream. They were able to readily tell whom was whom through sensing the subtle differences in the overall expressions of their energy signatures.

Something within them, a sentiment that Future Cell had not accounted for in his actions, suddenly awakened.

When they had actively desired to kill Cell's Juniors before, they had found those actions to be appropriate, and when they had laughed upon Future Cell's personal slaughtering of Cell's two remaining Juniors beforehand, it was indeed true that they had done so with glee. In all those instances, they had recognized, based on the instinctual knowledge they had gained from Future Cell, that despite the appearances of Cell and his Juniors, they were fundamentally different from Future Cell and themselves, and needed to be destroyed.

However, they had just witnessed their creator kill one of their own, and show seemingly no remorse, while their supposed enemy was showing apparent sadness for what had happened.

Whether it had been because of Future Cell's and Cell's former intertwining having subtle effects on their minds, or if it was perhaps because of a far more primordial recognition that a creator should actually care for his creations, the six Juniors remained where they were, without taking action according to Future Cell's demands.

After a few moments of their inaction, Future Cell yelled at the six of them.

"Did the six of you not hear me?" he yelled, quite ferociously. "Come here now so we can guarantee my counterpart's death!"

Cell watched the exchange among Future Cell and the Juniors, uncertain of what was happening and eager to find out exactly why they had refused to respond to Future Cell's commands.

With the passage of further moments, Future Cell, to Cell's surprise, shifted forward from his position next to Cell and visually appeared again right in front of one of the six Juniors among the group.

"That was a direct order!" Future Cell shouted at him, while he and the other Juniors stared at his increasingly angered facial expression. "Attack him this instant!"

The Junior, thinking of all he had experienced, but by no means fully ready to accept the level of benevolence that Cell possessed, still, at his core, knew that there was something wrong with what his creator had been doing.

Then, to the bewilderment of Future Cell and to Cell's astonishment, the Junior responded.

"No," he said, causing Future Cell to stare at him wide-eyed, with his rage escalating.

Right has his right forearm regenerated, Future Cell slapped the Junior across the face with this right forearm, causing the other Juniors to even further shocked by the predicament and the Junior who had been hit to feel immense pain beyond any he had before experienced.

While Future Cell had not hit him with anything close to full strength, as he wanted to overpower whatever mental resistance the Junior had and force him to fight Cell, the Junior, for the first time in his life, was experiencing emotions that he had never before experienced, all derived from what he now truly recognized as abuse.

Then, to Cell and Future Cell's further surprise, the Junior began to cry.

"Cell, stop this, he –"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Future Cell yelled, interrupting Cell and causing him to be panicked for what might happen next.

The Juniors were well-aware that their fellow Junior was crying, and in moments of revelation for them all, they began to sneer at Future Cell. Future Cell watched with vehemence as the five Juniors surrounded their harmed fellow Junior, with each acquiring a defensive stance.

"How dare you all disobey me!" Future Cell yelled at them collectively.

The Junior closest to Future Cell, at the point of the line of defense, then spoke to him.

"No more hitting," the Junior said, while staring defiantly into the eyes of his creator.

Without warning, Future Cell then punched the Junior with extreme force in his chest, causing the molecular bonds that had been holding him together to be severely disturbed, and causing him to explode instants after impact.

"No! Cell, stop this at once!" Cell yelled, flying quickly forward to help the remaining Juniors.

"Stay out of this!" Future Cell yelled, right as he briefly turned his head to face Cell, only to then feel many pairs of fists beginning to punch his back.

Cell halted his approach while Future Cell turned to face them, while each of the five remaining Future Cell Juniors were fervently punching their creator, including the Junior whose tears who had become even more profuse as a result of seeing his brother die.

"How dare you all betray me!" Future Cell yelled, while striking at them forcefully.

One of the Juniors managed to impact Future Cell in his stomach, while another Junior managed to hit him in the side of the head, although Future Cell was blocking the majority of their punches with his arms and legs.

Cell attempted to enter the fray on their behalf, but a swift punch-kick combination from Future Cell into his chest caused him to soar back many meters.

Within seconds, Future Cell killed two of the Juniors through attacks to the chest region, and killed another through an attack to his head.

Once again, two Juniors remained, and they had stopped attacking Cell, looking at him in fear.

Right as Cell emerged from Instant Transmission, in what he had hoped would be a timesaving strategy to return to their vicinity and help them, he saw Future Cell use a blast from each hand to kill them, even as their eyes had been marked with fright.

Cell, noticing the blue smoke that was filling the air, and the remnants of the energy blasts that Future Cell had released, screamed at the top of his lungs.

"How could you murder your own children!" Cell yelled, while Future Cell turned toward him, and sneered.

"They became inferior, and so they deserved to die," Future Cell said.

Cell's power level, upon hearing those words, intensified, as the tears from his face fizzled under the heat of his searing rage, with his Super Perfect aura flaring to visibility.

Before Future Cell could react, Cell slammed Future Cell in the face with a left-fisted punch of ardent rage.

While Future Cell was soaring backward, Cell shifted under him and upward-kicked him toward a higher elevation, only to then shift above Future Cell and interlock both of his hands to hammer-strike Future Cell in the gut, casing Future Cell to audibly gasp.

As Future Cell continued to fall toward the ground, Cell shifted under him with one fist raised in the air. Future Cell's lower back landed right atop the fist while Cell barely budged, causing Future Cell to arc across it and yell in pain.

Cell then swiftly grabbed Future Cell by the neck with his left elbow locking his neck in place, and he then began to pummel Future Cell in the head with his right fist. After four seconds of rapid pummeling with his right fist, Cell brought his left elbow down while bringing his left quad violently upward, with it smashing into the back of Future Cell's neck and head.

Cell then briefly left go of Future Cell's neck and punched him directly in the face with his right fist, causing Future Cell to hurtle many meters backward.

Cell dashed forward at a greater velocity and upon properly positioning himself in the trajectory of Future Cell's path double-kicked him in the back, sending him in the opposite direction.

As Future Cell soared forward, Cell soared forward along the trajectory as well, preparing a Kamehameha to use to send toward him.

With significant energy incorporated into the attack, Cell unleashed it straight at Future Cell, only to have Future Cell suddenly disappear from the path of flight.

Cell realized that Future Cell could reappear from any direction and in any close proximity as per the properties of Instant Transmission, and two seconds later, Future Cell emerged from hyperspace within one meter of Cell, directly to his front-left.

Future Cell sent a well-charged Tri-Beam toward Cell, and before the attack could knock him backward, Cell shifted to Future Cell's right. As Cell maneuvered for a right side-kick, Future Cell dodged the kick and attempted to use his right leg to side-kick Cell in return.

While Cell blocked the kick with the left side of his left leg, Future Cell swiftly reached forward and punched Cell in the neck with his left fist, causing Cell to temporarily soar backward.

Before Cell could fully recover, Future Cell shifted forward and, with his right index finger extended outward, launched a Barrage Death Beam straight toward Cell. About four of the rapidly fired beams hit Cell's chest, each leaving impact marks, before Cell gained the concentration to instant transmit out of the path of the further attacks.

Future Cell knew that he needed to defend himself as best as possible for when Cell suddenly reemerged, although as per his interest in wanting Cell to swiftly die, he waived the opportunity to use a Perfect Barrier and prepared another Imprisonment Ball projectile.

Cell emerged from hyperspace right in front of Future Cell, and Future Cell launched his Imprisonment Ball projectile toward him.

However, Cell launched the projectile he had prepared in hyperspace toward Cell, and had been in the midst of launching his own Imprisonment Ball projectile upon his emergence.

The two Imprisonment Ball projectiles shot forward, and upon meeting each other, they exploded in a golden flash of light, accompanied by minor spatial vacuums that quickly were superseded by surrounding matter.

Future Cell flew over the explosion while preparing a Big Bang Attack, although Cell approached from a slightly lower elevation and uppercut Future Cell in the chin.

Future Cell kicked Cell in the stomach before he soared upward for a few meters, then, with each of the fighters stabilizing their paths, they then rushed forward toward each other.

When they again came into close proximity with each other, Cell reached forward to punch Future Cell in the chest with his right hand, only to have Future Cell block with this left.

Future Cell, in turn, reached forward to punch Cell with his right hand, only to have Cell block with his own left hand.

After a few moments of struggle to overpower each other, the two mutually adjusted their fingers and interlocked them, such that they had decided to see whom, at this point, could overpower the other.

With their further challenge of strength ensuing, their Super Perfect auras flared far brighter than they had earlier in their fight, with the ground below shaking under the immense forces they were generating.

After a few moments, with lighting cracking overhead in resonance at times with the lighting of their auras, they each found that they were having great difficulty overpowering the other, despite what Future Cell had known to be his advantage in strength at the start of their bout.

Swiftly, and without warning, Future Cell headbutt Cell in the forehead while simultaneously releasing his grip, causing Cell to soar backward and lose his remaining grip on Future Cell's hands.

Before Cell could recover, Future Cell soared forward while rapidly unleashing his tail, then shifted toward Cell and stabbed him in his lower-left chest.

Cell shouted in pain, and right after Future Cell extracted his first portion of energy, Cell used two Destructo Disks, both aimed toward the same spot near the base of Future Cell's tail, in an attempt to cut off the tail before the component converting the energy and sending it toward the main portion of Future Cell's body had the opportunity to further the converted energy along its processing path.

However, Future Cell shifted his position by shifting further toward Cell and to his right, such that the disks, to Future Cell's grunting to withstand the pain, sliced through a part of his tail closer to his singer.

Cell watched as the section of Future Cell's tail converting the energy, which was swelled in signification of the process, enabled the converted energy to push forward into his main body, enabling Future Cell to use the captured energy to his advantage.

Right as Cell took the remaining portion his counterpart's tail and stinger out of his lower-left chest, Future Cell attempted to punch Cell in the face, only to have Cell block with his right forearm. However, Future Cell saw that his punch had more ability than many of his most recent previous one had to push Cell's defensive limbs backward toward him, and with a forward thrust-kick to the chest that Cell did not have time to block, Cell hurdled back 10 meters, only to have Future Cell appear behind him.

Future Cell then punched Cell in the face with his right hand and at an angle that was sending Cell downward toward the ground, as Cell approached the ground with less than 50 meters to go before impact, Future Cell punched Cell in the face with his left fist, causing the velocity of Cell's impact with the ground to increase.

As Future Cell retracted the remaining portion of tail and stayed in the air at the point in which he had most recently punched Cell, the gallant defender impacted the ground with great intensity, causing a boom of sound almost as loud as the thunder that had recently echoed from overhead.

Below, Cell used his right arm to prop himself up as he then quickly stood straight.

Upon seeing Future Cell begin to descend, with a projected landing distance of 30 meters away, Cell entered a fighting stance, enabling himself to have additional time to recover.

Future Cell landed on his two feet, with the sections of his tail that had been sliced away fully regenerating just before his landing.

Cell could feel his chest injury fully closing, while he observed Future Cell's malevolent grin.

The fiend had managed the gap in their powers slightly widen to noticeably more than what it had been at the start of their bout, and Cell derided the sudden advantage his counterpart had gained.

"By now, I'm sure you've realized that the probability of my success has once again noticeably increased beyond yours," Future Cell said. "Soon, I shall achieve a victory I have looked forward to since the day I had the displeasure of learning of your pathetic existence."

"I've learned through all I've experienced that probability itself is much less important than what actually occurs," Cell said. "I will defeat you and protect this universe from your despicable intentions, even if it's the last the thing I shall ever do."

"Your life indeed has reached its end," Future Cell said, while entering a fighting stance of his own. "I have a proposition for you now, and believe me when I say that I actually am completely serious that I will destroy the Earth if you do not comply."

Cell felt his apprehension for the present circumstances rise, knowing that Future Cell wanted to take full advantage of his greater strength.

"What do you propose?" Cell asked.

"Unlike your ridiculous and dishonorable tactic to make a false threat to the Earth only to advantage yourself in comparison to me, my threat now is very real, and it would be in your interest to listen," Future Cell said. "My power level now is greater than yours, and while the difference is not especially significant, it is by enough that it should make you shiver in fear for what I might do."

"Whatever it is you're planning, I do not intend for you to succeed," Cell said.

"Mere words cannot stop the greatest fighter ever to have existed," Future Cell said. "And as your power is second-rate to mine, you and I are going to settle this war right now with a clash of energies strong enough to consume the other. One of us shall overpower the other, and with the extreme force of those combined energies, one shall emerge the victor. Obviously, with my superior energy, I find this to be an excellent arrangement."

"And what happens if I disagree?" Cell asked.

"I will instant transmit far away from here, but of course for the purpose of killing whomever I meet on the planets I encounter, and then thoroughly destroying those worlds," Future Cell said. "If you dare to not agree to this contest of our truest powers, I will instant transmit faster and with greater distance than you can support, and I shall destroy all who I come across. Your cowardice to fight me now could result in the deaths of billions, perhaps trillions of additional sentient beings, if you refuse this proposition and fail to meet my demands. Your weak and feeble mind is probably convinced that by staying to fight me, you might actually prevail. Of course, this is not going to happen, for the mathematical advantage is in my favor. But refuse to fight me, and innocent beings will die all the sooner, and in far more ruthless ways. What shall your decision be?"

"Before I make it, we both know all-too-well that in the event a blast is about to consume us, either of us could instant transmit out of the blast and save himself," Cell said.

"If you do that, then I'll be all the more encouraged to kill all the quicker," Future Cell said. "The suffering so many innocents would face would be all the more severe – that is, if you don't make the so-called 'noble' sacrifice in that instance."

As Future Cell grinned, Cell recollected the horror on the faces of so many of Future Cell's victims, many of some time ago and others sordidly recent, and Cell scowled at the predicament.

"And what of us merely instant transmitting from the point in which we released our blasts and then merely knocking the other into the collided energies?" Cell asked.

"If you do that, I'll instant transmit away before you return, and far more souls will be extinguished from life than already has been the case because of you," Future Cell said. "As for my use of that tactic, I doubt that I would need to use it, although if I do, you shall stand proudly while awaiting your execution, for if you leave, then I shall as well and spread terror to countless victims across the cosmos."

After a few moments of his own hesitance to outright accept his counterpart's quite unfavorable terms, Cell saw Future Cell deepen his stance, then began the preparations for a Kamehameha wave. Energy visibly swirled around him, as dust from the ground began to spiral upward under the momentous forces he was exhibiting.

"Shall you be a coward and run, or stay and fight?" Future Cell asked, as his Super Perfect aura glistened with repulsive amusement.

Cell, knowing that further hesitation would be detrimental to the course of action he had decided upon, deepened his stance, as his own Super Perfect aura sparked with righteous determination, while he began to form a Kamehameha wave of his own.

"Now that's more like it!" Future Cell yelled, while intensifying the rate of his energy accentuation, as Cell soon did as well.

With the extreme force of their powers, they gathered more and more energy over the course of one minute, with the effects of Future Cell's energy accumulation all the more effective because of his greater power level.

Cell knew that despite his disadvantage, the prospects for this universe, and potentially at least one other, for innocent people to live in peaceful and honorably fulfilling lives, would be entirely dependent upon his efforts on this battlefield, upon the surface of a world in which many heroes and tyrants had fought and died defending their ideals.

"KA-" Cell yelled with hallowed commitment, as the sphere of energy between his palms became all the more radiant.

"ME-" he yelled, while thinking again of a whom Future Cell had killed and whose eternal honor he wanted to defend.

"HA-" he yelled, while remembering Goku's ultimate sacrifice on behalf of peace.

"ME-" he said, with the final preparations for the attack's release, thinking of all the innocents whose lives he could still save.

"Now, your life shall end!" Future Cell yelled, as he rapidly launched forward his extremely-charged Kamehameha wave.

"HA!" Cell yelled right when Future Cell had released his own Kamehameha wave, simultaneously enabling the blast to travel forth from his palms, in an endeavor to finally end the threat of his counterpart.

The fronts of the blue-white beams, which were about equal in size with a slight advantage for Future Cell's attack, at their widest sections had diameters larger than 10 meters. The overall length of merely the front portions of the attacks, which had augmented to a much greater size than the rest of the energetic attack paths emitted from each combatant's palms, now reached more than 15 meters.

The fronts of the Kamehameha waves collided with immense force, shaking the ground beneath the point of collision while lightning began to shimmer above.

Soon, with the fronts of the attacks unable to effectively overpower each other enough despite Future Cell's slight advantage in power, and due to the extremity of the energies involved in the collided attacks, a rapidly-growing sphere of destructive energy formed between Cell and Future Cell. The sphere cut into the ground, sending rocks hurtling off the ground in various directions, and it stabilized in size at 20 meters in diameter, with both Cell and Future Cell each standing five meters from the surface of the sphere, on opposite sides, continuing to emit energy into their attacks in their efforts to overpower each other.

The energetic blue collision line that divided the realm of the sphere created by Cell's attack and Future Cell's attack was much closer to Cell, with the collision line at about a 130 degree angle with the path of Future Cell's emitted energy, and 50 degrees with respect to Cell's path of emitted energy.

With both of their auras wildly flaring, they each summoned forth more and more energy, until the sphere suddenly and swiftly grew in size again, gaining a diameter of about 28 meters, with merely a meter between each combatant and his position relative to the sphere.

"Everything you fought for shall be destroyed!" Future Cell yelled, as he rapidly projected a wave of additional forceful energy into the sphere, causing the collision line to considerably shift toward Cell, with its position now 170 degrees relative to the line of Future Cell's energy emission, and 10 degrees relative to Cell's path of emitted energy.

"I refuse to permit your tyranny to continue!" Cell yelled, while continuing to emit energy into the sphere, but with not enough force to make the collision line approach Future Cell's position.

"You cannot be saved, and neither can this universe!" Future Cell said, while maintaining his energy output, and attempting to summon forth from within himself enough energy to seal Cell's fate.

Suddenly, Cell heard a voice within.

["Cell!"] Gohan shouted. ["You are this universe's last hope. You cannot let that killer live!"]

'_I'm … devoting all the energy I can to this attack,' _Cell psychically said, while concentrating as much as he possibly could on his attempts to reverse the energy tide and overpower Future Cell's attack.

["You need to think of everyone he's harmed, and all who would be harmed if he wins!"] Gohan yelled. ["Make the memory of the dead, and the hopes of all who are alive, your power! Do it not just for all of us, but for yourself!"]

Cell thought to himself, without communicating to Gohan, of the implications of his words. Future Cell had indeed threatened his path of redemption, and wanted to forever make a mockery of all Cell had blessedly come to believe. Not just to help others, but to enable himself to truly be the better person he wanted to be, Future Cell needed to be defeated.

From within the purest components of his soul, Cell unleashed further energy into the sphere, causing Future Cell to seethe with anger at the additional struggle. The collision line slowly arced toward Future Cell's position, and became perpendicular to both their paths of energy output, at 90-degree angles to them both.

"Damn your persistence!" Future Cell yelled, while fervently continuing his energy into the sphere. "However, your resistance is pointless! You cannot stop the ultimate weapon of perfection!"

Future Cell, out of the confidence of his superiority, summoned forth additional energy from within, then blasted it toward the sphere. The collision line arced back toward Cell, now at a 110-degree angle relative to Future Cell's path of energy emission, and at a 70-degree angle relative to Cell's own.

"You see? Even your last attempt to overpower me in your final moments failed," Future Cell said. "I can feel your energy diminishing with each passing moment!"

Cell, with his determination not diminishing even for an instant, was fighting Future Cell's rush of energy as forcefully as he could.

"Your energy is depleting as well," Cell said. "My resolve shall enable me to outlast you and win!"

"If you're so confident in merely that, then I shall have additional satisfaction of shattering your resolve before I shatter you completely!" Future Cell yelled, as he forced forward more energy, bringing the collision line closer to Cell, at a 145-degree angle relative to his energy emission, and with merely 35 degrees of movement until the blast would encompass Cell.

["You can do this, Cell!"] Gohan yelled, with his fellow warriors focusing on the battle. ["You must do this! Don't let my father's sacrifice be in vain! Remember all he believed in that you now do, and fight for it!"]

The words of encouragement motivated Cell to release energy beyond what he had thought himself to at this point in the battle be capable of, and the collision line, to Future Cell's loathing, pushed back toward him. Future Cell's advantage was still maintained, however, as the line was now at an angle of 120 degrees relative to his energy emission line and 60 degrees relative to Cell's.

Future Cell's rage became even greater, infuriated at what he viewed to be a continued insult to his destiny.

"No chance!" Future Cell yelled, while within his vile and misguided soul he found further encouragement to accentuate his energy. "You have no chance!"

Future Cell's golden aura drastically expanded in size, while the rate and strength of his energy emission both increased.

The collision line shifted toward Cell's position after the partial recovery, once again with 170 degrees of relative position from Future Cell's energy emission, and merely 10 degrees until Cell would be overwhelmed.

As Cell struggled to maintain his position, his feet were being forced slightly backward, with the downward force of Future Cell's Kamehameha blast beginning to force his body downward. Cell stabilized himself before he could be pushed down into the ground further, but his predicament was becoming all the more dire, with his own Kamehameha wave barely maintaining its position against the onslaught of Future Cell's.

The ground began to shake much more violently, with cracks emitting forth in various directions from the energy sphere, while much of the surrounding terrain began to break apart and rise into the air.

["Release all you've got, Cell!"] Gohan yelled. ["You need to unleash it all!"]

Before Cell could respond, Future Cell further accentuated his energy output, giving a further wild and serrated appearance to the collision line, with the surface of the sphere itself also beginning to form waves directed toward Cell's position.

Future Cell could sense that his triumph over his counterpart would not take much longer to achieve, and that Cell could not withstand his assault for much longer.

"Say goodbye!" Future Cell yelled while laughing maniacally, as the energy sphere itself, as a whole, became warped, pointing toward Cell in such a manner that the waves of energy across its surface came all the closer to him.

Suddenly, from above Future Cell's position, an energy sphere of significant strength rushed in its descent toward him. Future Cell only had a moment before he realized that it was about to impact him, and as he turned to gaze upon it, the attack hit him in his back with such force that he lost the integrity and defensive strength of his stance, as his knees had been pushed forward, with his feet now more than a meter apart from each other, all with the upper portion of his body arched forward.

Future Cell sensed him clearly now, and looked upward to see him, astonished at his appearance.

Trunks, in his basic form of Super Saiyan, had emerged from Instant Transmission with an attack he had charged within hyperspace, all for the purpose of devoting the last of his strength toward defeating the vile murderer who had killed so many people he cared for and loved.

With the hole that Future Cell had placed in his chest, Trunks was barely breathing, and looked as though he once again was about to lose consciousness.

"Trunks!" Future Cell yelled, out of absolute rage.

["Now's your chance!"] Gohan yelled, with Cell knowing that he had to take full advantage of the opportunity his friend had valiantly provided.

Trunks' bravery and true perseverance against the vilest of obstacles was of the greatest praise, and Cell felt motivated to an extremity by the honor Trunks truly possessed.

Cell unleashed further strength into his attack, taking full advantage of Future Cell's vulnerability, despite what Future Cell claimed to be his supposed perfection, to eliminate his threat at last. The magnitude of energy Cell unleashed, which included even much of the energy he had been using to keep his basic support stable, dominated the sphere and drastically pushed the collision line toward Future Cell.

Cell sensed that Trunks now was shifting far to his right and to Future Cell's left, and that he was weakly heading toward the ground, with his laudable deed achieved.

With Future Cell unable to effectively counteract the rushing energy from Cell's attack because of his severely weakened stance, which also had reduced the rate in which Future Cell could emit energy, and with his loss of proper focus from the sudden and unexpected emergence of Trunks, all with having to devote greater efforts into supporting his inferior stance than he had before, Future Cell found that he could not effectively push back the energy rushing toward him, and that death was swiftly approaching him in the form of both Cell's and his own colossal Kamehameha waves combined.

The energy sphere became alight with bands of gleaming white energy, moving toward Future Cell's position, while Cell began to walk forward in a courageous path, bringing the combined attack all the closer to its intended target.

Future Cell felt himself beginning to be consumed by the attack, and frantically searched for an applicable energy signature to instant transmit toward. He had lost the concentration and focus he had maintained beforehand on the energy signatures he had detected on another planet and locked-on to as assurance, all because of the shock of Trunks' emergence and attack, and because his weakened stance had required him to devote so much more focus toward maintaining his basic energy output and resistance. With franticness spreading throughout his mind, amidst the destructive energies that also were, he was becoming more and more consumed not only by fear, but by the very final effort that he had thought would result in Cell's defeat.

He began to yell in an expression of his desperation, as the sphere morphed into a gigantic blast of gleaming white light, with a diameter beyond even what the expanded sphere's had been. The waves of energy were bombarding Future Cell, all as Cell continued his dauntless march forward.

With a death he brought upon himself consuming him, he furiously shouted, although the combined Kamehameha blast's destructive energies caused his statement to become severely distorted.

"I will always be perfect!" he shouted, while ineffectually attempting to focus on an energy signature so he could instant transmit at least a few of his cells out of the blast.

Before Future Cell could lock-on to another energy signature or group of signatures, his basic ability to sense energy at all was demolished as a result of the blast.

He could feel his body disintegrating, and then, after a few moments, his higher consciousness could feel nothing at all.

The combined power of the Kamehameha blast tore through Future Cell's genetic structures at even their smallest levels, overwhelming the membranes of his cells with destructive force.

With Future Cell so thoroughly captured within the blast, Cell levitated himself into the air and arched the blast slightly upward, enabling it to travel into space as opposed to destroying any part of Earth.

The blast continued out beyond Earth's atmosphere and into space, with Cell letting the attack fizzle by itself, at the point in which it had reached a maximum length greater than twice the diameter of Earth.

Below the atmosphere, about 20 meters above the battlefield, Cell, with his right and left palms still focused forward in the path of the combined Kamehameha wave, and with his golden aura still alight, brought his hands to his sides while he maintained the highest level of energy he could still maintain.

As he descended toward the ground below, where Trunks, now in his normal state once more, was lying and barely breathing, he sensed out as far across the universe as he could possibly sense, and did not sense any remnants of Future Cell's energy signature.

However, as a result of all that had happened, he wanted absolute confirmation.

'_Gohan, can you confirm for me whether my counterpart's energy can be sensed in Otherworld?'_ Cell psychically asked. _'I need to ascertain whether he has truly been defeated.' _

After a few moments of waiting, Cell's feet touched the ground one meter from Trunks, whose eyes were closed, with his breathing still scant.

'_Gohan?'_ Cell psychically asked.

["Cell, you did it!"] Gohan yelled. ["We can sense him up here, and King Yemma confirmed that he just arrived at the Check-In Station!"]

"That news is ineffably excellent," Cell said, for both Gohan and Trunks to hear. "At long last, that murderer can no longer threaten innocent lives."

Upon mentioning this, Trunks, who was still barely able to breathe and whose eyes were still closed, offered a weak, but sincere smile.

Cell reached over and placed his right hand upon Trunks' forehead.

As he read Trunks' mind, for the purpose of enabling himself to learn the nature of King Kai's energy signature, Trunks found enough energy within himself to speak.

"Good job, man," Trunks said, with a voice that sounded akin to a whisper.

"You should be proud of yourself too, Trunks. We defeated him together," Cell said, right after acquiring the knowledge his counterpart had failed to use for malice, and which instead would be used for a virtuous purpose.

Cell, now with the ability in which to do so, focused on King Kai's energy signature, intent on enabling Trunks to be healed as soon as possible by their allies in Otherworld.

He instant transmitted away from Planet Earth, knowing that at last, the incarnation of all he had sought to change had been defeated.

* * *

_After many battles, many acts of heroism, and many noble souls remembered, Future Cell's malevolent quest for perfection at last has come to an end. With the defeat of a counterpart emblematic of all he has sought to atone for and fight against, Cell has been emboldened in his continuing pursuit of honor and his campaign to enable all to have lives of greater peace. _

_Now that Trunks soon will be able to again fight for freedom as well, he will seek to protect the timeline that he and Cell have saved from evil, and stand valiantly against all who would further seek to threaten liberty._

_What shall be done, though, regarding all the destruction resulting from the war against Future Cell? And what of Cell's desire to return to Timeline III? _

_The answers to these questions and more … soon to come, in the Season Three finale! _

_On Monday, June 2, Monday, July 9, and Monday, July 16, the three-part Season Three finale is scheduled to be released! _

_THEN, on Monday, August 13 and Tuesday, August 14, Honor Trip's 300__th__/400__th__ Review Special is scheduled to be released! With so many dedicated readers of this story, more than 450 reviews as of the posting of Chapter 42, and Future Cell's defeat, it's more than time to celebrate with this comedy special, featuring a parody of Dragon Ball Z Movie 7!_

_AND THEN, we have a very special TREET for you scheduled to be released on Monday, August 20 and Tuesday, August 21! What is the nature of this particular treet, exactly? While the surprise shall not be outright spoiled, please take note of the intentional misspelling for this release regarding the word "treat." _

_And of course, after all this, HONOR TRIP SEASON FOUR shall begin! _

_Please note that all release dates are in coordination with those applicable to U.S. Eastern Standard Time. _

_If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at american-dot-vigor-at-gmail-dot-com [e-mail address displayed in this manner due to the website and e-mail display characteristics of Fan-Fiction-dot-net]._

_Thanks you all so very much for your continued awesomeness!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Two: Completed June 2, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Staff: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Staff: Roketto _

* * *

**Extended Power Level Elaboration: The Diminishment of the Power Gap Between Cell and Future Cell: **

_Through possessing his 'perfect' form but not possessing all the power level enhancement and multiplication effects that his counterpart had attained through absorbing him, Cell's power level after his release from Future Cell was not much higher than what it had been when he met Future Cell, but higher because of additional battle experience power gained through Future Cell's fights and residual power-ups from gaining additional strength as per Future Cell's absorptions, with Cell on both accounts benefiting from these effects because his cells were intertwined with those of Future Cell. His power level therefore after his release from Future Cell, with Cell in his Super Saiyan analog form without significantly powering up, had therefore been about 200 TNS, only somewhat higher than the power level of about 185 TNS in that status that he had possessed when he first fought Future Cell while the latter was in his first humanoid ("imperfect") form. (The base unit used here, Trunks Normal State, is explained in detail in the post-main section notes for Chapter Thirty-Three, Tempest.)_

_Future Cell, however, had regained the power level he had possessed at maximum before his single-cell regeneration. That maximum power had been equivalent to that of his Super Perfect form with Multiplier Madness from Cell's Super Saiyan and Ascended Super Saiyan analog form power multipliers, (6,750 TNS) at the time of his battle with Super Saiyan 2 Trunks, multiplied by that of his Ultra Super Saiyan analog form borrowed from Cell (multiplier of 1.25x) and his Power-Weighted form, itself a variant of the Giant Form technique inherited by Piccolo and as such with a power multiplier effect. Canon does not make very clear what the multiplier for the Power-Weighted form is supposed to be, although based on previous mathematics logically deduced for use in Honor Trip, it can be estimated that the power multiplier is (1.125x). This is in accordance with the idea that the Power-Weighted form increased the wielder's size and decreased speed in comparison to the Ultra Super Saiyan analog form (multiplier of 1.25x), which in turn did so in comparison to the Ascended Super Saiyan analog form (multiplier of 1.5x), such that the Power-Weighted form can be linked with these analog forms less efficient than the Super Saiyan 2 analog based on increasing power in conjunction with successively greater increases in muscle mass and reductions in speed, and such that any of Cell's and Future Cell's components of Namekian inheritance can be combined and correlated with those of his Saiyan inheritance as per his status as a hybridization of their inheritance. The multiplier amount of 1.125 is derived from dividing the digits to the right of the decimal for the multiplier for the Ultra Super Saiyan analog by 2 (0.25 divided by 2 is 0.125), which in turn is derived from dividing the digits to the right of the decimal for the multiplier for the Ascended Super Saiyan analog by 2 (0.5 divided by 2 is 0.25), showing a pattern of successive multiplier decrease with successive form in that regime. Therefore, with the Ultra Super Saiyan analog power multiplier of 1.25x and the Power-Weighted form power multiplier of 1.125x acting upon the power level of 6,750 TNS, Future Cell in his Power-Weighted Super Perfect form with Multiplier Madness from Cell's Super Saiyan and Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan analog form power multipliers had a power level of 9,492.2 TNS. _

_As Cell in canon states that his single-cell regeneration enabled him to gain access to the highest level of power he had possessed before his single-cell regeneration, and as he gained access to his Power-Weighted form power level enhancement through his perfect form (with Super Saiyan analog active), his perfect form power level (with Super Saiyan analog active) after regeneration became reflective of the power level that he had possessed in his Power-Weighted perfect form. As he underwent a single-cell regeneration and survived a near-death experience, he gained a significant Saiyan-based power boost that enabled him to achieve an augmented level of power that enhanced his previous highest-achieved power. His increase in energy became so great that it enabled him to achieve his Super Perfect form. _

_In Honor Trip, Future Cell's power level enhancements while in his Super Perfect form via the combination of his Super Saiyan analog from Cell, Ascended Super Saiyan analog from Cell, Ultra Super Saiyan analog from Cell, and his own Power-Weighted form right before Trunks forced Future Cell to expel Cell from his system, represented the highest level of power he had possessed before his second single-cell regeneration. Similarly to Cell's process in canon, Future Cell's process of reacquiring the highest level of power he had possessed before his single-cell regeneration enabled him to consolidate the maximum power he had possessed while in his Power-Weighted form into his Super Perfect form, as Future Cell before his regeneration had gained access to his Power-Weighted form via his Super Perfect form. While Future Cell lost the ability to use Cell's power multipliers in addition to his own as a result of Cell being expelled from his system, the overall effect the borrowed analog form power multipliers had on his maximum power was remembered by his cells, enhancing the attainable power through his Super Perfect form. Just as with Cell in canon, Future Cell not only regained his maximum power but because of surviving a near-death experience had an increase in that power via his Saiyan heritage. Future Cell had already attained his Super Perfect form and hence did not attain it as a result of his comparative increase energy that occurred as a result of surviving his near-death experience. _

_Canon does not make clear what the exact determinants are for how much power is to be gained as a result of the Saiyan power boost ability for surviving a near-death experience, especially since similar near-death conditions in the series have resulted in power boosts of vastly different percentage and/or magnitude degrees. It also is extremely uncertain in canon what the percentage increase in Cell's power in his perfect form over his previous maximum power was after his regeneration, especially since Super Perfect Cell and Super Saiyan 2 Gohan at relatively full power never truly fight each other with physical contact, which could have been useful to observe for the purpose of deducing the increase in strength. _

_However, for the purpose of thematic consistency regarding the power multipliers that already have been established for Cell and Future Cell, it can be said that for each successive Saiyan power boost multiplier resultant from a single-cell regeneration after near-death, the magnitude percentage of multiplication decreases. _

_Based on power level numbers for canonical Cell available in the post-main section notes for Chapter Thrity-Three, in conjunction with the power multipliers listed in that chapter and already listed in this section, the approximate power multiplier for a first near-death regeneration from a single cell can be deduced. _

_Cell in canon in his perfect form without significantly powering up beyond his Super Saiyan analog = 180 TNS. With his Super Saiyan analog multiplier of 2.5x already incorporated into that stated number, it can be said that with his extensive additional powering up in his fight with Super Saiyan 2 Gohan before he entered his Power-Weighted form, in which Cell, right before being punched in the stomach by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan had said that he had powered up to full strength, he increased his strength up to 200 TNS, which is a realistic number as per the fact he did not initiate one of his other analog forms and was overwhelmingly impacted by Gohan's punches, such that Super Saiyan 2 Gohan possessed a power level of 1500 TNS. Later in their fight, Cell transitioned directly into his Power-Weighted form from his Super Saiyan analog form, such that he skipped over the Ascended Super Saiyan and Ultra Super Saiyan analogs, which was possible since as per the aforementioned affirmation of their relatedness, the Power-Weighted form still was independently operable of those analogs, as per its source in large part from Namekian heritage and a separate type of transformation. With the power multiplier of 1.125x affecting the power level of 200 TNS, Cell's power level while in his Power-Weighted form was 225 TNS. _

_As per the previously stated number in the post-Main Section notes for Chapter Thirty-Three, Super Perfect Cell in canon had a power level of about 1200 TNS. With the power level multiplier for Cell's Super Perfect form established in that notes section as 2x, this suggests that Cell's power level (Super Saiyan analog included) after his regeneration was 600 TNS. Before factoring in the Saiyan near-death power boost, his perfect form (Super Saiyan analog included) would have had a power level of 225 TNS as per his regenerative processes of affixing his highest previous power to the main-line form (including base perfect form, perfect form with Super Saiyan analog, and Super Perfect form/perfect form with Super Saiyan 2 analog) that served as the base for the form from which it was attained. Based on what is seen in televised canon's depiction of Cell's regeneration after his self-explosion, it is clear that he entered his Super Perfect form after his regeneration, suggesting that his power level after his single cell regeneration was 600 TNS, that is to say what it had been before applying the Super Saiyan 2 multiplier. _

_As a result of affirming these numbers, it can be said that the Saiyan near-death power boost multiplier effect was (600 TNS divided by 225 TNS), or 2.67x (eight-thirds, with eight in the numerator and three in the denominator)._

_It should again be remembered that canon only shows one Saiyan near-death power boost from single-cell regeneration, such that the parameters of how power boosts would function for successive regenerations were not extensively explored. There is again therefore room for establishing how this would function. A successive reduction pattern regarding the magnitude of successive use of the multiplier is to be applied so there are diminishing returns each time, thereby making each successive Saiyan near-death power boost through single-cell regeneration less and less effective, as opposed to equally or more effective. This element prevents Cell or Future Cell from being able to self-destruct numerous times to gain significant benefits each time, thereby dissuading them from considering it as a logical tactical possibility. Indeed, had Cell in canon or either version of Cell in Honor Trip been presented with the knowledge that there would be significant power level augmentation benefits with each such regenerative boost, their tactics as presented very possibly would have been far different. _

_With applying the reduction effect for Cell's successive transformations as per achieving consistency with Cell's other power multipliers as they were deduced for Honor Trip, it can be said that upon a second Saiyan near-death power boost through single-cell regeneration, the power multiplier amount over 1.0 could be reduced by a factor of six, such that the product of 1.67 divided by 6 is 0.278 (5/18), and the power multiplier for the second Saiyan near-death power boost through single-cell regeneration would be (1.0 + 0.278) or 1.278x (1 and 5/18). For a third Saiyan near-death power boost through single-cell regeneration, the power multiplier amount over 1.0 could again be reduced by a factor of six, such that the product of 5/18 divided by 6 is 0.046 (5/108), and the power multiplier for the third such regeneration power boost would be (1.0 + 0.046) or 1.046x (1 and 5/108). _

_It also can be said that since Cell's cells had been intertwined with Future Cell's while he had been absorbed, his cells, even after he was expelled from Future Cell's system, possessed legacy experience memory notions that made them indicate to themselves that they had already undergone one single-cell regeneration, but such that Cell never actually experienced such a regeneration in Honor Trip continuity before being absorbed by Future Cell. Therefore, for all subsequent single-cell regenerations and related Saiyan power boosts through surviving near death, his cells would treat the regeneration as if he had undergone one single-cell regeneration more than he actually had, such that for his first actual single-cell regeneration, the applicable power multiplier would be the one that otherwise would have applied for his second single-cell regeneration, and which did apply for Future Cell's second single-cell regeneration. _

_As a result of all of this, Future Cell's power level in his Super Perfect form after his second single-cell regeneration, which resulted in his reemergence after surviving Trunks' Final Finish Buster, therefore was his previous maximum of 9,492.2 TNS multiplied by (1 and 5/18), or 12,128.92 TNS. His third power boost from a single-cell regeneration, which took place after Cell concealed both Future Cell and himself within a Shining Nova while Cell self-destructed, therefore was his maximum after his second regeneration of 12,128.92 TNS multiplied by (1 and 5/108), or 12,690.44 TNS, a comparatively slight advantage of Cell's power level in Chapter Forty-Two and hence appropriate as per the events portrayed in this chapter. _

_Since Cell's cells possessed legacy experience memory notions as per their intertwining with Future Cell's cells while Cell had been absorbed, they also would have remembered upon regeneration that the highest power they had experienced had been accessed with the Super Perfect form as the base main form, such that as was the case with Future Cell, that power level would be accessible directly from the Super Perfect form. Therefore, upon his first single-cell regeneration, which his cells treated as his second, the previous high power level his cells had experienced while intertwined with those of Future Cell, also 9,492.2 TNS, also would have been multiplied by (1 and 5/18) to achieve a power level in his Super Perfect form of 12,128.92 TNS, exactly the same as Future Cell's power level in his Super Perfect form after his second regeneration. _

_Thanks so much for reading this extended explanation,_

_American Vigor_


	49. XLIII: Sagacity

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Three: Sagacity (Season Three Finale! - Part One of Five)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Art Update: **

I am extremely pleased to announce that the color cover for Chapters 41 and 42 (The Showdown with Future Cell), drawn by Ruga-Rell and colored by Roketto, is now available on Roketto's page on deviantART! You can find the cover via Roketto's deviantART page (username RyunoOhi), and we hope you enjoy it!

AND, for a special sneak-peak promo picture of a character that will be introduced later in the Season Three finale, check out Ruga-Rell's deviantART page and search for the picture of "Temnizziv." You'll know the picture when you see it!

If you have any questions about how to find the cover and the promo picture, please send me an e-mail at american-dot-vigor-at-gmail-dot-com [rendered this way because FF-net does not otherwise display e-mail addresses in conventional formatting].

Thanks!

* * *

**A note on the release schedule for future chapters: **

Starting with the upcoming Chapter Forty-Four, Honor Trip's release dates shall regularly be on Mondays instead of Saturdays. Due to work schedules, I believe that this modification will be quite conducive to Honor Trip's overall production needs. This change also will enable releases of Honor Trip to be great ways to start off the weeks of their release!

Thanks,

American Vigor

* * *

_And now, the journey continues ….  
_

* * *

_Timeline IV, Former Location of Planet New Namek, Age 786 …_

The comprehensive death of the true Namekian people and the devastation of not just their original homeworld, but what had been their second one as well, is a subject of great relevance for those who ponder the truth of responsibility and know of the tragic circumstances that befell the Namekians and their worlds.

The study of responsibility, which involves deductions as to whom and what are actually responsible for events of varying benefit or harm, hence is intrinsically intertwined with discussions of fate and free-will, as such discussions also involve analyses of the degrees to which the many things that happen to a person are the result of that person's actions and intentions.

Had the Namekian people done something to provoke the horrors that tormented them, as well as something to compel the attacks that caused their planets to explode? Had all that had happened to them and their worlds truly been no fault of their own? Was it true that there was a combination of internal and external factors worthy of responsibility for what had happened? What of the idea that not even the malicious terrors who had physically destroyed both Planet Namek and Planet New Namek did so merely because of their own malice, but because the sins and shortcomings of others across the universe had through various unclear processes of fate and destiny affected the courses of events so as to deny to all the rest of the universe the benefits of the existences of the Namekian people and of their Dragon Balls?

And what if all that had happened to the Namekians and their worlds merely was the direct result of each individual's actions, with no predetermination, no karmic influence, and only limited randomness affecting the outcomes?

In the realm of space where Planet New Namek had once been, the current condition of what was there indeed was soon to prompt even further consideration of these questions.

Whereas in the moments after its explosion the debris of Planet New Namek were scattered throughout the immediate area, with the dormant Dragon Balls of that once lush and noble world amongst the scarred rubble, further developments had contorted the notion of whether this was still true.

No one had taken the debris of the fallen world from their locations, and no one had had the opportunity or ability to find the inert Dragon Balls, before what had happened had come to pass.

And yet all the same, it still could be said that the debris, and most importantly the Dragon Balls themselves, had become fundamentally inaccessible to those of not just the mortal realm, but of Otherworld itself ….

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

In the midst of joyous cheers of celebration amongst the allies of those who had vanquished Future Cell, the vanquishers themselves suddenly appeared.

Cell and Trunks had emerged from Instant Transmission just as they had been on Planet Earth, with Cell still crouching down and his right hand on Trunks' forehead. Trunks was lying on his back, with his breathing on the verge of cessation.

Everyone else in the vicinity swiftly redirected their attention toward them, with Gohan abruptly ending his conversation with Master Roshi, Krillin and Broly promptly ending their handshake, and Moori and Dende promptly rushing toward the arrivals.

"He needs to be healed immediately!" Cell said, while standing up from his position and beckoning one of the Namekians to begin the healing process.

While Moori was ready to perform the technique, Dende reached Trunks first and began the procedure.

For injuries of the magnitude Trunks had sustained – his actions to assist Cell in defeating Future Cell, especially his transformation to Super Saiyan and actions while in the form, had caused him severe internal injuries even beyond the gaping hole in his chest – Dende knew that the healing process would take much longer than average to complete.

It literally had been more than two decades since Dende had healed Piccolo after a wish with Shenron had revived him and a wish with Porunga had transported him, all the other revived Namekians, and all others on Planet Namek except Goku and Frieza to Planet Earth, and with Piccolo's significant injuries at the time, the healing process had taken about 30 standard seconds.

Even though Piccolo had been relatively unconscious and Trunks now was at least minutely conscious, Piccolo's Namekian anatomy was inherently more tolerant of injuries than that of a Saiyan or human, although Trunks now of course was capable of much greater strength than Piccolo had been then.

With all these factors considered, Dende knew the healing process would take about three standard minutes beyond the 15 standard seconds that already had passed in the healing process.

Dende was in a similar crouched position to the one in which Cell had arrived, and his open palms were directed straight toward Trunks, about 10 centimeters from him. All around Trunks' body were flowing waves of gold-orange healing energy, surging through Trunks and working to reverse all the physical damage he had suffered in his quest to save his timeline from evil.

Gohan watched as superficial scars on Trunks' body began to fade, and then, after the passage of more time, the hole in his chest began to close, with restored flesh amalgamating in places where it should be.

After what seemed like quite a substantially long time due to their nervousness about the situation, but which had in reality been less than 20 sets of 10 seconds, with five more to pass before the healing was to be complete, Trunks began to slowly open his eyes.

He felt the revitalizing waves coursing through him, and he then looked leftward to see Dende emitting the finishing regenerative waves.

Those in the vicinity whose facial expressions readily reflected their emotional states shifted to clear elation upon seeing Trunks open his eyes, and as Dende sent the final waves toward Trunks, then placed his hands to his sides, cheers surmounted when Trunks began to stand up.

Gohan rushed forward and aggressively bear-hugged Trunks, ironically almost causing Trunks to fall backward right after the completion of his healing.

"You're alive, little bro'!" Gohan shouted, right in the middle of laughing robustly.

Trunks laughed as well, then after Gohan let him go, he responded.

"The fact I'm still alive is yet another victory over the evil Cell and Dr. Gero," Trunks said, while looking amongst his friends and allies. "Now, at last, all of those damn androids are dead."

Upon realizing exactly what he had said, Trunks turned to directly face Cell, and grinned.

"No offense, of course," Trunks said.

"Of course none is taken," Cell said, with a humble grin as well.

"I owe my life to you and Dende, bud," Trunks said, while turning to face Dende. "Thank you so much, man. That's the second time you've healed me up here after that bastard almost killed me."

"A hero who fought as hard as he could to save my people, and who played a major role in defeating the strongest evil we've ever known, deserves to still be alive," Dende said. "If Goku, bless his memory, were still within our conception of reality, I'd say the same for him. But he was responsible for saving your life the first time you came up here; all I did was restore to full strength what still was preserved. This time around, though, by the extent of your injuries, Trunks, I'm quite frankly shocked that you were still alive by the time you arrived."

"Well, I have Goku to thank for enabling me to have a much higher level of endurance than I ever had before," Trunks said. "I also guess it could be said that I survived because in many ways I'm stubborn like my father."

Upon making the remark, Trunks looked closer amongst those who had gathered and visually confirmed what Goku had told him before, that Vegeta again had not been allowed to keep his mind or body after death.

With extreme anger, Trunks was about to lambast King Kai for dishonoring his father by not insisting to King Yemma that he be allowed to keep his mind and body after his recent heroic actions in battle, but before he did, he realized that Broly was within plain sight.

Trunks was shocked, as Goku had suggested, during the brief time in which Trunks had personally known him, that like Vegeta, Broly had probably not been allowed to keep his mind or body after death because Yemma and King Kai had determined him to neither be exceptionally heroic or good, nor exceptionally villainous or evil.

"Broly! It's great to see you again!" Trunks said.

"You would not have, had King Kai not wanted to restore my mind and body in the event I would be both needed and able to fight the evil Cell," Broly said.

Trunks now understood the connotations of Broly's presence on King Kai's planet. Indeed, at least for his father's sake, Vegeta had been treated equally in judgment in comparison to Broly, although Broly's far greater abilities than Vegeta's made it understandably so that his mind and body were restored for the purpose of potentially fighting Future Cell while Vegeta was not restored.

Trunks knew that he had many questions for King Kai, although they would temporarily be put on hold.

"It would have been awesome to have had you on the battlefield with us," Trunks said. "The evil Cell only killed you because of a dirty trick."

"His death has made me more than joyous," Broly said. "As it happened, you and Cell gloriously defeated him before I could join you. You are a true Saiyan, Trunks. In fact, both of you are."

Broly turned to face Cell, acknowledging that the comment was intended for him.

"You have no idea how much that comment truly means to me, Broly," Cell said, for he indeed felt extremely honored.

"The two of you were not born as legends, but your actions have enabled you to truly be legendary," Broly said. "And speaking of the possibility that I could have joined you, it seems, King Kai, that whomever you were trying to contact eluded you."

"I'm … well, … I'm deeply troubled by the fact that happened," King Kai said. "This was a monumental emergency, and – "

Suddenly, he interrupted himself, upon receiving a mental message from King Yemma.

"Literally speaking of the devil, it appears, Cell, that your counterpart is causing havoc over at the Check-In Station!" King Kai exclaimed.

Out of frustration and rage, Cell's Super Perfect aura sparked to view, instantly causing all the others in the vicinity to look toward him.

"Even in death, that bastard doesn't know when to stop harming others!" Cell yelled.

"Well, did you really think he'd be humbled in any way by realizing his so-called 'perfection' failed to overcome you and Trunks?" Tien asked. "He's way too obsessed with himself to recognize that."

"That asshole probably just heard he's being sent to Hell and doesn't want to accept the fate he deserves," Yamcha said.

"It looks like I'm going to have to subdue him again so Yemma can send him to Hell properly!" Cell said, right before placing his right index and center fingers to his forehead, signifying that he was about to begin the process of Instant Transmission.

"Wait a minute, Cell," Trunks said, prompting Cell to pause before progressing further. "Let's make this yet another experience that bastard will never forget."

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, The Check-In Station, Age 786 …_

_[Eight minutes earlier …] _

A reality that he had regarded as unthinkable had finally become his own.

After a blinding flash of light had dissipated, he saw all around himself not the blackness of space, but a hazy pink-azure sky above, while below were clouds of yellow to either side of a narrow, winding pathway of white with red edges. He saw that the pathway led to a central, horned pagoda structure in the distance, with four spire pagodas surrounding it.

He was actually rather perturbed to see and otherwise recognize that his body had suddenly become whole, while relative seconds beforehand he had seen and felt himself being consumed by the giant Kamehameha wave that had contained the combined energies of his and his counterpart's massive energy outputs.

In the two regenerations from a single cell that he had experienced after his near-death experiences, a level of his consciousness had been restored while his body was far from fully regenerated, and he had felt and experienced his body's restoration, bit-by-bit, component-by-component.

With stark contrast to those regenerations, his full consciousness had returned suddenly after a flash of light, with his body fully formed at the moment of the restoration of his consciousness.

He was in a state of denial, refusing to accept the apparent truth of what had happened to him, trying as best as possible to rationalize what he was observing, and doing the best he possibly could to ignore the glowing cloud-like entities no taller than a fourth of a meter and no longer than half of a meter that were moving around him and then proceeding farther down the winding path, as if he was interrupting their procession toward the central pagoda, of which a banner with the word "Welcome" was displayed.

He could sense energy within each of the cloud-like entities, knowing them to have some sort of energy signatures that were subtly distinct from any he had ever felt. Before he could further reflect on his situation, he overheard an announcement that a blue-skinned ogre standing atop the yellow clouds was shouting through a loudspeaker.

"Hey you, standing in the middle of the path!" shouted the ogre, who was wearing brown pants and a white shirt with a black tie, and who had a single horn protruding from the center of the top of his head. "Proceed to the Check-In Station just like everyone else!"

Suddenly, Future Cell shifted directly in front of the ogre and violently grabbed the front of his shirt by the collar, holding him upward.

"What … what are you?" the ogre nervously shouted. "You should have fallen right through the clouds!"

"Really? Then why haven't you?" Future Cell asked.

"I work here!" the ogre anxiously said. "Anyone who doesn't work here needs to stay on the paths or they'll fall right through!"

"Tell me then, where the Hell am I?" Future Cell shouted, while gripping the ogre's collar tighter.

"Uh … this isn't Hell. Hell is that way," the ogre said with shortened breath, while pointing downward. "Oh,… you must know how to fly! That would explain why – "

"I demand that you give me a clear answer!" Future Cell said.

"All you need to do is look right above your own head, then you'll know," the ogre said, while reaching into the back-left pocket of his pants. "I keep a spare mirror for folks like yourself who come here looking like they did while they were alive – here, see for yourself."

The ogre's affirmations of Future Cell's suspicions had made Future Cell want to crush the ogre into dust, but instead, while continuing to hold the ogre up with his right hand, Future Cell swiftly grabbed the mirror with his left hand, then directed the mirror toward himself.

To his extreme dismay, and with his eyes afire with fury, he saw, in its simplicity, the pale halo atop his head.

Future Cell then crushed the mirror, letting the pieces fall through the yellow clouds below.

"Hey! That's seven years of bad luck for you! You probably shouldn't have – "

"Enough!" Future Cell yelled, while throwing the ogre with extreme velocity toward the central pagoda's rooftop.

The ogre, after soaring more than 100 meters through the air of Otherworld, smashed through the right part of the "Welcome" banner and then through the pagoda's rooftop.

"Of all the humiliating, ridiculous outcomes that could have transpired, those inferior fools managed to kill me!" Future Cell yelled, as sirens started blaring throughout the vicinity. "I simply cannot accept this as my fate! I am the one and only true Cell! I am the embodiment of perfection! I – "

Future Cell interrupted himself upon two occurrences that transpired relatively simultaneously. The first was his sudden recognition, and extreme surprise and delight, that presences he never thought he would clearly sense again now were quite apparent. The shock of what had happened to him had shrouded from him the reality of the fact that they could be detected from here, and he marveled at the opportunities that once again could be explored.

The second occurrence was the emergence of a gigantic, light-ruby-colored ogre in a blue business suit from the main arched door of the central Check-In-Station building, the same door that served as the entrance for souls receiving judgment in the afterlife.

King Yemma looked directly toward him, right as the sirens ceased their screeching tones. The spirits had for many moments remained where they were, without the line progressing further, as Yemma felt he needed to address this matter personally.

"Are you the one responsible for this?" King Yemma shouted with his stentorian and echoing voice, at a magnitude of volume far beyond what Future Cell had expected.

Future Cell suddenly shifted directly in front of Yemma's face, then crossed his arms in arrogance. He decided to temporarily delay following-up on that which he had sensed so that he could interact with this particular individual, as Future Cell was genuinely intrigued by his presence.

"And what if I am?" Future Cell asked. "There's nothing that any of you cretins could do to harm me, as my powers are far beyond any you can comprehend. And besides, even feeble attempts to kill me are even more pointless, as I'm already dead!"

"You clearly don't know whom you're dealing with," Yemma said, in a much softer tone than before, yet one that still was substantially robust.

"Do you?" Future Cell asked, humorlessly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Yemma said. "You're Cell, … the one from our own universe, anyway."

Future Cell was only partially taken aback by the revelation that this individual knew his name, as he somewhat expected that due to the manner of authority by which he spoke and acted, these reflected a position of significant authority in the afterlife.

"It seems that knowledge of my glory is available even here in Otherworld," Future Cell said.

"I know much about you, Cell," Yemma said. "I am King Yemma, the supreme judge of the fate of all souls who arrive in Otherworld! It is my duty to pass judgment on each soul based on the moral implications of that individual's actions in the world of the living! You're lucky that the member of my staff you sent through my building regained consciousness after a few seconds. Otherwise, that would have resulted in an even more egregious punishment for you."

"A punishment, you say?" Future Cell asked. "I perceive, then, that you intend to send me to Hell, is that right?"

King Yemma pulled from out of his suit jacket a gray-colored book that was about one-and-one-half times as tall as Future Cell, then opened it to a recent page.

"Not only was I informed of some of your actions personally by North Kai, but due to the way this book is designed, upon your arrival in Otherworld it recorded all the notable actions of your life for my reference," King Yemma said. "For most souls, I sit at my mahogany desk while announcing to them their fate, and for some souls, I read to them the various factors I take into account when judging them. However, you are an exception to the overwhelming majority of souls that pass through this station, and for you, Cell, I'll stand."

"Interesting," Future Cell said, with a grin. "Let's see what your book says about me."

"Very well," King Yemma said. "Let me precede this judgment, by the way, with the statement that the only souls who are permitted to keep their bodies and minds are those who are of exceptional strength and who are either very good or very evil. I think you know how we, the authorities of Otherworld, have considered you."

"I know of your mistaken notions, yes," Future Cell said, causing Yemma to sneer in disgust. "And why exactly are souls supposedly as evil as mine allowed to keep our bodies, if you reserve the same privilege for supposed heroes?"

"An excellent question," Yemma said. "Usually we give these privileges to very good souls, but for some, like you, we also give the privileges. Why are not all good souls given their minds and bodies while only the most good and most evil are? The overwhelming majority of souls, we feel, should be able to experience the bliss of eternal peace. This enables the good souls we send to heaven and the bad souls we send to Hell, regardless of where they end up, to reasonably tolerate their new existences. For the strongest and most righteous souls, especially those who have defended others, we reward them with absolute excellence in the afterlife, reserving for them full sentience and full use of their bodies in recognition of heroic deeds. We reserve for them the fullest degree of joy that can be derived from being able to fully comprehend their eternal existence in Otherworld, especially through giving them access to unlimited years of training and other experiences so they can fulfill more and more feats of good excellence. For those like you, we let you keep your minds and bodies so that when you go to Hell, you can experience to the fullest extent possible an eternity of suffering and degraded existence, tormenting you constantly with insufficiency and a dearth of opportunities for enjoyment and fulfillment."

"Well, Yemma, you've made me even more curious to find out why you feel Hell is the fate I deserve," Future Cell said. "I demand to know."

"It should me more than obvious," Yemma said. "Despite having multiple chances to change your ways, even including the acquisition of direct access to your noble counterpart's memories so you could learn from them, you remained steadfast in your evil pursuits. The entire idea that you are incapable of changing your ways because Dr. Gero's brainwashing forced you to believe what you believe is irrelevant to your judgment because you did what you did, and that is what is important to consider. Besides, I would give you no leeway on that point anyway, as I'm very doubtful that it was completely impossible for you to pursue a nobler path, and that you could have seen the light but chose to remain ignorant, like so many repressors who came here before you. You killed millions across Planet Earth, including warriors who sought to defend the Earth from evil in earlier ages and against you, one of whom was still spiritually linked to a guardian of Earth, thereby resulting in that guardian's death. Your actions also led to the death of the person who became the acting guardian of Earth, another heinous offense. Then, you proceeded to destroy Planet Oritov and its billions of inhabitants, committing one of the largest acts of genocide that I've ever been aware of, all out of your horrid lust for destruction. But the total annihilation of one world and its people wasn't enough for you, was it? You then went to Planet New Namek and committed genocide yet again, killing all the Namekians, including the planet's guardian, and obliterating their world through a combination of wanting to further your vile goals of supremacy and attaining revenge when the means of achieving those goals became out of your reach. You then killed the mother of a warrior who sacrificed much and for whom much had been sacrificed to stop you, despite her numerous actions to save the lives of innocent people in our own universe and in universes other than our own. And finally, after once again threatening to reshape the universe in your malevolent image through finding means other than those that had been lost to you, you did everything you could to stop the noble Cell and Trunks from saving the universe from you. Despite coming close to victory, the forces of righteousness defeated you, causing your spirit to manifest here, so you could be properly judged for your crimes. The only appropriate fate for someone who committed all these horrendous acts is an eternity in Hell. It is your sentence, and you shall accept it. While I usually do not give those whom I judge the opportunity to say their last words, I wish to hear from you an apology for all you've done, or at the very least an acknowledgement that what you did merits your sentence."

Future Cell's grin became a cackling snicker, and his raucous laughter sounded throughout the vicinity.

This was by no means the reaction Yemma had expected.

"How dare you mock the judgment given to you!" Yemma said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry – that your own incompetence and the incompetence of those who thought my glorious ultimate goals could never be achieved in death have so wondrously failed!" Future Cell shouted.

"What are you blabbering about?" Yemma asked.

"I can sense them!" Future Cell said. "Dende and Moori's energy signatures, and those of the other fools who thought my death would forever prevent me from becoming an unparalleled god, are within my sensing range since we're now all in Otherworld together! In the last hours of my life, I had hoped to gain the contents of Trunks' mind so I could learn the nature of King Kai's energy signature, lock-on to it, and then arrive in Otherworld via Instant Transmission, all for the purpose of finding those whose memories could provide me with the further skills and abilities necessary to achieve my ultimate dreams and whom I could not sense from the mortal realm. However, as I can sense them clearly now, I can instant transmit toward them and then gain the knowledge they possess! It is true that my death has prevented me from becoming immortal, but even so, with their knowledge now within my reach, all I need to do is place a hand upon their minds and absorb the knowledge I need to create my own set of Dragon Balls and wish to be brought back to life! Then, I can use my set of Dragon Balls to acquire power beyond any of the kais, and anyone else in Otherworld, especially you! With all the knowledge and other enhanced capacities I shall gain, I shall reshape this universe in my image of perfection! And then, if I still am unable to pry the necessary knowledge from Bulma's mind, I shall have more than enough ability to develop time travel independently of that tiresome woman and then lay waste to Timeline III! It's the perfect plan! I cannot be stopped! In fact, it's only because I was killed that I can now sense them clearly again, and had I lived, I would still have been able to achieve ultimate glory – but not this easily! I shall use my death as a means to advance myself further than ever before! You've all unwittingly enabled me to do this!"

King Yemma let out a hardy laugh, causing Future Cell to become perturbed.

"Whatever bluff you think you can trick me with is not going to work," Future Cell said. "Your power level is pathetically low, and there's nothing you can do to stop my Instant Transmission!"

"Oh really?" Yemma bellowed. "Go ahead. Try to reach them. I dare you."

Future Cell grinned, then placed his right index and central fingers by his forehead, preparing himself to initiate the technique.

"You don't even know what Instant Transmission is, do you?" Future Cell asked.

"One does not need to know all things to know many things," Yemma said, with a pleasant smile.

'What a dumb-ass,' Future Cell thought to himself, right as he disappeared from normal space-time.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Hyperspace (Otherworld Variant), Age 786 …_

Future Cell momentarily felt free, even liberated, from his death.

In fact, in the first relative second of his hyperspace travel via Instant Transmission, his euphoric attitude could not have been more arrogant.

Then, before he could progress farther in the transmission, he hit the equivalent of a "wall" in hyperspace, smacking violently into it right before the transmission automatically ceased.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, The Check-In Station, Age 786 …_

Future Cell emerged from the Instant Transmission at the exact point from which he had left, yelling in wild rage.

"How the f*ck did you do that!" Future Cell yelled, while Yemma was chuckling with hysteria. "That should have been impossible! A worthless fool like yourself could not possibly have manifested that phenomenon on your own, but surely you know how it was accomplished. Tell me!"

"What makes you think I'd truly tell you?" Yemma laughingly said, to Future Cell's enraged disgust. "Oh, but I will tell you how it superficially works, without revealing anything of its construction. You see, Cell, various areas of Otherworld are blocked off from each other in various ways. While some areas have special types of restrictions, such as Hell having a one-way entrance through the clouds that enables souls to travel into Hell but none to travel out of it, each area has a special barrier that prevents any soul I've condemned to Hell from being able to travel as he pleases – a barrier that exists both in real space-time and hyperspace. The entire vicinity of the Check-In Station is surrounded by such a barrier, as is all of Heaven, all of Hell, and the various other areas of Otherworld. With regard to the hyperspace components of the barriers, you're not the first evil soul to come to Otherworld with the power to bend space-time, and we took the necessary precautions to put you in your place. Now, on the other hand, righteous souls with such abilities can travel within Otherworld via hyperspace as they please. The walls in hyperspace don't stop them, but for evil souls like yours, any attempts, especially from Hell, to enter another realm via space-time bending will result in you hitting a wall and failing. In other words, Cell, you're on my shit-list."

Future Cell's rage at that point was beyond rage. He had been deluded into thinking that he had somehow been granted one more chance to achieve unparalleled glory, and all that had truly resulted from his endeavor was mockery.

He then realized, though, that his ability to absorb knowledge might be useful after all.

Without warning, Future Cell suddenly shifted atop Yemma's head, then attempted to absorb his knowledge of how the walls were made, so that he might find a weakness.

He then snarled in frustration.

"Damn it! Your mind is even more complex than Bulma's!" Future Cell yelled.

"It has to be – think of all I need to do on a standard daily basis to process the billions of souls who pass through the Check-In Station," Yemma said. "Speaking of which, I've had enough of your presence here. I've delayed passing judgment upon the other souls in line long enough as it is."

Suddenly, a small hole – rather, a void in space-time – began opening up "beneath" Future Cell. He could feel a sensation that he had never before felt, one reflective of the laws of gravity being forcibly contorted to the point that they were overridden, in a way starkly different than when energy is applied for flight.

The hole suddenly expanded horizontally, and he could feel himself being pulled into the emptiness – but suddenly, to King Yemma's surprise, Future Cell vanished before entering the hole.

Two seconds later, Future Cell reemerged from Instant Transmission right in front of Yemma's face and kicked him in the forehead from above, sending him straight into the central pagoda and causing the structure's middle portion and right side to violently crumble, followed shortly thereafter by most of the structure's left side.

Future Cell looked behind himself and below, noticing the hole in space-time suddenly closing.

"Just because I can't instant transmit anywhere else doesn't mean I can't instant transmit within this region," Future Cell said. "That bastard should think twice if he thinks I'll be sent to Hell that – "

He interrupted himself upon seeing Yemma burst out of the rubble, with his arms arcing over his head and a gigantic, dark-blue aura all around him.

"For not just resisting my Judgment Portal, but destroying my sacred Check-In Station, you shall have the vengeance of Otherworld unleashed upon you!" Yemma shouted, while Future Cell entered a fighting stance, not fully knowing what to expect.

Future Cell watched as a sphere emitted upward from Yemma's right hand.

"Divine Light!" Yemma shouted, as the sphere glared brightly, sending waves of blinding light throughout the area.

Future Cell was caught off-guard by the sudden use of the technique, although he recognized that it was to be expected that eventually, he would encounter a technique extremely similar to one he possessed, and yet was known by a different name.

Future Cell then felt himself being squeezed against Yemma's chest, as Yemma had placed his gigantic right arm across Future Cell's entire body, and was applying further force against the arm with his left arm.

"How do you like my Yemma Lock?" Yemma shouted, while Future Cell regained his focus.

A short punch from Future Cell's right arm sent Yemma's right arm violently forward, and Future Cell then elbowed Yemma hard in the stomach, causing him to nauseatingly gag.

Yemma dropped to the floor of what had been the lobby of the Check-In Station's main building, and Future Cell, after having maneuvered away from the path of Yemma's fall, landed in front of the top of his head. Yemma had landed on his chest, in the midst of agonizing pain.

"Nothing more than a weakling, as I thought," Future Cell said, while Yemma was barely holding on to consciousness.

'_King Kai,'_ Yemma began to psychically message, _'the evil Cell … he destroyed the Check-In Station … please send reinforcements .…'_

Future Cell used his psychic energy to raise Yemma's body, then flipped him over so he was lying on his back. He then hopped up atop Yemma's stomach, and walked toward his head.

"Well Yemma, I have a deal for you, and listen closely, because this is your last chance to save your life," Future Cell said, while Yemma struggled to look at him. "If you judge my soul as a good one, and grant me uninhibited access to all the regions of Otherworld, I'll let you live. If you stubbornly refuse to do this and insist upon your previous judgment, then I'll kill you right here, and then I'll judge your soul through tormenting it with further pain. What will it be?"

"I … shall never bargain with a devil, …" Yemma said, with shortness of breath.

"How very unfortunate," Future Cell said while he began to charge up an energy sphere in his right hand. "Soon, your halo shall be a reminder for all in Otherworld to never challenge me!"

Future Cell prepared to launch the sphere straight toward Yemma's chin, although he suddenly stopped with a startle, as he realized who had just arrived.

Before Future Cell could turn to face the newcomer, Cell suddenly shifted in front of Future Cell and punched the energy sphere out of the vicinity of his right hand.

"You!" Future Cell exclaimed. "It was bad enough that all of my plans in life were callously interrupted by your foolishness, and now you're interrupting my plans in death as well? Have you no shame?"

Cell's response was quick, yet fitting.

Future Cell didn't react in time to stop the Imprisonment Ball from forming, and in the middle of the golden sphere of energy, he could barely move.

"I instant transmitted here after Yemma contacted King Kai about your failure to change your ways even in death," Cell said. "All your actions make me sick to my core, thinking that right now, had circumstances been different, I could be just as malevolently misguided as you. In fact, who knows? Maybe, if I had continued on my path of evil, Gohan actually would have managed to destroy each of my cells and I would have been killed and sent to Otherworld, just as what happened to you. But you know what? I'd rather live a life of goodness and not have an afterlife at all than live a life of evil and then exist in the afterlife while still being ignorant. And guess what? For all the suffering you put billions of people through, you'll experience all that Hell has to offer."

"The only reason you're able to gloat is because Trunks interfered with our clash of energies," Future Cell said. "Letting him live shall forever be one of my greatest regrets."

"And it is a mistake on your part that likely will be of extreme benefit to the universe in ways that right now, I cannot accurately predict," Cell said. "Notice, by the way, that I haven't actually made physical contact with you in any manner. And you know why? Directly fighting you further in Otherworld after having already had the honor of killing you does not interest me. Besides, there are others who would very much like to make you suffer for all you did. Can you sense them, Cell? They're powering up in the distance, waiting to strike."

While he watched and listened to the exchange between them, and especially with the recent revelation of what Cell was intending, Yemma refrained from using the Judgment Portal again, as he was eager to see what soon was to happen.

As Yemma began to stand up, Future Cell began to stare wide-eyed.

"You're still nothing more than a fool!" Future Cell yelled. "Soon, I'll break free from this Imprisonment Ball, just as you did by transforming into the Power-Weighted form!"

Cell grinned at the thought.

"Do you really want to be that slow when they arrive?" Cell asked. "And if you use a Perfect Barrier when you're in that form, there might even be a chance that the two of them together could break through it – I wouldn't consider it necessarily outside the realm of what they're capable of."

"You will forever regret this day, not just for killing me, but for these further actions," Future Cell said. "I will find a way to seek vengeance upon you, and when I – "

"Oh, shut up, already," Cell said, interrupting Future Cell and causing him to become even more livid. "Face it, my counterpart – despite the fact you're already dead, you're screwed."

Cell then paused for a moment, sending a psychic message to those who were eager to arrive.

'_Now,' _he psychically said.

Two seconds later, they emerged from Instant Transmission, with the glorious golden auras of their Super Saiyan pride beaming throughout the vicinity.

Trunks, in his Super Saiyan 2 form, and Broly, in his Legendary Super Saiyan form, were each radiating raw powers far beyond any Future Cell – and Cell himself – had ever reached, and were looking down upon Future Cell in what could be described as a mixture of fury and euphoria.

While Trunks' grin was slight, Broly's reflected pure ecstasy.

Trunks relinquished his left arm from Broly's right shoulder, then directly addressed Future Cell.

"No one in this universe is gladder than the three of us that you're dead," Trunks said."

"And here I was hoping that somehow, you would have died in the interim of my death and my counterpart's attempts to save you!" Future Cell said. "But, apparently, the universe would not even allow me to have that victory."

"The universe doesn't have to put up with your crap anymore – we've seen to that," Trunks said. "Now, right before you spend the rest of your existence in Hell, you'll get to lose in battle to us one last time so you can forever remember even more humiliation. I can't think of a more fitting way for you to experience your last moments before eternal damnation, can you?"

"One day, Trunks, … I swear, you will suffer for this," Future Cell said.

"Those are nothing more than empty and desperate words," Trunks said, while turning his gaze toward Broly. "Care to start the festivities?"

"Obviously," Broly said, right before charging forward to obliterate whatever truly remained of Future Cell's pride.

* * *

_Be sure to tune in next week for the second part of Honor Trip's Season Three finale, Chapter Forty-Four, "Perdition," to be released Monday, July 9!_

_And for those celebrating, have a great Independence Day! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Three: Completed July 2, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Staff: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Staff: Roketto _


	50. XLIV: Perdition

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Four: Perdition (Season Three Finale! - Part Two of Five)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Production Update:**

The Season Three finale is to be extended beyond the planned three chapters to include an additional chapter, and as such is to have FOUR chapters!

As a result of this change, this chapter's working title, which had been "Sanctification," is to be the title of the NEXT chapter, and this chapter's title instead is "Perdition," which according to the _New Oxford American Dictionary_ is "a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death."

Update from 7/19/12: As the Season Three Finale was again extended to have an additional chapter, for a total of five, the chapter title of "Sanctification" is to be used for the fourth chapter of the Season Three Finale.

* * *

**Art Update: **

Since the release of Chapter Forty-Three, Ruga-Rell has posted to his deviantART page more excellent concept art for Honor Trip and other projects he's working on – I strongly encourage you to check it out!

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …._

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, Ruins of the Check-In Station, Age 786 …_

While he had been forced to live life as a savage aggressor due to circumstances beyond his control, he, unlike Future Cell, had managed to willingly overcome his inhibitions and fight against oppression.

It was somewhat ironic, though, that his very first act of righteousness had been murder – the murder of his own father, no less – but the bastard had manipulated him to kill far too many and had deserved to die to prevent yet countless more from dying.

Even though the restraining headband had long since been destroyed, and even though he had long since managed to overcome his blinding natural desire to unyieldingly kill and destroy, he still relished, deep in his heart and mind, that the sheer aggressive forces he had been born to wield in chaotic destruction could instead be used for advancing holiness against the most capable of tyrants.

In a way very similar to Cell's desire to apply otherwise deplorable tactics toward noble goals to enable those tactics to become inherently more honorable, Broly knew that beating the crap out of Future Cell without restraint and with extreme savagery would itself be a noble pursuit.

Broly's right fist breached the surface of the Imprisonment Ball that had been surrounding Future Cell, causing the restrictive field to explode in a shine of repressive light. Before Future Cell could avoid the attack, Broly's fist slammed straight into Future Cell's neck, sending the oppressor backward many meters – only to then collide with Broly's chest, as the Legendary Super Saiyan had shifted to that position quicker than Future Cell had soared.

Broly then grabbed Future Cell's face with as much planet-warping force as he could muster, and, while maintaining his grip on Future Cell's face, flailed him wildly in the air, shaking his body up and down, and side to side.

While maintaining his grip upon Future Cell's face with his right hand, Broly then punched Future Cell as hard as he possibly could with his left hand straight and repeatedly into Future Cell's stomach, not even enabling the bio-android to effectively gag or scream because his entire face was covered by Broly's other hand.

With a grin of righteous vehemence, Broly then charged up an Eraser Cannon in his right hand – all while his right hand was still gripping Future Cell's face. The blast very quickly charred Future Cell's face and then obliterated his head, causing his body to begin spiraling toward the ground.

Broly knew full-well, as a result of all he had learned in his prior battles with Future Cell, his observations of Cell's battle with his counterpart, and his brief conversation with Trunks before this latest encounter that Future Cell could possess a level of consciousness even without the presence of an intact head, and Broly thus had no qualms with the further actions he was planning before Future Cell's regeneration.

Before Future Cell's body could fall more than 10 meters, Broly, also knowing that there was no possible way that Future Cell could have died due to his recent attacks, shifted below Future Cell's body and caught it with his left hand. He then threw Future Cell's body toward the ruins of the Check-In Station, with Future Cell's body arching toward the platform where the central pagoda had been situated. When Future Cell's body reached a point above the platform, Broly reappeared right at that point and caught his body, then accelerated quickly forward and slammed Future Cell's body straight into the ground.

With Future Cell's body now in a sizable impact crater in the middle of the rubble, and King Yemma watching the spectacle up-close with amusement, Broly landed on his two feet, then crossed his arms in a fashion indicative of superiority.

"Come on, you coward! Finish your regeneration so I can smash you around some more!" Broly shouted.

"I've been meaning to ask, Yemma, is my perception correct that anyone who has died and who loses a part of his body in Otherworld has it automatically regenerated, regardless of whether he possessed that ability while alive?" Cell asked.

"That's correct," King Yemma said. "He'll be back in one piece sooner or later. I guess either the regeneration ability he had while alive, or the automatic regeneration ability of the dead while in Otherworld, or both will restore him soon enough so Broly can continue pummeling him."

After about 30 seconds, Future Cell's head suddenly regenerated, and an instant after that, with his eyes reflective of an inferno of rage, he instant transmitted from his position.

Two seconds later, Broly felt an explosive Kamehameha wave strike his back, knocking him forward a few meters, although he remained on his feet and standing.

Future Cell then began to barrage his back with punches and kicks, causing Broly to be pushed farther and farther forward on the platform of ruins. However, Broly then reached behind himself with his left hand at a speed greater than that to which Future Cell could readily react, and then grabbed Future Cell's neck again, and shoved the tyrant from behind him toward his front.

While keeping his left hand firmly around Future Cell's neck, Broly was restraining Future Cell's body against his chest with his right arm, such that, as per a lesson Broly had learned when previously fighting Future Cell, the tyrant's stinger was facing away from Broly's chest.

Broly squeezed Future Cell's neck and abdomen forcefully, with Future Cell this time unable to properly scream because his neck was concaved.

Broly laughed with hysteria, then taunted the terrorist.

"Your soul shall be crushed in honor of all the innocent people we murdered!" Broly yelled, while continuing the entrapment.

As Broly squeezed Future Cell with more and more force, Future Cell attempted to say something, but it was significantly muffled by Broly's restraints.

"Broly!" Trunks shouted. "Let's hear what this pathetic vermin wants to say!"

"A good idea, Trunks. After all, we have nothing to fear from him," Broly said, while placing his left arm very quickly over Future Cell's back for a further restraint, and releasing Future Cell's throat from his grip.

"You fools wouldn't be doing this to me had I become the god I wanted to be!" Future Cell shouted, which he was remarkably able to due even though Broly was squeezing his abdomen with extreme force. "But no matter! Trunks, you'll die of old age eventually, and Broly, since you're already dead, I doubt you'll become even stronger each year as a result of the Legendary Super Saiyan aging process you no longer will undergo. However, I will keep getting stronger while in Otherworld, and I will overpower you both one day!"

"The caliber of fighters in Hell is such that no one there will give you any sort of challenge or worthwhile training opportunity," Yemma said. "The fighters of Heaven are on average far stronger."

"Besides, I can instant transmit to Otherworld to train with Broly whenever I want," Trunks said. "We can keep getting stronger, and you'll languish in a realm of weak and worthless fighters!"

"Hah! He's already nothing more than a weakling!" Broly shouted, while continuing his restraint. "You fought much better when we clashed on Earth, and you were even weaker then! Where is your pride, Cell?"

Broly then squeezed Future Cell violently harder, and while he wasn't sure what had cracked in his body, something definitely had.

"Did you hear that crack? I guess that was the last bit of your pride, shattering to dust!" Broly shouted.

Future Cell felt beyond humiliated. Perhaps if he had not just died in a battle against his greatest rival, been once again denied the opportunity to ascend beyond perfection, and realized that Broly was still far more capable than him regarding power and speed, he would have felt more encouraged to effectively fight back.

He sneered in grandiose anger over his current predicament.

"My pride shall never be shattered, no matter what you or any of you bastards do," Future Cell said, while struggling to force Broly to release him.

In response to Future Cell's further struggling, Broly ferociously head-butt Future Cell, causing him to bite into his own tongue.

While Broly was placing significant pressure on Future Cell's stinger, such that Future Cell could not release it despite his attempts, and while Future Cell's arms were indeed restricted by Broly's grip, Future Cell recognized a quite useful technique that upon further consideration, he felt he should have used beforehand.

Future Cell's Eye Lasers shot forward toward Broly's face, but before they could make contact, Broly released Future Cell and shifted rightward, out of the way of the blast. Even though he was dead, Broly in no way wanted to experience the feeling of Future Cell's Eye Lasers going straight into his own eyes.

'Excellent!' Future Cell thought to himself, right as he spread his fingers apart and placed his hands by his face.

Upon seeing the maneuver, Broly shielded his eyes with his hands.

This, however, was precisely what Future Cell had wanted to happen.

Without actually releasing a Solar Flare, Future Cell rushed forward and quickly placed his right hand on Broly's head.

If he was going to be sent to Hell, at the very least, he wanted to gain at least something as a result of his death.

Before he could establish a clear connection to acquire knowledge of Broly's techniques, Trunks suddenly appeared to his right and punched him in the right part of his jaw, shattering it and sending Future Cell spiraling to Broly's right.

Cell grinned as Future Cell struggled in his clash with the superior Super Saiyans, hoping that the experience would be at least somewhat humbling for his counterpart.

In the midst of Future Cell taking a few moments to recover, Trunks and Broly suddenly appeared in front of him, to Future Cell's surprise.

"You know, Cell, even a heart as dark as mine was able to see the light," Broly said. "The fact you do not have such flexibility makes you spiritually weak, adding to your physical weakness."

Right after Future Cell's jaw regenerated its proper structure, he responded.

"Don't lecture me, you psychotic freak!" Future Cell yelled.

"Even in death, he's a hypocrite," Trunks said, right as Future Cell began to power up, with his Super Perfect aura flaring to view.

"You're a fool for coming here, Trunks!" Future Cell yelled. "While Broly is dead and my ignoble counterpart can regenerate, you're still very much alive and without regenerative powers of any kind! Your overconfidence shall cost you dearly!"

"Did I not just say that even though you're dead, you're still a hypocrite?" Trunks asked, with a grin.

Future Cell responded by launching a Death Saucer Squadron of four saucers straight toward Trunks.

Right as Trunks stopped the four disks through an exertion of his enhanced energy, and then fired blasts into them to make them explode, Future Cell released a Destructo Disk straight toward him.

Before the Destructo Disk could make contact with Trunks' body, Broly intercepted the disk, catching the centers of the top flat part and bottom flat part with his hands, then vaulted himself forward straight into Future Cell with a slashing motion, cutting Future Cell across the chest with his own active Destructo Disk and causing him to yell in pain.

Broly then threw the Destructo Disk toward Future Cell, but the tyrant instant transmitted away from his position. While Broly blasted the disk away, Future Cell reappeared behind Broly and quickly reached toward the back of his head, in another attempt to gleam at least some knowledge from the Legendary Super Saiyan.

However, Trunks appeared to Future Cell's left side and blasted him with a quickly-formed Buster Cannon, sending Future Cell hurtling away.

Broly turned to face Future Cell, right as Future Cell began to recover from the blast and regenerate the portion of his chest that had been slashed.

"It's amazing, really," Broly said. "While I am far stronger and faster than you, Trunks has become even stronger and faster than I am."

Future Cell stared wide-eyed and panicked, while Broly continued his criticism.

"You clearly don't stand a chance against me, and you only won against me on Earth because you caught me off-guard," Broly said. "You almost killed Trunks – also, because you caught him off-guard. Cell valiantly defeated you and shall forever have my utmost respect for having done so, but know this, you little prick: if you hadn't caught either of us off-guard, and if you didn't have that cheap regeneration crap, Trunks or I would have killed you and honored the Saiyan race ourselves. Remember that, Cell – against us, you were dishonorably cheap, and you were still destroyed."

Broly then turned toward Trunks, with a humble, yet encouraging grin.

"I believe the time is right for you to further pursue your vengeance," Broly said. "Think of what he did to your friends and family, and especially to your father and mother – make him suffer all the more for it!"

Broly's grin widened in respect as Trunks' aura accentuated in its golden glare and sparks of lightning, while he rushed forward and right-push-kicked Future Cell in the stomach, at a speed far too fast for Future Cell to avoid.

Future Cell gagged in pain as the attack impacted him, and Trunks then began to punch Future Cell rapidly in the face. For all the people he'd killed, for all the dreams he'd crushed, and especially for robbing his parents of their lives, Trunks wanted Future Cell to suffer beyond suffering.

In the midst of the 141st punch to his face, Future Cell managed to back up a few meters, and began to yell loudly.

Trunks watched as Future Cell's body began to balloon outward, as Yemma watched with extreme concern.

"The rest of this disgusting area shall be destroyed along with me!" Future Cell yelled. "Punch me again! I dare you!"

"Well, that's no fun," Trunks said, as he looked toward Cell. "Hey man, it looks like we'll need your help for a moment after all."

"Fine by me," Cell said, as Future Cell became startled, realizing all too late what was about to happen.

Cell quickly formed and released a Shining Nova, enabling it to rapidly expand and completely surround Future Cell, who had only reached about half the maximum height he would have reached before his internal countdown process resulted in self-explosion.

With the Shining Nova surrounding Future Cell and bombarding him from within, Future Cell's self-explosion set off prematurely, but totally inside the Shining Nova, preventing any of the surroundings of the Check-In Station complex from being further harmed.

While the Shining Nova was in the midst of resolving, Cell turned to Yemma to ask a question.

"Another point of interest, Yemma – if a soul's body is completely destroyed in Otherworld, will that soul's body still be completely regenerated by Otherworld's automatic processes?" Cell asked. "Not that I believe my counterpart's cells were all destroyed as a result of that exchange; I'm merely curious."

"As far as I know, yes," Yemma said. "Situations like this are so rare that I'm not absolutely certain, but that should be the case."

"Well, he won't be trying that again, now that he knows he'll just humiliate himself further," Cell said.

After a few minutes, Future Cell's body regenerated, and before he could effectively move out of the way, Trunks launched a quite-charged Finish Buster straight into the lower half of his body and annihilating all components below his upper chest.

"This is absurd!" Future Cell yelled. "I demand that you cease this at once!"

"You killed my mother and father, you freak!" Trunks said, while his aura again sparked to life. "Completely overpowering you is the best way I could possibly show my love for them!"

Trunks shifted behind Future Cell and rapidly punched him in the back, with Future Cell again unable to effectively counter the attacks. Then, Trunks shifted in front of him and uppercut Future Cell in the chin, sending him soaring upward.

Right as Future Cell's legs began to reform, Trunks then kicked Future Cell in the face, then threw a barrage of energy blasts in Future Cell's direction.

While Future Cell did the best he could to avoid them, many hit his wings, and due to the sheer volume of the blasts, he was having extreme difficulty moving out of the way.

When Future Cell did emerge from the barrage, Trunks placed his left hand upon Future Cell's chest and expended a searing surge of energy directly upon the area, burning Future Cell's flesh at the spot and causing him to shout.

Future Cell quickly managed to grab Trunks' head and head-butt Trunks, but instead of Trunks being significantly affected by the effort, he merely laughed.

"Nice try, but not good enough!" Trunks said, while blasting Future Cell in the face with a generic blast that had been emitted from his right hand.

While the generic blast was not strong enough to again obliterate Future Cell's head, he felt pain all across it, right as the burn mark on his chest was finishing healing.

Trunks then appeared behind him and punched him in the back of the neck, then appeared in front of him and forward-somersault-push-kicked him in the face.

As Future Cell soared backward, he then instant transmitted out of normal space-time, and then two seconds later reappeared to Trunks' left and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks at Trunks' left side. Trunks, in an exhibition of his superior strength and speed, managed to block all of Future Cell's punches with his left hand and all of his kicks with his right foot.

However, Future Cell suddenly shifted in front of Trunks and punched Trunks directly in the face. While Future Cell sneered in a moment of what he considered to be at least a minimal victory, his mouth was then agape, as he realized how ineffective his attack truly had been. The attack had indeed caused Trunks to bleed from his nose, but his nose was by no means broken. While Trunks' head had been arced backward, Trunks' facial structure on the whole, other than his nose, was rather unscathed.

Most of all, Trunks was laughing.

Trunks placed both of his hands upon Future Cell's stomach and blasted him backward, then rushed forward and elbow-struck Future Cell's left cheek. Trunks then inside-crescent-kicked Future Cell's right cheek with his left foot. He then punched Future Cell as hard as he possibly could in Future Cell's stomach, causing the tyrant's eyes to literally bulge out in an expression of pain.

With a sudden shift above Future Cell and a hammer-strike with both hands clenching each other in a combined fist and moving downward, Trunks then sent Future Cell speeding toward the yellow clouds that marked the boundary between the Check-In Station realm and Hell.

Before Future Cell permeated the cloud layer, Trunks reappeared under Future Cell, with his right hand extended upward into his back. Trunks then threw Future Cell onto the Check-In Station platform, waiting for Future Cell to get back to his feet.

It had been decided between Trunks and Broly before they had arrived that they would each have the opportunity to fight – or, rather, demolish – Future Cell one-on-one, and that they would purposely avoid sending Future Cell to Hell until they completed the final part of their onslaught.

That final part, which Trunks and Broly had both agreed would be even more unforgettable for Future Cell than their individual fights against him, was to soon begin.

Trunks landed on the platform, accompanied seconds later by Broly, while Cell and Yemma watched from above.

As Future Cell began to stand up, Broly downward kicked him in the face, making his nose smack straight into the ground.

"You thought you could demean the glory of the righteous," Broly said. "You were wrong."

Trunks then placed his right foot atop Future Cell's head and stomped downward, creating a small concave in the platform.

"You're the perfect proof that Dr. Gero was nothing but a failure," Trunks said, right before looking toward Cell above. "In fact, by outright acting against Dr. Gero's intentions, your counterpart, and at least some of the androids of Timeline III, have succeeded in ways you have refused to even try to understand. You have no respect for life. You killed my parents, you bastard. You can never be forgiven. And for all you've done, we'll now send you to Hell, for the justice of all the good people across this universe."

"The only justice … would either be an opportunity to become stronger than any of you, or something so horrific happening to you, regardless of whether I'm the one to do it, that shall cause you to forever be tormented by your weaknesses," Future Cell said. "When either of those glorious events happen … I shall laugh, and you shall be wondrously defeated."

"Those are merely delusional dreams," Broly said. "Your time as a threat to this universe has ended."

Suddenly, Broly lifted Future Cell up and kicked him upward.

Trunks soared after him, beginning the glorious final phase of vengeance against the tyrant – a combined assault of Broly's powers and his own in righteous resonance.

Trunks appeared 10 meters above the platform, punching Future Cell in the chest and sending him spiraling down toward Broly, who grabbed Future Cell's left leg with his right hand and began to rapidly spin him in a vertical wheel-motion, and then a horizontal wheel-motion.

The Legendary Super Saiyan then flung Future Cell upward toward the Super Saiyan 2, who downward thrust-kicked Future Cell in the chest. Broly caught Future Cell nine meters above the platform and threw him upward, enabling Trunks to punch him in the neck and then outside-crescent-kick Future Cell rightward.

Broly shifted two meters in front of Future Cell such that he was in front of the direction in which Future Cell's body was moving as a result of having been kicked, and he punched Future Cell forward.

Trunks then punched Future Cell back toward Broly, and in the next 30 seconds, with Trunks and Broly having four meters of distance between them, each punched or kicked Future Cell toward the other so the other could then do so as well.

Trunks then blasted Future Cell forward toward Broly with a generic energy blast, and quickly shifted to Broly's right side.

Then, in a radiant display of power, Trunks shot a shining yellow Finish Buster sphere toward Future Cell, while Broly shot a searing green Eraser Cannon straight toward him.

The two attacks collided with Future Cell's body in a miraculously momentous explosion with waves of force that rippled in the nearby vicinity.

As Future Cell descended toward the clouds below, with consciousness on the verge of fading, his last sight before falling through what for him would soon be an impermeable layer was Super Saiyan 2 Trunks punching him in his left eye with his left fist and Legendary Super Saiyan Broly punching him in his right eye with his right fist, with each of the Saiyans grinning in pride and virtue, while Cell looked upon him with scorn in the distance.

The maniacal terror, after a campaign of horrendous acts of violence that had threatened the universe, fell through the layer of clouds, with his dreams of ultimate malevolence becoming merely dreams.

Cell acknowledged from above what at last had happened.

"Good riddance," he said, while landing on the platform below.

Trunks and Broly landed as well, and after a salutary fist-bump, the three warriors addressed each other.

"In my estimation, your mother and father have been avenged," Broly said, as Trunks smiled. "Excellent work."

"He deserved it," Trunks said. "And that, my friend, was a great act of atonement."

"I thoroughly agree with the both of you," Cell said. "I … I'm sorry that my counterpart brought so much trouble to this universe. He – "

"Despite what I suggested earlier, you shouldn't blame yourself," Trunks said, interrupting him. "You had no way of knowing any of this would happen. And after all that, at the very least, we proved to the evil of this universe that even a manifestation of horror as powerful and as capable as your counterpart could be defeated."

Yemma then landed, with a pleasant smile.

"I am impressed with the three of you!" Yemma said. "Thanks to the combined efforts of all three of you, you not only saved the universe, but you saved my life, prevented the rest of the Check-In Station from being destroyed, and made an example of the evil Cell that all in Hell shall be informed about to further discourage any resistance and reinforce the dreariness of their fate."

"Making an example of him is something that he will forever remember with scorn, and that I will forever cherish," Cell said. "But now, the three of us should return to King Kai's planet so we can discuss a plan I'm eager to implement that could enable us to potentially reverse at least some of the damage that bastard caused. I want to take one of his malevolent main intentions and reform it into something that could truly help this universe."

Trunks and Broly looked at him wide-eyed, and then with looks of excitement.

"Of course!" Trunks said. "The Dragon Balls! With your mindreading abilities, if Dende, Moori, Kami, and Guru enable you to read their minds, you could gain the skills necessary to revive the set on Earth! I don't know if any of New Namek's Dragon Balls were destroyed by the explosion that destroyed the planet, but all we'll need to do is use the Earth's Dragon Balls to restore Planet New Namek. Since the Dragon Balls of New Namek will be restored with that wish, you can then revive them and we'll have two sets of Dragon Balls!"

"You indeed were thinking what I was thinking," Cell said. "But remember, Trunks, we can't assume anything. It would be unwise to elevate our hopes through assumptions, just to have them crumble because those assumptions do not reflect truth. I will do my best to learn how to revive the Dragon Balls, but I can make no promises that it will be possible, due to the nature of that knowledge, to fully gain or understand it via my mindreading."

"I … understand," Trunks said.

"The Namekians also could merely tell us how to revive the Dragon Balls without you needing to use your mindreading abilities to learn that information, couldn't they?" Broly asked.

"Actually, I'm not so sure how practical that would be," Cell said. "Creating functional Dragon Balls is ostensibly a process far beyond the understanding of most entities in this universe. It could take years for the Namekians to train us verbally, whereas it might take seconds, or minutes, if I just use my mindreading abilities."

Trunks then thought of a further implication and then became even more excited.

"Is it … is it possible that we might even be able to create another set of Dragon Balls?" Trunks asked. "Could … we actually make that happen?"

"We'll have to find out," Cell said. "There's no way of knowing how well I'll be able to understand that advanced knowledge until I try to absorb it and process it."

"Well, if we're able to revive Shenron, we should wish back everyone other than evil Cell who died of unnatural causes after evil Cell's release from Dr. Gero's laboratory," Trunks said. "I'd phrase it that way since, after all, if we merely wished back all of Future Cell's victims that he killed, Broly wouldn't be brought back due to the fact he was actually killed by Gohan. And, bro', I'd like to see you again without that halo."

"That would be an unexpected, exceptional, and appreciated outcome of all this," Broly said. "If for some reason the Dragon Balls are unable to be revived, or if new ones are unable to be created, I would at the very least appreciate if I could keep my mind and body. It would be a shame if that bastard will be able to keep his while your father and I would not."

"If I may interject," King Yemma began to say, "as a result of the heroic actions all three of you showed today, I think it would be more than reasonable to enable you to keep your body and mind, Broly. And Trunks, I believe that you have earned the right to have your request granted for your father to regain his mind and body. All I will need will be permission from King Kai on both of these counts, but after all the three of you have done for the universe and for Otherworld, I doubt he would refuse. In fact, if he does for some reason refuse, I will personally insist that he reconsider."

"Thank you much!" Trunks said. "And, … oh. Yemma, … I've realized that I'm not entirely sure what happened to my mother's soul after she came here, … could you tell me where she is?"

"Heaven, of course, and you'd be relieved to know that she was permitted to keep her mind and her body, with the exception of her feet now being in the form of a spirit tail," Yemma said to Trunks, causing him to become instantly relieved. "In fact, regardless of physical strength, any righteous individuals who are loved ones or especially close friends of heroes who have been sent or are to eventually be sent to Heaven with their intact minds and bodies also get to keep their minds and bodies, with the exception of having the spirit tail to distinguish them from the heroes themselves. Other than your mother, it is true that Chi-Chi, Launch, and many of the others got to go to Heaven in that way. They are safe there."

"Well, it looks like you deserve even more of my thanks," Trunks said.

"Your mother and the others have certainly earned the right to be truly conscious in the afterlife," Yemma said. "Especially your mother, in fact, because of all she has done to save not just this timeline, but the others."

"Speaking of which, after we determine the viability of our plans regarding the Dragon Balls, I'm going to go have a chat with Bulma," Cell said. "If she can teach me how to build a new time machine, … well, while it would be an honor to stay in this timeline with all of you, I also have an obligation to return to Timeline III and atone for all the horrors I committed there."

Trunks placed his right hand on Cell's left shoulder.

"We understand," Trunks said. "Besides, with me here, and hopefully with Broly restored to life if we can reacquire functional Dragon Balls, this timeline shall be more than safeguarded."

"I am confident in the two of you," Cell said. "After all, you two are even stronger and faster than I am!"

"Your praise and respect are extremely appreciated, Cell," Broly said.

"The two of you have earned those accolades," Cell said. "Now, let's see what we can do about the Dragon Balls."

With a wave of his right hand, Cell expressed goodbye to King Yemma, and Trunks and Broly expressed similar farewells.

Cell placed his right index finger and center finger to his forehead, focusing on King Kai's energy signature, while Trunks did the same, with Broly keeping his right hand atop Trunks' left shoulder.

The three then instant transmitted away from view, eager to determine if their plans regarding the Dragon Balls could be implemented.

* * *

_Be sure to tune in next week for the third part of Honor Trip's Season Three finale, Chapter Forty-Five, "Sanctification," to be released Monday, July 16!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Four: Completed July 9, 2012_

_Edit Credit: Genescritor_

_Art Staff: Ruga-Rell _

_Art Staff: Roketto _


	51. XLV: Thaumaturgy

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Five: Thaumaturgy (Season Three Finale! - Part Three of Five)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Announcement: THURSDAY SHALL BE THE NEW REGULAR RELEASE DAY**

Effective with the release of this chapter, Chapter Forty-Five, Honor Trip's regular release day shall be Thursday (as opposed to the previously established release days of Saturday, and more recently, Monday).

While I made the decision to shift the release day of Honor Trip's chapters to Monday from Saturday a few weeks ago because I felt that this would work better with my overall schedule, I've determined that Monday has not worked out as anticipated and that THURSDAY will be excellent.

Compounding the obstacles of releasing chapters on Monday was the fact that the Season Three finale chapters are being released weekly, as opposed to the usual tri-weekly release schedule. Folks like myself who are in the full-time work world can readily understand the fact that when you've got a busy full-time job and many other commitments outside work, delays are sometimes unavoidable. I've proud to say that I've found the complex demands of life in the full-time work world to be enjoyably challenging and rather invigorating, and for all who have not yet entered the full-time work world, I hope you come to enjoy this experience to a high degree, and find it to be personally beneficial, as I have.

Thanks,

AV

* * *

**Announcement: Honor Trip Staff Opportunities:  
**

As we're exploring the possibility of establishing a website for Honor Trip, we're looking for a website developer who would be interested in joining our team to develop and then help maintain the upcoming Honor Trip website. If you are interested in this position, send an e-mail to american-dot-vigor-at-gmail-dot-com!

Also, we're looking for more artists to join Ruga-Rell and Roketto's art team. If you are interested in this position, send an e-mail to american-dot-vigor-at-gmail-dot-com, and I shall put you in touch with Ruga-Rell and Roketto!

* * *

**Announcement: From THREE parts – to FOUR – and then to FIVE!  
**

Yes indeed! You might have noticed that the Season Three finale is now to be presented over FIVE parts, whereas before it was to be FOUR, and before that it was to be THREE!

These increases in length are due to the fact that I decided there was much more of a story to tell in this Season Three Finale than I had initially anticipated, and as a result, the story shall more extensively cover various elements so as to improve its quality and make it "complete."

The chapter title of "Sanctification" shall henceforth be assigned to the NEXT chapter again, with this chapter having the title "Thaumaturgy," which refers to the practice of manifesting wonders and performing miracles.

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …._

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

At the moment that the three warriors emerged from Instant Transmission, their friends and allies on King Kai's planet cheered energetically in praise. They felt elated not only because Future Cell had at last been sent to Hell, but because his entrapment within Hell signified the true end of a regime of evil that had been responsible for the deaths of far too many, including the overwhelming majority of those on King Kai's planet who possessed halos.

Future Cell had been the Red Ribbon Army's last loyal remnant alive in this timeline, and with not just his death but his entrapment within Hell, Dr. Gero's legacy of malevolent destruction had finally been silenced in both the mortal realm and all other parts of Otherworld.

Cell had no way of knowing exactly what his counterpart would do within Hell, and he by no means had plans to visit. While it was greatly elating for Cell that his counterpart had failed in his attempts to use the Dragon Balls for nefarious purposes, Cell dearly hoped that he, too, would not fail to be able to use them.

The fate of this universe, and the fate of so many innocent souls who had been killed by his counterpart, would largely depend on whether Cell could properly understand the knowledge of the four Namekians on King Kai's planet who had been keepers of Dragon Balls and who collectively possessed advanced information about their processes and construction.

The difficulty of absorbing knowledge through his mind-reading ability largely depended on the complexity of the targeted information and targeted minds, as Future Cell had learned through his failures to use mind-reading to absorb advanced knowledge. The conscious resistance that some of Future Cell's mind-reading targets had applied against him also had stultified his efforts. Cell hoped that with their resistances lowered and their minds embracive of enabling others to learn, the four Namekians – Dende, Moori, Kami, and Guru – would be able to benefit the universe further through their wisdom.

His ponderings and anticipations over these matters ceased for a few minutes, however, upon observing Trunks descend from Super Saiyan 2 to his normal state, and Broly descend from Legendary Super Saiyan to his normal state.

"We've finally, truly won," Trunks said with a genuine smile, as the others on King Kai's planet, except one, began to shift their cheers toward quiet, yet respectful admiration.

"King Kai enabled us to see the entire thing, and let me tell you, man, that was one awesome smackdown!" Yamcha said. "While the evil Cell is mad powerful and wicked strong, you and Broly demolished him!"

"The evil Cell deserved a fate worse than death, and I deserved to have some fun," Broly said, with an aggressive grin. "His shattering ligaments were music to my ears."

"Well, I'm glad I'm on your side, that's for sure," Tien said.

"Hey Cell, how do you feel now that the 'evil you' is where he belongs?" Krillin asked.

"Splendid," Cell said. "He corrupted my intentions of redemption for the purpose of destruction, and even though his desires were predetermined by our bastard father, I refuse to consider him guiltless by any means. If he was as intelligent as he claimed to be, he should have learned to reform his beliefs, especially because of my memories. The fact he didn't do this further proves his grandiose incompetency."

"Now that he's down there, I hope he punches my own bastard father in the face," Piccolo said.

"And especially mine," Broly said. "That wretched fool is probably burning right alongside the evil Cell as we speak."

"Actually, despite what many in the universe apparently believe, Hell isn't a fiery inferno at all," King Kai said.

The revelation quite surprised Broly, who suddenly looked toward King Kai to address him.

"It isn't?" Broly said. "Throughout my life, there were various people on different worlds and of differing cultures that said I should 'burn in Hell.' While most of them said it right before I killed them, a few said it when I merely inconvenienced them, such as the one time on Tritek that a shopkeeper became infuriated upon my confiscation of nearly all his beef. I always had been under the impression that there was some sort of relatively widespread understanding in the mortal realm that Hell was characterized by fire. Now that I know it isn't, and now that I know so many other things about Otherworld, it seems to me that there are significant misperceptions in the mortal realm about the afterlife."

"But many things are generally the same," King Kai said. "Most cultures apparently do believe in different afterlife treatments for good souls and evil souls, and that is generally what happens here. I have to admit, it's curious that it seems the mortal realm somehow is knowledgeable about some elements of the afterlife, while it's incorrect regarding others."

"So then, what is Hell actually like?" Trunks asked.

"It's boring," King Kai said.

"But … I'm quite interested," Trunks said.

"No, it's … oh! I see. You misunderstood what I said," King Kai said, with a chuckle. "To clarify, Hell itself is boring. When Hell was created long ago, the idea was to not be sadistic, like many of the entities who were to reside within it. The thought was that we, the kais, would be no better than they if we made them suffer in severe physical and psychological pain for an eternity. Instead, we decided to make Hell a rather dull and dreary place, so that while those who are down there don't experience physical pain merely as a result of being there, the lack of opportunities to do much of anything enjoyable or fulfilling are punishment enough, as a form of fairly mild, yet prolonged psychological hardship. An eternity of doing relatively nothing and not having much of any opportunities to truly further their knowledge, skills, or abilities, we thought, would be an appropriate punishment for entities who wanted to increase their status through harming others. Of course the denizens of Hell who retained their bodies and minds have the opportunity to fight each other, but if they experience pain because of that, it's their own damn fault, not ours. We give fighters in Heaven and other parts of Otherworld opportunities that they never had in life to become stronger and more knowledgeable and skilled, whereas in Hell, such opportunities do not exist. With regard to strength, this is especially so because the gravity all throughout Hell is relatively low. As far as the evil Cell's fate, there's no one else down there who's even remotely as strong as him, at least none that I'm aware of, anyway, and even if he deludes himself into enjoying Hell in the beginning, he'll get bored real quick."

"That's what he deserves," Cell said. "Now, on the subject of that which is deserved, I believe it's time to progress with our plans. Because I don't want to assume anything, did any of you listen to our conversation with King Yemma after my counterpart was sent to Hell?"

"We stopped listening after Trunks and Broly punched him through the clouds," Piccolo said. "Why, what did you talk with Yemma about?"

"A few things," Cell said. "First and foremost, as I mentioned to Trunks and Broly, I think you all will be pleased to know that I have a plan that might enable us to revive the Dragon Balls!"

Looks of astonishment and excitement arose among some of the warriors and sages on King Kai's planet, but as Cell had expected, others were extremely skeptical.

Among the skeptics, and quite prominently so, was Guru himself.

"Are you planning to use your mind-reading abilities to acquire our knowledge, or were you intending to have us communicate it to you traditionally?" Guru asked.

"I'm planning to use mind-reading, of course," Cell said. "If we can avoid the significant delay in reviving all the innocents who were killed by my counterpart, it would be extremely excellent. I especially want to avoid the traditional way of learning how to revive and properly use the Dragon Balls because I don't want to have too much time pass and miss the opportunity to use a mass-revival wish. You said yourself that it could take quite some time to learn this knowledge the traditional way, and if I may humbly say so, it's true that even with my significant intellectual abilities, I expect that it could take more than a standard year to learn from you all the traditional way. If I could merely absorb the information – information that was already learned and known, and even implemented in actual practice – that could save an abundance of time."

"I am aware that you possess significant mind-reading powers, Cell, but the Dragon Balls are extremely complex objects," Guru said. "Each of the four of us here who has been a keeper of Dragon Balls spent years learning how to properly use them. To Kami's credit, he actually made a set of Dragon Balls, which I imagine was a momentous undertaking, to say the least. Yes, it is possible that especially with his knowledge, you could learn how to not just revive the Dragon Balls that already exist, but create yet another set to enrich the universe. With your extreme strength, your mind-reading powers are probably superior to my own, and if so, you might have a chance of accurately acquiring our knowledge."

"That's what I'm hoping," Cell said. "I have an idea, by the way, for a sort of warm-up for this purpose."

"What do you have in mind?" Guru asked.

"I'd like to absorb knowledge that while complex, is not nearly as much so," Cell said. "Doing this will make me more prepared to acquire the knowledge of the Dragon Balls. Dende, I will need your help for this."

Dende suddenly wondered what knowledge Cell could be referring to, as the two barely knew each other.

"My help?" Dende asked. "Other than what I know of the Dragon Balls, what do I know that you would want to know? You already have Namekian knowledge within you."

"Ah, but there is another technique emblematic of the Dragon Clan itself that you possess and which I, at least right now, do not," Cell said. "Your healing ability would be a fine addition to my collection of techniques."

"Our healing ability, like our knowledge of how to operate, create, and otherwise use the Dragon Balls, is a closely-guarded secret among the Namekian people," Dende said. "The fact I'm going to agree to give it to you in addition to my knowledge of the Dragon Balls is a testament to not just your achievements, but my trust in you."

"As I possess Namekian DNA within my genetic structure, I am particularly honored that you're passing on this information to me," Cell said. "Dende, I want you to focus on the fact that you know the healing ability, and I also want you to think about the idea of sharing your knowledge regarding it with others."

"Alright," Dende said, as he began to concentrate on what Cell had suggested.

Cell walked toward Dende, mentally preparing himself for the task ahead. Had the two been in the midst of battle, there would of course not have been such preparation time and clarification, but Cell knew that the technique he was about to attempt to absorb was by no means a conventional one. Unlike the assortment of destructive energy attacks, each of which required an expenditure of energy, Dende's healing ability required an actual restoration of energy that had been expended – a much more difficult and complex feat, by various means.

Cell placed his right hand atop Dende's head, then began to read his mind.

Ideas that were among Dende's conscious thoughts and more concealed notions that were within his subconscious realm began to be emulated by Cell's perceptions. Among the vast sea of knowledge, Cell was looking for a few islands above the water, and a few plateaus submerged beneath. In alternative symbolism, he was traversing through the vast reaches of space, looking for that which could be seen, and objects that could not be readily seen. His consciousness had extended forth from his own mind through the neurological and spiritual connectivity of his right hand, interacting with Dende's own processes and discerning the elements upon which Dende purposely was focusing.

After many moments, notions and understandings he had not before been clearly aware of became astoundingly clear for Cell, and he knew himself to know the knowledge, despite never having learned it himself via conventional means.

Cell relinquished his hand from Dende's forehead, with a grin.

"I believe that worked," Cell said. "Thank you, Dende."

"You're most welcome," Dende said, with a smile. "What do you think of the healing technique, now that you know so much more about it?"

"With the knowledge you've given me, I can understand the principles by which this works," Cell said. "The principles were by no means obvious before, and they still elude most in the universe. But the technique works, all the same."

Upon learning of Cell's supposed success, Gohan audaciously grinned.

In a rather abrupt manner, he transformed into his basic form of Super Saiyan and sent a single punch straight into the upper portion of Trunks' left arm, without him having proper time to react.

Trunks was startled, to say the least, as were all the others on King Kai's planet.

Cell recognized, though, that despite being merely in his normal state while Gohan had been in his basic form of Super Saiyan, Trunks, to his credit, had moved only a few meters from where he had been and had landed with great control on his own two feet, serving as a testament to how strong Trunks truly had become as a result of his ordeals.

"Gohan, what the Hell did you do that for!" Trunks shouted, while not even bothering to casually rub the area, as the pain was rather inconsequential for him, after all the far greater pain he had experienced.

"Relax, Little Bro'. I just wanted to give Cell the opportunity to see if he truly learned how to heal somebody," Gohan said. "I would have punched myself so Cell could have tried healing me, but hey, I'm dead, after all! I doubt the healing technique works on the dead."

"It enhances that which already is alive," Dende said. "In that sense, Gohan, you're probably correct."

"Ah, I thought so," Gohan said, while powering down from Super Saiyan. "Out of everyone who's actually alive on this rock, Little Bro', you're the only one other than Cell, King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory who's alive. I certainly wasn't going to do anything to our little friends and I definitely wasn't going to punch King Kai."

"If you punched me, you would not have enjoyed the consequences!" King Kai said. "You would have had to come up with no fewer than 100 jokes that would make me laugh. Ask Tien – it can be challenging."

"Or degrading," Tien said, while King Kai snickered.

"So, do you feel at least a bit of pain?" Gohan asked.

"I guess," Trunks said, in a fashion reflective of his increased self-confidence.

"Are you ready for me to try healing your upper arm?" Cell asked, while he presumptively began walking toward Trunks.

"Go right ahead," Trunks said. "There isn't much to heal, but I'll feel it if it works."

When Cell arrived within half a meter of Trunks, he brought his right palm forward so that it was about 10 centimeters away from Trunks' left upper arm.

"Now let's see if I've become even more perfect!" Cell said facetiously smugly, causing almost everyone of the planet, especially Trunks, to stare wide-eyed at him.

After noticing their reactions, Cell laughed aloud.

"What? I was making a joke," Cell said.

"You really need to work on your delivery," King Kai said.

Cell refocused his attention, then began the healing process.

Flowing waves of gold-orange healing energy momentarily surged around Trunks' arm, and within two seconds – for not much damage had been done – Trunks' arm was healed.

"I can certainly feel the difference," Trunks said.

"If I'd gained possession of this technique during our efforts against my counterpart after my expulsion from his system, everything would have been different," Cell said.

"Let's just be glad he didn't have access to it," Trunks said.

"Cell, there is another technique I'd like you to try acquiring before you gain our knowledge of the Dragon Balls," Guru said. "It is one that I have cherished possessing for quite some time."

The statement immediately perked Cell's attention.

"Really? Which technique are you referring to?" Cell asked. "While I'm beyond familiar with the techniques of mostly everyone here, it's true that I'm not very familiar with yours. What type of technique is it?"

"One that is probably different from all others you know," Guru said. "Come here, Cell. I shall show you this technique myself, and shall enable you to personally benefit from it before you learn it."

As Cell approached Guru, he recognized that he was experiencing a much greater level of uncertainty that was the norm. He often was able to approach situations with an abundance of data and understandings that he could apply. This was a fact that had enabled him, and his counterpart, to gain advantages many times. Due to the summation of his experiences, it was relatively rare for him to encounter a situation in which he was overwhelmingly uncertain of what to expect, and in a way, he found this to actually be exciting as a result.

What technique could Guru know that was different in principle from all others he knew? He possessed so many techniques already that they were not readily countable, and among their ranks were those for physical combat, energy-based destructive force, flight, telekinetic movement through energy manipulation, mind-reading, spatial warping for transportation, regeneration of macroscopic and microscopic components, collecting energy for a blinding flash, energy absorption, subdividing himself into numerous linked entities, creating miniature versions of himself that were semi-independent, self-destruction, stultification of another's movements, limb flexibility elongation, increasing energy output within a form, transforming via analog forms of Super Saiyan, increasing size as per transformation, creating protective barriers, manifesting after-images, emulating vocalizations, sensing energy, and now, healing.

Cell found the idea of there being yet another type of technique that he was about to learn – and experience – to be quite intriguing, indeed.

Gohan, Krillin, and Dende suspected that they knew of what Guru was about to do, and they watched and listened as Guru further addressed Cell.

"Like my knowledge of the Dragon Balls, the knowledge of this technique was passed down to me from one of my forbearers, who learned it from one of his own," Guru said. "I have the ability to unlock a person's hidden potential. This does not refer to enabling you to attain the maximum level of strength you might acquire later in life. It refers to increasing your capacities now, based on making you more capable now that you otherwise became through training, fighting, and your other experiences. Your capabilities shall increase based upon what your body can support, but which it has not yet fully experienced. I have traditionally only enabled those of purity to experience this technique, and the fact I am sharing it with you now, despite your horrific actions in the past, is something you should remember well, for your enlightened self is worthy of experiencing it."

"I … extremely appreciate this, Guru," Cell said.

"Now, Cell, I shall look into your soul and enable it to further shine," Guru said, right before placing his left hand atop Cell's head, and configuring his fingers so as to accommodate for Cell's cranial protrusions.

Cell could sense Guru connecting with him in a spiritual way beyond mere mind-reading, and Cell noticed Guru's left arm beginning to glow with a white aura.

Suddenly, Cell saw a white aura surround his body, with its waves rapidly flaring upward.

After a few moments, Guru relinquished his left hand from Cell's head, while a ghostly white aura continued to surround Cell for many moments.

"Now you can defend others to an even greater extent, young one," Guru said.

Cell was absolutely amazed by what had happened, and he noticed the last flickers of the ghostly white aura diminishing from view.

"I feel incredible!" Cell shouted. "Yes! My energy feels reinvigorated and … for lack of a better word … 'purer' than before. I will use this newfound power well."

"As I would expect you to," Guru said. "Now, let me help you enable others to benefit as you have."

Cell levitated a few meters into the air and placed his right hand above Guru's head, in an ironically similar manner to what Guru had done when imparting onto Cell the benefits of the technique that Cell now was to learn.

Cell concentrated upon Guru's knowledge of the Unlock Potential ability, while Guru focused upon it.

After a few moments, Cell lifted his right hand off of Guru's head, then landed on the ground.

"Mitochondrial efficiency enhancement … how very interesting," Cell said.

"Well, if you want to refer to it in such detail, then yes," Guru said, with a pleasant smile.

"To test if I've truly learned this, I'll need a volunteer," Cell said. "So, who wants to become stronger?"

"Well, I'd volunteer, but Guru already used the technique on me!" Krillin said.

"Me too," Gohan said.

"And me as well," Dende said.

"Based on the knowledge I've gained from Guru, the technique can only be used once on a person, so I would not have been able to successfully use it again on any of you even so," Cell said. "That's correct, Guru, is it not?"

"That is correct," Guru said.

"Surely, someone wants to volunteer," Cell said. "Step right up, folks!"

Trunks purposely refrained from volunteering because he already possessed an extreme amount of power, and as he knew well of the unfortunate circumstances that had enabled him to gain that power, he chose to remain humble.

However, someone who had become humble, and who still very much was, but who also had become quite brash again as a result of his rekindled fervor, announced his intentions for all to hear.

"I shall be your volunteer," Broly said, causing Cell to become quite interested in how much power the Legendary Super Saiyan might gain.

"Couldn't one of us try it first?" Yamcha asked. "You know, one of us who isn't a Super Saiyan? No offense, Broly, but you're already way stronger than us, and – "

"Ah, but I must become stronger without delay!" Broly said.

"Stronger?" Tien asked. "Really?"

"Of course!" Broly said. "Trunks has surpassed me in power, and while I'm proud of him, I must surpass him! I was the strongest warrior of this universe, unrivaled by anyone, and I must once again acquire this status! Even though Cell will likely use the technique on Trunks as well, and on all the rest of you, I want to experience, for as long as possible, a glimmer of the dominant status I yearn to once again gain! I don't even know for sure if the unlock would bring my power past that of Trunks, but it would be savored to again grasp the paramount for even a little while. Then, Trunks, after you also have your potential unlocked, this shall further motivate me to become stronger than you once more!"

"Broly, I'm not trying to compete with you, man," Trunks said. "I just – "

"The competition is raging forward, Trunks!" Broly said, interrupting him, while looking straight toward Trunks with a gaze of excited aggression. "We're Saiyans, after all! We yearn for strength! It's in our blood! Trust me, if I became stronger than you again, you'd want to become stronger than me, whether you will fully admit it to yourself or not."

Trunks thought to himself about this, then grinned.

"It looks like you have a point," he said, while Broly further grinned.

"Cell, use your newfound technique on me!" Broly said. "I must experience it!"

"Only if you give me five standard dollars," Cell said.

While Broly and many of the others looked quizzical, Gregory, being the cricket (or grasshopper) he was, began to chirp.

However, one individual in particular, after a few snickers, started to laugh.

King Kai's laughter sounded throughout his planet, while Piccolo felt on the verge of face-palming.

"That was too funny!" King Kai yelled. "Cell, you're learning!"

"I'm glad at least you think so; this is one tough crowd," Cell said, while turning toward Yajirobe. "Come on, you didn't think that was funny?"

"If it had involved five sandwiches, I would have laughed," Yajirobe said. "Speaking of which, King Kai, when do we get to eat around here?"

"When you give me … five standard dollars!" King Kai said, while laughing to himself and adjusting his glasses, as Yajirobe frowned. "You already know that as long as you're dead, you don't actually need to eat. If we don't use the Dragon Balls right away after Cell's warm-ups, I'll find something for you, don't worry."

"All this talk of food has made me even hungrier … for my potential to be unlocked," Broly said, beckoning Cell to begin the process. "Show me what I can truly do!"

Cell walked toward Broly, then placed his left hand atop Broly's head, while the Legendary Super Saiyan beamed with eager anticipation.

Cell, with his eyes closed for further concentration, spiritually connected with Broly's essence, and then began to take the next step in the process.

However, as he tried to do so, he quickly realized that there was a significant obstacle.

Broly realized something was wrong when Cell suddenly opened his eyes, with no white aura of any kind having been manifested by the attempt.

"Well, … that's interesting," Cell said. "Not entirely unexpected, though."

"What happened!" Broly anxiously asked.

"It seems, Broly, that I can't use this technique on you because you're dead," Cell said. "Either that, or I genuinely didn't learn it – but I sincerely believe I did. It looks like I'll have to test it out on someone who's alive, instead."

Broly, whose frustration had become quite severe as a result of what had happened, suddenly began to rapidly power-up, with his Super Saiyan aura starting to coalesce.

The entire planet began to shake under the force of his strength, although one warrior decided he would take it upon himself to try calming him down.

"Broly, stop this!" Krillin yelled. "Do you really want King Kai's planet to be destroyed because of you?"

Broly, whose hair had not yet shifted to gold, considered Krillin's words. After a few moments, he began to power down, with his calmness overtaking his aggravation.

"I suppose you're right," Broly said. "Thanks, Krillin."

"No problem, man!" Krillin said in a cool manner, while feeling rather proud of himself. "Hey, did I ever tell you about the Earth tradition of fist-bumping?"

Broly blinked for a few moments, then responded.

"No, I don't believe you have," Broly said. "Why? What the Hell is it?"

"It's an alternative form of a handshake, see?" Krillin said, while sticking out his right arm, with his right fist closed and knuckles facing toward Broly. "Instead of shaking hands, you bump fists. We do this with good buds, and I'd like to consider you one of mine!"

Broly rolled his eyes, then fist-bumped Krillin.

The force of the impact caused Krillin to soar straight off of King Kai's planet, to Broly's unintentional credit.

"Crap!" Broly yelled, right before flying toward Krillin, then catching him after a few seconds.

Upon returning to the planet, Broly placed Krillin firmly on the ground, while Krillin was rubbing his right hand with his left.

"Damn that hurt!" Krillin said. "That wasn't what I had in mind!"

"I'd help you, Krillin, but my healing technique doesn't work on the dead," Cell said.

"Ah well, it'll heal itself in a bit anyway since we're in Otherworld," Krillin said, while addressing Broly.

"I'd apologize, Krillin, but this is merely a sign that you need to get stronger," Broly said, with a grin. "You should be thankful for the additional motivation."

"I'm obviously bursting with joy," Krillin said, with a rather flat tone.

"You'd be bursting with energy if you'd trained harder," Master Roshi said.

"Oh, like you are a shining example of that, old man!" Krillin said.

"I think it's time to test out whether I can make people stronger without their needing to train further at all," Cell said. "Now, since Broly is dead, and since just about everyone on this planet is dead, … and I don't think you want a power-up, do you King Kai?"

"Nah, I don't need one," King Kai said.

"Well then, that leaves one person," Cell said, as he turned his gaze to address Trunks.

"Hey, you forgot me and Bubbles!" Gregory shouted, calling Cell's attention toward him. "Nah, just kiddin'!"

"Alright, then," Cell said. "So, Trunks, are you ready to become even stronger?"

Trunks observed Broly grit his teeth while tightening his right fist, preparing himself for the fact that he was about to become outclassed by an even greater degree.

"I'm so powerful already, Cell. This could just be gratuitous," Trunks said.

"Never assume anything, Trunks," Cell said. "You never know when an extra bit of power might be a deciding factor, even at your level of strength."

"Go ahead," Trunks said, while waiting for the process to begin.

Cell placed his left hand upon Trunks' head, and the Unlock Potential process began.

Just as Guru's left arm and hand earlier had done, Cell's left arm and hand began to glow with a white aura. A white aura of radiant energy then surrounded Trunks, with waves of energy cascading upward.

However, Cell, while confident he was performing the technique correctly, noticed something happen that was quite different from anything Guru had experienced, even when he'd unlocked the potential of fused Namekians.

After a few moments, Cell relinquished his left hand from Trunks' head, while Trunks' body remained surrounded by a ghostly white aura indicative of the unlocked potential.

"Very interesting," Cell said. "Very interesting, indeed. Tell me, Trunks, how much stronger do you feel?"

Trunks concentrated on his own energy, while the ghostly aura faded from view.

"It's … a strange sensation," Trunks said. "I know I became stronger, but I feel as though I became stronger through two distinctly separate ways. I think the reason why this happened is obvious, don't you?"

"Of course," Cell said. "Guru, nor anyone else, had ever formally unlocked Goku's potential, despite the fact that according to intelligence Gero gathered and gave me, Goku at one point in his childhood drank the Ultra Divine Water. It seems that even though Goku's energy is now one with yours, Trunks, there were two different effects because the person who had originated that energy had never experienced the Unlock Potential ability. It seems, then, that the effect was much greater on you than it otherwise would have been."

"I don't know for sure just how much stronger I've become, but I'll use this even greater power for the good of the universe, just as Goku would have wanted me to do," Trunks said, while Gohan solemnly sighed.

Trunks had indeed become even stronger than Cell and Guru had expected.

This fact made a certain other Super Saiyan, and a legendary one at that, quite furious.

"Trunks' even greater advantage is all the more reason to use the Dragon Balls as soon as possible!" Broly shouted. "My life must be restored so the gap between our powers can be decreased through my unlocked potential!"

"You'll get your chance," Cell said, with a pleasant smile. "In fact, it would – "

"Wait … Broly, how exactly did you find out about the Dragon Balls?" Trunks said, interrupting Cell. "Gohan and I didn't tell you about them before you fought the evil Cell, and as far as I know, not even the evil Cell said anything specifically about them to you, even with Dende's death. And yet, and I'm only realizing this now, when we began discussing the Dragon Balls in front of King Yemma, you seemed to know about them and didn't question what they were when Cell and I were talking about them. Please, tell me how you came to know about them."

The revelation was quite shocking for Cell, as he had thought it safe to assume that Broly had known of the Dragon Balls precisely because Trunks and Gohan had told him. While this yet again proved the danger of assumption, Cell was just as curious as Trunks as to the truth of this.

"I'm not hiding anything, I can assure you," Broly said. "Tell them, Krillin."

"I told Broly all about the Dragon Balls while the fight on Earth with the evil Cell was still going on," Krillin said. "Blame me, if you didn't want him to know."

"No, he deserves to know, especially after all he did to fight the evil Cell," Trunks said.

"Yeah, we're sorry we didn't tell you about them ourselves, man," Gohan said. "At the time, Trunks and I didn't know if we could fully trust you, but now we know we really can."

"I understand your reasons, and I accept them," Broly said. "From what I've heard of the Dragon Balls, they are objects of seemingly unparalleled power in comparison to any others in the known universe. I'm quite eager to see them in action."

"Are you ready, Cell?" Kami asked. "I am more than ready to let you learn all you can from me."

"As am I," Moori said. "Come, my friend. Let me be the one among my fellow Namekians to share my knowledge of the Dragon Balls with you first."

"As the dragon for which you were once the keeper is the key to so many wishes I hope to achieve, it shall be my honor to acquire your knowledge, Elder Moori," Cell said.

It was perhaps a matter of a passing whim that King Kai decided to check upon the status of Planet New Namek's Dragon Balls as a result of Cell's discussion with Moori. More specifically, it probably had been because they had referred to Porunga, a dragon of truly glorious dreams, that King Kai had been prompted to at least see if he could find some semblance of them, despite knowing they were inert.

In the midst of Cell's progression toward Moori, with each ready to help the other implement their hopes, King Kai focused on the area in which Planet New Namek had been.

Upon establishing a sensory fix on the area, King Kai thought he had made a mistake, then tried again.

It was in the subsequent attempt that King Kai realized the appalling nature of his discovery, and he paused in silent contemplation, wondering how best to present the dreadful news.

The implications, as he soon realized, were beyond atrocious, to say the least.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Forty-Five! _

_Be sure to tune in next week for the fourth part of Honor Trip's Season Three finale, Chapter Forty-Six, "Sanctification," to be released THURSDAY, July 26!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Five: Completed July 19, 2012_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	52. XLVI: Sanctification

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Six: Sanctification (Season Three Finale! - Part Four of Six)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Announcement: THANK YOU FOR MORE THAN 500 REVIEWS!**

On behalf of the entire Honor Trip staff, thanks so much for your dedicated readership and for enabling this story to further shine for more than three and a half years.

Despite our extremely busy lives, each of my colleagues and I continue to work on this story because we sincerely enjoy enabling you all to have a quality Dragon Ball experience.

It means so much to me that in an era long past the Dragon Ball franchise's most prominent days, and in this format of story conveyance, Honor Trip has been as successful as it is. Readership is higher than ever before, and you have made this possible.

I have my art directors to thank for enabling the text to be accompanied by wondrous visualizations and my chief editor to thank for enabling the text to further accomplish its purpose.

In the spirit of the Dragon Ball fan base, may our continued enjoyment of this great franchise unite us in glory.

Thanks so much,

American Vigor

* * *

**Announcement: The Best Cover Yet! **

Ruga-Rell and Roketto have created what in my estimation is the best Honor Trip cover yet - available in color on both of their deviantART pages for your viewing enjoyment (Roketto's deviantART user name is RyunoOhi). The cover is for the entirety of the Season Three finale, and I encourage you to check it out, as it foreshadows epic occurrences that soon shall occur …

Also, for further foreshadowing, if you haven't yet typed in "Temnizziv" into the deviantART search bar and seen the resulting picture Ruga-Rell created, you will be quite spellbound by what you see!

* * *

**Announcement: An Edit to The Previous Chapter – The Psychic Conversation Between Tien and Chiaotzu Has Been Removed From the Final Version  
**

Readers who viewed the previous chapter within the first 12 hours of its posting experienced a psychic conversation between Tien and Chiaotzu that has since been deleted from the chapter to improve the overall quality of the story and the logic of the thematic flow. The exchange between them was such that despite Cell's achievements, they expressed doubt as to whether Cell could truly be trusted and whether giving him even more powers would be dangerous.

The scene was merely meant to convey their stubbornness, akin to Vegeta's reluctance to believe in Cell's good nature. However, while it was not my intention for the exchange to suggestively foreshadow Cell turning to evil again, that is precisely what the exchange conveyed for many readers. I in no way intended to suggest this, for indeed, I am not planning on Cell becoming evil again in the next saga. For Cell to become evil again right after the Future Cell Saga would have been extremely repetitive and thematically inappropriate, as Season Three's event progressions were largely reflective of Cell's true triumph over his past evil. To make him evil again right after this would diminish the significance of his victory, although the degree to which victory actually was achieved shall be largely revealed, in this chapter of Dragon Ball: Honor Trip ….

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …._

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

As Cell began to read Moori's mind, eager to finally acquire the mystical and revered knowledge that would enable him to gain significant powers regarding the Dragon Balls, King Kai silently reflected upon what he had recently learned, which as of yet was unbeknownst to Cell, Moori, and the others.

The revelation had been so sudden, and so horrendous, that King Kai was still thinking of how best to deliver the news.

He knew that interrupting Cell in the middle of a mind-reading session was by no means desirable, and he decided, after a few moments of consideration, that informing Cell at all of what he had discovered could interfere with Cell's thoughts so severely that the mind-reading processes might not be as successful as they otherwise could be.

For now, he allowed Cell to relish in the absolute optimism of his situation, an optimism that King Kai himself had shared until a few moments ago and which he now knew to be nothing more than a mistake.

King Kai had seen himself, right after Planet New Namek had been destroyed, that the planet was in ruins, with its tattered remnants drifting aimlessly and the air that had once sustained life also dispersing across space with no particular purpose. At the time, he had kept his perceptive senses upon the devastated planet in a desperate search for Trunks, and after thinking that Trunks had died and that Future Cell had ultimately won, he had severed his sensory fix on the area.

It seemed, in retrospect, that he had disengaged the connection too early, as he otherwise would have learned far earlier of what had evidently happened in the vicinity of the former Planet New Namek after it had been destroyed.

For all Cell, Trunks, and Broly had accomplished, it seemed that Future Cell had achieved a significant victory after all, a victory that Cell would not be able to reverse with the Dragon Balls.

Knowing that it would be pointless to further dwell on that which was ineffably traumatizing, King Kai instead decided to focus on Cell's progress. Acquiring the keepers' knowledge regarding the Dragon Balls would still be quite relevant and quite helpful, despite the challenge King Kai doubted Cell, or anyone else, could overcome and which Future Cell's actions had manifested.

After many minutes had passed, King Kai watched as Cell lifted his right hand off of Moori's head while the full-blooded Namekian pleasantly smiled, knowing that his knowledge of the Dragon Balls had been transferred to someone whom he viewed as not only worthy of the knowledge, but in a way, a fellow Namekian.

"This knowledge, Moori … while learning the healing and Unlock Potential techniques were themselves rewarding, these understandings are beyond invigorating!" Cell excitedly said. "I've gained much knowledge from you, and it's wondrous to comprehend. I feel quite fortunate that our mind-reading session was a success."

"I'm sure you will use the knowledge well, my friend," Moori said. "Tell me, what did you find most interesting to learn?"

"I somewhat knew already that the mechanism through which wishes are granted involves manipulating space-time to drastically alter probability, but to learn that this is completely true, and to learn that the Dragon Balls truly are that powerful, is amazing," Cell said.

"With all you're capable of yourself, I personally find it interesting that you're as amazed as you are," Moori said.

"How could I not be amazed? The knowledge of the Dragon Balls involves combinations of physics and mysticism in ways I hadn't before imagined," Cell said. "It could be said that I was born to be inquisitive, and while that would be correct, I would find my newfound knowledge of the Dragon Balls amazing even if I wasn't inquisitive. The power the four of you have had all this time through this knowledge … well, … you were even more right than I thought you were to keep it from Frieza and my counterpart."

"As you know, there are other insights into these powers that you could learn from the others," Moori said. "Kami, I believe you wanted Cell to learn from you next?"

"Certainly," Kami said. "With my knowledge, Cell, you'll gain a fresh perspective on how to create a set of Dragon Balls."

"I must admit, the idea of being able to create these things myself is both humbling and, I guess, something I still can't quite believe," Cell said.

"Let me help you cast those uncertainties aside and become confident that you can, in fact, do all you hope to," Kami said, while Cell walked toward him.

King Kai shuddered to himself regarding the way Kami had phrased what he had said, but he felt comforted that Kami's knowledge would at the very least boost Cell's abilities.

Cell placed his right hand atop Kami's head, ready to begin the process of absorbing his knowledge.

However, before he began, Kami psychically messaged him.

"_Can you hear me, Cell?"_ Kami psychically asked. _"If so, I have something to discuss with you before you absorb any knowledge from me." _

_While Cell was surprised at the sudden message, he did not open his eyes, enabling the secret conversation Kami evidently wanted to keep concealed to remain in that status. _

"_Well, this is interesting," _Cell psychically said._ "Well, what did you want to discuss?"_

"_I'll make this relatively brief," _Kami psychically said. _"Cell, there is a technique I know and which I decided to not offer you, although you might know it already. Do you, in fact, possess the ability to split yourself into two beings, one good and one evil, just as was the case between me and King Piccolo?"_

"_Through Piccolo's own inherited memories, I gained knowledge of that ability, yes," _Cell psychically said._ "But I've decided to never use it. In fact, I made that decision even before my counterpart from this timeline became a threat. From that perspective, it's rather ironic, actually, that he became a threat even so, although the universe was blessed with his defeat. I'm sure you've regretted enabling King Piccolo to be the terror he was, and I in no way want to threaten the universe with a further evil version of myself in an effort of self-cleansing."_

"_I'm glad you see the wisdom of refraining from that tactic and not repeating my mistake," _Kami psychically said._ "An easy path to enlightenment can be dangerous if not properly conceived."_

"_The Dragon Balls of Timeline III strengthened my path significantly," _Cell psychically said._ "While it's possible that the wish that solidified my benevolence did not extend to this timeline, rest assured, Kami, that I have a commitment to destroying all who would dare do as my counterpart did." _

"_Excellent," _Kami psychically said. _"I wanted to affirm all of this before enabling you to have my knowledge. You indeed seem worthy of it, Cell, and … well, as you inherited genetics from Piccolo, I can't help but feel a sort of kinship to you. Make me proud with the knowledge that you soon shall gain."_

"_I shall," _Cell psychically said_, _as he grinned with modesty.

As the knowledge absorption process had taken many minutes with Moori, and as the others could not sense that Cell had not yet begun reading Kami's mind, they did not question why the mind-reading had not yet begun. For all his many psychic powers, not even King Kai possessed the revered and very different technique that also was conventionally referred to as mind-reading, which was of a very different sort than the mind-reading Cell then used to target Kami's knowledge of the Dragon Balls.

Whereas Cell's mind-reading involved making physical contact with an entity and absorbing the entity's memories, the other version of mind-reading involved being able to actively know what another entity was thinking, even without being in physical contact.

King Kai knew that while both types of mind-reading were rare, the type of mind-reading involving active thought perception without physical contact was even rarer. In fact, the individual of Otherworld whom King Kai had unsuccessfully tried to contact for assistance in the battle against Future Cell was rumored to be a wielder of that ability, although King Kai had by no means confirmed this, especially since they had never formally met.

After many minutes, Cell relinquished his right hand from Kami's head, while satisfied that his knowledge regarding the Dragon Balls truly had expanded.

"Ah! Just as I thought," Cell said. "If a keeper of a set of Dragon Balls regains or gains possession over them after the death of a keeper, that set of Dragon Balls, regardless of how much time has passed since it was last used, can be activated again even if the normal full duration of inertia for those Dragon Balls hasn't fully passed."

"That's precisely correct," Kami said. "Remember, we've used the Earth's Dragon Balls twice within the span of less than a year before."

"Among the occasions I know of, based on the collective knowledge of my memories, is when the Earth's Dragon Balls were used in December of Age 762 to revive all the people killed on Planet Namek by Frieza and his henchmen, while Goku was brought back to life in November of that year with that same set of Dragon Balls."

"That's correct," Kami said. "I died in between those instances because of Piccolo's death, then came back to life when Piccolo was revived by the Dragon Balls of Planet Namek."

King Kai, upon hearing the exchanges, almost let a tear come to his right eye, although he purposefully refrained so as to not distract Cell.

"And of course," Cell began to say, "thanks to your memories, I now have a firm grasp on how to create my own set of Dragon Balls! I'm not exactly sure how to describe some of those concepts in Galactic Standard, but I know them, all the same."

"The knowledge is sacred," Kami said. "When you absorb Dende and Guru's knowledge as well, you'll gain further perspectives on how to use the Dragon Balls. Dende's innovation, and Guru's further knowledge of tradition and some details that Moori, Dende, and I are unaware of, could prove quite useful for you."

"Alright Cell, I'm ready when you are," Dende said.

"As am I," Guru said.

Cell took the opportunity to absorb Dende's knowledge of the Dragon Balls, and after a few minutes, and while levitated off the ground to accommodate Guru's height, he absorbed Guru's knowledge of the Dragon Balls as well.

After relinquishing his right hand from Guru's head, Cell landed on the ground and proudly announced to all on the planet his victorious acquisitions.

"With the knowledge of each of these noble Namekians, I am confident that I have the power to revive the Dragon Balls, and even create a third set, enabling this universe to have even greater opportunities for positive enchantment than before," Cell said. "Dende, Kami, Moori, Guru, … thank you all so much, and because of your help, we'll be able to restore this universe to how it was before my counterpart's reckless rampage."

"Um, … Cell, … I think – " King Kai began to say, before he was interrupted.

"A few moments, King Kai," Cell said, as the Z-Fighters and all others on the planet continued to listen, while King Kai continued to worry.

"First, I'll revive the Earth's Dragon Balls, which should be fairly easy to do because the dragon model for Shenron was not destroyed," Cell said. "We'll then have two more wishes because of Dende's modifications to the Earth's Dragon Balls, and with the second wish, we'll restore to existence all the planets that my counterpart destroyed so that when we use the mass-revival wish, the revived souls will have planets to actually be revived on. As a result of restoring Planet New Namek, the Dragon Balls of the planet will not be outright reactivated right away, but they'll be restored in their inert states, which will be especially helpful if any of them were broken apart during the planet's explosion. It's likely that many of them were broken apart, but after restoration of the planet, they, too, will be restored with the wish."

King Kai thought to interrupt Cell at that point, but he held back, hoping that Cell might reveal something he learned that might alleviate his fears.

"Then, with the third wish, we'll restore to life with a mass-revival wish everyone who was killed unnaturally in the past year, with the obvious exception of my counterpart and anyone else who harmed the innocent," Cell said. "Many will be revived as a result of it, including a certain Legendary Super Saiyan among us."

Broly gave an aggressive yell of pride, then heartily laughed.

"After I come back to life, Trunks, we need to spar!" Broly shouted. "I need to feel what it's actually like to be punched in the face by someone stronger than me while I'm alive!"

Trunks chucked to himself, then responded.

"You'll get your wish," he said, with a grin.

"And speaking of wishes," Cell began to say, "we made a similar mass-revival wish the day before my counterpart absorbed me, and so unfortunately, anyone who was revived by that wish and who unnaturally died after it will not be able to be revived by the upcoming mass-revival wish using Earth's Dragon Balls. However, we should not worry about that because of an upcoming step after a few others in my plan. Since the wish unfortunately will not be able to revive those who have already died once due to the limitations of mass-revival wishes, most of the population of Planet New Namek, including Moori, will not be brought back to life. The Earth's Dragon Balls unfortunately do not have the power to bring back to life through a single-revival wish someone who has died more than once, and they are unlike Planet New Namek's Dragon Balls in that regard. I remember, Dende, that you had wanted to improve the Earth's Dragon Balls to be able to have the capacity to bring someone back to life through a single-revival wish who had already died, but that you and Moori didn't posses the knowledge of how to do this."

"That's unfortunately correct," Dende said.

"However, Cell, while I, myself, was unaware of the exact method of modifying a set of Dragon Balls to make such wishes, and hence was unable to teach Dende the method, I believe Guru knows how to do it," Moori said.

King Kai suddenly became quite nervous with excitement, hoping he would hear what he desperately wanted to hear.

"Guru, if I may briefly interject," Cell began to say, "according to the knowledge I absorbed from you … well, I was surprised, to say the least, regarding this. Is it really true that not even you are aware of exactly how the set of Dragon Balls that used to be on Planet Namek and which became those of New Namek was able to grant single-revival wishes of people who died more than once? I was … surprised about this, to say the least, … is it really true, or did I make a mistake?"

King Kai held his breath, and for him, the moments before Guru's answer seemed to last much longer than they did.

"I'm sorry, young ones," Guru said. "That power was established long, long before I became keeper of the Dragon Balls that Cell referred to. The knowledge of how to revive a soul more than once after unnatural causes of death is not one I possess."

Before King Kai lost hope completely, he was about to ask a question, when Kami beat him to it.

"While I, myself, am unaware of how to forge such a power, we are in Otherworld, after all. Couldn't we find a keeper from generations past who is well-versed in the knowledge we seek?" Kami asked.

"It would take some time, but that sounds like a good idea, old man," Piccolo said. "Well, what about it, King Kai? Where would you recommend we start?"

"I … well, Guru, that all depends on how far back we're going," King Kai said.

"It would have to be very far back," Guru said. "My predecessor, and his, from what I understand … both were unaware of the knowledge themselves. I am unaware of whom to ask."

"Oh dear," King Kai said. "There are so many souls in Otherworld that it would be impractical to find them if they died so long ago. King Yemma and his staff keep close tabs on those who've recently entered Otherworld, but to keep track of everyone would be near impossible. This is Yemma and his staff shift which ones they track, always looking after the newest entrants to make sure they are experiencing Otherworld as intended, while letting those who've been here for some time go to the distant reaches of this plane."

"Out of interest, how many souls are there, quadrillions?" Cell asked.

"A big number, yeah," King Kai said.

While it was true that there were a great many souls, the fact that even Guru was considered to have recently died would have made it relatively easy for him to have been found had they not had Gohan's energy-sensing and Instant Transmission abilities to rely upon for finding him and transmitting him to King Kai's planet. Finding the former keepers of Planet Namek's Dragon Balls was further complicated by the fact that the overwhelming majority of them had not been allowed to keep their bodies, making them look alike with the multitude of souls who had been granted such status. It was indeed true that guardians of planets and keepers of sacred, holy objects were figures of significant stature, but by Otherworld's rules and regulations, these entities had to earn the right to keep their consciousnesses and bodies after death, as they, too, were born in the mortal realm and did not have a direct position in Otherworld. It had been fortunate for all on King Kai's planet, and a testament to the four Namekian keepers of Dragon Balls themselves, that the four had been exceptionally heroic and noteworthy in comparison to their predecessors, and that they had all been granted their full consciousnesses and bodies as a result.

Finding the others amongst at least quadrillions would be exceptionally difficult, indeed.

In a moment of silent contemplation among many of them, Cell psychically messaged Guru.

"_Are you going to tell them about the tale I learned from you?"_ Cell asked. _"I'm referring, specifically, to the one you were going to tell Moori in your last days, but which you did not get the opportunity to tell him because of Frieza's invasion."_

"_Now is not the time,"_ Guru psychically said. _"I also am uncertain if any of it is true."_

"Well, even if we can't find the former keepers, it doesn't matter," Cell said aloud.

'Oh, but it does matter,' King Kai thought to himself.

"Even though Moori won't be revived with the third wish with Earth's Dragon Balls, I have a plan," Cell said. "I'll temporarily transfer keepership of the Earth's Dragon Balls to either Trunks or Broly, and – "

"Really?" Broly asked, excitedly.

"You might indeed have the chance, my friend," Cell said.

"I shall savor all of that power, if you choose me for the keepership!" Broly said, while Trunks rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well … anyway, I'll then personally revive New Namek's Dragon Balls! That will enable us to circumvent the problem of needing to actually know how to give a set of Dragon Balls the power to grant wishes to revive those who have died more than once! Then, with New Namek's Dragon Balls, we'll be able to revive all who died because of my counterpart and who had died at least one time before."

"That's great, but … wouldn't that take a long time?" Yamcha asked. "I thought the Dragon Balls of New Namek were only able to grant single-revival wishes."

"I shall elaborate," Cell said. "I now understand, based on the knowledge I've gained, that the capacity of the mass-revival wishes of a set of Dragon Balls is based on the highest capacity of that set regarding the single-revival wish, such that a set with single-revival wishes that cannot bring back to life a person who died more than once will not be able to have mass-revival wishes that could bring them back, as is the case with Earth's Dragon Balls. However, a set with a single-revival wish that can bring back to life people who've died more than once can have mass-revival wishes that also do the same, provided that the mass-revival wishes can only bring back those who were killed within the past year of the planet the set is affixed to, regardless of whether a single-wish could bring back to life someone even if that person died many years prior, as is the case with New Namek's Dragon Balls. If mass-revival wishes of any kind could bring back to life people regardless of how long they'd been dead and regardless of how many times they'd been dead, the eternal dragons would be far, far more powerful than they actually are. There are limits to everything, it seems. But with the adjustments Moori made to the Dragon Balls of Planet New Namek a few years after New Namek was established, we'll be able to circumvent our collective problem of not knowing how to newly incorporate into a set of Dragon Balls the power of revivals for people who have died more than once. Moori modified the Dragon Balls of New Namek so they can grant mass-revival wishes that can include people who have died multiple times, as long as they died within the past New Namekian year. He didn't establish a whole new protocol for enabling the set to accommodate these revivals, but instead amplified the pre-existent ability to revive those who have died more than once!"

"Because of Frieza's ruthlessness, and the unfortunate reality that tyrants stronger than he could threaten the universe, I decided to adjust the Dragon Balls of New Namek so they could grant such wishes," Moori said. "The modification strengthened the ability of New Namek's Dragon Balls to help the innocent, and while a mass-revival has not yet been made with the set, I'm looking forward to its initiation."

"It was a decision of excellent foresight, and we shall greatly benefit from it now," Cell said.

"Cell, this plan is awesome!" Gohan said. "We'll be able to bring back everyone your counterpart killed!"

"You have been sanctified with the most sacred knowledge of our people, Cell, and we are honored that you will bless the universe with it," Guru said.

"I shall humbly wield these remarkable powers, my friends," Cell said. "Now, let's start the process of reviving the Earth's Dragon Balls!"

Before Cell began to search for energy signatures of Earth so he could instant transmit toward the planet, King Kai spoke aloud.

"Wait," King Kai said, before Cell could respond. "After hoping I'd hear something that would convince me there would be hope, I need to share with you all the dire truth I've learned. I was hoping that your conversations would reveal a way in which everyone really could be brought back, but unfortunately, that simply won't be able to happen."

King Kai's words stunned all else who were on the planet, causing many of them to question if they had heard him correctly and others to become quite nervous.

"What exactly are you referring to, King Kai?" Cell asked. "I'm quite confident this plan should work."

"As am I," Moori said. "Tell us, King Kai. What is troubling you?"

King Kai knew that at least part of Cell's plan could work, but that some of it would need to be drastically changed.

He had by no means looked forward to seeing the optimism fade from the faces of his friends, but the truth, at last, needed to be known.

At the very least, some whom Cell hoped to revive could in fact be revived.

But all the same, the golden halos of many would continue to shine.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Forty-Six! _

_Be sure to tune in soon for the fifth part of Honor Trip's Season Three finale, Chapter Forty-Seven, "Oblivion!"_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Six: Completed July 26, 2012_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	53. Special Press Release 2

**Honor Trip**

**Special Press Release #2**

**Aug. 1, 2012**

**Part 5 of the Season Three Finale to be Released Aug. 16 to Increase its Awesomeness**

The final part of Honor Trip's Season Three finale, which was scheduled to be released Thursday, Aug. 2, and which was planned to be less than 7,000 words, instead will be released Thursday, Aug. 16 and shall be more than 20,000 words.

I decided that I want to make the final chapter of this season's finale much grander and more extensive than previously planned, and that I will need until Thursday, Aug. 16, to properly complete this expanded chapter. The expanded length and expanded available writing hours will enable me to present various scenes much more awesomely than I'd be able to with less time and less space.

As a reward for your patience, I've decided to make the impending 500th review special, which is to be released after the retroactive 300th/400th review comedy special and the additional TREET, something special that has so far not been done for Honor Trip. What shall it be? You shall see!

In other news, I'm proud to say that I'm the main person in charge of an Eagle Scout leadership development course that shall take place all of the week of Aug. 5 at a Scout reservation in the mountains of upstate New York (I hence will not have readily available access to the Internet). I'm especially proud to be leading this course in the 100th anniversary year of the first time an Eagle Scout earned the rank (1912). Additionally, the Scouting council for which I'm leading this program, through which I earned the Eagle Scout rank years ago, is the council through which the first Eagle Scout earned his rank 100 years ago, hence I am even more honored to be leading this course.

I hope you all have a great one, and take care,

American Vigor


	54. XLVII: Oblivion

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Oblivion (Season Three Finale! - Part Five of Six)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to all of you who have continued to read this story in earnest, and who appreciate the value and time commitment of working hard to produce quality content. I apologize for the delays in the release of this chapter, and I hope, after your faithful patience, that you will find this chapter to be a good read. My respect for all who read with vigilance has only increased with time, and may you all have an excellent reading experience.

You have been more than patient for the release of this chapter, and for this, I again offer you my abundant thanks. My enjoyment of writing this story has never wavered, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this fifth installment of the Season Three finale!

- American Vigor

* * *

**Announcement: Part 5 of the Season Three finale has been split into two parts (Parts 5 and 6), with Part 6 to be released Monday, Sept. 3, 2012!**

In the course of writing Part 5 of the Season Three finale, I realized that there was SO MUCH I WANTED TO INCLUDE that the single chapter became MORE THAN 35,000 WORDS IN LENGTH (almost half the length of the first Harry Potter book and The Hunger Games!) Because the first "part" of that text, about 15,000 words in length, was completely done and proofread as of Friday, Aug. 31, 2012, (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), I decided to release it to the public with the chapter name "Oblivion," which I believe you shall find to be a rather appropriate name, as per the chapter's revelations.

As a result of this, there shall be yet another additional part to the Season Three finale, PART 6, which is to be released Monday, Sept. 3, 2012, (U.S. Eastern Standard Time), after the formal proofreading process is complete for the more than 20,000 additional words! The title of that chapter shall be "Temnizziv."

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …._

* * *

_Timeline IV, Space, one kilometer from the outermost point of Earth's atmosphere, Age 786 …_

In the absolute silence of space within the vicinity of Earth, a satellite that had been dormant for eons was in the midst of transmitting a signal.

It had automatically activated mere days beforehand upon its sensors detecting the presences of power levels on Earth above the desired threshold that the satellite's creator had designed it to detect.

Its presence and purpose had remained hidden from the denizens of Earth since its inception, and through the various changes that Earth had undergone over the satellite's existence, it had been close to the Earth, yet had never prompted direct interference upon the planet's affairs.

After its affirmation of significant power levels over many days, and its cessation of the signal's emission, the satellite became dormant once more, with the signal traveling across space toward its destination.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

Cell and his fellow warriors were completely focused on King Kai's words, apprehensively eager to learn what he had discovered.

When Cell had seen Future Cell soar below the yellow cloud barrier of Otherworld after Trunks and Broly's combined assault, he had thought that his counterpart's influence over the fate of the mortal realm had truly ended.

Based on the statements King Kai had so far made regarding unforeseen limitations that would obstruct Cell's plans regarding the Dragon Balls, Cell had deduced that something dreadful had likely happened to at least one of the sets of Dragon Balls, and that Future Cell had been responsible for this atrocity.

But what could Future Cell have possibly done to cause such damage?

Not only had Future Cell failed to desecrate the Dragon Balls through gaining extensive powers over them, but Cell possessed what he believed to be a thorough record of his counterpart's actions that in no way indicated that Future Cell had directly tampered with the Dragon Balls. Cell had come to possess this knowledge not only as a result of the long duration in which they had shared memories through Cell's captivity within Future Cell, but through being present at almost every other instance in which Future Cell had been active in the mortal realm but had not possessed Cell within him. When they had not been united, they had clearly seen each other during the events immediately after Future Cell's emergence from Dr. Gero's laboratory, during the failed attempt to destroy him using Trunks' Final Finish Buster, and in the final battle between Cell and Future Cell, in which the malevolent terror had finally been vanquished.

There were only four key durations in which Cell had not directly seen Future Cell or witnessed his experiences while they both were alive, and Cell did not believe that his counterpart could have been able to commit any detrimental actions against the Dragon Balls in those durations.

It seemed far less than reasonable to consider that Future Cell could have somehow harmed the Dragon Balls while within Dr. Gero's laboratory before his emergence and formally meeting Cell and Trunks for the first time. It also seemed unlikely that Future Cell could have done something to the Dragon Balls in the span of time between his first regeneration from a single cell and his absorption of Cell, as he had not yet possessed the Instant Transmission technique, the Dragon Balls of Earth had recently been used, and none of the Namekians had reported any encounter with him. When Future Cell had been out of view after instant transmitting out of Trunks' Final Finish Buster, this had happened after Planet New Namek's explosion and the apparent destruction of the planet's Dragon Balls. At that time, both the Earth's and New Namek's sets of Dragon Balls had been rendered inactive by the deaths of their keepers, and all who had possessed the essential knowledge of how to create or revive Dragon Balls had been killed.

The fourth key duration consisted of the moments in which Future Cell was being disintegrated by his own and Cell's combined Kamehameha waves beyond Cell's direct view, which had resulted in Future Cell's death. It was more than reasonable to conclude that Future Cell had not had the opportunity to tamper with a set of Dragon Balls in these moments.

What, then, could have possibly happened?

Something Future Cell had done, unbeknownst to both him and Cell, had therefore likely been responsible for King Kai's alarming detection.

Cell felt temped to end the suspense by placing a hand upon King Kai's head and using his mind-reading technique to find out the answer directly, but after a moment of thought, he decided otherwise, believing that the others had the right to know as soon as he did.

"Our discussions about reviving the Dragon Balls and enabling the universe to recover from the evil Cell's destructive rampage made me curious about the current condition of New Namek's Dragon Balls," King Kai said. "Even though I knew full-well that they would expectedly be inactive since they were recently used, I used my long-distance perception technique to try to see if I could find them and confirm whether any had been destroyed, or if they all had in fact survived the planet's explosion. I acknowledge that the search was somewhat frivolous since I recognized that a wish with Earth's Dragon Balls could readily restore New Namek's set along with the planet even if any of the Dragon Balls of New Namek's set had been destroyed, but not even a kai is above curiosity."

"And then, you found something you were not expecting to find," Cell said.

"That's an understatement," King Kai said. "Actually, it could even be said that I saw … less than nothing."

Cell and his fellow warriors stared wide-eyed at the comment, attempting to understand exactly what King Kai was implying.

While Cell waited for King Kai to continue, others were less patient.

"What the Hell does that mean?" Broly asked.

"Yeah, what are you talking about, King Kai?" Yamcha asked.

"Right after New Namek exploded, I saw rubble floating through space, then severed my focus on that vicinity, thinking that there was nothing else of significance that would occur there and that I would want to know about," King Kai said. "I was wrong."

"You said that 'less than nothing' was visible when you detected the area again," Trunks said. "Does that mean that the rubble of the former Planet New Namek somehow … disappeared?"

"It's not so simple as that, Trunks," King Kai said. "And, well, … I'm relatively sure that at least some of you are familiar with the concept of a black hole."

It was in the instant after King Kai mentioned that class of celestial anomaly that Cell's mind became afire with not just contemplation, but outright fear.

"Are you saying that there's a black hole where Planet New Namek used to be, King Kai?" Gohan asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," King Kai said.

While Cell was still very much uncertain about how this calamity could have occurred, the implications of the occurrence were overwhelmingly disheartening, to say the least.

"A black hole?" Yajirobe asked. "What is that?"

"It's the result of something extremely massive, usually a star, collapsing under its own mass or gravity, often after an explosion occurs," Gohan said. "The resulting stress on the fabric of space-time causes there to be a 'rip' in the universe, with a hole of infinite density forming in space. Objects going into this hole don't actually travel below the hole's entrance to a point in the normal space-time universe or hyperspace, but are sealed within a pocket that exists outside the reach of either the normal space-time universe or hyperspace. Everything that enters a black hole, including light and any type of matter, cannot escape if it passes beyond the black hole's event horizon, which is the hole's boundary with normal space-time."

"I don't believe it!" Trunks yelled. "Are we suggesting that Planet New Namek's explosion caused this black hole to form? The planet wasn't nearly massive enough for this to happen! Of all the downright inconveniences we don't deserve … how could something so improbable have happened?"

"I'm unsure," Gohan said. "According to everything I know about this, Planet New Namek, as you suggested, Trunks, didn't have enough mass to form a black hole upon exploding. I'm as baffled as you are."

Cell had been superficially aware of black holes as a result of his inherited memories and Dr. Gero's programming, but beyond the basic information that Gohan had said, he was not aware of much else regarding them. Dr. Gero had concentrated his efforts on enabling Cell to become the ultimate fighter, after all, and not a quantum physicist.

"Gohan, how much else do you know about black holes?" Cell asked.

"A bit," Gohan said. "There was a time in my life in which I was required to read to an extremity, as you're probably aware."

"And you, Trunks?" Cell asked.

"My mother taught me a bit about them throughout all our discussions on time travel," Trunks said. "Yeah, my knowledge is a bit in-depth."

"King Kai, how about you?" Cell asked.

"Other than what Gohan said, I don't truly know anything else about them," he said. "Up here in Otherworld, we know many things about the normal universe and hyperspace, but even extensive knowledge of time travel has eluded us. Knowing advanced stuff about physics beyond realms we could readily interact with was never part of the job description."

Cell briefly paused, then psychically messaged King Yemma.

'_Yemma, can you hear me?'_ Cell psychically asked.

'_Cell! While I'm glad to hear from you again, the backlog of work I have to deal with right now is immense!'_ Yemma psychically said.

'_Just one quick question: 'What do you know about black holes?'_ Cell psychically asked.

'_Not my area of specialty, sorry,'_ Yemma said. _'Although I've had plenty of assistants over the years who've made black coffee that tasted as though it was at the bottom of one!'_

'_Well, good luck with the backlog,'_ Cell psychically said.

'_All I need is time, not luck,'_ Yemma psychically said.

"Yemma doesn't know much about them either," Cell said. "Other than Gohan and Trunks, does anyone else here possess substantive information about black holes?"

No one else indicated that they possessed such knowledge. The fact that none of the Namekians had indicated any knowledge beyond merely superficial information extremely troubled Cell, prompting him to deduce that the Dragon Balls likely were in no way designed with black holes in mind, as had been the apparent case with time travel. It was becoming increasingly clear to Cell that wishes with the Dragon Balls likely could not handle factors and realms beyond normal space-time at all, and that because of this, any hope of recovering the Dragon Balls of New Namek had been shattered.

Without the ability to apply the set's power to revive those who had died more than once, which Cell and the full-blooded Namekians had extensively explained was an ability that they were not able to replicate for other sets of Dragon Balls due to a lack of knowledge regarding the establishment of that power, it seemed that the ability had been lost to the universe. Cell knew that there was less than a glimmer of possibility that a former keeper of Dragon Balls might be found in Otherworld with the knowledge of how to establish the ability to revive those who had died more than once, but the improbability of being able to find that individual among the at least quadrillions in Otherworld was infinitesimal and impractical.

Indeed, for all Cell knew, based on the tale Guru had passed on to him and which neither of them had explicitly mentioned to anyone else on King Kai's planet … well, further consideration would need to be made to assess whether the tale could be considered a legitimate possibility.

"Alright, then," Cell said. "Would the two of you mind if I absorb your knowledge regarding black holes? This would enable me to better assess the situation."

"Go ahead," Gohan said.

"Likewise," Trunks said.

After a few moments, and using his mind-reading technique to acquire their knowledge regarding back holes individually, Cell possessed more information about black holes than he already had possessed, but not by much.

Still, some of the information he had acquired from Gohan prompted questions.

"King Kai, are you absolutely sure that none of Planet New Namek's debris are visible where the black hole is?" Cell asked. "Also, how large of a black hole are we dealing with?"

"I saw no debris," King Kai said. "Also, what do you mean by 'large?'"

"Do you have any way of determining how much mass it has?" Cell asked. "It's my newfound understanding that a black hole's infinite gravity can exist independent of how much mass it actually has – I'd like to find out because I want to know more about what we're dealing with."

"Unfortunately, I'm unaware of how to figure out the mass of that thing, but do you want to take a look at it yourself?" King Kai said.

"Certainly," Cell said.

Cell placed his left hand on King Kai's right shoulder, then closed his eyes, enabling King Kai's long-distance perception technique to bring the targeted vicinity into view.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Former Location of Planet New Namek, Age 786 …._

There indeed appeared, at first glance, to be an absence of debris.

While stars twinkled in the distance, Cell could sense the black hole's horrendous strength, draining the surrounding universe of the dignity of true existence. It was clear to Cell, now that he could experience the vicinity through King Kai's long-range perception technique, that King Kai had determined the black hole was present because of the significantly different "feeling" than that which would be experienced upon sensing normal space-time.

Detecting the black hole through King Kai's ability caused there to be a sensation of information loss regarding the detection itself, which seemed to Cell as though this accorded with the concept that nothing could escape a black hole, even the sensory particles he supposed were involved in King Kai's technique. Cell confirmed that there was a point not too far away that seemed as though it was normally detectable, and Cell also observed a point closer to the black hole's event horizon of which it seemed there was a significant delay in receiving information about the point via King Kai's long-range perception. Cell then observed a point even closer to the event horizon in which this delay effect appeared to be even greater, confirming for Cell the presence of the gravitational time dilation expected of stressed space-time in the immediate area outside the black hole, with the effect becoming stronger with increased closeness to the event horizon.

Through a brief mental communication, Cell asked King Kai to shift the view to another angle, enabling Cell to observe whether it was indeed true that even light could not escape a black hole.

The light of the nearest star, the one that had been host to Planet New Namek, was clearly being consumed by the black hole, as Cell, through his own mental enhancements of King Kai's ability, sensed photons red-shifting as they approached the event horizon. As Cell observed, due to the information loss effects of black holes and the gravitational time dilation, there was a gravitational red-shift effect that caused the light from the former Planet New Namek's star to apparently slow down as it approached the event horizon, also causing the light to become redder and dimmer.

Whatever matter that might have once been in the vicinity likely had also red-shifted and dimmed, and Cell, due to his own abilities amplifying King Kai's sensory perception, could sense that certain structures larger than photons, based on the last-known information available to observers outside the black hole, appeared to be around the event horizon. Based on what he had learned from Gohan and Trunks, Cell understood that for observers outside a black hole, regardless of whether matter and light had already entered past the event horizon toward the black hole's central singularity of infinite gravity and space-time curvature, the matter and light would appear as if it had not crossed the event horizon.

Cell then asked King Kai to shift the view again so he could more clearly observe the black hole from "above."

While the stars beyond had appeared relatively normal beforehand, Cell saw, from this perspective, that the light from those distant stars was distorting around the black hole's "circumference."

The disrupted flow of light paled in comparison, however, to the disruption that this cosmic terror had brought upon all who would have benefited through the use of Planet New Namek's Dragon Balls.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

"Our fears, with the greatest of misfortune, are reflected by reality," Cell said, as the others on King Kai's planet took the news with scorn. "Because the Dragon Balls of New Namek, and the remnants of the planet itself, were captured by the infinite gravity of the black hole and are now outside normal space-time, there is no realistic way in which we will be able to recover the set. I sincerely doubt, based on the limitations regarding space-time that the Dragon Balls have been shown to have, that Shenron, despite his broad powers, would be able to recover the Dragon Balls of New Namek, or Porunga's Dragon Model, from that horrid abyss. And any attempt to recover New Namek's Dragon Balls without using those of Earth would also prove futile, since if we were to go to the black hole itself and attempt to enter, we also would be forever trapped and would be stretched by the infinite gravity, which would kill any of us who dared to enter, even me, as the regenerative powers of my cells would not be able to overcome such forces. Dying within a black hole would predictably be an appalling circumstance, as the soul of the deceased would likely be trapped with no escape, infinitely tormented by the infinite gravity, and with no way to reenter normal space-time and venture to Otherworld."

"It's difficult to fathom that mere celestial objects could overpower warriors as capable as us," Broly said.

"No one in this universe, not even we, the kais, has the power to escape one of those terrors," King Kai said.

"But at least we know to avoid them," Cell said. "Based on my inherited memories, even Frieza knew of how dangerous they were and did everything he could to organize his empire relatively far away from any known black holes. However, just as Frieza was denied use of the Dragon Balls that became those of New Namek, it seems that we, too, will not be able to accomplish the purpose for which we wanted to use them. Since we do not possess the knowledge of how to adjust a preexistent set of Dragon Balls to be able to grant wishes to revive those who have died more than once, and since we also do not possess the knowledge of how to create a new set that can do this, our hopes of reviving all who have been killed more than once have been virtually eradicated."

"Damn it!" Trunks shouted. "We were so close to being able to wish back everyone! How the Hell did this happen?"

Gohan shared Trunks' frustration completely – even more so, in fact, for he was among those who would not be able to be revived since he had died more than once, with the androids responsible for both of his deaths. As Gohan knew that Trunks had phrased his statement in absolute frustration, he knew it was unmistakably unintentional that Trunks had referred to being able to wish back "everyone," while one individual Gohan had cherished dearly would not have been included in the revival, even so.

'Well, Dad, … it looks like an entire planet and its Dragon Balls joined you in nonexistence,' Gohan thought to himself. 'And Dad … with this horrible turn of events, what exactly should I do? Mom has only died once, after all ….'

As Gohan further pondered his circumstances, the warriors and sages on King Kai's planet remained silent for many moments.

King Kai then ended the brief pause.

"Trunks, while your question is a very important one, I'm unfortunately uncertain of the answer to it," King Kai said. "However, as we know that the black hole exists, there surely has to be an answer."

"King Kai, is there anyone in the universe you know of who has the ability to generate a black hole?" Piccolo asked. "Or perhaps, anyone out there with an advanced knowledge of magic, physics, or both who might have recently developed that ability without you knowing about it?"

"I don't know of anyone who can directly create something of that power," King Kai said. "However, … well, I must admit, while I'm the kai of an entire galaxy, I am by no means familiar with every planet in the North Galaxy, and I am especially not aware of each and every single individual within it in the mortal realm. None of the kais are aware of each planet and individual in their respective galaxies. We are overseers, but we have never known everything … as should be extremely evident by now."

"If you and the other kais were omniscient, the entire histories of all the timelines could have been very different," Cell said. "In fact, time travel might never have needed to occur at all had you all been such. But that's beside the point."

"I try to know as much as I can, and when I'm unaware of something, I try to figure out what I don't immediately know through using what I do know," King Kai said. "While I don't believe anyone intentionally created the black hole, if someone had done so, that person almost certainly would have had to have been familiar with the particulars of the battle against the evil Cell. I doubt, if someone truly was purposely responsible, that the black hole would have been created right after the explosion of New Namek out of sheer coincidence. But again, I doubt that anyone purposely formed it. It seems, rather, that Planet New Namek's explosion was itself largely the cause of this black hole's manifestation. That's why I believe the evil Cell's actions were somehow responsible for this. I'm … just not sure exactly how, though."

"But … this is entirely absurd!" Trunks said. "We know that black holes typically form after a star of significant mass explodes and disturbs the fabric of normal space-time, causing there to be a "bend in the fabric" of infinite gravity from which nothing can escape. But Planet New Namek was just that – a planet. As I said before, it had nothing close to the mass of a star. Because of its far smaller mass than a star, the explosion of Planet New Namek should not have resulted in a black hole. But yet, one formed anyway! King Kai, didn't you say that in the moments after New Namek's explosion, you didn't perceive there to be a black hole at all?"

"That's right," King Kai said. "I saw the debris floating through space, then stopped looking. There was no black hole in the vicinity immediately after the planet's explosion. It formed at some point after everything in the vicinity seemed to have settled."

"Well, the fact remains that Planet New Namek theoretically didn't have enough mass to form a black hole," Trunks said. "Cell? Gohan? Do you have any ideas about what might have actually happened?"

While the two contemplated the situation further, one of them made a significant deduction that prompted him to believe one of his suspicions was justified.

"I believe I've come up with a theory about this," Gohan said. "Unfortunately, my theory also seems to confirm King Kai's belief that the evil Cell truly was responsible for this calamity, even if he hadn't realized that this would happen."

"I can guarantee that creating a black hole to swallow up Planet New Namek and its Dragon Balls never occurred to him," Cell said. "When I was still within his captivity, our thoughts of that nature would readily be shared and open to each other – against our will, of course – and because of this, I would have known if he had been purposely planning something like this. He had no intentions of forming a black hole."

"But even so, I believe him to be responsible," Gohan said. "I know a few things about the Spirit Bomb technique that I don't believe anyone else here knows, potentially not even you, King Kai, despite the fact you taught my Dad the technique."

"Really? What aspects of the technique are you referring to?" King Kai asked.

"A few principles of science that I deduced as a result of observing what Spirit Bombs actually do, and trying to form one myself for practice," Gohan said. "And, with that knowledge, I've made a few inferences about what would happen as a result of the effects of a Spirit Bomb being combined with a planet's destruction."

"Shit!" Trunks yelled. "Are you saying that the evil Cell's specific decision to use the Death Spirit Bomb instead of any other attack to destroy Planet New Namek is the true cause of this?"

"I am, and I'll share with you how I believe this could be so," Gohan said. "The true Spirit Bomb, and the Death Spirit Bomb that the evil Cell made, are concentrations of a type of energy. In the case of the Spirit Bomb, it is an extreme concentration of positive energy. The Death Spirit Bomb that the evil Cell made was an extreme concentration of negative energy. Because of the fact that these are concentrations of only one type of energy between positive and negative, while omitting the other, this creates an imbalance in the sources from which the energy was derived. However, the imbalance in those sources – usually living entities – is never enough to kill them or otherwise destroy them by itself. This is largely because the 'positive' and 'negative' I'm referring to have less to do with atomic charge and more to do with spiritual considerations. But everything is most stable when balance is present, and the fact that the Spirit Bombs create imbalances in spiritual energy does have a destabilizing effect. This effect increases as the coalescing time for a Spirit Bomb increases, as is the case with the magnitude of destructive power and the coalescing rate."

"A destabilizing effect? Well, that would … oh. Damn," Trunks said. "I think I understand what you're about to say."

"Yes, my theory involves the destabilizing effect that the evil Cell's Death Spirit Bomb had on the fabric of space-time in the vicinity of where Planet New Namek had been," Gohan said. "The evil Cell charged the Death Spirit Bomb for far longer, and at a rate far faster, and with more power than any Spirit Bomb that my dad ever produced. And while my dad's Spirit Bomb wasn't the attack that destroyed Planet Namek, the evil Cell's Death Spirit Bomb is the attack that destroyed Planet New Namek."

"Oh, I see," Cell said. "Even though my counterpart used a Death Spirit Bomb in our battle on Earth, nothing even close to the mass of a planet was destroyed as a result of his attack, while a Death Spirit Bomb unfortunately was the cause of the destruction of Planet New Namek."

"That is also true," Gohan said. "Now, with all that said, here is the focal point of my theory. The formation of the Death Spirit Bomb that the evil Cell unleashed upon Planet New Namek heavily destabilized the fabric of normal space-time in the vicinity of the planet because he drew a tremendous amount of negative energy from the inorganic and remaining organic components of Planet New Namek. The extreme imbalance in spiritual energy in the vicinity, which caused the severe weakening and destabilization of the fabric of space-time there, resulted from the colossal separation of negative spiritual energy from positive spiritual energy there to form the Death Spirit Bomb. The effect was accentuated by the sheer power of the attack and the lengthy time and rapid rate that the evil Cell used in coalescing it. When Planet New Namek exploded, it did so in the vicinity of an already extremely-weakened fabric of space-time. The weakened space-time in the vicinity of Planet New Namek could not properly withstand the gravitational collapse that resulted from the Death Spirit Bomb hitting Planet New Namek's core and eliminating some of the planetary mass beneath the crust, such that the planet's outer layers were prompted to rush toward the center due to absence of enough outward-acting pressure within the planet to resist the inward-acting gravity. Before those outer-layer components could reach the center, though, the Death Spirit Bomb's chain reaction caused the planet to explode, hence why there were visible debris in the moments after the planet's explosion. However, at some point probably soon after King Kai stopped observing the area, the severely-weakened space-time, for lack of a better word, 'ripped' because of the force of the explosion and the effect, while brief, of the gravitational collapse. Then, because of that 'rip,' the black hole was formed."

"It's almost as if Planet New Namek's mass was recognized by the local fabric of space-time as much higher than it actually was, with a virtual augmentation due to the imbalance of energies and the weakened space-time," Cell said.

"It does appear that way," Gohan said. "It's at least somewhat similar to how black holes are commonly formed from massive stars. The gravitational collapse of a massive star can ultimately result in a black hole because the gravity of the star infinitely compacts on itself without sufficient outward resistance from an essentially or totally depleted stellar core, causing there to be a realm of infinite density and gravity beyond normal space-time through a similar process of 'ripping' the fabric of space-time."

"The knowledge that my counterpart was responsible for this further calamity shall forever torment me," Cell said, morosely. "I almost wish that the horror of nonexistence would be brought upon him, as happened to not just New Namek and its Dragon Balls, but to Goku. It's possible, though, that it could be too cruel, even for him, to be subjected to absolute nonexistence against his will. The fact that Goku enabled this universe to be saved through willingly becoming victimized via that ineffable horror is probably the most selfless act of which I'm aware."

"Nonexistence … can it ever be overcome?" Tien asked. "Is there any way to reverse what happened to Goku?"

"If so, I'd gladly give up the energy Goku gave me if that would help enable him to come back," Trunks said. "King Kai, based on everything I heard you and the three other kais who performed the Essence Transfer say about it, I've been under the impression that it is a permanent action. Is this true?"

"It is," King Kai said. "The Essence Transfer was designed to be a permanent process."

"Well, … I thought I'd at least ask," Trunks said.

A few moments of pause ensued before a voice ended that temporary silence.

"On the subject of reversing nonexistence, though, can a black hole ever be destroyed?" Tien asked. "Or better yet, can a black hole ever destroy itself?"

"A few theories I read a long time ago suggest that black holes undergo a process in which they emit virtual – not real – particles, causing their mass to decrease over time, and hence causing them to lose infinite gravitational attraction," Gohan said. "With the whole 'virtual' thing, I don't pretend to understand much about that at all, but that's what the theories said. Even if this was to happen with this black hole, however, it could possibly take eons, and by the time it finally happened, any matter that went in would still be unsalvageable, as components of that matter – if not all of the matter – likely would have been permanently eliminated from normal space-time because of the black hole's effects."

"An eternal dragon … entirely lost … it's inconceivably worse than the death of Shenron long ago because of King Piccolo, which I was able to reverse," Kami said. "Porunga … may you be forever honored in our memories."

"We also cannot forget what this means for the Namekian people as a whole," Moori said. "Most of those who were on Planet New Namek at the time of the evil Cell's despicable rampage had already died once before because of Frieza and his malevolent accomplices, and so they could not have been revived even if New Namek had somehow survived despite the loss of Porunga. But there were so many young ones born in the years after the destruction of the original Planet Namek, with such promising potential, who also will not be able to be successfully revived because there's a black hole where New Namek used to be! A wish with Shenron could revive them, but it would be pointless because the Dragon Balls restore those who are revived to the location where they had been at death. They would be revived right where New Namek had been, and then they would be ensnared by the black hole. Our people have done much to help this universe … we never deserved this horror."

After another moment of pause, further sentiments were voiced.

"To all the Namekians here, I am beyond saddened by the loss of your second world," King Kai said. "And I'm downright furious that the loss of your world has led to the permanent loss of your lives. The moment that I heard the keepers among you say that you are unaware of how to replicate the revival ability for those who have died more than once, that justified my fears. I had recognized beforehand, Dende and Kami, that the two of you probably weren't aware of the knowledge, as the Earth's Dragon Balls still do not possess the ability and the two of you probably would have incorporated the ability if you had known how to do so. Guru and Moori … when you, too, confirmed my fears that you also didn't know of the knowledge, I was aghast. The mortal realm of this universe has lost a majestic people. At least, however, we know of other timelines in which the Namekian race lives on."

"A more thorough mourning of great significance for what has happened in our timeline shall transpire as a result of all this," Guru said. "But as far as the permanent loss of our race in the mortal realm, this isn't entirely so, at least until Cell returns to the alternate past. Cell, it seems that in this timeline, you truly are the last biological remnant of our race."

"I in no way want to scar the honor of the Namekian people through that fact," Cell said.

"Don't worry about what once was – you should relish what you've become, as we have," Moori said.

"Cell, I can speak from experience on this one," Piccolo said. "There was a brief period of time in which Kami and I were the last Namekians alive. Despite the horrible things I'd done, I had changed much by the time I'd arrived on Planet Namek. The fact you're the last one of us alive affirms the glory of our people and does not diminish it."

"I completely agree," Kami said. "And when you do go to the past, and the presence of our race in the mortal realm of this timeline truly does end, at least we will have the dignity of knowing that our final end came as the direct result of a mission to help the people of another time."

"These sentiments are completely appreciated," Cell said. "Before I travel to the past though, there are a few endeavors that I would like to accomplish personally. I owe it to this timeline to do what I intend to do. First, though, I'll need to meet with Bulma so I can learn various things that might be able to help us, and – "

"Wait!" Chiaotzu shouted, interrupting Cell. "Cell, when you go back to the past, you might be able to do something that could solve our problem of not being able to use Porunga! What if you bring the set of Planet New Namek's Dragon Balls back from the alternate past to this timeline and use that version of Porunga here?"

"Great idea, Chiaotzu!" Tien said. "Since we can't solve the problem of how to recover the Dragon Balls from the black hole, we can instead circumvent the problem entirely! We – "

Tien quickly interrupted himself, as he noticed that Cell in no way had become excited by the idea.

"What's wrong, Cell?"

"While I want to thank you and Chiaotzu for your enthusiasm, I don't believe that is a plan that would work," Cell said.

Tien stared at Cell with a look of confusion.

"Why wouldn't it?" Tien asked.

"As we know, the Dragon Balls of New Namek and Earth are appallingly incapable of properly handling aspects of time travel," Cell said. "This leads me to believe that they're generally incapable of handling anything that doesn't involve actions or elements entirely within the normal space-time of the timeline in which they were made. If we were to bring Dragon Balls of one timeline into another, there's far too much risk that something regarding the functionality of those Dragon Balls would be dangerously altered, with a chance as well that they might not even work. From what I now know thanks to all I've learned from the noble Namekians here, I've reaffirmed my understanding that Dragon Balls are able to grant wishes because they directly interface with the probability currents of the universe. However, since timelines are by their inherent nature different from each other, and since that which is different from something else must be in some way physically different, it is such that even if the 'fabric of space-time' of Timeline III appears the same as that of Timeline IV, each fabric will have, for lack of a better term, a different 'time signature.' By 'time signature,' I mean the defining property that enables a unit of space-time in one timeline to naturally be in that timeline, and not in another. The 'time signature' also enables a unit of space-time to be inherently part of one timeline, and not of another. Since the Dragon Balls were not designed with time travel in mind, and since the way they act upon the probability currents of the fabric of space-time to fulfill wishes involves substantial interactions upon the various properties of that fabric, and since Dragon Balls of different timelines would themselves have different 'time signatures' correlated with those of the timelines in which they were created, bringing Dragon Balls from one timeline to another likely would result in a situation in which the Dragon Balls would be incompatible with the timeline because of the different time signatures. And, if we were to then have that set return to the timeline from which it came, there is an additional risk that the set could be desynchronized with that timeline because of the effects of the time travel and exposure to another timeline, hence causing the Dragon Balls to no longer properly function at all. The risks are too significant for us to try that plan. It could be especially detrimental for the people of the alternate past if we were to try it, as they, too, might lose access to Porunga as a result. We of course would not want that to happen to anyone else."

"Of course not," Chiaotzu said. "I had hoped that the strategy could be beneficial, but obviously, as you said, we don't want to risk what might happen."

"Precisely," Cell said. "All of this, unfortunately, is very much the reason why I also don't believe the Dragon Balls would be able to bring Goku back from nonexistence. The Earth's Dragon Balls, as had been the case with New Namek's Dragon Balls, are limited by the information of normal-space time due to the way they were designed. They can't properly act on Goku because he no longer is within a realm of space or time that the Dragon Balls can perceive. Even if we were to not outright make a wish with Shenron for this purpose and merely ask him if he feels he could wish someone back from nonexistence, there is a chance that he would not be able to make a proper assessment of whether he could. While it's not Shenron's fault that this is so, it must be considered for what it is. Also remember that when we asked for Shenron to send me back to the past, he tried to process the wish anyway, even though he couldn't actually do it, and did not realize it was not only beyond his power, but that the Earth's Dragon Balls had no time travel support. It was only after the wish was made and he tried processing it that he then said that he couldn't process it. By then, it was too late. I had made the wish, and I became unconscious. I don't want to risk something far worse happening if we try to wish back Goku from nonexistence with the Dragon Balls of Earth."

"I understand," Gohan said. "Attempting to wish Dad back from nonexistence is not worth the price of something seriously horrible happening to anyone. He wouldn't want that. Trunks, it looks like you're going to get to keep all the energy he enabled you to inherit."

"After Cell returns to the alternate past, I plan to continue protecting this timeline with all I can possibly offer," Trunks said. "Goku has enabled me to be a far more proactive and capable defender."

"After the Dragon Balls of Earth revive me, we'll keep on training so we can get all the stronger, won't we, Trunks?" Broly asked. "While I doubt that anyone out there could possibly give us as much of a challenge as the evil Cell, we must be prepared for anything. Constant training and grand battles shall transpire between us, and all of this shall be for the purpose of defending the universe with greater strength! And fun, of course. We can't forget that."

"Sounds like a plan," Trunks said, with a grin of anticipation.

"I'm sure the two of you will be fierce and honorable protectors of this timeline," Cell said, with a pleasant smile. "Before I depart this timeline, though, I want to help enhance your efforts. As I've mentioned before, and as I'll proudly say again, I now have the power to create a new set of Dragon Balls. I had earlier mentioned my intentions to create a new set before my departure, but with the unfortunate loss of Porunga, it appears as though I'll be creating a new eternal dragon much sooner than I had anticipated."

"That's right! A whole new eternal dragon!" Trunks shouted, right before his zeal slightly diminished, upon a realization. "I'm curious, though … as the new eternal dragon won't have the ability to revive those who have died more than once, will he be functionally indistinguishable from Shenron? Not that I would mind having two Shenrons around, of course. Greater wish capacity would itself be a significant boon to the quality of life in our universe."

Before answering, Cell silently reflected to himself upon all he had learned, then pleasantly smiled once again.

"I have a few ideas that I'm quite eager to implement, and I believe they will be quite beneficial," Cell said. "I also anticipate that I'll have further constructive ideas after my conversation with your mother."

"Cell, you have made me quite curious as to your intentions regarding this new set," Guru said. "The fact that you're far more powerful than any one of us here who ever was the keeper of a set of Dragon Balls is quite a significant consideration."

"You're also far more powerful than I was when I created the Earth's Dragon Balls," Kami said.

"And far more powerful than I was when I inherited keepership over them," Dende said. "The insights you can impart through all you know could be of great value."

"I hope to accentuate my plans for them further, as a result of speaking with Bulma and learning all I can learn from her about physics," Cell said. "With her knowledge accompanying all I already know, it is remotely possible, but by no means likely, that I might gain some sort of insight as to how to enable this new set of Dragon Balls to be more flexible than the predecessor sets regarding its use in realms outside normal space-time. I doubt this will work for the purposes of recovering matter from a black hole or souls from nonexistence, as it seems unlikely that we'll gain any new insights into these recovery processes, but I will at least try to use the knowledge I shall gain from Bulma when designing the new set. Regardless of whether the new eternal dragon will be able to reach into realms beyond normal space-time, I'm planning on enabling him to have certain powers that Shenron does not have and which I believe you will consider quite auspicious."

"My mother is going to be excited about the possibility of being able to help us again," Trunks said. "Regardless of whether she's revived with the Earth's Dragon Balls or the new set, she's going to be glad that her wisdom will help make the new set all the more powerful."

"The effectiveness of her knowledge can be accentuated through all I've learned," Cell said. "I'm rather intrigued about exactly how some of her insights might be combined with my knowledge of the Dragon Balls to enhance our collective understanding of them."

"Is it possible that her knowledge might enable you to figure out how to manipulate a set of Dragon Balls so it can grant revival wishes for those who have died more than once?" Dende asked.

"I'm unsure, although I wouldn't bet on it," Cell said. "However, I'll not discount the possibility entirely until I try to apply her knowledge for that purpose."

"Cell, I'm going to go with you for this," Trunks said. "I … need to see my mother again."

"Knowing my mom, she's probably hanging out in Heaven with Bulma, so I'm going too," Gohan said.

"If the three of you are going, then I don't want to miss this," Broly said. "Even though I can't instant transmit like the three of you, I'm quite eager to hitch a ride."

"For that matter, does anyone else want to join us?" Cell asked.

The others, especially Tien, thought about this for a few moments before turning down the offer.

"We will inform you of our progress after we return," Cell said. "But actually … before we go, there is a matter of unfinished business to attend to."

"Yes, I was about to mention that," Trunks said. "In fact, while this will delay our trip to Heaven, we need to address this right here and now."

'_Would you like me to talk with King Kai about this, or do you want to do so yourself?'_ Cell psychically asked Trunks. _'My only concern with you making the request is that King Kai might not immediately grant it because of your inherent bias.'_

'_After everything we've done to save this universe, I think that even King Kai would find it inappropriate to not honor my request to restore my father's body and mind,'_ Trunks psychically said to Cell. _'I of course want to address this point myself.'_

'_As I thought,'_ Cell psychically said to Trunks.

"King Kai, as the Dragon Balls of Earth do not have the power to revive those who have died more than once, and as this most likely also will be true of the Dragon Balls that Cell will create, I have an urgent request of you," Trunks said. "My father's consciousness and body, whenever he has been in Otherworld, have always been denied to him because according to you and King Yemma, at the times of his deaths, he was neither good nor evil enough to enable him to keep them in the afterlife. I have never agreed with this, and as you very well know, I find it to be atrocious that Otherworld implements that policy for the overwhelming majority of individuals who come here after death. While I implore you and the other kais to reconsider the policy entirely, I request that my father's body and mind be permanently restored for his existence in Otherworld. I also request that in the chance that he ever does come back to life, however unlikely it unfortunately seems this will be, that if his worthiness is at least at around the level at which it is now, he shall be automatically granted his mind and body, without any possibility of being sent to Hell. Even if your reassessment of his worthiness at the time of his most recent death is not such that you normally would choose to advise King Yemma to enable him to keep his mind and body, I humbly request that this be so. While many here, especially Broly, had a crucial role in saving the entire universe from the evil Cell, it ultimately was Cell and I who managed to defeat him and prevent him from enacting his plans to become more powerful than any kai. In this way, we not only saved the mortal realm, but quite possibly Otherworld itself. I have never acted on behalf of Earth or the broader universe with the goal of acquiring a reward for myself, but I feel, as a result of all I've done, that it would be appropriate for you to honor this one request."

King Kai remained silent for many moments, and as his reevaluation occurred, Cell momentarily interrupted it.

"Trunks, may I add one more consideration?" Cell asked.

"Go ahead," Trunks said.

"King Kai, your decision should be made regardless of the unlikely possibility that after consulting with Bulma, I shall gain the understanding of how to incorporate within the Dragon Balls revival wishes for those who have died more than once," Cell said. "The fundamental principle of how Vegeta should be treated as a result of all this universe truly owes his son is what must be considered."

King Kai thought for a few more moments, then, with his facial expression unchanged from one of seriousness, he announced his answer.

"Alright," King Kai said, to the delight of many, but not all, on his planet. "I'll advise King Yemma to restore his body and mind. I'm not granting this request lightly, Trunks. However, I am completely aware of your contributions to the universe, and they are, indeed, considerable. I'll message King Yemma right now about this, then one of you will be able to pick up Vegeta at the Check-In Station, which I assume is under reconstruction."

"Before you do, King Kai, I have a quick related request to make as well," Cell said. "Again, it's the principle that matters, although in this case, it's almost entirely certain that he will be revived. I want you to make Broly's retainment of his body and mind in Otherworld, for the purposes of his afterlife experiences, permanent as well. You and King Yemma restored his mind and body for the purpose of potentially being able to fight my counterpart, and this completely reveals that you consider him to be a valuable asset on your behalf. While the grievous acts he committed in his past are undoubtedly much more severe than Vegeta's, it must be considered that like me, he did not have true control over his actions. Ever since he's gained true control, he has done many noble things that have made me proud to call him a friend. Grant him the same privileges you have enabled Vegeta to receive. He, too, has earned them."

Broly felt ennobled beyond words. Because of the similar conditions of repression they had both suffered through, he considered Cell's assessment of his worth to be especially significant. For Cell to request such esteemed privileges for him on his behalf … it not only showed for Broly how much he truly had changed, but enabled him to truly see how much others cherished all he had done since that fateful day in which he had finally gained freedom from the mind-controlling device. He and Cell had both been limited beyond their control, and now, his friend wanted him, albeit largely in principle, to have broader liberties.

"Cell, … this is … well, … thank you for making this recommendation," Broly said.

"You've earned it," Cell said. "What do you think, King Kai?"

King Kai was far more uncertain about this request than he had been regarding Trunks' request for Vegeta. Broly had been a sordid mass-murderer … but was it not true, after all, that his natural Legendary Super Saiyan aggression and the limiter device his father had placed upon him were primarily to blame? Forgiveness had been granted to Cell, after all … and while many of Cell's victims had been revived, all from the original timeline, Timeline I, likely would never be revived.

It was an unmistakable truth that despite how much Cell had changed, and how much Broly had changed, there were people they had murdered who would not be revived. Now, a former murderer was asking him, the overseer of so many innocents whose lives had been extinguished in this timeline by another former murderer, to give that former murderer clemency. Would it be a tremendous dishonor to all whom had died to honor the request? Possibly, but would it in fact be true that Broly truly was a changed man, and that his established retainment of his mind and body in the afterlife could have the potential to be beneficial in the future? And what of the risks of Broly's apparent instability?

As his transition toward the light was a conscious decision over time, unlike the sudden, total shift that had transpired for Cell, elements of potential moral instability clearly lingered and could resurface without warning. But was this particular facet not also true of some other warriors of the North Galaxy, on Grand Kai's planet right at that moment, who had become noble through a gradual struggle and who had fought for righteousness earnestly in their latter years?

"This is a far more difficult decision to make," King Kai said. "Broly, the severity of your past crimes is unquestionable and far exceeds the severity of the past crimes that Vegeta committed. What do you have to say for yourself, now that you're face-to-face with me, the overseer of so many innocents you killed?"

Broly reflected for a moment, then responded.

"My sorrow for those actions shall never end," Broly said. "Remembering the horrors I committed, however, shall forever motivate me to vanquish all who would dare commit such atrocities. My memories of the terror of my victims shall forever haunt me and bring pain to my heart. I refuse to idly let abusers of life torment the innocent, as I once did."

King Kai, throughout Broly's reply, had done the best he could to not just sense his energy signature to examine his actual sentiments, but to also reevaluate his sincerity.

Sincerity, after all, was a quite important factor.

"There was a time in which I never thought I'd agree to this, but I shall honor this request as well," King Kai said, to Broly's amazement. "Do not abuse this rare set of privileges, Broly. I do not want to ever regret this decision."

"I shall value this eternally," Broly said, with humbleness in his voice. "Thank you, King Kai."

"I, as well, thank you, King Kai," Cell said.

"What's done is done. Now, without further ado, it's time to contact Yemma," King Kai said, as he directed his antennae toward Yemma's direction.

After a few minutes, and what seemed to external observers as though King Kai at one point was in a heated discussion with Yemma, King Kai relaxed his focus.

"Yemma is in the process of restoring Vegeta right now, and Broly, you've been granted permanent privileges," King Kai said, to Broly's further enthusiasm. "Any moment now, we'll be able to clearly detect Vegeta's energy signature again."

"As soon as Vegeta is back, he'll want to know about all that's happened!" Krillin said. "A lot has happened, after all."

"If it wasn't for my father, the evil Cell would have killed me and Gohan before we ventured to find Broly," Trunks said. "Because he saved us then, we're all here, now."

"Before you go, Trunks, I could use the Magic Materialization technique I inherited from Piccolo to repair your clothes," Cell said.

"Ah, the good ol' 'Clothes Beam,'" Piccolo said. "After all, why learn how to sew and spend time doing so when you could just blast someone and get the job done?"

"A repair, huh?" Trunks asked. "Actually, Cell, if you could instead give me a copy of the modified Saiyan uniform that I was wearing during the Cell Games, that would be awesome."

Cell quickly blasted Trunks with the beam, and true to both its formal name and nickname, the technique magically materialized the clothing that Trunks had requested.

"Awesome," Trunks said, while observing the fact that his arms and legs now were covered in solid blue, with his chest covered by mostly white armor without shoulder pads, instead held on at the shoulders by toughened light-gold straps, with a pattern of horizontal lines across them. The chest armor's section by the abdominals was a patch of light-gold, also with horizontal lines across it. Trunks' gloves were solid white and extended slightly past his wrists, and his boots were mostly white as well, with tips by the toes covered in the same light-gold color and horizontal line pattern as in other components of his uniform.

"It kind of reminds me of the armor that Vegeta asked us to wear on Planet Namek when we were fighting Frieza, don't you think, Gohan?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah, but it looks a lot more versatile," Gohan said.

"As long as – ah! There he is!" Cell said.

"I'll be right back," Trunks said, while placing his right index and center fingers to his forehead.

He then instant transmitted away from view, entering hyperspace with eager anticipation of seeing his father again.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, The Check-In Station [under reconstruction], Age 786 …_

_[10 seconds earlier … ]_

While he was startled by the sudden shift in view, he was not as surprised by this change as he'd been by another change some time ago, when he'd been wished back to life after many years and saw the sky of Earth reflecting a clearly different time of day than had been such when he'd died fighting Android 17.

Last time, though, he had been revived at the relative spot at which he had died.

This time, he was completely unfamiliar with his surroundings.

It appeared as though he was standing near the middle of a building that had recently been destroyed, although it was clear that repair work was underway, as various members of a species he had never before seen were in the midst of rebuilding the walls.

He looked behind himself for a moment, then looked up toward what appeared to be a giant mahogany desk in pristine condition, with a significantly large individual sitting at it, looking down toward him. The individual, whom Vegeta deduced to be some sort of ogre in a business suit, then took a sip of his coffee and placed the mug back down upon the table.

"I'm sure you've noticed by now that you've gotten your physical body back, as well as your conscious mind," King Yemma said. "This is a rare privilege, which is – "

"Damn it! I'm still dead, aren't I!" Vegeta yelled irascibly.

"Well, yes, but – "

"That's just great!" Vegeta yelled, interrupting Yemma. "And … how much time has –"

Vegeta quickly adjusted his focus upon seeing Trunks emerge from seemingly out of nowhere.

"How the … wait a minute! Trunks! Oh crap! You've been killed! How the Hell did this happen?" Vegeta asked.

It took Trunks a few moments to recognize what had caused Vegeta's confusion, and then he briefly chuckled.

"Relax, father. I'm not dead," Trunks said.

"You're not?" Vegeta asked, with a puzzled tone. "But … we're in the afterlife, aren't we?"

"We're in Otherworld, yes," Trunks said. "But I don't have a halo, see? That means I'm alive. You've got a halo, however."

"What's important is that you're alive. And as far as what happened to me, not even death can stifle the pride of the Prince of All Saiyans," Vegeta said. "But, what are you doing here, Trunks? And more importantly, is that bastard Cell still alive?"

"You'll be happy to know that we killed him," Trunks said, to Vegeta's extreme delight. "His threat to the universe has ended."

"The Saiyan race has been emboldened by your victory, my son," Vegeta said. "When I was last on the battlefield with you, we were in the midst of losing, and badly. You must have become far stronger to achieve a victory."

"I did, and I'll tell you more about that soon," Trunks said. "The main person responsible for our victory, though, was the good Cell himself."

Vegeta did a double-take.

"You mean … he was somehow able to escape his captivity within the version of Cell from our own timeline?" Vegeta asked. "Or did he overpower the evil Cell from within?"

"He escaped, thanks to me," Trunks said, causing Vegeta to become even more curious about the details.

"Before you explain further, let me ask you, how long have I been dead?" Vegeta asked.

"It feels as though it's been an extremely long time, as a result of all I've been through, but it's been just a bit over a standard week," Trunks said. "Father, there are many who want to see you. We'll explain more after we get to King Kai's planet."

"I've been meaning to ask, … that technique you used to get here, was that the Instant Transmission technique?" Vegeta asked.

"It was," Trunks said.

"I remember Kakarot showing it to us years ago after he defeated Frieza and King Cold," Vegeta said. "You weren't aware of how to use it before the most recent time I died, were you?"

"No, I wasn't," Trunks said.

"Well then, you must have learned it from Gohan, right?" Vegeta asked.

Trunks paused for a brief, but somber moment.

"Actually, it's more complicated than that," Trunks said. "I'll tell you after we get to King Kai's planet."

"Fine by me," Vegeta said.

Trunks placed his left hand on Vegeta's right shoulder, waved a parting goodbye to King Yemma, and then instant transmitted toward King Kai's planet.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Age 786 …_

After they emerged from the Instant Transmission, Vegeta was amazed to see that so many people had been waiting for him to arrive.

"Well, look who it is," Gohan said. "It's good to see you, Vegeta."

"I see that Cell managed to kill you too, Gohan," Vegeta said, upon observing Gohan's halo. "It's a pity, but did you at least stay alive long enough to fight Cell in the last moments of his miserable life?"

Vegeta's comments, which he had made knowing full-well that Cell was present and actively listening, disturbed Cell greatly, although Cell knew that he would rather have Vegeta restored and saying such things than silence because of his absence.

"No, Trunks and this dude right here were the bad-asses who ultimately defeated the evil Cell," Gohan said, while pointing toward Cell.

"If Trunks hadn't told me before we arrived here that you're the good one, I would have punched you right in the face upon seeing you again," Vegeta said.

"I would have expected nothing less," Cell said, with a smirk. "I'm sorry for what my counterpart did to you because of me, and – "

"Stop apologizing, and start acting more like a warrior," Vegeta said, causing Cell to be shocked by the sudden outburst. "A true warrior never apologizes for something that was no fault of his own. It's not your fault that freak absorbed you, so stop blabbering about this issue as if I hold anything against you."

"Well, … thanks, Vegeta," Cell said.

"I should be thanking you, actually, for defeating the bastard who killed me," Vegeta said. "I'm actually rather amused by the fact my son teamed up with a former psychopathic killer to accomplish something desirable – it reminds me of certain parts of my youth, to an extent."

"I could only begin to imagine," Tien said.

"As I have his memories from that period, I can assure you that those were some wild times," Cell said.

"You … have my memories?" Vegeta said, with some rage. "How the Hell did Dr. Gero manage to do that?"

"Because he was an asshole who committed himself entirely to making weapons of death, that's why," Cell said. "Unfortunately, Vegeta, some of the most intellectually capable people are also the dumbest. While that's an apparent contradiction, I meant to convey that some of the most wicked, vile people across history have turned out to unfortunately have vast skills in the sciences. People like Bulma are therefore especially superior, in my opinion, as she combines mental skill with sincere goodness."

Vegeta momentarily looked for her amongst those on King Kai's planet, then, upon his discovery that she was not there, quickly deduced that she was alive, to his delight. However, upon a reevaluation of the situation, he soon realized, because surely other souls must be in Otherworld other than those on King Kai's planet, that she might have suffered a horrid fate after all.

"Where is Bulma?" Vegeta said. "If that creep killed her … "

Vegeta didn't complete the sentence, as he was waiting for someone to inform him of the truth.

"She was killed," Trunks said, as Vegeta became beyond livid.

Vegeta's golden aura became wildly visible, as his hair then shifted straight to gold.

"If that fucker wasn't already dead, I'd demand to have the opportunity to kill him myself!" Vegeta yelled, in his Super Saiyan form. "And now that he's within the afterlife, I demand to have the opportunity to fight him even so!"

"Now those are sentiments I can truly empathize with," Broly said, while walking toward Vegeta. "I find it quite amusing that now, after all these years, I'm finally getting the chance to meet you."

Vegeta had seen this individual upon arriving on King Kai's planet, but he at first had not seemed to stand out significantly from everyone else who was there, with the exception of the fact that Vegeta was unfamiliar with his identity. Vegeta had wondered who he was, and had intended to inquire about it, but it seemed that the issue of his identity now was the focus of his attention.

It was clear to Vegeta, just by a superficial analysis of this individual's energy, that he was very strong – much stronger than any of the full-blooded humans that were on the planet, at least. Still, Vegeta knew much about the art of concealing energy, and he knew that apparent power level was no longer a reliable way to gauge actual strength. However, upon a closer examination of his energy signature, Vegeta immediately became surprised.

"I … don't believe it!" Vegeta exclaimed. "You're a Saiyan, aren't you? The nature of your energy suggests this could be so, and you have the common appearance of one. Tell me, warrior. Are you a Saiyan?"

"I am," Broly said. "You can tell by my halo that I died, but in fact, I was alive up until very recently … you just were never informed about me. None of you had known of my presence until relatively recently. However, it's because of your son and Gohan that I've reemerged as an active force in this universe. In fact, while Cell and Trunks truly are responsible for the evil Cell's death, I came very close to victory as well."

Vegeta was beyond surprised.

"How did … what?" Vegeta asked.

"I'll explain in a minute, father," Trunks said. "But first, I'm sure our friend wants to properly introduce himself to you."

"My name is Broly," he said, while offering his hand for a shake. "I was born at around the same time as Kakarot, soon before Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta. Like you, your son, and Gohan, I have the ability to become a Super Saiyan."

Vegeta, after initial reluctance and only mild shock that yet another Saiyan was able to transform into a Super Saiyan, returned the handshake. He immediately took note of the fact that Broly, in his normal state, seemed to tolerate shaking the hand of a Super Saiyan quite well. This instantly made Vegeta even more curious, and he intended to find out more about this Saiyan.

"How did you escape the destruction of our former world, Broly?" Vegeta asked.

"I won't lie to you, Vegeta. Your father tried to kill me soon after I was born, and I would have died had it not been for my special powers," Broly said. "I was born with a power level of 10,000, and because of that, your father became so afraid that I would pose a serious threat to his rule that he gave orders for me to be executed, and did the same to my father after my father begged him to spare me. However, the soldiers that were meant to kill us ended up going with your father when he went for his fight with Frieza, and although those that replaced them were also strong, my father managed to kill them and get both of us off the planet in a Space Pod, only minutes before Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta."

"Your power level … was 10,000?" Vegeta asked. "That's over … well, it's far over what most adult Saiyan warriors had at the time!"

"I hold nothing against you or your son, Vegeta, as I've told Trunks already," Broly said. "It's not your fault that your father wanted to kill me. You had never known of me prior to our meeting today because my father did a thorough job of hiding us from Frieza's empire, although we did significantly impact the sectors of space where we were active. He is no longer alive either, as a result of the fact that I saved countless innocents by killing him."

"You … killed him?" Vegeta said, with a startle.

"He was in many ways an even more despicable tyrant than Frieza," Broly said. "As is the case with the evil Cell and Frieza, the mortal realm is a better place without my father."

"Was he, too, able to become a Super Saiyan?" Vegeta asked.

"No, but he was a coward who used an aggressive form of mind-control over me so that I would do his bidding," Broly said. "And yes, while all the Saiyans on this planet can become Super Saiyans, I'm … well, I'm sure you're familiar with the often-repeated tale of the Legendary Super Saiyan."

Vegeta was speechless.

"It's true, Vegeta," Gohan said. "While we can all become Super Saiyans, Broly is our generation's Legendary Super Saiyan. He has access to a special transformation by that name, and oh man, the evil Cell is still scared shitless of him."

"But what's even more astounding is how much power your son now has," Broly said, as Vegeta, with extreme awe, looked in Trunks' direction. "In fact, while I'm able to enter my Legendary Super Saiyan transformation because I was naturally empowered with the ability, he's managed to achieve a different advanced transformation that could only be gained through hardship. It is a transformation I've never achieved, and that no one else in this timeline, to my knowledge, ever has."

"Trunks, does this mean you managed to become a true Super Saiyan 2, as Gohan of the alternate past managed to achieve?" Vegeta asked.

"Yes," Trunks said, not yet wanting to go into the details of exactly how the transformation was unlocked.

"Trunks used that transformation in the final battles with the evil Cell," Broly said. "In fact, Vegeta, you'd be extremely proud to know that Trunks is now the strongest among us."

"My son … surpassed the Legendary Super Saiyan himself?" Vegeta openly asked. "And he, the Legendary Super Saiyan, and the enlightened version of Cell all fought the diabolical version of Cell of our timeline? Unbelievable!"

"There's … a crucial factor that you need to know about," Trunks said. "Father, as you probably noticed, Goku is … not here with us. I owe the majority of my strength to him."

Vegeta had indeed wondered about Goku's absence, but from what his son had said, and with the way that he had said it, he soon realized that something vastly unfavorable had happened.

"Tell me everything," Vegeta said, while powering down from Super Saiyan. "I want to know exactly how we managed to defeat Cell from our timeline, and all other relevant events that occurred, from the moment I died up until now."

The warriors and sages on King Kai's planet then recounted to Vegeta the tales of struggle and valiance against Future Cell, detailing for him the many moments of loss, and the glorious moments of triumph. Throughout their elaboration, Vegeta asked many questions, of which he derived much from the answers.

After quite some time, Vegeta learned not only of the finishing actions against Future Cell, but of the horrid discoveries of the black hole and the implications this had for wishing back many of Future Cell's victims, including himself.

"Now, even though that bastard is rotting in Hell, we can't use the Dragon Balls of New Namek because of him," Trunks said.

"I swear, one day I will devastate him in battle with pure vengeance for what he's done," Vegeta said. "In fact, if I ever encounter the opportunity to shove him into a black hole, I'd readily do it! But more importantly, Trunks, you've made me even prouder to be your father. In fact, all of you have made me proud. And Kakarot …"

Vegeta remained silent for many moments, while looking toward the ground and reflecting upon what had happened.

"... I owe you not only my son's life, but my infinite respect," Vegeta said.

After a few more moments, Piccolo spoke up.

"His legacy shall live on in all we do," Piccolo said. "And we shall also honor him by being as strong as we can be. In fact … Trunks, I think it would be appropriate for you to show Vegeta just how strong you've become."

"I agree," Cell said. "Show your father what you can do."

"You've already heard about what I'm able to do now, father, but I think you'll find it awesome to experience this for yourself," Trunks said. "Transform into a Super Saiyan, and then try to punch me. I'll remain just as I am now, in my normal state."

If Vegeta hadn't heard more about Trunks' endeavors against Future Cell, he would have thought the request to be absurd. However, he was more than intrigued.

With a flare of vitality, Vegeta again transformed into his Super Saiyan form, then entered a fighting stance, while Trunks entered one of his own.

Suddenly, Vegeta darted forward and aimed a right-fisted punch toward Trunks' chest … only to have his punch efficiently blocked, while only Trunks' lavender hair moved as a result of the force of the attack.

Vegeta then rapidly punched at Trunks, only to have Trunks dodge many of the attacks, while blocking the others.

Without warning, Trunks then punched Vegeta in the chest, without Vegeta having enough time to block the attack.

Vegeta hurdled backward many meters, and he was amazed by how much physical pain the attack had caused.

Knowing better than to use an energy attack because of the quite slight surface area of King Kai's planet, he instead charged forward and managed to get one punch through to Trunks' chest … which Trunks had purposely let connect.

Vegeta was once again amazed that even in Trunks' normal state, the Super Saiyan attack had barely fazed him.

Trunks then maneuvered to right side-kick Vegeta, which Vegeta barely managed to dodge.

Vegeta then moved to counter-kick at Trunks, only for the move to be blocked by Trunks' left forearm.

"Enough," Vegeta said, while disengaging from combat, as Trunks did the same. "That truly was extraordinary. Never had I imagined that my own son, without even transforming, could become so capable as to effectively ward off a Super Saiyan!"

"Broly deserves some credit too – he can do the same thing," Trunks said.

Vegeta, still in his Super Saiyan form, had a facial expression that reflected even more amazement.

"I want to see the two of you transform into your advanced forms," Vegeta said, while Trunks and Broly grinned. "Show me what the true pride of the Saiyan race can do."

"Hey, I'll join you!" Gohan said. "Not that I can become anywhere close to as strong as them – like you, Vegeta, I just want to be in my Super Saiyan transformation while they show their stuff."

Gohan's golden aura cascaded waves of engilded energy, while his hair shifted to gold. He accompanied Vegeta in the glory of the basic Super Saiyan transformation, while they eagerly watched the descendents of their efforts.

"Ready?" Broly asked.

"Of course, but let's get into the air around King Kai's planet first – we don't want to crack this thing into pieces with our energy!" Trunks said.

"Right," Broly said, as the two fighters flew 50 meters relatively above where Vegeta was standing, at about a 45-degree angle to him.

The two warriors rapidly powered-up, then they each became Super Saiyans, radiating sheer power unlike any Vegeta had ever witnessed a Super Saiyan exhibit.

Broly then looked toward Trunks, and Trunks nodded.

Broly began to concentrate his energy, with gold-green rays of shining light radiating from within him in many directions.

His muscles began to drastically augment in size, and from within the depths of his spirit, a shining white explosion of strength appeared to engulf him in pure power.

A sphere of golden-green energy then surrounded Broly and fluctuated in size for many moments, while Trunks moved farther from the epicenter of the sphere and King Kai's planet briefly became engulfed by a tinted barrage of golden-green light.

After a briefly visible opal shine around his body dissipated, Broly's Legendary Super Saiyan form became clearly apparent to Vegeta, with the waves of his aura flowing rapidly upward. Broly's arms had tremendously expanded in size, as had his chest and legs, all to an extent far greater than they had been in the basic Super Saiyan transformation.

His golden-green hair and solid white eyes further accentuated the essence of his dramatic shift in power and ability, and upon considering all he had seen of the transformation, and all he had felt of its sheer power, Vegeta quickly understood how Future Cell could have had such difficulty in fighting Broly. He also, as a result of the magnitude of the Saiyan's abilities, felt a sense of inspiration.

"Impressed?" Broly asked.

"Astounded!" Vegeta yelled to him.

"Now, Trunks will demonstrate his own power!" Broly exclaimed.

Trunks concentrated his energy to a greater extremity, and his golden aura began to become more rigid and straight, pointing sharply upward and backward.

His muscles grew in size, but to a far lesser extent than was the case with the Legendary Super Saiyan transformation, and yet Vegeta was quickly able to sense that Trunks' power had ascended beyond Broly's own!

His aura was surging with sparks of lightning, as thunderous booms echoed throughout the vicinity.

"This is my true Super Saiyan 2 transformation," Trunks said, as Vegeta marveled at how strong his son had become. "I will never forget that the loss of mother's life was the direct catalyst for this transformation. All that she had done to help the universe culminated in my ability to use this form to fight the evil Cell and free our friend. And then, in the glory of this transformation and with Broly harnessing his Legendary Super Saiyan form, the evil Cell was sent right into Hell, with our universe regaining peace after the long war against him."

"It looks like I'll need to get back to training if I'm ever to truly spar with the both of you," Vegeta said with a grin, as he powered down from Super Saiyan, while Gohan did so as well.

Trunks and Broly then powered down to their basic forms of Super Saiyan, then returned to their normal states and descended to the planet, landing firmly on their feet.

"Vegeta, you're not the only one who finds their power to be damn impressive," Cell said.

"That's for sure," Gohan said.

"Now that you've experienced their power for yourself, are you ready to see Bulma again?" Cell asked.

"She'll be in for a surprise," Vegeta said. "I bet she never thought she'd see me again, as she knew the way I was mistreated after my previous deaths."

King Kai chose to not comment on the point, but Cell turned toward him, with one last task he wanted to accomplish before transmitting to Heaven.

"Before I go to acquire Bulma's knowledge, there's one technique you possess, King Kai, which I wanted to ask if I could gain from you," Cell said. "Your long-range perception technique would be a fine addition to the summation of my abilities."

"You can try to gain it, but I don't believe it will work, unfortunately," King Kai said, to Cell's surprise.

"Really?" Cell asked. "Why would that be?"

"I gained that ability as a direct result of becoming a kai," King Kai said. "I hadn't possessed the ability beforehand, but the ritual which enabled me to become a kai imparted the skill. It's something that I … can just do, Cell. I'm not even quite sure how I can do it, as I never truly had to develop the skill myself."

"Would it be alright if I at least try?" Cell asked. "The memory or knowledge of exactly how to do it might be hidden within you, somewhere. Besides, it seems to me, at least, that the knowledge of how to create Dragon Balls is far more complex than that which would be the case for long-range perception."

"While that could be true, the knowledge of how to perform the long-range perception technique could be complex in a different sort of way," King Kai said. "Honestly, I'm not sure. See what you can do."

Cell briefly walked to King Kai, then placed his right hand upon King Kai's head.

After two minutes of attempting to gain sufficient knowledge of how to perform the technique, and merely encountering memories of the times in which it had been performed, Cell relinquished his hand with a sigh.

"It seems that particular technique shall still elude me," Cell said. "At least, after I return to Timeline III, I'll have your counterpart there to help me if I ever require its use."

"Give him my regards when you see him!" King Kai said. "Also, please do the same on my behalf when you see Bulma."

"Certainly," Cell said. "When I see her, I'm going to ask her to let me acquire a variety of knowledge elements across scientific disciplines – including what she knows about time travel – to see if her understandings will enable us to, among many things, somehow recover the Dragon Balls of New Namek from the black hole. Black holes exist because of a contortion of space-time, and as time travel also ostensibly involves a contortion of space-time, applying time travel principles to this predicament might, however low the probability, enable us to find a solution. There also is an improbable chance, but one we shouldn't discard, that the knowledge of time travel, in combination with my now-advanced understandings of the Dragon Balls, might enable me to find an entirely different way to enable the Dragon Balls to safely restore life to those who have died more than once, especially because time travel and wishes with the Dragon Balls both manipulate the space-time continuum to achieve desired results. But it would probably be wise if I didn't go to Heaven right away – there are many good people over there who might justifiably be quite scared to see me without an explanation as to my identity. The fact I look just like the person who murdered them is unavoidable."

"Yeah, something tells me my mom would start punching at you wildly the moment she saw you again if we didn't tell her in advance about you, and the fact the evil-you is in Hell," Gohan said.

"Mine too," Trunks said.

"As I said before, I would have done the same had Trunks not told me," Vegeta said. "Trunks, you and I will travel to Heaven and see your mother and the others. Gohan, you should join us as well, … I'm sure your mother wants to see you as soon as possible. We'll then tell all of them what they need to know. Cell and Broly: the three of you should start hearing over there in about three minutes."

"Better yet, please wait until I send you a psychic message," Trunks said.

"Sounds like a plan," Cell said.

Trunks then concentrated on his mother's energy signature, and the focus became clear, with an identification of the direction in which he would need to travel to enter Heaven.

Vegeta, whose right hand was on Trunks' left shoulder, knew that one of the first items on his list of tasks to accomplish now that he had been restored would be to finally learn how to perform this remarkable technique.

Trunks and Vegeta then disappeared from view. Each of them was about to enter a realm of Otherworld in which he had never before been, and in which they would see a key loved one once again.

Gohan soon followed, in eager anticipation of how his family and friends, and especially Bulma, would react to the latest developments.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Chapter Forty-Seven! _

_Be sure to tune in Monday, Sept. 3, 2012, (US EST), for the final part of Honor Trip's Season Three finale, Chapter Forty-Eight, "Temnizziv!" _

_Your anticipation for it has been eager, and soon it shall be … a new eternal dragon shall be summoned, next time, on Dragon Ball Honor Trip! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Seven: Completed Aug. 31, 2012_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	55. XLVIII: Temnizziv

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Temnizziv (Season Three Finale! - Part Six of Six)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Announcement: Two Art Pieces for Visualizing this part of the Season Three Finale: **

If you have not yet seen the awesome cover that Ruga-Rell and Roketto created for the Season Three finale, I encourage you to visit their deviantART pages for your viewing enjoyment (Roketto's deviantART username is RyunoOhi).

And if you haven't yet typed in "Temnizziv" into the deviantART search bar and seen the resulting picture Ruga-Rell created, you shall indeed find that the picture is quite awesome.

* * *

**Correction regarding Chapter Forty-Seven:** The concept in the original published version of Chapter Forty-Seven that Cell would be the last Namekian in Timeline IV and that no other Namekians would ever be alive in the mortal realm of the timeline because of limitations of the Dragon Balls was an invalid one. While it is indeed true that Moori and all other Namekians who were killed by Frieza and his henchmen were already revived by Shenron and hence cannot be wished back because of a lack of access to Dragon Balls that have the power to revive those who have died more than once, a valid wish that canon has shown to be possible is for souls to be able to be transferred from the planet in which they died to another planet, enabling them to not be revived at the location in which they died. Such a wish was used for Krillin so that he would not be revived in the void where Planet Namek had been, such that his soul was reassigned to Earth. A wish of this kind can be made for all residents of New Namek who only died once (because of Future Cell, since they were born after the Frieza Saga) to reassign their souls to Earth.

Because of this, Chapter Forty-Seven shall be adjusted to reflect the fact that many Namekians will be able to be revived, although they also do not possess sufficient knowledge of Dragon Balls to create a set or modify a preexistent one to include wishes for reviving those who have died more than once. Before its official release on Sept. 3, 2012, Chapter Forty-Eight was slightly changed to accommodate this important factor. _  
_

* * *

_And now, the journey continues …._

* * *

_Timeline IV, Otherworld, Heaven, Age 786 …_

In the midst of a vast, transcendental cloud layer of enchanted shades of pink and fuchsia, the main spherical object that comprised Heaven glistened brightly on one side, with darkness on the other.

The spherical object easily could have been considered an oversized terrestrial planet had it been in the mortal realm, but as it was outside the mortal realm entirely and had never been considered a planet by the kais, it was an entity all to its own. It did have a sun, however – a large, mystical sun configured by kais long ago. This mystical star not only illuminated Heaven, but was responsible for much of the illumination of Otherworld, including Hell, as per the star's special aspects. Heaven, in its position "above" the planets of King Kai, East Kai, South Kai, and West Kai, as well as "above" the Check-In Station and Snake-Way, and far "above" Hell, was comparatively much closer to the mystical star.

In fact, as Grand Kai's planet was itself directly "above" Heaven, and as the mystical star was on the same horizontal plane as Heaven, located to its "Cosmic North," Heaven was even closer to the mystical star than Grand Kai's planet.

The fact that one side of Heaven was clarified by light, while the other side was shrouded by darkness, was not symbolically antithetical to the purpose of Heaven, as balance had long been recognized among the kais as a potential means of positive peace.

The spherical form of Heaven, specifically at the time of Cell's arrival, contained vast clouds of white above blue skies and darker blue oceans, with green continents. Throughout the oceans and continents, and on both the light and dark sides of Heaven's sphere, there were intermittent points in which shining white flares of energy flickered in a calming manner.

The sphere, which had a slow, gradual rotation, was entirely surrounded by a semi-translucent golden ring that was not far above the outermost reaches of the atmosphere of Heaven's sphere – indeed, an atmosphere, for in this part of Otherworld and many others, there were various beings who were not dead and to whom a breathable atmosphere was more than welcome.

Far below the cloud layer, within the vast region of seemingly endless flower fields and vernal tranquility known as the Meadows of Heaven, petals of various shades of red, blue, and green, and others of white, graced the landscape with their beauty among the lush grasses. Through the meadows was a winding path of green, which rose slightly from area to area because of the hilly terrain. Various shrubberies were intermittently located along the sides of this path, with a very few scattered some distance from the path and surrounded by flowers.

It was on this winding path of green, and throughout the meadow hills, that relatively countless souls across Heaven experienced blissful peace.

However, on a particular hill not too far from the path, clustered together and distinct from the other entities in their immediate vicinity, were many of the Z-Fighters' family and friends.

Bulma, Chi-Chi, Launch, Ox-King, Mr. Popo, Puar, Oolong, and Turtle had been allowed to keep their consciousnesses, although instead of unqualified wonder at the sights of Heaven, their worries lingered. No one had yet informed them of the victory against Future Cell, although as a result of them having had time to be together again, other elements of information had been exchanged between them.

Regarding the physical forms of each of them except Popo, they had been mostly allowed to keep their bodies, although due to arcane rules of Otherworld, their legs had been replaced with "spirit tails" that curved back and slightly upward, with the tip of these "spirit tails" rendered as a wavy form, with a slightly sharp aesthetic. While they had found the sensation of gliding above the ground, as opposed to walking, to be at least somewhat interesting, they had needed to endure existence without their true bodies because the arcane rules of Otherworld had recognized them merely as friends and family of significantly noble and powerful fighters, and not outright worthy of the highest privileges themselves.

Popo, however, had been permitted to keep his body as it had appeared in the mortal realm, not only because of his many years of dedicated service on behalf of peace on Earth, and not only because of his effective assistance to many of the planet's guardians, but because his power level, as assessed by King Yemma, was quite significant. It was true that Guru and Dende had also been allowed to fully keep their bodies despite the fact that they had not nearly been as physically strong as Kami, Moori and especially Popo, but this had been deemed to be deserved because of their significant service in life on behalf of peace, and the earnestness of their guardianships – albeit a brief guardianship for Dende. Unfortunately for Ox-King, whose strength had quite remarkably not diminished significantly since his prime, his accomplishments in life had been less than what would have been needed to fully retain his body in Otherworld.. It was of course not truly his fault that he had been judged this way – it was merely another decision that had been made with Otherworld's arcane rules, without proper consideration of many of the principles and perspectives that the Z-Fighers had urged King Kai to further recognize.

When Gohan had recently come to Heaven to find many of the warriors and sages whom he had then brought to King Kai's planet to observe Trunks' efforts against Future Cell, Popo had chosen to remain with those whom he now was with, as he had wanted to watch over them during the difficult times. He had witnessed firsthand how distraught Chi-Chi had become upon learning from Gohan what had happened to Goku, and in recognition of all Goku had done for the universe, he willingly stayed with her and the others, while enabling others of fighting prowess and those with greater insights into the Dragon Balls to accompany Gohan. In the midst of Gohan's transmission of warriors and sages to King Kai's planet, Gohan had located Korin, whom upon hearing of what had happened to Popo and the others had also decided to stay with the group in Heaven instead of going to King Kai's planet.

By the time Bulma had arrived in Heaven, Chi-Chi had already been crying profusely. Seeing Bulma cross the Meadows of Heaven with a halo atop her head had caused Chi-Chi to become even more distraught, although upon seeing each other again, the two had comforted each other as much as they could. Bulma had already known of what had happened to Goku as a result of Future Cell's taunts right before she had been killed by that fiend, and together with Chi-Chi, she more thoroughly mourned Goku's loss.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her left eye, Bulma saw them appear.

She turned her head rightward toward them, and as the others had noticed that she had interrupted what she had been saying and had redirected her attention, they did as well.

Their feeling of surprise at the sight was quite unanimous on many levels, but on some levels, Bulma's degree of surprise was far greater.

She had of course expected to eventually see Gohan again, but her attention had with complete justification been drawn much more toward the two with whom he had arrived.

She at first became beyond nervous over the fact that Trunks was in Otherworld too, but because of her advanced rapidness of analysis and perception, she quickly noticed that he did not have a halo atop his head, to her infinite relief.

However, she was perhaps even more surprised to see his father!

As she was a mother emblematic of what it means to be a truly good mother, she addressed Trunks first, even though she was extremely amazed to see both of them as they were.

"Trunks!" Bulma yelled, while gliding over to him.

It was quite possible that he was in fact more surprised to see her in her present form, with a 'spirit tail,' than she had been to see him.

She embraced him warmly, and he did so in return, while Vegeta pleasantly smiled.

"It's good to see you, mother," Trunks said.

"I was so worried, … kid, you have no idea just how happy I am that you're alive," Bulma said. "The moment I saw you didn't have a halo was probably one of the best moments in my life. Oh, uh … well, you know what I mean. Now, on the fact that you're alive, does that mean – "

"The evil Cell is dead," Trunks said quite loudly and proudly, while just about everyone among those who were present cheered with astounded joy.

Launch, who had been in her aggressive state at the time, had wanted to fire bullets into the air out of enthusiasm, but when she had reached for her belt of capsule-stored guns, she had quickly noticed a stark obstacle.

"Damn, they didn't let me keep my weapons!" she yelled aloud, wishing that Heaven was more badass than it apparently was.

"Did … Goku's energy help you win?" Chi-Chi asked, as she glided over toward the three Saiyans.

"Without Goku, we almost certainly would have lost," Trunks said, as Chi-Chi wiped the tears from her eyes, then began to show at least a modicum of happiness at what Trunks had said.

Gohan then embraced his mother, as she did to him.

"When I saw you earlier, I told you that the energy Dad gave Trunks enabled him to be strong enough to prevent the evil Cell from gaining access to powers over the Dragon Balls," Gohan said, while releasing his mother from his embrace. "I'll let Trunks tell the rest to you and everyone else here. Bulma, you'll especially want to hear this."

"I'm eager to tell you all what happened, bust first, …" Trunks said, purposely pausing while looking at his father.

Vegeta stepped toward Bulma, and she released her embrace from Trunks, then embraced her son's father.

"Vegeta, … from what Gohan told me, I thought I'd never see you again," Bulma said, as she brought him even closer to her.

"You wouldn't have, had it not been for Trunks," Vegeta said, while hugging her as well. "Those idiots who run this place would have kept my mind and body locked away forever had Trunks not requested that I be restored. And here I am."

Vegeta, while still embracing Bulma, momentarily diverted his attention to Chi-Chi.

"I want you to know that I feel Ka – I mean, … Goku's actions were of the highest honor," Vegeta said, as Chi-Chi began to tear in response. "He was a true Saiyan."

After a few moments of tears, with some of sadness and others of joy, Chi-Chi responded.

"Vegeta, the fact you just said that means so much to my family," Chi-Chi said. "He would have loved to hear that."

"The fact I'm here now, after coming back from virtual non-existence, while he has left existence entirely, saddens me more than you'll ever know," Vegeta said. "He and I will never have the opportunity to test which of us was the stronger Super Saiyan, or even fight side-by-side as Super Saiyans in battle. These are things I had looked forward to one day, somehow, being able to do. But alas, it never shall be. At the very least, although it's not a true consolation for us, there are three other versions of Goku across the other timelines who still exist. However, our own unique incarnation of him, the brave warrior who sacrificed himself so that this timeline and the alternate past of this one could still exist without the horrid influence of the evil Cell, is irreplaceable. Our memories of him shall forever endure."

"I'm proud he was my dad," Gohan said. "Those were some meaningful words, Vegeta."

"He deserved them," Vegeta said. "Now, Trunks, everyone here deserves to know what you told me."

"They know everything up until right before you arrived back on Earth," Gohan said. "You can start from there."

"First, we – " Trunks interrupted himself, upon hearing a sneeze, and seeing the results of it.

Launch's hair was now blue-violet again, as she had returned to her normal state.

She was very alarmed, to say the least – much more so than she usually was after regaining consciousness following a personality shift. It was quite true that her normal state and aggressive state personalities did not share each other's memories, and her last memories before regaining consciousness had been of events that had occurred on Earth.

She was extremely surprised by the vastly different background imagery and by the appearance of so many of her friends together not only with spirit tails, but with halos. After thinking about these factors for a few moments, she realized what might have happened, but didn't want to accept it.

"Are we … really dead?" she asked aloud, as she began to cry and placed her hands calmly to her face.

Out of all who were present, Bulma had perhaps been the closest with Launch, and she quickly glided to Launch in an attempt to comfort her. Bulma knew that she could never know what it was like to live Launch's life, and she realized that to suddenly regain consciousness and emerge in the afterlife, after having been healthy and alive in life, must have been absolutely bewildering for her.

"Unfortunately Launch, the evil Cell killed us," Bulma said. "Your other half was in control at the time. I'm … so sorry. But we're here with you. You're not alone."

Trunks remembered well what he had learned of Launch, and he walked toward her as well.

When he arrived, she looked up toward him with tears in his eyes, and he bent down on one knee, put his right arm on her left shoulder, then spoke calmly to her, with a faint smile.

"I know this isn't easy for you, Launch, and I can't imagine that it would be," Trunks said. "However, as I was saying to everyone else here, including your other half, the evil Cell is dead."

"At least he won't be able to hurt anyone else," Launch said, while wiping away the tears from her eyes. "You must have had to do a lot to defeat him!"

"Well Launch, I'm going to tell you just what happened. In fact, want to hear something that no one else here knows yet besides my father and Gohan?"

"Oh! What?" she asked pleasantly, with much of the sadness having left her tone.

"Because of how strong I became, I was able to punch the evil Cell so hard in the gut that the good Cell, our friend, was released from his body! The evil Cell was in his gigantic form, and then, he coughed Cell up after I smashed him!"

Launch wasn't the only one who was astounded to hear this.

"He … was freed?" Bulma asked. "Does that mean he helped you defeat the evil Cell?"

"Actually mother, in the final round, he was the one mostly responsible for defeating the evil Cell," Trunks said, while Bulma showed her further astonishment. "While I did one extremely important thing that enabled him to have the ability to finally overpower that bastard, I want to give credit where credit is due."

"So, he fought and defeated the monster who raged across the universe because of him?" Bulma asked.

"He hates the evil Cell at a level far above what we could imagine," Trunks said. "In fact, … I think it would be appropriate if he was here to help explain the rest of what happened. Would it be alright with all of you if he was here?"

After a few moments with no verbal objections, one voice spoke up.

"It'll be weird, but even though he looks like the person who tried to kill us, this guy is the one who killed him," Oolong said. "Sure, let's see him."

"He'll be bringing a friend," Gohan said. "Remember the Super Saiyan who was with me and Trunks after we returned to Earth, the guy who kept on fighting the evil Cell after we got knocked-out? Well, he's here in Otherworld too, and he is planning to come here when Cell does. Launch, you didn't see him back on Earth, but he nearly killed the evil Cell himself. Your other self was probably pissed as Hell, though, when she saw the evil Cell use cheap tricks to win."

"Oh, I'm sure she was," Launch said, with a smile.

"Alright, I'm going to let them know they're clear to come here," Trunks said.

Trunks focused on Cell's energy signature, then sent a psychic message.

'_I told them that you and Broly are coming, and that we defeated your counterpart,'_ Trunks psychically said. _'Are you ready?'_

'_Of course,'_ Cell psychically said.

A few seconds later, Cell and Broly appeared in the Meadows of Heaven, about two meters from where Trunks was standing.

Cell then let go of Broly's left shoulder, then began to walk a few steps toward most of the people who had gathered.

He then stared wide-eyed, realizing that their appearance was not as expected.

However, for the purpose of a proper introduction, and out of noticing that Broly, too, seemed taken aback by their spirit tails, Cell decided to refrain from addressing this right away with them and psychically messaged Broly while pretending to merely look at the scenery.

'_I'm assuming that they look like that because of some ridiculous policy,'_ Cell psychically messaged Broly. _'It doesn't truly matter for the moment, though, since they all can be wished back with Shenron.'_

Broly nodded his head in affirmation, then Cell redirected his attention to the group.

"I know that seeing me might not be a pleasant experience for you all," Cell began to say, while briefly turning to acknowledge Launch, "but I want to let you all know that I truly am even more ecstatic than all of you that my counterpart was defeated. Thanks to the efforts of many, he finally died as a result of our final battle against him on Earth."

"Then, after he arrived in Otherworld, Trunks and I punched that bastard straight into Hell!" Broly said.

"That's a few steps ahead from the point in the events that Gohan had last told them," Trunks said. "When I got back to Earth, though, …. "

Trunks continued the extensive endeavor of informing them of all that had happened since he had returned to Earth after fighting Future Cell on New Namek. Cell offered significant commentary of his own, and then, upon the point in which Trunks had mentioned that Future Cell had regenerated with his perfect form intact, Cell became the primary narrator. He became extremely downtrodden upon informing them of what had happened to New Namek's Dragon Balls, and in no way found enjoyable his role of informing them that many of their friends and family members would almost certainly not be able to be revived as a result of this. He spoke with Bulma about the fact he wanted to gain her knowledge about physics and especially time travel, and because of the reasons for which he wanted to acquire this knowledge, she agreed that she would let him acquire all she could possibly offer him.

Bulma and the others had been fascinated by the fact that Cell wanted to use this knowledge to make a new eternal dragon that had the potential to be in many ways stronger than Shenron and Porunga, although Cell acknowledged there was an overwhelming likelihood that the new dragon still would not be able to have the revival capability of Porunga. Cell acknowledged that he would have a much better idea of the new dragon's potential after consulting with Bulma, and that after the incorporation of her knowledge, he would reassess his understandings of black holes to determine if he was aware of any way to recover objects from a black hole, however unlikely it was that he would become aware of this.

Bulma also knew that while her knowledge would be integral to Cell's ability to travel back to Timeline III, even Cell would find what she had learned to be of the greatest intrigue. There had, after all, been a real reason – and not merely a bluff – as to why she had told Future Cell that there was no realistic chance that he would ever independently discover how to travel through time.

Throughout Trunks and Cell's recounting of events, Gohan and Broly inserted their opinions and additional analyses, with Broly often laughing hardily at his own comments. Broly, in fact, took the opportunity to explain a bit more about himself to the group, mentioning among many things that he had been born at about the same time as Goku. He was in a generally victorious mood, and unbeknownst to him, it had become true that his mannerisms, his triumphs, his acts of strength and bravery against the evil Cell, and other aspects about him had particularly captivated the attention of one person in particular.

Unlike Bulma and Chi-Chi, she had never found the "man of her dreams" while she had been alive. There had been some dates, and she had suspected that her other half had long ago harbored feelings for Tien and had experienced relations with others, but never once had "good" Launch, herself, experienced love at first sight, or any feelings of as strong a significance as she was feeling now. She also knew that because of the fact that he had been born around when Goku had, there was not a relatively significant difference in age between them, hence making the potential for a bond at their ages more realistic, as depending on counting systems, they were both in either their late 40's or 50's.

As she listened to Trunks' closing remarks regarding the potential for further action, Launch found his words, and then other words that quickly followed them, to be especially important.

"Even though we were able to restore my father, the fact remains that the Dragon Balls of New Namek are gone, with no realistic hope to revive anyone who died more than once," Trunks said. "However, as everyone among you who was sent to Heaven had never died before, we can use the Earth's Dragon Balls to bring all of you back!"

"And I'll be joining you!" Broly said. "I've only died once, so the wish with Shenron will bring me back, too! Trunks has told me much about Earth, and it sounds like after all the crap you've been through there you can use a helping hand to make it a better place, especially since I might as well live there. I mean, Hell, am I really going to go back to the wilderness of Revia now that I can have an adopted homeworld with actual people there who don't have a burning desire to kill me? I might as well join you all and enjoy Earth! Besides, the fact I'll make Earth a better place to live will be yet another virtual punch in the face to my bastard father! This is a good decision all around!"

'Damn right it is,' Launch thought to herself, actually surprising herself as a result of even thinking those words in her current state of mind, as opposed to that of her other half.

"Well, at least there will be two Saiyans still alive after all this," Vegeta said. "And hopefully, there will eventually be more."

Trunks and Broly – especially Trunks – blushed at what Vegeta had clearly implied, almost in disbelief that he would so openly say such a thing in front of other people.

Many among the group began to snicker, especially Cell, who found the comment to be so quintessential of Vegeta that he was having great difficulty in controlling himself from laughing.

After the blush faded from Broly's face, he responded.

"As I am the Legendary Super Saiyan, my endeavors on Earth shall be legendary," he said, causing many of those gathered, including Trunks, and especially Cell, to laugh aloud.

One person among them, however, was still blushing at a particular series of thoughts. Launch had been encouraged long ago to live by the principle that "you only live once," and she at certain times in her life had implemented that principle well. Now, with the opportunity to continue a life that had been interrupted, and in a way having the opportunity to live not just once, but twice, she knew she wanted to truly make the most out of her renewed life. It was another chance, a wake-up call, and so much more.

She then decided, based on all that had happened, that it truly would at least be worth a try.

However, some among them were facing more complex situations.

Chi-Chi had actually looked somewhat distraught as a result of thinking about the circumstances. It was very true that Shenron could restore life to her and her father, but as Gohan had been killed once by Androids 17 and 18, and a second time by Future Cell, Shenron could not revive him.

"Gohan, your grandfather and I need to talk with you," Chi-Chi said, as she motioned for him to follow her away from the group so they could have a discussion in private.

Bulma was very quick to perceive what her friend was thinking, especially since she had been thinking about something extremely similar. After all, Vegeta, in fact, had been killed three times – once by Frieza, once by Android 17, and once by Future Cell. Shenron could not revive him, and from what Cell had said, he did not expect that even after acquiring her knowledge he would be able to impart unto the new eternal dragon the revival capability that Porunga had possessed.

Gohan and Ox-King quickly followed Chi-Chi to a somewhat distant, yet serene spot in the meadows. Cell knew that it would soon be appropriate for him and Bulma to do so as well.

"Are you ready, Bulma?" Cell asked. "Because of the extensiveness of your knowledge, this could take quite some time."

"I certainly am," Bulma said. "What exactly will I have to do?"

"Well, because I want you to be as relaxed as possible, it would be great if you could sit down, and – "

Cell quickly interrupted himself, realizing that there was a significant obstacle to Bulma being able to perform what should have been a simple action of sitting down, as her spirit tail would not readily permit this. Cell still considered the fact that she and many others had not retained their legs to have been an unnecessary insult to their dignity.

"Bulma, please excuse me for a moment," Cell said, as he turned away from her and looked toward Mr. Popo. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Mr. Popo had indeed retained his legs after arriving in Heaven at about the same time as many among them, and so Cell was extremely eager to speak with him.

"Of course, Cell," Popo said, as he walked with Cell away from the group.

After a few seconds, Cell whispered in a fairly low tone to Popo.

"Popo, what happened to their legs?" Cell asked.

"From what I understand, Otherworld's policies dictated that this would happen," Popo said. "It seems that you, too, are familiar with what appears to be a nonsensical set of rules here. I can't say that I am particularly thrilled by the decision either."

"Seriously, how many things do they do around here that are rife with error?" Cell rhetorically asked. "They shouldn't have to tolerate this – they should have their actual bodies back."

"Are you going to speak on their behalf, as you did for Broly and as Trunks did for Vegeta?" Popo asked.

"King Kai may not think it will matter since they all can be revived, but – "

Cell paused for a moment, as his advanced hearing had enabled him to recently overhear a portion of Gohan's conversation with his mother and grandfather that had been of great relevance.

" – I think there might be benefits to this beyond the immediate," Cell said.

Cell then refocused his manner of communication.

"_King Kai, it would be very appreciated if you and King Yemma could give everyone among our friends in Heaven their full bodies back,"_ Cell psychically said. _"This 'tail thing,' quite frankly, is a bunch of nonsense."_

'_Otherworld's policies – '_

"_Thank you for making exceptions to them earlier, and now, we'd like one more,"_ Cell psychically said, interrupting him.

'_As with the other requests, I need to think about this one,'_ King Kai psychically said.

Cell briefly looked disgusted at the response, and he truly was, as he had hoped that King Kai would have granted the request without a second thought. Certainly, it seemed less controversial a request than restoring Vegeta and Broly's bodies – and they had been fully restored, at that! Besides, even his counterpart had been granted his full body!

Broly noticed that Cell's facial expression had unexpectedly gained an appearance of frustration, and he decided to walk toward him.

"What's up, Cell?" Broly asked.

In a hushed voice, Cell responded.

"Foolishness," Cell said.

"It's about their legs, isn't it?" Broly said, also in a hushed tone. "I kind of figured that's what you were talking about because of what you were saying to Bulma. King Kai is being unreasonably resistant, isn't he?" Broly asked.

"Those perceptions are all fairly reflective of reality, yes," Cell said.

"Let's see if we can get him to adjust his perspective," Broly said, while he placed his right hand on Cell's left shoulder, then spoke aloud. "Hey King Kai, I get a request for helping kick the evil Cell's ass in the afterlife, don't I?"

'_You already got your body back; don't you think that's enough of a reward?'_ King Kai psychically asked.

"Well, he did give you your body back, and he let you keep it," Cell said, right before Popo placed his left hand on Cell's right shoulder, as he wanted to also hear King Kai's words.

"I never personally requested for either of those liberties, although I am very grateful for them," Broly said. "However, King Kai, I died trying to defend this universe from the evil Cell, and I haven't personally requested anything from you. The requests others made benefited me, and now, I'd like to make a request to benefit people other than myself. I'd like you to enable all these people to have the dignity they deserve. I'm not even asking this for everyone in Heaven, just all who are here. Also, think about it, King Kai; if I can have my full body, they should be able to have theirs, too."

'_We decided long ago that this was the form appropriate for those who merely were friends and family of esteemed warriors,' _King Kai psychically said. _'We wanted what we felt would be a reasonable way to distinguish them from those of the highest accomplishment."_

'_If I may interject, King Kai, I also believe they should be given their bodies back entirely, even though Shenron can revive them,' _Popo psychically said._ 'With all due respect, many of the people here did have noteworthy accomplishments in their lives. Besides, in their long-run experiences in Otherworld, they deserve to have the enjoyment and mental satisfaction of fully having their bodies, if they so choose. I agree with Cell and Broly – this is a position that should be changed for all similarly-situated persons in Heaven, but I'm not asking you to make that change. Just make it for these worthy individuals. After all, I find they rank fairly high on the pecking order, especially since many citizens of the Earth have nowhere near the level of achievement that even these good people have had. I've served many guardians of Earth with earnest, King Kai. If combining my request with Broly's own is what it will take for you to give them their full bodies back, then so be it.'_

"_Oh, alright,"_ King Kai psychically said. _"And … hey, wait a minute. Can I at least get a joke out of this?"_

Cell rolled his eyes.

"_What level of inanity do you require for this joke?" _Cell psychically asked.

"_A high one. Definitely a high one," _King Kai psychically said.

Cell thought for a moment, then responded.

"_Why didn't Captain Ginyu ever use his body-change technique on Frieza or any of his family members?" _Cell psychically asked.

"_I don't know! Why?" _King Kai psychically asked.

"_Because he didn't want to be Cold!" _Cell psychically said.

King Kai burst out in hysteria, then after a few moments, calmed himself.

"_Okay! I'll contact Yemma," _King Kai psychically said.

After a few moments, a bright light quickly engulfed the area, then dissipated. Following the dissipation, Cell looked toward Bulma and the others, observing the fact that indeed, their legs were visible.

"Ah! It feels great to be on my own two feet!" Oolong said.

"Whatever, I'm still an airhead!" Puar said. "Get it? I'm still floating in the air!"

"Splendid," Cell said. "Bulma, may we now begin?"

"I guess you did all that because you wanted me to be able to actually sit down, right?" Bulma asked.

"I just wanted you to be as comfortable as possible while I use my mind-reading technique," Cell said. "I'm going to need you to relax your mind so I can broadly analyze it. You'll know if I need you to concentrate on something specific. At certain times throughout the session, I'm going to psychically ask you to focus on specific thoughts, feelings, ideas, and memories."

"This sounds like it will be fairly interesting," Bulma said. "Let's walk over to that hill over there so we can better concentrate, and so everyone else here can chat while we're doing what we need to do."

"Sounds logical," Cell said.

"Trunks, Vegeta, everyone, we'll be right back," Bulma said, with a wave of her left hand.

The hill Bulma had selected was about 20 meters away, and at about seven meters into their venture there, Bulma suddenly began to snicker.

"What's up?" Cell asked.

"Oh, I just find this whole situation to be highly ironic," Bulma said.

"How so?" Cell asked. "Is it because of the fact I look – and very much was made to be – exactly like my counterpart, and yet here we are, in Heaven?"

"That, and … well, … I had been working so long to defeat the androids that the fact the Earth of our timeline was ultimately saved by one amazes me. I'll tell you, Cell, I think Trunks really does consider you to be a friend."

Cell thought about these comments for a moment, then responded.

"I've perceived that he has just regarded me as an ally, as opposed to someone he'd actually want to have as a friend," Cell said. "After all, the poor guy spent his entire conscious life fighting evil, especially the androids, such as myself. He's never actually truly known peace. I feel like I've in many ways been a reminder of pain and anguish for him. Hell, I look just like my bastard counterpart – I'm sure he hates the fact I look just like the monster who killed his parents and prevented one of them from being able to be revived."

"Probably, but the fact remains that you're not him," Bulma said. "Remember, Cell, before you arrived in our timeline, you saved past-me from being killed. Trunks has told me many times how grateful he was that you did that. Also, Cell, well, call it a mother's intuition, but I can tell when he respects and admires someone. There's a certain tone of voice and enthusiasm he has, and before Gohan died the first time, he only acted that way around him. Then, I noticed this many times when he was talking with Vegeta – the same attitude of respect and admiration. For me, he acts slightly different from that because I'm his mother. But there's only one other person toward whom I've seen him show that type of admiration and respect that he's shown Gohan and Vegeta."

Cell was legitimately surprised.

"Me?" Cell asked.

"Yes," Bulma said. "And well, he did tell me, close to the end of the 40-day period after he killed 17 and 18 and before the both of you confronted the evil-you for the first time, that he considers you a friend."

"I wonder if he still does, after all that's happened in his life since then," Cell said. "Bulma, I've … well, I've thought about what this timeline might have been like had I not come here. You probably would all have been better off."

"Maybe so, but there's no way of truly knowing, is there?" Bulma asked. "One thing is for sure – Trunks probably would be nowhere near as strong as he is now had you not come to this timeline."

"And Goku would still exist," Cell said.

Bulma despondently reflected upon the comment.

"Nothing in this universe, this timeline, or any of the others is perfect, but we need to overcome the hardships, the sadness, and the pain to enable there to be a better day," Bulma said. "I used to tell myself something like that back when 17 and 18 were rampaging across the Earth, knowing that with perseverance and dedication, there was potential for a positive change. Cell, while there are some things that we cannot change, we must do all we can, despite all we've faced and an uncertain future, to fight with pride and honor against adversity. After you return to Timeline III, keep those words with you. I know that Trunks will remember the sentiment in all he does here."

"And Broly will, too," Cell said. "In fact, I think that after I depart this timeline, the two of them could become great friends."

"They'll bond over the many times they'll spar, just as you and Trunks did while waiting to face your counterpart," Bulma said. "Besides, it seems like he'll be a big help to the Earth."

"He just needed to be given a chance," Cell said. "If there's one thing unequivocally positive about my coming to this timeline, it might be that it enabled another who had been repressed like I was to truly have the opportunity for a real life of peace, and not one of isolation. Besides, I'm sure he'll like the food on Earth."

"If he's anything like Goku had been when it comes to food, I'm sure he'll like it," Bulma said. "Now, let me give you all the knowledge I can. Which subjects, specifically, are you going to want to know about?"

"Physics, of course, especially with regard to time travel, quantum mechanics, special relativity, and all you know about black holes," Cell said. "Other than that, I'd also like to learn everything you know about chemistry, biology, immunology, calculus and other advanced mathematics, astronomy, oceanography, climatology, electrochemistry, and tautology."

Bulma laughed a bit upon hearing the last element of that series.

"I assume you obviously aren't being serious about that last one, right?" Bulma asked.

"Correct," Cell said, with a grin.

"Cell, I hope you can appreciate just how fortunate you are that you're able to absorb knowledge the way you can," Bulma said. "Everything you're about to learn took significant work and dedication for me to learn, especially regarding all I learned not from preexistent understandings, but through all the research and development I personally conducted. You're about to skip a lifetime of learning so you can be all the more capable. I of course understand why it's important to let you learn what I know, but … well, … I just hope you're grateful about the fact you have your remarkable ability to acquire knowledge. So many across the universe would do just about anything to acquire that single ability alone, and yet it is one among a remarkable many you have."

"I'm more than aware of how special an ability it is," Cell said. "I have memories of all whose traits were incorporated into my design, after all, and so in a way, I do personally know what it's like to undergo the struggle to learn more, to have adventures of uncovering new understandings, and to relish in discovery, all without having the option of acquiring knowledge through mind-reading. I have infinite respect for all who earnestly pursue the path of learning in the traditional way. If I had the time to do so, I, too, would want to learn all this information the traditional way. Ever since my enlightenment, I've been … quite humbled about all I can do because of advantages I was given. I in no way deserved to be created with this ability, but since I have it, and since I can use it benevolently, I might as well do so."

"I'm glad to hear you appreciate the value of learning things the 'real' way," Bulma said. "When you get back to Timeline III, I think it would be a good idea for you to try learning something truly significant without using your mind-reading technique. Are you up for that?"

"You have my word that I shall," Cell said. "And shall we begin?"

"Yep," Bulma said.

Bulma then sat down and began to relax in a meditative manner.

Cell then sat down as well, although he needed to bend the upper portion of his body forward so as to accommodate his jet-black wings. The adjustment needed to be made since his wings were such that when he stood straight, they extended far past his waistline, with their tips extending quite past his knees.

This particular aspect of his design was one that Cell found to be at least a little bit humorous, especially because of what it showed about Dr. Gero's ignorance regarding certain aspects of life. After all, Dr. Gero had made Cell's design so perfect that he couldn't even properly sit down without bending forward unless he had a relatively tall chair or similar item.

"Alright Bulma, please close your eyes and relax your mind," Cell said, as she and he both closed their eyes. "Now, relax your breathing."

She complied, and Cell then calmly reached forward with both of his hands and placed them atop her head.

As he had asked her to do, Bulma had relaxed her mind, enabling him to observe and analyze the various elements of knowledge she had given him permission to acquire. As he had been part of Future Cell when Future Cell had forcibly tried absorbing Bulma's knowledge against her will, he knew what it was like to experience the sensation of resistance when performing the mind-reading technique – and by no means was he experiencing that sensation now.

Instead, he felt a wondrous rush of knowledge, flowing all throughout Bulma's amazing mind and becoming adapted by his own. If an analogy could be used to describe the sensation, it was as if Bulma's resistance had caused Future Cell to observe merely a dim twilight, whereas Cell was experiencing a radiant light shining as bright as the Earth's sun.

As Cell continued to absorb Bulma's knowledge, for indeed, this was to be a lengthy process, the others in the vicinity were readily conversing with each other.

At one point in their conversation, Mr. Popo mentioned to Vegeta his ability to consume energy attacks, which very much intrigued Vegeta, who wanted to see this ability firsthand.

Many watched as Vegeta transformed into his basic form of Super Saiyan, then jumped back so he was about 10 meters from Popo.

"Alright, Popo, show me what you can do!" Vegeta said, as he launched a basic ki blast at the genie. Popo effortlessly swallowed the blast, to Vegeta's amazement.

A moment later, he belched up a plume of smoke, then smiled.

"That's quite an ability!" Vegeta said, while powering down from Super Saiyan.

"With thousands of years of combat experience, one learns a few things along the way," Popo said.

A few minutes later, Launch approached Broly, at a moment in which he was standing relatively alone and merely looking at the scenery. She had finally worked up the courage to speak with him, and he then redirected his attention toward her, formally acknowledging her for the first time.

Launch felt nervous, but she tried not to show it, instead deciding to speak with a tone of apparent confidence.

"I … wanted to let you know that I think you were really brave for fighting the evil Cell," Launch said, as she pleasantly smiled.

He realized that while he had seen her amongst the group, he had never personally spoken with her before. He found her voice to be melodious, and he was thankful for her gratitude.

"Fighting that creep was something I was proud to do," Broly said. "Unfortunately, we died, but hey, as I said before, I'm looking forward to going back to Earth."

"As am I! I'm Launch, by the way," she said.

"Launch, huh? As in, 'launching' a spaceship?" Broly asked, amiably.

"I suppose so!" Launch said, as she smiled in response.

He indeed found that she had a pleasant smile. "Good" Launch had been rather fortunate that her overall appearance had not changed overly much from what it had been at about the time that Raditz had come to Earth. It was perhaps the dynamic lifestyle of her other half that had kept their body in a state of relatively good physical fitness, and while "Bad" Launch typically preferred eating food that wasn't particularly healthy, "Good" Launch had counterbalanced this with a variety of healthier choices. She hadn't been exempt from aging altogether, but as had been true of Bulma, whatever aging had occurred had made her seem all the more graceful.

"So, how did you meet all these people?" Broly asked.

"Well, I – achoo!"

She had suddenly sneezed as a result of pollen from the meadow's flowers passing in the gentle breeze, and Broly watched with amazement as her hair shifted in color, becoming blonde.

Launch's aggressive state had reemerged, and she was now looking upon Broly, whose look of amazement at what had happened had not subsided.

"Woah! Do that again!" Broly excitedly said.

"Do what again?" Launch asked, with her brasher accent, as her "Bad" personality had not experienced the past many minutes.

"You changed the color of your hair, just like a Super Saiyan!" Broly said. "Are you … a Super Human?"

Launch quickly realized, based on what Broly had said, what had happened. She had become more than well aware of her personality shifts, as well as the accompanying changes in hair color, as a result of various people over the years making comments to her, as well as one instance in which she'd seen proof of this through watching a video that had been recorded via a security camera of a bank she'd been in the middle of robbing when she'd suddenly sneezed. Indeed, she had only seen the video because after "Good" Launch had left the bank, she had sneezed, prompting "Bad" Launch to reenter and steal not just the money, but the video evidence.

"When the blonde hair appears, the bad-ass adventures begin!" Launch said, as she very briefly twirled some of her hair with her right hand.

It was at that point that she got a much better look at Broly, quite suddenly becoming captivated by his appearance. She then noticed that they were standing alone, relatively away from the others. This led her to wonder if her other half had really approached him for the purpose that "Bad" Launch was thinking she had.

"Bad" Launch then thought to herself that if this was in fact so, her other half had proven herself to have good taste.

"Adventures?" Broly asked, with a sense of intrigue. "What kind of adventures?"

Launch smiled at the fact he wanted to hear more, and upon noticing that her legs had been restored, she began to walk closer to the Legendary Super Saiyan.

Over the next 15 minutes, while Broly and Launch were talking – at times heartily laughing – with each other, Cell was continuously absorbing more and more knowledge from Bulma.

Bulma, after all, had much to offer.

He then told Bulma to concentrate specifically on her knowledge regarding time travel, and after a preliminary examination, he began acquiring it.

However, shortly after he began to acquire the time travel knowledge, he suddenly opened his eyes.

To his ineffable surprise, he was beyond shocked by what he had learned, so much so that this had almost broken his concentration, although he had managed to maintain the connection. Never in his wildest imaginations had he thought that what he was learning to be true could possibly be so, and yet this was, in fact, the knowledge that Bulma had used to develop the time machine.

The revelation of what he was learning was of such surprise that Cell came to appreciate the fact that Bulma really hadn't been bluffing when she had told Future Cell that no matter how much effort he committed to the endeavor, he would never successfully ascertain the principles of time travel on his own.

Cell then closed his eyes again, concentrating on the numerous surprises and outright hyperboles of thought. After about 10 further minutes of absorbing Bulma's knowledge of time travel and other subjects, he then calmly ended the session, then opened his eyes while relinquishing his hands from atop Bulma's head.

She noticed the shift, then opened her eyes as well.

"So, what do you think?" Bulma asked.

"I'm beyond astounded," Cell said. "Everything … seems much clearer to me now."

"Good!" Bulma said.

"While the idea that I'm 'perfect' is one I've long since discarded, the fact I ever believed that is even more laughable now as a result of all I've learned from you," Cell said. "And Bulma, regarding what I learned about time travel, I – "

"Cell, please listen," Bulma said, interrupting him. "What you just found out … it's, … well, it's remarkable, isn't it?"

"That wouldn't even begin to describe it," Cell said.

"I think you'll understand, then, that you must keep this knowledge a secret," Bulma said. "I almost always believe in freedom of information, but with this … you can understand why I feel this way, right?"

"I believe so," Cell said. "My counterpart never stood a chance at figuring all this out on his own."

"That's for sure," Bulma said. "The only person you can share all this with is me from the alternate past, okay?"

"I absolutely promise," Cell said. "The knowledge, though, has given me a quite interesting idea … yes, I do plan to implement it."

"If I may ask, what does it involve?" Bulma asked.

Cell then whispered to Bulma what he was planning, and she looked and sounded amazed by the proposition.

"A cool idea, right?" Cell asked.

"Definitely," Bulma said.

"Now, let's get back to the others," Cell said. "On the way, I'll make some final assessments regarding what I learned, and then, I'll know for sure if our situation has changed."

They walked back to the group, and over the 20 meters of distance, Cell extensively considered the various implications of all he learned.

When they arrived, Cell had finished making his assessments.

"I'm pleased to announce that I've learned much from Bulma, and I want to thank her for everything she enabled me to learn," Cell said. "With this knowledge, I'm confident that I can do much more than I ever could before, although as I expected, even with Bulma's vast knowledge, I still am unaware of how to achieve certain things we wanted to see if I could learn through absorbing Bulma's knowledge and combining it with my advanced understandings of the Dragon Balls. I am still unaware of how to recover objects from a black hole, how to bring back into existence someone or something that left it, and how to incorporate into a set of Dragon Balls the power to revive those who have died more than once. Therefore, we unfortunately still will not be able to restore many who lost their lives. However, I am confident based on what I learned from Bulma that the set of Dragon Balls I intend to create will be far stronger in many ways than those that existed before. Among the many understandings I gained from Bulma, I also now have the ability to create a Dragon Radar, which will be of great assistance. In fact, there is one more item that would be of extreme assistance – Korin, may I please acquire your knowledge regarding Senzu Beans?"

"Sure, why not?" Korin said, as he walked toward Cell, with Cell then kneeling to place his right hand on Korin's head.

After about 30 seconds, Cell relinquished his hand.

"Thanks much, Korin," Cell said.

"Giving the Earth some Senzu Beans again will do a lot of good," Korin said. "That was some good thinking."

"I'll use the knowledge I gained from you to generate new ones and then teach Trunks and Broly how to grow them," Cell said. "By the way, don't forget that we can revive you, if you'd like. While the Earth's Dragon Balls cannot revive those who died more than once, Dende enabled them to be able to revive those who died more than one standard year ago. As 17 and 18 killed you more than one standard year ago, and as you've died only once, you can be revived, although this will require an entire wish. Even though we have three wishes with Shenron because of the modifications Dende made to the Earth's Dragon Balls, I have three other wishes in mind. Also, with my plans for the new set of Dragon Balls, I have something else in mind for the three wishes when I summon the dragon for that purpose. Korin, with my sincerest apologies, would you mind being in Otherworld for one more standard year?"

"No problem," Korin said. "Let me tell you, the sushi up here is amazing. I wouldn't mind some more of that for another year, especially since you're going to plant a new crop of Senzu beans and don't need my further help with that."

"Thank you for understanding," Cell said. "On the subject of wishes, I believe that now would be an auspicious time to reactivate Shenron and make the revival wish, among others. Trunks, would you like to join me?"

"Of course," Trunks said.

"Wait, Cell," Gohan said, causing Cell and Trunks to redirect their attention toward him.

"What is it, Gohan?" Cell asked.

"Go ahead mom; tell him," Gohan said.

Chi-Chi walked forward, then after a sigh, she made her feelings known.

"Gohan, his grandfather, and I had a long talk about the fact that if you make the wish to revive all who were killed by the evil-you, our family would be separated even further," Chi-Chi said. "Because Gohan can't be revived, I don't want to go back to Earth and leave Gohan again, especially since there's almost nothing truly there for me anymore."

"That's why Chi-Chi and I want to stay here," Ox-King said. "Why should I leave my grandson when I could choose to stay here with him? I've lived long enough; now, I'm comfortable with staying here."

Cell let a few moments linger before responding.

"Are the two of you absolutely sure you don't want to be revived?" Cell asked.

"We're positive," Chi-Chi said.

"It's noble of you to both want to stay," Trunks said.

"I tried to talk them both out of it, but I understand why they want to do this," Gohan said. "Mom, Grandpa, this is what family is truly for, right?"

"Right," Chi-Chi said, right before running over to Gohan and giving him a hug. Ox-King, with his massive reach, then bear-hugged them both.

Their affection for each other, and all they had said, prompted Trunks to look toward his mother and father. One had died more than once, while the other could be revived. His father had no choice as to what to do, but his mother, quite to the contrary, did.

"Mother, father, we also need to talk," Trunks said. "Cell, I'll need a few minutes."

"Understood," Cell said.

Trunks, Bulma, and Vegeta walked about 10 meters away from the group and remained standing.

"Trunks, I think it's quite obvious why you wanted to talk with us," Bulma said. "You wanted to see if I was planning on staying here in Otherworld with your father, isn't that right?"

Trunks was in no way surprised that his mother had perceived that, and he nervously smiled.

"Yes," he said, while redirecting his attention toward Vegeta.

"Your mother is the only one among us who has a choice, after all," Vegeta said. "But I hope she makes the decision I want her to make, and that is to stay on Earth with you."

Trunks was awestruck by Vegeta's comment.

"You … really think so, father?" Trunks asked.

"Of course," Vegeta said. "You deserve her to be there for you, and she deserves to continue being able to be there for you. The fact I'm here shouldn't compel your mother to stay, despite the fact that I love her now more than I ever have."

Bulma instantly blushed.

"Do you really mean that, Vegeta?" she asked.

"I do," Vegeta said. "Despite being apart for about 20 years, I ironically feel closer to you now than I ever have. All you've done for our son was crucial toward enabling him to become a true Saiyan warrior and glorify the Saiyan race through his own victories. A child can bring people together out of mutual pride in that child, and this has certainly happened. And what's more is that after my 20-year absence, even though it seemed relatively instantaneous to me and was of burdensome length for you, your feelings for me remained. Your loyalty and love are beyond question, Bulma."

"Vegeta, … I couldn't be happier right now," Bulma said.

"Oh, I think I could make you happier," Vegeta said, with a clearly seductive grin.

Trunks once again blushed out of relative disbelief that his father had so openly alluded to such things, while he could have sworn he heard Cell laughing in the background.

"Vegeta! Not in front of Trunks!" Bulma said.

"Why would we do that in front of Trunks?" Vegeta asked, causing Trunks to blush even more and Cell's laughter to redouble.

"I meant, don't say such things in front of him!" Bulma said.

"Alright," Vegeta said, with a pleasant smile.

"Now, on to a more pertinent subject, I want to say what I was thinking even before you made your opinion known regarding what I should do," Bulma said. "It would be untrue to say that I hadn't put a lot of thought into this. Ultimately, though, you and I were thinking on the same wavelength, Vegeta. I am going to go back to Earth. Besides, there's a lot I can do to help restore our world, and I don't want to miss out on that opportunity."

"Well then, Bulma, I'll hope to see you again as much time from now as possible," Vegeta said.

"Of course," Bulma said.

"Actually, I think we can get our cake and eat it, too, with this one," Trunks said. "Mother, because of Instant Transmission, I can bring you along with me to Otherworld whenever we want to visit."

Bulma and Vegeta were more than pleasantly surprised by the revelation. Indeed, it seemed that their family wouldn't truly be separated again, after all.

"That's amazing, Trunks!" Bulma said.

"And good thinking," Vegeta said.

"We'll need to meet here, because the gravity on King Kai's planet and Grand Kai's planet is a bit strong for mother," Trunks said. "But yes, we can make that work."

"Excellent," Vegeta said. "Meanwhile, I'll be training with the fighters here so I can increase my strength. It's what Kakarot would want me to do."

"Well, it's only because of Goku that I can use Instant Transmission, and so that's yet another way among many that he's helped our family," Trunks said.

"Alright, kid. I'll be seeing you very soon," Bulma said. "You and Cell should go do what you need to do."

"I'm looking forward to accomplishing it," Trunks said.

However, before he left, he took a moment to hug his father.

"I'm looking forward to visiting you soon, father," Trunks said. "Thanks for everything."

"No Trunks, thank you," Vegeta said, as he released his son from his embrace.

Trunks then waved his parents goodbye and jogged toward Cell.

When he arrived near Cell, his former foe was quite ready with a plan.

"You should go to Earth alone, Trunks, and then I'll instant transmit toward you after a few minutes, when you'll expectedly be far away from the cities," Cell said. "I'd rather avoid scaring the crap out of anyone upon my return."

"Sounds reasonable," Trunks said.

"Trunks!" Gohan yelled, right as he finished jogging toward him. "Good luck, little bro'."

"Gohan, without you, none of this would have been possible," Trunks said. "I'll be visiting Otherworld via Instant Transmission, and when I'm up here, I expect to have some great sparring matches with you."

"Great sparring matches? Trunks, at this point, if we ever sparred, you'd kick the crap out of me!" Gohan said.

"Come on, Gohan, I won't even transform!" Trunks said.

"That'll make it even more embarrassing if I lose!" Gohan said. "But alright. If Vegeta could spar a bit with you that way, so can I."

"It shall be fun," Trunks said, right before addressing the group as a whole. "Thank you all, for everything."

They smiled with hope as Trunks focused on an energy signature located on Earth. Within seconds, Trunks disappeared from view, ready to take further action to revive Shenron.

Many meters away, Bulma and Vegeta were enthralled by each other's eyes.

"Bulma, I have one question for you," Vegeta said.

"What, my handsome warrior?" she asked, as she ardently embraced him.

"How did you manage to remain so hot after all these years?" he asked.

"Taking care of that crazy kid, and having to stay healthy so I could effectively fight those damn androids, did wonders for my youthful charm," Bulma said.

"Damn right," Vegeta said.

"You know, that halo atop your head actually makes you look kind of cute," Bulma said.

"Shut up, woman," Vegeta said, as he began to passionately kiss her.

She returned the kiss eagerly, loving every moment of it.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Earth, North City, Age 786 …_

Trunks emerged from hyperspace next to a solitary man amongst the rubble of what had once been a proud city. Right after Future Cell had obliterated West City, he had focused his rampage against North City, blasting apart the remaining buildings and terrorizing the remaining populace, with the goal of being thorough in absorbing or killing all the remaining humans.

However, it seemed he had indeed unintentionally missed at least one.

The man looked relatively famished, and his clothes were severely tattered.

While the main had become afraid after Trunks had seemingly appeared from nowhere, he was too weak to quickly run away. Instead, because of how weak he had become, he merely looked at Trunks with fear.

Trunks very quickly noticed this, and he began to do the best he possibly could to calm the man down.

He then realized that he was able to sense a significant cluster of energy signatures to the South, which at first greatly surprised him, although he soon realized the plausibility of the situation.

The energy detectable from the directions of West City and Orange Star City also was extremely minimal. While the cluster of readily detectable energy signatures indeed was to the South, the overall presence of energy signatures farther to the South was far less.

Trunks theorized that Future Cell had developed an attack pattern against Earth's remaining major cities, starting with an arc from West City to North City to Orange Star City, and then completing the "circle" via an attack on South City. However, it seemed that Future Cell had been planning to attack Central City last among the five major cities, probably out of the mentality that he would attack the "core" after the "outer perimeter" had been completely destroyed. The mass of energy signatures Trunks was sensing hence was likely in Central City.

It had been fortunate for the man that Trunks had quite improbably detected and then instant transmitted toward his energy signature, as opposed to one among the cluster of Central City's energy signatures. However, Trunks was well aware that improbability did not equate to impossibility. He told the man that he intended to transport him instantaneously to Central City so that he could get help there, and after a few moments of resistance, the man agreed.

Trunks placed his right hand on the man's left shoulder, then instant transmitted toward the significant cluster of energy signatures.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Earth, Central City, Age 786 …_

Central City, however, also was no utopia.

Just like the other four major cities on Earth, it had been largely ravaged by 17 and 18. However, it had not suffered the finishing sweep of madness that Future Cell had unleashed upon it, such that there still were many people there, with some major buildings still standing.

The city had ironically been spared Future Cell's wrath because Future Cell had chosen to remain in South City until Trunks and Gohan returned from space, and after he had thought he killed them and Broly, he had then transmitted to Planet Oritov, and then to New Namek. The final battles after Future Cell's return to Earth also had occurred far away from Central City.

Trunks and the man emerged from instant transmission to the surprise of a group of people on a city street, and Trunks very quickly asked them for the location of the nearest medical facility.

Upon taking the man to the medical facility and being assured that the facility did, in fact, have the proper resources to take care of him, Trunks flew into the air and accelerated southwest toward the Sacred Land of Korin, and hence the Guardian's Lookout. Korin's Tower, which historically had been located directly beneath the Lookout, had been almost entirely destroyed after 17 and 18 had killed Korin, although because of the relatively arbitrary nature of their attacks, 17 and 18 had merely damaged, but not destroyed, the Lookout.

A few minutes into his flight, he sensed Cell's energy signature suddenly appear close to his own.

He stopped midflight, and saw Cell in the distance.

After waving for Cell to catch up to him, Trunks began to speed toward the Lookout again, with Cell catching up a few seconds later.

When they were side-by-side, Trunks made his thoughts known to his compatriot.

"It feels weird being here without some asshole trying to destroy the place," Trunks said.

"That's relatively unsurprising," Cell said. "Let's be thankful that a time of peace has at last been achieved."

"Well, I'm not going to take anything for granted," Trunks said. "Anything could happen, and Broly and I will have to be prepared for anything."

"That strategy is quite wise," Cell said.

After many more minutes, the Lookout came within view.

Trunks and Cell angled their flight paths upward, and after sometime soaring upward, the reached the top of the Lookout, then landed upon it.

"According to Popo, Shenron's Dragon Model should be relatively close to where it was when we last reactivated him," Cell said.

"I feel like we were just here, doing this exact same thing," Trunks said. "However, I know the circumstances are very different now."

"Unfortunately," Cell said, as he began to walk toward the chambers atop the Lookout's surface platform.

They had been extremely fortunate that throughout 17 and 18's siege, and in Future Cell's recent actions against Earth, Shenron's Dragon Model had remained intact.

After a few moments, Cell emerged from the chambers with Shenron's Dragon Model, then placed it on the Lookout's surface.

Just as Dende had done beforehand, at a time that felt as though it was quite some time ago, Cell flexed his fingers apart from each other while his palms faced the dragon model, which had remained encased in a clear dome.

After a few seconds, and while concentrating on what he had learned, Cell began to perform the mystic chant that was necessary for Shenron's reactivation.

He had learned the Namekian language from the memory inheritance processes that had enabled him to acquire Piccolo's memories through having his cells incorporated within him, and as a result of all he had learned from Dende, Moori, and Guru, his dialect now was much more reflective of the modern form of the language as it had been most recently spoken by most of the residents of the former Planet New Namek.

[Translated] "Shenron, hear me! Be revived with the power to bring excellence to this world again! Enable us to be graced with your blessings, and may your ability to grant such miraculous feats be restored through the energy I am willingly sharing with you! Now, after their dormancy, may the Dragon Balls assigned to your glory be restored!"

As Cel had said the reactivation chant, his hands had started to glow with a shimmering hue of white.

Streams of engilded light then began to radiate from Shenron's dragon model, with the area around the model darkening as it would have had Shenron been summoned.

A radiant beam of light then shot up from the dragon model and through its surrounding dome. Seconds later, it split into seven parts, with each rushing in great alacrity toward one of the Dragon Balls of Shenron's set, which had been scattered across the Earth's surface after the recent wishes that had been made.

After a few moments, and with the sky above the Lookout becoming blue again, Cell relaxed his hands.

"It's done," he said, with a grin of satisfaction. "Shenron's set of Dragon Balls has been reactivated."

"Awesome," Trunks said. "So, are you going to need to build a Dragon Radar, or can you combine all you learned from my mother with your Magic Materialization abiliy?"

"Open your right palm, and you'll see," Cell said, as Trunks obliged.

With a moment of concentration, and then a quick emission of light from his right palm, a Dragon Radar suddenly appeared right above Trunks' right palm, which he quickly caught.

He turned the device on, and sure enough, its scanning capability was evident, as seven golden spheres appeared on its tracking screen.

"I'm going to go get them," Trunks said. "Cell, if you go to South City, I'll meet you there. After all that happened in the battles against your counterpart in South City, I think it would be more than appropriate that we summon Shenron there. Also, after we wish our friends back, we'll be able to see them as soon as they return."

"A nice idea, Trunks," Cell said, as he waved to his friend, then jumped upward from the surface of the Lookout and darted toward the south east.

Trunks then used the Dragon Radar in conjunction with his energy-sensing abilities to focus on an energy signature close to the first Dragon Ball he wanted to find, and after a few moments, he entered hyperspace, eager to see a Dragon Ball in its active form again.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Earth, South City, Age 786 …_

About one standard hour and 15 minutes later, with the sun rising over the ruins of South City, Cell saw Trunks emerge from Instant Transmission with the last Dragon Ball he had need to acquire of Shenron's set – the Six-Star ball, to be specific.

Cell and Trunks then discussed the wishes they wanted to make, and after a minute ascertaining the exact form in which they wanted to make the wishes, Trunks placed the Six-Star ball down amongst the others.

They had briefly considered whether asking Shenron to locate the energy signatures in Otherworld of early keepers of Porunga's set of Dragon Balls might be worthwhile for the purpose of gaining access to any information that might be available on Porunga's revival capacity, although Cell and Trunks decided that using a wish for this purpose would prove to be too risky. Regarding the available knowledge of Porunga's powers, Cell had shared with Trunks the tale that Guru had told him but which had not yet been communicated to Moori or anyone else among their friends and allies, and it was a tale that shocked Trunks, to say the least, enough so that it caused him to agree the wish likely would not lead to a successful inquiry and should not have as high priority as others. There indeed were three other wishes that they definitely wanted to make as soon as possible, and not being able to make any one of them would result in a loss of an opportunity to successfully revive as soon as possible all whom they could possibly revive who had been killed by Future Cell. With all these factors considered, and in knowing that Shenron could later be summoned for an inquiry into Porunga's powers – however likely the chance of the inquiry being unproductive, especially as a result of the tale that Guru had communicated – Cell and Trunks decided to pursue what they felt would be the most auspicious set of wishes for the time being.

Cell then placed his palms toward the Dragon Balls, and he took a moment to think of the significance of what he was about to do.

He, a former foe of Earth and the rest of the universe, had been blessed with grandiose abilities regarding the Dragon Balls, enabling them to again be used on behalf of benevolence across the universe. He had never imagined at the start of his life that he would ever become the keeper of a set of Dragon Balls, and honored by that wondrous distinction and responsibility. From Kami to Dende, and now from Dende to him, he had inherited a noble legacy of keepership over the Earth's Dragon Balls, the very same set upon which protection from the forces of malice, and fighting malevolent forces that had successfully used the set, had been Goku's goals for so long.

Indeed, one of Goku's key adversaries that he had needed to fight to prevent malicious use of the Dragon Balls had been the Red Ribbon Army, the very same organization for which Cell had been the paramount creation.

It was in a way highly ironic that while the Red Ribbon Army had never succeeded in using the Dragon Balls of Earth, Cell, who had been the ultimate soldier produced as a result of Dr. Gero's legacy efforts on behalf of the army, now was not only about to use the Dragon Balls for purposes widely different from those for which the army would have used them, but had actually become the person most responsible for the safety of the Earth's Dragon Balls.

In reflecting upon all of this, and acknowledging the value of what he was about to do, Cell spoke aloud a timeless phrase that would once again bless the universe with wonders.

"Eternal dragon, by your name, I summon you forth, Shenron!" Cell yelled aloud, as the Dragon Balls began to become all the more luminous in appearance.

A pillar of radiant energy erupted from the set, and as the sky above darkened, Shenron emerged from his sacred realm.

As Cell and Trunks gazed with pride at the fact that Shenron had at last been restored, Shenron's golden aura illuminated the remnants of South City with the potential for positive change.

"I HAVE RETURNED," Shenron boomed from far above. "I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE POWER TO GRANT YOU THREE WISHES AS A RESULT OF ACTIONS COMPLETED BEFORE MY PREVIOUS SUMMONING. CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY!"

"Shenron!" Cell yelled upward. "Before we make our wishes, I have a special request that I want to communicate to you. Right after we finish making our wishes and having them resolved, I'd like you to remain here for about a standard minute so I can show you something you will find quite interesting."

In all his many summonings, Shenron had never had any entity request such a thing of him, nor had he ever expected to receive such a prompt.

"THIS IS HIGHLY UNORTHODOX," Shenron said. "IT IS FORTUNATE FOR YOU THAT YOU DID NOT PHRASE THIS AS A WISH. I SHALL DO AS YOU HAVE ASKED."

"Thank you!" Cell said, as he motioned to Trunks to begin the first wish.

"Shenron!" Trunks yelled toward the glorious dragon. "In this single wish, please restore all the planets that the evil Cell of this timeline destroyed, and in that spirit of restoration, restore all the buildings, food and medical centers, and other infrastructure on Earth to the most pristine forms to which you can restore them, with the goal being to have them as they were before Androids 17 and 18 were unleashed, while exempting Dr. Gero's Laboratory from this wish!"

Shenron's eyes glowed while his powers reached across the universe, interacting with the various probability functions and properties of space-time in his effort to manipulate these elements to achieve the desired outcome of the wish.

All around them, Cell and Trunks saw the buildings of South City become consumed by flaring lights of energy, with the reconstructive processes occurring. Rubble was turning to integrity, and the city's form was becoming of greater and greater quality by the moment.

After a few minutes, Shenron's eyes returned to their normal luster.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Shenron said.

Before their next wish initiated, Cell opened a psychic communication with King Kai, as he wanted to ascertain exactly what had happened as a result of the wish. Cell had completely expected that Planet Oritov, the planet that Future Cell had destroyed right before arriving on Planet New Namek, would be restored. However, he also had wondered if the fact that at least one planet in normal space-time would be affected by the wish would prompt the ability to somehow also affect matter that had not been in normal space-time – indeed, he had wondered if somehow by making a wish that would bring back Planet Oritov if this would somehow also reconfigure the matter of Planet New Namek despite the fact it had been consumed by the black hole and was otherwise inaccessible by wish effects because it was outside the realm of normal-space time, which the Dragon Balls were not designed to properly interact with.

"King Kai, as I told you the approximate coordinates of the planet that my counterpart destroyed, I wanted to know if you have sensed a planet rematerialize around that location," Cell said.

"_I didn't get a good sensory fix on the planet in time, but as far as I know, it should have been restored,"_ King Kai psychically said.

"_Cell, this is Guru speaking,"_ he said, as per the fact his right hand was in contact with King Kai's left shoulder. _"I would not refrain from making the revival wish."_

"_I agree,"_ King Kai said. _"Yemma will be able to tell us that souls returned to that planet, and you'll be able to sense them."_

"Fair enough," Cell said. "King Kai, can you in any way sense a rematerialized Planet New Namek near the black hole, but not actually in contact with the event horizon or any region within the hole itself?

King Kai sensed for many moments, then responded.

"_I don't sense it,"_ King Kai said. _"Well, this is what were expecting, right?"_

"Unfortunately," Cell said. "Although now, we'll have the ability to make another wish. Shenron! For our second wish, please reassign the souls of all who were killed by my counterpart on Planet New Namek to Earth!"

Shenron's eyes began to glow, while he processed the wish in earnest.

While Cell had initially thought that no Namekians would be able to be revived as a result of Planet New Namek's unfavorable end, Krillin had indeed reminded him that just as had happened to him in response to his death on the original Planet Namek, his soul could be reassigned to Earth with a wish so that instead of being revived where he had died – in the void of space of the former Planet Namek – he would instead be revived on Earth.

Cell and Trunks had decided to include all the Namekians in the wish, as opposed to only those who could be revived by the Earth's Dragon Balls, out of the hope that one day, the revival capability that Porunga had possessed would be rediscovered. By incorporating all the Namekians into the wish, this would save another wish in the future from having to be used for this purpose.

Shenron's eyes again returned to their normal hue.

"YOUR SECOND WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Shenron said. "WHAT IS YOUR THIRD WISH?"

When considering exactly how to phrase the wishes, Cell and Trunks had realized that since Broly had technically been killed by Gohan, instead of Future Cell, a provision would need to be incorporated into the wish to accommodate this.

"For our third wish, please restore the lives of all who were killed by the evil Cell and Gohan, and because of their actions, with the exception of Chi-Chi and Ox-King," Trunks said. "Please do this in such a way that my mother's body will not be under the soil when she is revived, such that she will be able to be revived in peace! May they all be revived in peace!"

Shenron's eyes glowed again, and all around the Earth, Trunks and Cell could sense energy signatures reappearing.

In South City, close to where Cell and Trunks were standing, and hence also close to the Dragon Balls themselves, Broly rematerialized, as did the 14 Namekians who had died only once and whose souls had been reassigned to Earth with the second wish. A bit farther away, amongst the many whose lives were being restored, Bulma, Launch, Mr. Popo, Oolong, Puar, and Turtle also were restored to life.

Broly opened his eyes, then looked above in wonder.

"So that's an eternal dragon!" he exclaimed in excitement. "Shenron is even more majestic than I'd imagined!"

The Namekians stared above with wonder, as they had never before seen Shenron and were amazed by his appearance.

"YOUR THIRD WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Shenron said. "NOW … WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANTED TO SHOW ME?"

As Broly and the Namekians looked above, awestruck by Shenron's essence, almost everyone amongst those who had been revived did so as well.

Trunks, however, was focused on Cell. His friend had not told him exactly what he'd been planning to show Shenron, and now, he was about to find out.

"Shenron, before I show you what I intend to show you, as it is my honor to be the keeper of your set of Dragon Balls, I feel it would be appropriate for me to inform you that the eternal dragon of the former Planets Namek and New Namek, Porunga, has been lost to us because he is outside the realm of the universe as we know it," Cell said.

Shenron was alarmed by the revelation, but acknowledge appreciation for being informed of what had happened.

"I SHALL FOREVER REMEMBER HIM IN MY PRAYERS," Shenron said.

"As shall I," Cell said. "However, in his honor, and in your own, I wanted to show you the beginning of a new legacy."

Shenron watched as Cell's Super Perfect aura, with cascading golden flows of energy and lighting crackling all throughout its form, became readily apparent and audible.

Cell then raised his hands upward, and his energy skyrocketed, with his aura, and the lighting coursing through it, flickering vivaciously.

After many moments, a large sphere of blue light formed about one meter above Cell's hands, then split into seven smaller spheres of blue light, each 15 centimeters in diameter.

Suddenly, the light faded, and seven dark spheres were apparent.

Cell gently placed them on the ground, as he gradually relaxed his power.

"These are seven spheres of pure silver that I've created with my Magic Materialization ability, and they are the basis for what is to be a new set of Dragon Balls," Cell said. "I used a vast amount of power to make the silver within these spheres efficiently constructed and prepared for the moment in which they are to be transformed. While the basis for the Dragon Balls of your glory was a set of stone spheres, I've made these spheres out of silver because this element is nature's most efficient conductor of electricity, which shall enable this new set to be quite grand. Shenron, you shall always be of the utmost value to us, and now, your glory shall be enhanced through the fact that there shall be not just one, but two eternal dragons of Earth!"

"THIS WAS AN IMPRESSIVE BEGINNING," Shenron said. "IT SEEMS, THEN, THAT YOU'VE FOUND A WAY TO ENABLE A PLANET TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE SET OF DRAGON BALLS ASSIGNED TO IT."

"I consulted with Kami, Dende, Moori, and Guru – respected keepers of the Dragon Balls indeed – and through combining their knowledge with that of the remarkable scientist Bulma Brief, I've determined how to increase Earth's maximum Dragon Balls to two. Shenron, the new eternal dragon, again, is to be made in honor of you and Porunga. As you are the Dragon of Spirit, and as Porunga was the Dragon of Love, Law, and Dreams, so too shall the new dragon, Temnizziv, be the Dragon of Space and Time."

"MAY TEMNIZZIV'S GLORY BE INFINITE," Shenron said. "I WISH HIM AN EXCELLENT INITIATION. NOW, I SHALL BID YOU FAREWELL."

As Shenron's image began to dissipate, the sky erupted with a golden glow. The Dragon Balls of Earth then elevated from the ground, and upon reaching an apex together, each Dragon Ball then vaulted into the distance, to be dormant once more until summoned again.

As the darkened clouds faded, the sky returned to its normal hue, with South City's restructured form, and its revived inhabitants, welcoming the rays of the rising sun.

"That was amazing to see," Bulma said, as she eagerly walked toward the group.

"Mother!" Trunks said, as he ran toward her and hugged her – relatively lightly, of course, as per the need to have extreme restraint for his strength.

"It's good to see you, Trunks," she said, while releasing him from her mutual embrace. "And it looks like many of our friends are making their way toward us!"

Sure enough, they could see them approaching from the distance, amongst many other people who had been revived and who had been extremely interested in finding out more about what had happened.

Cell then addressed the Namekians, who had been quite fretful of him, to say the least.

"The evil version of me was killed, and I will not hurt you," Cell said. "Your world, Planet New Namek, unfortunately cannot be restored because it was consumed by a celestial object known as a black hole, from which nothing can be recovered. However, through using the Dragon Balls of Planet Earth, we were able to allow you to be revived here as opposed to at or near the black hole where New Namek had been. Only the 14 of you were revived because we do not possess the knowledge of how to revive those who have died more than once, an ability that was lost when Porunga's set of Dragon Balls was absorbed by the black hole. However, we wanted to at least give you the opportunity to live in peace, and so my friends, your lives have been restored. The Namekian people are of the highest esteem, and I am humbled by your presence."

"We are grateful to be here, then," one of the Namekians said. "Is there a place at which we can stay while we consider what to do next?"

"You can stay with me!" Bulma said, as Trunks nodded in approval.

"That's right – the wish to restore Earth's structures recreated the Capsule Corporation building, so you can, in fact, stay with us," Trunks said.

"Thank you both for your graciousness," the Namekian said.

"So, Cell … why did you choose to call the new eternal dragon Temni – I apologize, what was it, again?" Trunks asked.

"His name is to be Temnizziv," Cell said. "It's a portmanteau."

"What?" Broly asked. "Is that even a word in galactic standard?"

"It means that various words were combined to form the name, and the name still refers to the meanings of the words from which it was derived," Cell said. "As you might remember from what I said earlier, Temnizziv is to be the eternal dragon of Space and Time. The galactic standard word "temporal" is referenced in the first syllable of the name, and the word refers to worldly matters, especially those of time. The syllable "ni" is from the Namekian word "nilem," which roughly translates to "reality." As I've mentioned that I quite enjoy realigning that which was abused by malicious or misguided forces into purposes of beneficence, the syllable "zziv" is from the Arcosian word "eitrelzziv," which roughly translates to both the word "ascend" and the word "explore."

"Ah, so it's a symbolic name with significance for numerous cultures," Trunks said.

"Exactly," Cell said. "I'll need to spend the next many days actually coalescing all that must be manifested for the Dragon Balls to take true form, among which will be Temnizziv's design. I think you'll find the finished result to be rather unique."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it," Trunks said.

"Aside from working on preparing Temnizziv's model and Dragon Balls, I'm planning on working with you, your mother, Broly, and others to help accustom everyone on Earth to their present circumstances, and to make sure that everyone has what they need."

"This place sure does look better when it isn't profuse with buildings that are on fire," Broly said. "And – "

Broly interrupted himself, upon seeing her exit a building that she had apparently been revived within. She saw him, and she began running toward the group.

"Cell, I want you to unlock my potential," Broly said. "It will mean a lot to me if you do. I've got a good reason, trust me."

"Oh, so we can have a sparring match?" Trunks asked.

"Even more important than that," Broly said.

Cell placed his right hand above Broly's head, then initiated his Unlock Potential ability.

Cell's left arm and hand began to glow with a white aura, and a glowing white aura of energy then surrounded Broly, with visible energy waves flowing upward.

After a few moments, Cell relinquished his left hand from Broly's head, while Broly's body momentarily remained surrounded by a ghostly white aura indicative of the unlocked potential.

"Thanks, Cell," Broly said. "I actually do feel a bit stronger!"

"Well, good!" Cell said. "That's what the technique is supposed to do, after all."

Within seconds, "Bad" Launch arrived at the scene.

"How's it going, everyone?" Launch asked, right before focusing her attention on him, and showing a cheeky smile. "And how are you, Broly?"

"Couldn't be better," he said, as he walked forward, while Cell and Trunks were especially intrigued.

"So, you big lug, it's great seeing you alive and well," Launch said, as she stepped a bit closer.

"Right now, I feel even more alive," he said, upon which she smiled further. "So, I just got a big power-up I want to tell you about. Care to join me for a walk?"

"Sure," she said, while she placed her left arm around Broly's right, then began to walk with the Legendary Super Saiyan.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Oritov, Oritov City, Age 786 …_

Cell had sensed the energy signatures of the denizens of Planet Oritov from afar and had confirmed that they had indeed been successfully revived.

While he had not clearly sensed their jubilation, he would have beamed with pride at the crowds cheering throughout the streets of Oritov City, celebrating what they viewed as a miraculous occurrence.

The glistening white and silver buildings of Oritov City seemed all the brighter on that glorious day, which the people of Planet Oritov would remember as a day of utmost freedom, emphasizing the true valuation of life itself.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, West City, Age 786 …_

Almost exactly eight days after the wishes had been made with Shenron, Trunks finished putting his white gloves on, then opened the door of the main Capsule Corporation building.

After he stepped outside and closed the front door, Trunks launched into the air, then hovered above the city, waiting patiently for his compatriot to arrive.

Trunks had brought the Dragon Radar with him, and indeed, there was a clock feature of this particular radar, as per the way Cell had made it.

Trunks checked the time, and indeed, his compatriot was late.

He then transmitted a psychic message toward its intended recipient, hoping that he would answer.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, Elsewhere in West City, Age 786 …_

After the populace had learned of his heroism, and after many had seen an exhibition of his strength, he had been granted occupancy of a rather elaborate and ornate dwelling. Indeed, it was quite superior to the hut he'd had on Revia, which had merely been made out of wood, plants, and rock. In one way in particular, it was completely superior to the palace he'd lived in while on Kesess.

When he received the psychic message, he awoke with a bit of a startle, but the startle wasn't enough to wake her as well.

"_Broly, where are you, man?"_ Trunks psychically asked.

After a few moments, he became a bit more conscious. He looked to his right, and indeed, "Bad" Launch was still fast asleep. She had a smile on her face, and upon seeing this, he kissed her on the lips, which in the midst of her dreams caused her to smile even more.

He then rolled out of bed and stretched.

"_Broly?"_ Trunks psychically asked.

"_Trunks, you can sense my energy; you know damn well where I am!"_ Broly psychically said. _"I'll be right over there!"_

A few minutes later, he walked out the bedroom door and into a hallway. He'd had quite a time over the past many days, to say the least.

In that time, he'd learned of Launch's unique situation regarding her "Good" and "Bad" halves, and he had come to love them both.

He had in fact found it quite remarkable to learn that "Bad" Launch had decided to write an extensive note for her other half to see so she could know of all her experiences with Broly, and as a result of that note, "Good" Launch had been quite ready to explain everything to him. One note from "Bad" Launch turned into many more from "Good" to "Bad" and vice versa, and they had in fact become further united with each other through having a mutual love for Broly.

Through a series of notes, and in Broly inducing various sneezes in what on one evening became a sneeze fest, the three of them had in fact had a conversation together, with "Good" and "Bad" Launch communicating via notes, in which they discussed the situation and had determined that in light of the circumstances, what they were doing was quite acceptable.

After all, if Launch was to ever have a stable life of this kind, this truly was an appropriate form for it, and Broly was thankful that this particular aspect had been resolved quite well.

He opened the door to his domed dwelling, then flew upward toward the top of the city.

In a few moments, he was three meters from Trunks.

"Sorry for being late," Broly said.

"We don't want to keep him waiting much longer," Trunks said. "After all, today is the big day."

"Right," Broly said, as the two warriors began to fly toward the East.

After about 15 minutes of flight, they saw him above a plateau below.

He was hovering in the air in a meditative position, with two circular streams each of about 50 glowing rocks revolving around him, such that the "top" points in the streams were at 45-degree angles to Cell, and such that from afar, it would have appeared as though Cell was surrounded by an "X" shape.

While the rocks were each glowing blue in hue, the seven silver spheres were in a horizontal line in front of him and were glowing white.

Trunks and Broly then landed about two meters away from the horizontal line of silver spheres, such that Cell and the revolving rocks of meditation were on the opposite side of the line of silver spheres.

From what Cell had said over the previous days, silver was indeed nature's best conductor of electricity, and he felt that this, itself, would enable Temnizziv's Dragon Balls to become far more efficient and capable than Shenron's and Porunga's Dragon Balls regarding total processing capacity.

He had been gradually incorporating much of what he had learned from Bulma into his overall spiritual and magical manifestations of scientific applications, and suddenly, Cell opened his eyes.

They were glowing a brilliant azure hue, and he then used his psychic energy to move the stones rapidly forward, but such that they ventured no farther than four meters in front of him.

With the stones continuing to glow, they bombarded each other, with Cell making further adjustments and using his mental abilities to alter the molecular bonds among them.

After a few minutes, and Cell's significant refinements to the array, Trunks and Broly were astounded to see that a dragon model had almost been completely formed.

Within a few more minutes, Cell applied the finishing features to Temnizziv's Dragon Model, then used his Magic Materialization ability to properly encase it.

He then closed his eyes, and upon opening them again, they appeared as they normally did.

"So, what do you think of Temnizziv's model?" Cell asked.

After approaching the model and looking at it for many moments, Trunks and Broly reflected upon it.

"It's … so different!" Trunks said. "Broly, you never saw Porunga, but trust me, this eternal dragon's model looks, … well, I guess he looks in some ways more like Shenron than Porunga, but the design is also extremely distinctive."

"His head looks a lot different from Shenron's, that's for sure," Broly said, upon further inspecting the model. "In fact … Cell, where are his eyes?"

"A good question," Cell said. "He in fact has a single eye on his forehead – see this circular dome here? That's it."

"Why did you only give him one eye instead of two?" Trunks asked.

"Believe it or not, this actually enables his design to be more efficient," Cell said. "But far more importantly, he will be able to see much more with that eye, because of its construction and the exact placement on his head, than Shenron and Prounga ever could. I consider him to be the Dragon of Space and Time for a reason. He will be able to have much more of an ability to assess and analyze the space-time continuum in comparison to Shenron and Prounga. Over the past many days, I've been adjusting the molecular equation representations within the seven silver spheres, and after Temnizziv's Dragon Balls are formally activated, this will enable him to grant wishes utilizing this much greater processing capacity."

"So, he'll have a much greater understanding of reality than Shenron and Porunga?" Broly asked.

"Precisely," Cell said. "Trunks, your mother's scientific knowledge was of extreme usefulness in this endeavor. Temnizziv's greater understanding of reality is one that I anticipate will be of great benefit to us all."

"Actually, Cell, I've got another question about his design," Trunks said. "Why does he have that elongated anterior cranial section?"

"It was an aesthetic choice on my part," Cell said. "I wanted Temnizziv's design to represent an achievement of the convergence of many elements of my knowledge and heritage for a singular goal unparalleled by anything I've ever before created. As such, his design elements are inspired not only by Namekian and human design aesthetics, but by those of Saiyans and Arcosians as well. The cranial section you're referring to is quite Arcosian in design, actually somewhat reminiscent of Frieza's cranial construction as per his third form's appearance. In fact, as you can see, he has a rather elongated body that if straight would be somewhat cylindrical, and in this way, he's similar to Shenron in construction, as per the fact that Shenron was reflective of dragons from human folklore, on which Kami based Shenron's design. I must confess that human and Arcosian elements truly are the predominant influences here – there is a limited Namekian aesthetic influence in other aspects of the way his head, arms, and legs are constructed. The Saiyan influence is shown in the fact his arms and legs are efficiently muscular, and also because of the prominence of his tail, which is more than twice as long as the rest of his body, which … well, you'll see how long it truly is after Temnizziv is summoned."

"I've got to tell you, Cell, I'm extremely eager to see a set of Dragon Balls being activated for the first time," Trunks said. "This is a rare opportunity."

"Indeed it is," Cell said. "And I'm glad you brought the Dragon Radar. As we talked about a few days ago, while we obviously won't need it to find the Dragon Balls since they're all right here and won't disperse after simply being activated, the radar will help confirm that they're emitting the electromagnetic energy they are supposed to emit. Now, for me to properly activate these Dragon Balls, I will need to enable one of you to become the keeper of Shenron ..."

Trunks and Broly briefly looked at each other, wondering whom between them would be granted keepership over Shenron, and whom would then be granted keepership over Temnizziv. Cell had said days beforehand that a person could not be the keeper of more than one set of Dragon Balls, and he also had said that it was his intention to also enable one of them to be the keeper of Temnizziv.

While Broly knew that in most cases, he would strive for the greatest power whenever reasonably possible, he knew that in this circumstance, since Trunks was not only stronger than him, but had a far greater connection with Planet Earth, it would be appropriate to let Trunks make the decision as to which dragon he wanted to oversee.

"Shenron has been Earth's eternal dragon for far longer, but Temnizziv is to be more powerful," Broly said. "Trunks, which will you choose?"

"The idea that I'm even having the opportunity to be a keeper for one of these guys astounds me," Trunks said. "I spent the overwhelming majority of my life wishing I could make wishes with a set of Dragon Balls, and now here I am, about to actually be the keeper of a set! Broly, I'd like to be Temnizziv's keeper, after Cell does what he needs to do. Earth is my home, and I want to defend it with as much power as I can."

"I understand," Broly said, although he still would have preferred the alternative.

"Broly, please place your right hand forward," Cell said. "For a brief duration, you are to be this universe's only keeper of Dragon Balls, a significant honor."

Cell then grasped Broly's right hand with his own right hand, and after a few seconds of coalescing energy for the keepership transfer ritual, a golden and mystic glow suddenly surrounded Broly. After about five seconds, the glow dissipated from view.

"Be proud, Broly. You are now the keeper of Earth's original Dragon Balls," Cell said. "Shenron and you are now spiritually bonded. Because of my advanced abilities, I attempted to successfully encode in that transfer the knowledge of how to further transfer the keepership if need be. Have you in fact acquired that knowledge?"

"It feels weird to know something I didn't actually really learn, but yes," Broly said.

"Welcome to the club," Trunks said. "Now Cell, are we ready for the next step?"

"Absolutely," Cell said, as he briefly looked upon the silver spheres and contemplated what soon was to occur.

As he had made the seven silver spheres each about 15 centimeters in diameter, they were larger than Shenron's set, of which each Dragon Ball was about 10 centimeters in diameter, and smaller than what had been Porunga's set, of which each Dragon Ball had been about 30 centimeters in diameter. Based on Cell's understanding of Dragon Ball creation, the 15-centimeter spheres were to not change in size as a result of being activated for the first time.

It had been more than 300 years since Shenron's Dragon Balls had been created, and Cell recognized that especially because of the rarity of this event, he needed to be especially focused.

Cell closed his eyes, then, while Trunks and Broly watched with earnest, he initiated a set of sacred movements, beginning with a ready position in which his chest was facing the Dragon Balls.

Cell raised his left leg up for an initial Crane stance while placing his right hand forward with his palm facing leftward, then brought the leg down and back, so that he was in a bow stance, with his right knee bent and his left leg now straight and behind him.

He then brought his left hand forward, extending it as far forward as he possibly could, with his left palm facing rightward, in the opposite direction of his right palm.

After reconfiguring his palms so that they were facing each other, Cell's right knee relaxed slightly from its bend right before he swung it to the right, up until the point in which his chest again was facing toward the silver spheres. All the while, his palms had still been facing each other, and he then bent his knees slightly further.

Three seconds of no motions passed before he swung his left leg forward, up until the point in which the line between his two feet and the horizontal line of the silver spheres were perpendicular to each other. Throughout the movement, Cell had entered into a Tiger stance, such that his right knee was deeply bent while his left leg was fully extended.

Upon the passage of five seconds of silent meditation, Cell then raised his hands in a forward circular motion, then brought them to his chest, while clenching his fists. He then, while keeping his fists at his chest, rose his right knee up and forward from its supporting position for the Tiger stance, such that he also turned the upper portion of his body leftward and now had his chest parallel with the silver sphere line, with his right knee bent and up in a Crane stance.

While bringing his right arm upward and his left arm downward he then placed his right foot behind his left, then turned rightward and entered a horse stance with his knees bent, such that his chest was now facing away from the silver spheres. He then placed his left foot behind his right, while bringing his right arm downward and left arm upward and opening his palms. Then, he turned leftward while bringing his left arm downward and making a fist only with his left hand, such that he entered a bow stance with his left foot forward and bent while also bringing his right hand forward, with the palm now facing the silver spheres.

He then shifted his knees and turned slightly to the right, such that he now was in a horse stance with his chest facing toward the silver spheres, all the while bringing his right palm back and then facing leftward, while his left palm then extended forward to face the spheres.

He then brought his left palm inward and configured his hands so that his palms were again facing each other, and for about 10 seconds, while maintaining his horse stance with bent knees, he chanted quite calmly and with a low tone in Namekian.

Then, a sphere of golden energy began to form between his palms, as his power level began to escalate.

Within moments, his Super Perfect aura became visible, and after about one minute of powering up, with the golden sphere of energy between his palms becoming more and more prominent in appearance and power, he opened his eyes.

He calmly manipulated the sphere forward, and then, with an additional chant and a manipulation of his energy, the golden sphere split into seven, with each energy sphere then impacting one of the solid silver spheres.

The impacts occurred simultaneously, and when they did, blinding waves of golden light completely engulfed the area, extending their broad shine up to two kilometers away. The golden shine was so strong that for five seconds, Cell could not properly see in front of him.

Then, upon the dissipation of the golden light, Cell was surprised!

It was not the fact that this set of Dragon Balls possessed white stars that surprised him, for indeed, he had planned for them to be white. He had recognized that the stars of Shenron's set were red and that the stars of Porunga's set had been as well, and so he had chosen white to be the star color to not only distinguish Temnizziv's Dragon Balls from Shenron's, but for a symbolic purpose. As visible white light includes all the visible colors of light, Cell thought this would be symbolically appropriate for Temnizziv because he was to be able to see or detect much more than Shenron and Porunga could regarding space-time and reality itself.

However, other than the stars, something else was indeed different about the appearance of this set of Dragon Balls from Shenron's, other than the size.

The main coloration of Temnizziv's Dragon Balls was crimson-red!

Whereas Shenron's set of Dragon Balls and Porunga's set of Dragon Balls had been known for their mostly gold coloration with red stars, the color configuration of Temnizziv's set was quite different indeed!

While Broly had not know enough about the Dragon Balls to recognize that something unconventional had happened, Trunks became astounded.

"Cell! Are they supposed to look like that?" he asked. "Don't get me wrong, they look awesome; I just hope there's no problem here."

"I had wanted to include white stars for this design, but I, too, was completely surprised by their otherwise crimson-red appearance," Cell said, as he powered down from his Super Perfect form. "I can't say with any certainty why they look like that, although to tell you the truth, I actually rather like the look."

"Ah, white and red, the colors of war and peace," Broly said. "If you were trying to make this dragon have any sort of spiritual balance with the universe to perform his tasks, then these colors are appropriately symbolic."

"That's true, and yes, harmony with the universe to interact with it is key for any eternal dragon, especially Temnizziv," Cell said. "My suspicion is that the fact I used solid silver instead of amalgamated stone might have had something to do with this. Shenron's Dragon Balls were made with stone, after all, as presumably was the case with Porunga's set. However, I believe there shall be further symbolism out of this, as because of the unexpected coloration, we'll examine this set's properties before attempting to make any wishes with it to determine whether we can proceed. This is symbolically similar to how I've planned Temnizziv to be able to make analyses of potential wishes in a way more powerful in comparison to his predecessors."

"I'll use the Dragon Radar to see if they're emitting the same sort of electromagnetic waves that the other sets did and which the radar was designed to detect," Trunks said.

After a few moments, he noticed that all seven of Temnizziv's Dragon Balls were properly appearing on the monitor. As per the way Cell had configured the device, and as per the fact this had mostly been based on Bulma's knowledge of how to make one, the Dragon Balls displayed on the screen as golden, despite their true coloration.

"Good," Cell said, after looking at the monitor. "Now, for a more thorough analysis."

Cell began to sit down next to the Dragon Balls, and through learning the upper portion of his body forward, he was able to serenely sit. He placed his hands toward the Dragon Balls, then initiated a thorough diagnostic test by sensing their internal properties.

He spend many minutes analyzing the set, then opened his eyes after making a determination.

"It seems their functionality is pristine," Cell said. "This color quirk is simply that. In fact, I think I've even come up with a nickname for this set."

"Really, what?" Broly asked.

"The 'Crimson Spheres,'" Cell said.

"That could work, but I've got a different nickname for them that might sound even better," Trunks said. "How about the 'White-Star Dragon Balls?'"

"That does sound like a rather good name for them," Cell said. "And I'm not about to call them the 'Crimson Spheres with White Stars,' that sounds inelegant. Yeah, I think the "White-Star Dragon Balls" nickname is great."

"So, now that they've been formed, can we use them right away?" Broly asked.

"We sure can," Cell said. "However, I need to first teach you the password."

"A password!" Trunks said. "So you decided to make Temnizziv have one, just like Porunga."

"I decided that for Dragon Balls of this magnitude of power, a password would be especially appropriate," Cell said. "This will help us prevent the White-Star Dragon Balls from being used by malicious forces. Indeed, merely being the keeper of a set of Dragon Balls does not enable you to have absolute knowledge of the locations of active Dragon Balls at all times. If this had been so, then strategies used in the past for finding the Dragon Balls could have been much different. The fact remains that while a keeper has a spiritual connection to his eternal dragon, it is not a comprehensive connection. That is why a password is a great idea, because even if a dragon ball is acquired without a keeper's knowledge, this provides a significant barrier to prevent it from being used for a wish. The fact there are seven Dragon Balls as opposed to one also is a barrier, and a password is merely another line of defense."

"So, what is the password?" Broly asked.

"It is a group of three sentences emblematic of Temnizziv's purpose," Cell said. "Trunks, I suggest you use the Dragon Radar to take notes on this."

"But this Dragon Radar doesn't have such a feature," Trunks said.

"Throw it up in the air so I can shoot it with a Magic Materialization modifier," Cell said.

Trunks did as asked, and Cell blasted the device with transformative energy.

When it landed in Trunks' palm, he didn't notice a difference in its appearance.

"Did it work?" Trunks asked.

"Try to use it now," Cell said. "You'll find it has a touch screen, with a screen-based key board in galactic standard. There will be an option on the main screen to use the note-taker feature."

After an attempt to try these features, Trunks found that they were, in fact, now part of the device.

"Well, this isn't too surprising," Trunks said. "After all, since you can create a set of Dragon Balls, doing what you just did probably seems extremely easy by comparison."

"Indeed," Cell said. "After I say this password, Temnizziv shall rise from eternity for the first time. Remember this day, my friends, for it is a new dawn for us all. Are you ready to type the password?"

"Yes," Trunks said.

Cell focused his energy, then placed his palms facing toward the White-Star Dragon Balls.

"Seven spirits, seven dreams, seven aspects of reality. There can be a union of science with magic, as the space-time continuum flourishes with them. For the glory of knowledge, for the grace of freedom, we summon you now, Temnizziv!"

The crimson-red hues of the White-Star Dragon Balls began to glow, with the hue of their glow slightly lighter than their base color. The sky at this point did not darken, as had traditionally been the case in summoning an eternal dragon.

The White-Star Dragon Balls then began to levitate in the air, with the Three-Star ball becoming a central point around which the other six balls began to revolve.

After 10 standard seconds, the Three-Star ball rapidly accelerated upward, while the other six Dragon Balls accelerated upward and outward. All the while, the time it took for each of the six other Dragon Balls to revolve around the Three-Star ball had not changed, such that the other six were revolving around the Three-Star ball at increasingly rapid velocities. At the point in which the White-Star Dragon Balls had reached a quarter of a kilometer above the Earth's surface, they began to stop moving upward, although the circumference of the revolving White-Star Dragon Balls continued to increase, with the Three-Star ball continuing to remain at the center.

Then, the circular circumference became a ring of glistening white energy. The Three-Star ball then dipped slightly below the still-revolving group of the other White-Star Dragon Balls, which at this point had formed a circle with a diameter of about four kilometers.

The diameter of the circle stopped expanding, and as the White-Star Dragon Balls continued to revolve, the circle became filled by white energy.

The Three-Star ball, which was under this circle of energy, then began to emit bright golden waves of light that illuminated the bottom of the white circle with flickers of engilded energy.

While the circle's circumference, in which the other six Dragon Balls were still revolving, they suddenly also began to emit golden light, such that the ring around the circle became golden in appearance, all while the circle's entire interior remained white in coloration, but became slightly translucent.

From the depths of eternity, and up from the circle and reaching toward the sky, Temnizziv, the Dragon of Space and Time, began to emerge.

His gargantuan form was moving rapidly upward, with his head facing toward the sky. Cell, Trunks, and Broly could see through the circle because of its greater translucence, and they saw the dragon continuing to ascend, in what seemed momentarily as though his length was limitless. However, about one minute later, the group saw the end portion of Temnizziv's tail, which was of a diamond-shape, emerge from the circle. His form, with all 65 kilometers of length, had fully emerged from eternity, and while the golden ring of the revolving six Dragon Balls maintained its shine, the Three-Star ball then elevated, becoming truly at the center of the revolving ring again.

With all of the circle now totally clear of coloration except for the ring, the group could see Temnizziv continuing to climb upward in the atmosphere – eventually breaching it entirely.

Temnizziv reached beyond Earth into space, then, in a magnificent arc, he turned his gallant form back toward Earth. At the apex of his travel into space, he had reached a distance of about 300 kilometers from the Earth's surface, with the first 100 kilometers of his travel generally regarded as having been within Earth's atmosphere, and the outward 200 kilometers generally regarded as the realm of space.

As Cell had wanted Temnizziv's summoning to be symbolic of clarity and truth, he had indeed decided to forgo the traditional sky darkening of an eternal dragon's summoning. However, he instead had designed Temnizziv's summoning to have what he felt was a much more sublime effect – making space visible above the ring, with not even the light pollution from the golden ring of revolving Dragon Balls diminishing the visibility and majesty of the stars above.

Temnizziv then began to rush down from the sky above, and as the group could now more clearly see his features, they found them to be all the more remarkable.

He was mostly holy-white in color, and as he descended toward the Earth, it was as if an angel of legends past was descending from the Heaven of lore.

Running from the back of his head to the beginning of the diamond-shaped end portion of his tail was a line of yellow-green, with minor lines of light blue gracing each side of the prominent yellow-green line and serving as connecting points with Temnizziv's predominantly holy-white form.

As he continued to rush toward the Earth, his arms and legs became all the more visible – styled in such a way that they were of sturdy and vigorous appearance, with yellow-green shining bio-gems on the outward portions of the lower parts of his posterior legs, and on the outward portions of his forearms.

In a moment in which Temnizziv's tail briefly rose upward in his descent, the end portion of his tail became all the more visible. The diamond-shaped structure was far longer than it was wide, and far wider than it was tall. A colossal almond-shaped bio-gem of yellow-green coloration was embedded in the diamond-shaped end portion, facing "upward" relative to the rest of his body. Around the bio-gem was a line of light blue, of the same color as the lines on either side of the yellow-green segment that across most of Temnizziv's length. The rest of the diamond-shape was of holy-white coloration.

A few seconds later, the features of Temnizziv's head became much more visible.

Temnizziv possessed four pointed protrusions from his head, of which the outward and lower two extended from the back of his face downward, then slightly pointed upward. The other two protrusions extended backward from their base position on this forehead, and the points on each of these protrusions were angled upward.

At the center of the location in which his two cranial protrusions from his forehead met, his circular red eye, which according to Cell was of superior capability in detecting and analyzing space-time, glistened with red shine.

His nose and mouth were of similar appearance to Shenron's own, although Temnizziv's own had more streamlined appearances than his predecessor's. While whiskers did not extend from his nose or mouth, they extended from around his circular eye, as Cell had purposed them in further augmenting Temnizziv's detection powers.

The oval-shaped cranial protrusion from the back of his head was similar to the diamond-shaped end portion of his tail in that it possessed a yellow-green bio-gem surrounded by a light blue line, which was itself surrounded by holy-white coloration that was far thicker in width than the light blue line.

Below the holy-white portion of this cranial protrusion, around the back of Temnizziv's head, was a dark red layer with a series of vertical thin lines. The red of this layer was of almost the exact same coloration as Temnizziv's Grand Eye.

In totality, Cell found Temnizziv's appearance to have been even more monumental than he had imagined, and seconds later, Temnizziv's slowed his descent.

Temnizziv then came to a halt about a quarter of a kilometer above the golden ring, which slowly dissipated in form.

As Temnizziv looked upon the Earth, observing it and those who had summoned him, the golden ring disappeared entirely, with the six White-Star Dragon Balls that had been part of the ring rushing toward the Three-Star ball. When they arrived in the Three Star ball's proximity, the White-Star Dragon Balls swiftly descended toward the ground, with their crimson-red glow returning and the Three-Star ball once again becoming the center of the other Dragon Balls' revolution.

Seconds later, when the White-Star Dragon Balls reached the point at which they were half a meter above the ground in front of Cell, Trunks, and Broly, the stars visible above seemed to twinkle momentarily with an accentuated shine, right before Temnizziv spoke for the first time.

"WHAT IS THY DESIRE?" Temnizziv boomed from above, as Trunks, Broly, and even Cell became enthralled in awe.

* * *

_At long last, Temnizziv, the Dragon of Space and Time, has been summoned!_

_What are this new eternal dragon's special powers? Which wishes shall be made? _

_The answers to these questions and more shall be unveiled, next, in the __**epilogue chapter**__ to Season Three, "Reality," to be released by Monday evening, Sept. 10, 2012. _

_Thanks so much for reading the Season Three finale, and for your past, present, and future reading endeavors. The epilogue chapter shall be quite fun to write, and I am looking forward to unveiling this season's grand resolution. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Eight: Completed Sept. 3, 2012_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _

* * *

**Question and Answer Bonus Section: An Elaboration on the Revival Abilities of the Dragon Balls: **

**Question:** From Davidstarlingm, coauthor of _Bringer of Death_, to American Vigor:

It seems that a lot of stuff in this latest chapter hinges on the whole being-revived-twice thing. I'm not sure why the new dragon can't revive Vegeta and Moori and the others. To my knowledge, Shenron can't revive someone who had already been revived by Shenron, but Shenron CAN revive someone brought back by another dragon, like Porunga.

Is there something fundamentally different about the soul of a person who has died and been brought back to life once already? If not, then Cell's new dragon should be able to bring Vegeta and Gohan and others back to life without difficulty. Of course, if they died AGAIN they'd be SOL, but that's beside the point.

My original understanding was that Shenron simply couldn't perform the same revival wish twice. Is that wrong? Is he also limited in other ways?

Cheers,  
David

**Answer:** From American Vigor to Davidstarlingm:

Yo Dave,

It's been my understanding that Shenron can't revive anyone simply if they've already been wished back once, regardless of the dragon that wished them back. However, canon, to my knowledge, has no examples of someone ONLY being wished back with Porunga and then being wished back by Shenron in any form. Had any character been wished back by Shenron after being wished back by Porunga, this would disprove the concept that Shenron can't wish back someone merely if they were already wished back by any dragon, and not just Shenron.

To my knowledge, the only people revived by a set of Dragon Balls in canon who died more than once and who weren't wished back at all by Shenron were Yamcha, Tien, and Piccolo (they were wished back by Porunga after their Saiyan-saga deaths, and then wished back by Porunga (with Porunga's mass-revival ability given to him after the Frieza saga) after their Buu-saga deaths. If any of them had been wished back again by Shenron following these revivals (any GT-related considerations are inherently non-canon), this would have been informative.

Moori and the rest of the Nameks alive at the time of the Frieza saga were wished back by Shenron, hence they cannot be revived again by Shenron (or Temnizziv, under the concept that if they were wished back already at all, they can't be wished back).

With regard to whether there is something different about someone whose soul was brought back to life already, yes, there is a difference. The Honor Trip explanation for why a second revival wish wouldn't work (this can apply to Shenron in canon) is as follows: For Shenron and Temnizziv, an attempt to wish someone back to life who already died once cannot work because the dragon doesn't recognize how to revive someone whose soul characteristics reflect the fact there was a gap between durations in which the person was alive. Porunga is able to overcome that gap. In this way, Shenron and Temnizziv are able to restore that which ONLY existed before death, but if a duration in Otherworld also existed before a second death (which would be considered in a second revival attempt), this would fundamentally obstruct the wish due the presence of that period.

In further regard to the limitations of the Earth's Dragon Balls, in the uncut FUNimation dub of episode 24 of Dragon Ball Z, "The Power of Nappa," Tien says upon Chiaotzu's death that "He's already been wished back to life once before, now, not even the Dragon Balls can bring him back!" This seems to suggest an intended conveyed limitation of the Earth's Dragon Balls that they cannot be used to revive someone who has died more than once.

Much more of a canonical confirmation as to the fact that Shenron cannot revive someone who has died more than once regardless of which dragon revived the person the first time can be found in the way Toriyama wrote the revivals that took place during the fight with Kid Buu. What's particularly instructive with regard to this is what Toriyama did write INSTEAD of writing something else. As we know, Toriyama had Moori modify Porunga so he could grant mass-revival wishes. It is unquestionably true that Toriyama intended for Porunga to be able to revive people who died more than once, as per the fact that Porunga during the Kid Buu saga revives numerous characters who had died more than once, including Chiaotzu, Vegeta, Tien, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Krillin. The mass-revival with Porunga during the Kid Buu Saga was used for the primary purposes of not only reviving Earth's inhabitants, but enabling them to contribute energy to a Spirit Bomb to be used against Kid Buu.

HOWEVER, it should be considered WHY Toriyama decided to give Porunga the mass-revival ability (which Porunga had not possessed during the Frieza saga), as opposed to using a strategy to revive Shenron, who possessed a mass-revival ability long before the Kid Buu Saga (first demonstrated at least as early as the King Piccolo Saga). After all, Toriyama had even written such a strategy into canon before, as using Porunga to revive the keeper of the Earth's Dragon Balls to auto-reactivate them so Shenron's mass-revival ability could be used is EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE FRIEZA SAGA. For a quick clarification, the auto-reactivation referred to here indicates the fact that it is true that if a keeper of Dragon Balls comes back to life after having been dead, his set of Dragon Balls will be reactivated upon his return even if less than less than one standard inertia period (one standard Earth year) passed since their last use, which actually happened in canon during the Frieza saga, as per the fact that Kami's revival enabled the Dragon Balls of Earth to be reactivated as soon as he was revived with Porunga despite the fact that the Earth's Dragon Balls had been used less than one standard inertia period beforehand (one standard Earth year beforehand) to revive Goku (the wish to revive Frieza and his henchmen's victims with Shenron happened less than two months after the wish to revive Goku for combat on Earth against Vegeta and Nappa).

It should be further clarified that to have even considered using Shenron for a mass-revival during the Kid Buu Saga, this would have required an auto-reactivation through killing Dende and then reviving him with Porunga, as per the fact that Earth's Dragon Balls had been used less than one standard year prior. Regarding killing Dende for this purpose, this IS NOT THE FACTOR THAT WOULD HAVE INVALIDATED USING SHENRON FOR THE MASS-REVIVAL WISH OF EARTH'S INHABITANTS, as Toriyama clearly didn't have a problem with characters sacrificing themselves to revive others, as per Old Kai's sacrifice to revive Goku, which occurred prior to Porunga's summoning in the Kid Buu Saga.

So, the question now is, why didn't Toriyama have Kibitokai/Kibitoshin kill Dende, revive him with the second wish with Porunga to auto-reactivate the Earth's Dragon Balls, gather the Earth's Dragon Balls together using the third wish with Porunga, and have Kibitokai then use Instantaneous Movement to transport himself, Elder Kai, and Dende to Earth so the mass-revival with Shenron could be used, (with the possibility that the auto-reactivation could have restored the second wish for the purpose of using this to give Goku the energy he needed to defeat Kid Buu), especially when Toriyama had already established in the Frieza saga that a similar strategy could work? Why did Toriyama INSTEAD give a mass-revival wish capability to Porunga? Well, it's plausible that Toriyama did this because he, himself, recognized that SHENRON COULD NOT REVIVE SOMEONE WHO HAD DIED MORE THAN ONCE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, and that he had to give Porunga the mass-revival ability as a plot device so that in conjunction with his previously established ability to revive individuals who have died more than once, this would enable EVERYONE (good people) to be revived who was associated with Earth and killed by a version of Buu, including Vegeta himself, many other Z-Fighters, Majin Vegeta's victims, and Cell's victims. ESPECIALLY SINCE PICCOLO, TIEN, AND YAMCHA HAD ONLY BEEN REVIVED WITH PORUNGA BEFORE THE KID BUU SAGA, THE FACT THAT DURING THE KID BUU SAGA TORIYAMA EXPLICITLY HAD PORUNGA GAIN THE ABILITY TO GRANT MASS-REVIVAL WISHES AND DID NOT USE SHENRON FOR THIS PURPOSE ALSO SUPPORTS THE THEORY THAT TORIYAMA RECOGNIZED THAT SHENRON CANNOT REVIVE SOMEONE WHO DIED MORE THAN ONCE REGARDLESS OF WHICH DRAGON REVIVED THAT PERSON BEFORE.

Even if these thought processes did not occur to Toriyama, the fact remains that the characters did not consider using Shenron for the mass-revival wish, despite knowing that an actual example of Porunga's wishes being used in a strategy to revive Shenron had been done before.

As a result of all of this, the concept that Shenron (and in general, eternal dragons created by a person possessing knowledge of the revival capability of Shenron and NOT Porunga) cannot grant wishes that can revive people who died more than once, regardless of which dragon revived them beforehand, is supported by canon.

Thanks,

AV

* * *

"**Secret" Bonus: **If you go to my deviantART page, a special preview image of a concept character for a future saga of Honor Trip has been uploaded. The image was created by Ruga-Rell, and it is quite glorious.


	56. XLIX: Reality

**Honor Trip**

**(Season III)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Reality (Season Three Epilogue)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property I control. I can only wish to supplement its mystique with stories such as the one herein. The same is in regards to related characters, symbols, plot elements, etc._

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, many kilometers east of West City, Age 786 …_

Temnizziv's voice, with its composed yet authoritative tone, reflected an aesthetic similar to that of Shenron and formerly of Porunga – a combination of intelligence and capable power.

In all of Cell's meditations during the creation of the White-Star Dragon Balls, and in all of Cell's anticipations of Temnizziv's summoning, he had not realized just how astonished and humbled he would be to finally hear Temnizziv speak.

A significant factor contributing to Cell's astonishment was that despite having learned all he had learned, and combining this knowledge with all he had known and believed beforehand, he was finally experiencing actual, tangible proof that he had gained such capability as to successfully create an entity of Temnizziv's complexity. For Cell, this added to his level of confidence in a way that no other accomplishment ever had, and he felt emboldened, now more than ever before, of his ability to unite his thoughts and ideas with actual ability to implement them.

Cell was more than eager to address the manifestation of his true intentions.

"The universe has been honored by your presence, Temnizziv," Cell said in his normal speaking voice, which he knew Temnizziv to be able to hear. "We are likewise honored to have witnessed your first summoning."

Temnizziv heard the words, then further contemplated those who had gathered.

"THE CURRENTS OF PROBABILITY SUGGEST IT IS THEE – CELL – WHO COALESCED MY FORM," Temnizziv said. "ART THOU THE ONE?"

"I am," Cell said, upon seeing Temnizziv approach closer to the group.

"I THANKEST THEE FOR GIVING THE GIFT OF CONSCIOUSNESS," Temnizziv said. "THY DESIRES CAN BE FULFILLED. REVEAL THAT WHICH THOU SEEKEST."

"Before we make our wishes, Temnizziv, I wanted to demonstrate to Trunks and Broly some of your capabilities other than granting wishes," Cell said.

Trunks had been so amazed by Temnizziv's presence that upon hearing Cell's words, he became even more surprised.

"Cell, are you saying that Temnizziv has abilities other than granting wishes?" Trunks asked. "You never gave us any indication that you were intending to give them to him!"

"I hadn't been sure if I could incorporate them into his overall design and configure his set of Dragon Balls so that the abilities would be available for use, but in one of the latter stages of creating the set, I determined how to integrate this aspect," Cell said. "Whereas his predecessors were designed only to grant wishes, I thought it would be more than appropriate for Temnizziv to be able to grant certain additional requests that would not formally consume any of the three wishes he is able to grant."

"Just three wishes?" Broly asked. "With a dragon of that size and scope, I was expecting that he would be able to grant far more."

"It's not about the quantity," Cell said. "The number of maximum wishes is three because the potential for each wish, and the full power and quality that can be applied to them, is far greater than ever was such for Shenron or Porunga. While I had sought to see if including a fourth wish would be possible, I found that this would drastically decrease the available power for each wish. It seems that the dragons have a certain maximum wish stability point in which adding further wishes is overwhelmingly detrimental to the dragon's capability of granting wishes. However, as Shenron himself was once able to grant merely one wish, the fact that Temnizziv can grant three wishes of greater potential than Shenron's own emphasizes the fact that Earth, now with six wishes among its Dragon Balls, has far more wish capability than ever before."

"I'd call him Shenron's little brother, but that would be a misnomer," Trunks said, upon referring to Temnizziv's 65-kilometer form. "So, Cell, what exactly can Temnizziv do other than grant wishes?"

"I'm glad you asked," Cell said. "Temnizziv has two special abilities. One of these special abilities is to be known as Grand Analysis, which enables him to use his extremely advanced detection and diagnostic capabilities upon space-time and probability currents, all for the purpose of determining whether he can grant a wish before someone actually makes it. Because I designed him to have a far better understanding of space-time beyond the normal universe than his predecessors, he's far more familiar with various warps, abnormalities, twists, and contortions of space-time, including black holes, than they ever were. In fact, due to our experiences with Instant Transmission, he's also familiar with the principles of hyperspace. These greater familiarities will enable him to properly determine whether he can grant a wish involving non-standard space-time. Remember, while the other dragons were not designed to interact with realms other than those in normal space-time, I've acknowledged Temnizziv as the Dragon of Space and Time for a reason. While I'm still not sure just how extensive his wishing power will be regarding non-standard space-time, we at least can have greater confidence in his ability to interact with non-standard space-time in such a way that unlike with Shenron and formerly with Porunga, he'll know his limitations and won't mislead us regarding a wish involving non-standard space-time. A wish with him involving non-standard space-time also won't involve a risk of side-effects, as Trunks and I have experienced via the other sets."

"THOU MAY CALLETH UPON MY GRAND ANALYSIS FOR AS MANY INSTANCES AS ARE DESIRED, WHILE WISHES STILL REMAINEST," Temnizziv said.

"And so we shall," Cell said. "Temnizziv, using your Grand Analysis ability, can you please tell us if you possess the power to restore to existence someone who had existed in this universe, but who no longer does?"

"IT SHALT BE DETERMINED," Temnizziv said, as his circular eye began to glow, with his extensive processes of analysis commencing.

After many moments, he derived his answer.

"I CANNOT," Temnizziv said.

To the disappointment of Cell, Trunks, and Broly, it indeed appeared that even with all Cell had enabled Temnizziv to be able to do, Goku could not be restored.

"And what of restoring matter that had been absorbed by a black hole?" Cell asked.

Temnizziv again spent many moments extensively analyzing reality, and he derived his answer.

"THIS ALSO IS BEYOND MY POWER," Temnizziv said.

"I unfortunately had not expected otherwise," Cell said. "I'm sorry, guys. Even with all the knowledge I've acquired, I still am unaware of how to interact with anything inside a black hole, or if it's even possible to interact with nonexistence itself. Temnizziv inherited all I've learned, and I had hoped that with his overwhelmingly superior ability to my own to actually reach out into the universe and analyze it, he would find away to solve the problems we have been unable to solve."

"Well, you can't be expected to know how to do everything," Trunks said. "Besides, while your knowledge isn't absolute, it's still extensive, and I'm eager to see what Temnizziv truly can do."

"CELL, SHALT THOU EXPLAINEST MY SECOND SPECIAL ABILITY, OR MAY I?" Temnizziv asked.

"Go right ahead," Cell said, with a grin.

"I AM NOT AWARE OF ALL, NOR HATH EVER BEEN TRUE OF ANY ETERNAL DRAGON," Temnizziv said. "BUT EVEN SO, I DOST POSSESS COSMIC UNDERSTANDINGS BEYOND MY TWO DIRECT PREDECESSORS, AS CELL DIDST INCORPORATE WITHIN ME AN ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSICS. MY SECOND SPECIAL ABILITY IS EMBLEMATIC OF THIS. UPON ANY SUMMONING, BEFORE ANY WISHES ARE MADE, MY SOLAR SYSTEM SAVIOR ABILITY MAY BE USETH ONCE. THOU MAYST LOCATE A SOLAR SYSTEM WITH LIFE AND THAT POSSESSETH AN ELDER STAR, THEN THOU MAYST ASKETH ME TO SWITCH THAT STAR WITH ANOTHER, FROM A SYSTEM WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF LIFE. I CAN THEN ADJUST THE SYSTEM WITH LIFE SO THAT ALL PLANETS ARE AS THEY NEED TO BE TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW STAR. THIS CAN EXTEND THE TOTAL LIVABILITY OF A SYSTEM BY MANY YEARS – SOMETIMES MILLIONS, POTENTIALLY BILLIONS."

"Billions!" Broly said.

"Stars can exist for a long time before their internal reactions cease to properly function, thus ending a star's existence as a true star," Cell said. "Obviously, life develops around stars. As we strive to not just protect life, but enable living beings to have lives of peace and quality, extending the viability of a solar system is yet another method through which to do this."

"Cell, is it truly necessary to switch the star of a system with another?" Trunks asked. "Couldn't Temnizziv just use his powers to adjust the internal reactions within a star so that even if it's in its latter stages, it can become stable, or potentially regress to an earlier stage, through adjusting the reactions and percentages of elements within?"

"He could, but messing around with the nuclear reactions within a star is something I'm quite weary of doing," Cell said. "We don't want to risk having a red-giant star explode, after all! Then, instead of enabling the system to have either a smaller red-giant star or a main-sequence yellow star, there will be, depending on the size of the exploded red-giant, a white dwarf, a neutron star, or our least favorite celestial object – a black hole. Even with an earnest attempt by Temnizziv to do this, he can't possibly account for all the random quanta involved in a star. The Solar System Savior ability I've given Temnizziv will enable him to transport stars in a relatively safe manner. Temnizziv, it's time to do your stuff."

"ALRIGHT," Temnizziv said. "I AM AWARE OF MUCH OF THE UNIVERSE'S HISTORY IN THIS TIMELINE, AS A RESULT OF EXAMINING ITS PROBABILITY CURRENTS AND USING THESE TO DEDUCETH PAST OCCURENCES. I DOST NOT REQUIRE THE LONG-RANGE PERCEPTION ABILITY OF THE KAIS TO DETERMINE WHICH SYSTEM WE CAN HELPETH. I SHALT FOCUS, THEN REVEAL."

Temnizziv used the vast powers of his mind to examine the universe, then determined a prime candidate for demonstrating his ability.

"THE PLANET, RIHR, HATH EXPERIENCED MUCH STRIFE OVER THE EXPANSION OF ITS STAR," Temnizziv said. "THE BRIGHTNESS AND ADDITIONAL HEAT HATH CAUSED MUCH TENSION AMONG ITS SURVIVORS. I CAN SENSETH THEM, AND I CAN SAVETH THEM."

"Make it so, Temnizziv," Cell said.

Temnizziv's eye glowed brightly as he began to concentrate on the survivors of Planet Rihr.

A few moments later, his colossal form disappeared, as he had used Instant Transmission to enter hyperspace!

Cell then surrounded Trunks, Broly, and himself with an energy shield, while making sure it would be insulated and oxygenated.

Upon sensing Temnizziv's reemergence into normal space-time, as indeed, Temnizziv's presence was quite unmistakable, Cell instant transmitted toward Rihr.

* * *

_Timeline IV, space, within the close vicinity of Planet Rihr, Age 786 …_

The Tenth War of Rihr had been raging for hundreds of years between the two remaining factions of Rihr's once-glorious civilization. They were fighting for greater control over the resources that remained, in a system where a red-giant star shrouded events in a color many regarded as emblematic of strife.

The grey spaceships of the Atyna Empire were in the midst of firing their blue-light lasers upon the black spaceships of the Ulevik Collective, which were returning fire with lasers also blue in coloration. The ships of Atyna were each about two kilometers in length, while the ships of Ulevik were each about two and one-half kilometers in length, with the exception of the flagship, which was three and one-half kilometers in length.

Had it not been for the overwhelming amount of solar power available from their significantly expanded star, their civilization would have completely died long ago. The oceans of the world had long since evaporated, with extremely insulated bunkers below the surface containing almost all that remained of the planet's water supply.

Space battles had become the norm between the factions, as the availability of spaceships from past generations had made battling across the planet's surface an obsolete practice, while battles within the planet itself would have been impractical.

Not just the additional heat, but the additional light of the star, had rendered existence on the surface quite unbearable. Rihr had been the fifth and most outward terrestrial planet in the star system and had at one time been in the star's habitable zone. Three of the inner planets had long since been consumed by the star's expansion, and Rihr had only escaped complete destruction because of its distance.

In the need for lesser light, and in recognition of all that had happened to their civilization, the survivors of Rihr had widely nicknamed the current war the "Tenth Shade War."

The beams of death, while in essence echoing the horrid cosmic rays of the dying star, were in the midst of bombarding warships when suddenly, the new eternal dragon of Earth appeared.

Temnizziv watched the battle for mere moments, confirming all he had deduced from afar.

Upon recognizing his monumental presence, the warships stopped firing at each other, right as Cell, Trunks, and Broly arrived in the vicinity.

Then, upon a directive from the Atyna Empire, all its warships began to fire upon Temnizziv.

Before the lasers could reach him, Temnizziv, in what was in many ways the psychic equivalent of a laugh, dispersed the beams apart, causing there to be spectral variations.

After a minute of further attempts to affect Temnizziv, the Atyna Empire's guns stopped firing, while Temnizziv forced open the communications channels of each of its warships, as well as those of the Ulevik Collective.

While sound indeed could not travel through the vacuum of space, Temnizziv used his mind to render his booming voice into audible form within the ships' electronic networks.

"DOST THOU SPEAKETH THE COMMON LANGUAGE?" Temnizziv asked. "OR, UPON A REPHRASING OF THAT QUESTION, DO YOU SPEAK GALACTIC STANDARD?"

Temnizziv received many replies, which he was able to easily filter and distinguish.

One such reply was from the commander of the Atyna Empire's fleet.

"What business do you have here?" the commander asked, over his ship's intercom system.

"AH, SO YOU DO SPEAK GALACTIC STANDARD," Temnizziv said. "THIS IS WHAT I HAD PERCEIVED BEFORE MY ARRIVAL, AND INDEED, IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. I HAVE HEARD MANY REPLIES FROM YOUR SHIPS, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. NOW, I SHALL COMMUNICATE WITH THE LEADERS OF YOUR FORCES, WHILE ENABLING YOU ALL TO HEAR US."

"What are you?" asked Vas-Tretr, commander of the Ulevik fleet, over his ship's intercom system.

"A FRIEND TO BOTH OF YOUR FORCES," Temnizziv said.

"That is ridiculous," said Rel-Nevir, commander of the Atyna fleet. "You have the power to resist our weaponry, and you knew of us before your arrival. Are you a god?"

"NO," Temnizziv said. "I AM, HOWEVER, AN ENTITY OF GREAT CAPABILITY. I HAVE THE POWER TO EXTENSIVELY ANALYZE THE UNIVERSE, AND I WAS ABLE TO DEDUCE THAT YOUR STAR'S EXPANSION LED TO WAR. YOUR CIVILIZATION'S PSYCHOLOGY HAS BEEN SUCH THAT YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE LOYALTY TO YOUR PLANET, HENCE WHY YOU NEVER LEFT THE STAR SYSTEM. WHILE YOU COULD HAVE DONE SO WITH YOUR SPACESHIPS, YOU HAVE NOT DEVELOPED FASTER-THAN-LIGHT TRAVEL, AND AS YOUR SPECIES IS BY ITS NATURE SOMEWHAT RISK-ADVERSE, YET ALSO POSSESSES A SENSE OF INQUISITIVENESS, YOU DESIGNED SPACESHIPS TO OBSERVE THE NEARBY PLANETS, ONE OF WHICH USED TO ALSO HARBOR LIFE, BUT YOU NEVER VENTURED FARTHER. ALL OF THIS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SITUATION NOW PRESENT HERE."

"That is correct," Vas-Tretr said. "Now, as my enemy has asked of you, what business do you have with us?"

"I CAN SAVE YOUR STAR SYSTEM, IF YOU ACCEPT MY HELP, THROUH SWITCHING YOUR STAR WITH THAT OF A SOLAR SYSTEM WITHOUT LIFE," Temnizziv said. "I SHALL ONLY DO THIS IF YOU AGREE TO FINALLY END YOUR CONFLICT, AND LIVE IN PEACE WITH EACH OTHER."

"As my enemy said, this is ridiculous," Vas-Tretr said. "You may be strong, but no one can move a star."

"BUT IF I COULD, WOULD YOU EMBRACE PEACE?" Temnizziv asked. "I WOULD ALSO ENABLE THE SURFACE OF YOUR WORLD TO HARBOR LIFE AGAIN."

"There would be no more reason for war if that grandiose claim is true," Rel-Nevir said. "However, it is far more likely that you are here to take advantage of us, by gaining our trust and then manipulating us for your own purposes. Far too many betrayers haunt our memories, and many of them made promises of peace, as you have. We shall not surrender our glory, and we shall never surrender to you!"

"Open fire against this new enemy!" Vas-Tretr said.

However, before any further shots were fired, each of the ships became momentarily surrounded by a red glow, which soon dissipated.

"I HAVE DISABLED EACH OF YOUR SHIPS FROM FIRING FURTHER," Temnizziv said. "NOW, WATCH AS YOUR STAR SYSTEM IS SAVED."

Temnizziv opened his mouth, and from within it, a white orb of energy emerged.

The orb rapidly zoomed toward Rihr's sun, then, after a few minutes, it was within five kilometers of its surface.

Suddenly, the orb became a flat disk of white light, then began to spin.

Out from the spinning disk of white light emerged three more disks – a blue disk that speedily made its way vertically from the central white disk, a red disk that moved toward the lower-left diagonal, and then a green disk that moved toward the lower-right diagonal.

With the formation of the triangle of colored disks, they began to glow, then began to spin rapidly around the still-spinning central white disk.

The spinning circle then expanded rapidly in size, acquiring a diameter of greater length than the star.

Through using his ability to manipulate probability, Temnizziv had also formed a similar configuration of spinning light next to a main-sequence yellow star of a system without life.

The ring of light in Rihr's solar system, in somewhat similar fashion to the appearance of a Shining Nova energy technique, then surrounded the red giant while the ring of light in the other system, largely through a quantum entanglement effect, did so as well.

After each of the stars had been surrounded by what were now spheres of light, Temnizziv's red eye flared brightly for a few moments, and then, each of the celestial objects larger than one meter in the system were surrounded by similar glowing spheres of white light!

Then, Temnizziv redirected his attention to the spheres surrounding Rihr's star and the star of the other system.

The spheres surrounding the stars glowed brightly, and then, the stars vanished from their respective systems!

Two seconds later, the red-giant star that had long ago been Rihr's primordial sun emerged in the star system where the main-sequence yellow star had been, with its history as Rihr's sun now complete. At the same time, the main-sequence yellow star emerged in Rihr's system, where the red-giant star had been.

Immediately after the arrival of the new star, with its yellow light now gracing the system, Temnizziv warped all the celestial objects through hyperspace, then enabled them to emerge exactly where they needed to be in relation to the star so that Rihr was once again in a stellar habitable zone, so all objects that had stable orbits around Rihr's former star now had stable orbits again with proper gravitational-proportional distance from the star, and so that all other celestial objects, such as asteroids and comets, were of appropriately proportional distance from the main celestial objects in comparison to what had been previously so.

Before releasing the objects from their red-glowing stabilization fields, Temnizziv adjusted the planets' magnetic fields so they would properly accommodate the properties of the new star. Then, after envisioning Earth's grand form, Temnizziv used his abilities of interacting with the universe to locate a few worlds that contained frozen water, but in which no life was present.

He used similar teleportation processes to bring the water to Rihr's system, then, after molecularly reconfiguring the water – which had been brought from much larger worlds – Temnizziv placed the water upon Rihr, and adjusted the molecules so that much of the dihydrogen was separated from the oxygen in the water. He bonded much of the oxygen together to form dioxygen and reestablish a breathable atmosphere for the planet, then bonded other oxygen atoms together to form triatomic ozone, which would serve the purpose of preventing ultraviolet light from the new star from making the surface far too radioactive for sustainable life. In his effort to decrease the radioactivity of Rihr's surface, he also "calmed" some of the elements of the planet so that overall radioactivity levels were further reduced through the elements' "calmer" states.

Temnizziv then released each of the celestial objects from their shields, and Rihr then began to orbit gracefully, and stably, on its own around its new star.

The people of Rihr who had been in the spaceships and who had seen what had happened to their system, especially Rel-Nevir and Vas-Tretr, were speechless.

"YOUR SPECIES HAS RETAINED YELLOW-BASED AND WHITE-BASED LIGHTS FOR CONVENTIONAL USE, CORRECT?" Temnizziv asked.

"… Yes, we have," Rel-Nevir said.

"GOOD," Temnizziv said. "NO LIGHT-BASED MODIFICATIONS WILL NEED TO BE MADE."

"This … I can't even begin to describe my amazement," Vas-Tretr said. "But … what will become of the surface? Is there any life there?"

"AS I CANNOT CREATE LIFE THAT DID NOT ALREADY EXIST, YOU SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SPREADING PLANTS AND OTHER ORGANISMS ACROSS THE SURFACE," Temnizziv said. "HOWEVER, I SHALL MAKE ONE MORE SET OF MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR PLANET."

A glowing green light surrounded Rihr, as Temnizziv began to adjust molecules across the planet's surface and enabled many of them to enter the air.

As he was in the midst of doing this, he asked a simple, yet important question.

"YOUR SPECIES PREFERS A BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH DIOXYGEN CONSTITUTES APPROXIMATELY 25 PERCENT OF THE AVAILABLE MOLECULES, CORRECT?" Temnizziv said.

Vas-Tretr briefly consulted with his chief science officer, then responded.

"That's … right!" he said.

"GOOD," Temnizziv said, upon making further adjustments.

After a few minutes, the green sphere around Rihr dissipated.

"YOUR ATMOSPHERE IS NOW PROPERLY BREATHABLE," Temnizziv said. "YOUR SOIL IS NOW QUITE PREPARED FOR NEW PLANT LIFE, AND OTHER FORMS OF LIFE, WHICH YOU MAY REINTRODUCE TO IT. NITROGEN, OXYGEN, CARBON, SULFUR, HYDROGEN, AND PHOSPHORUS ARE NOW READILY AVAILABLE WITHIN THE PLANET'S SURFACE LAYER. MAY YOUR RENEWED EXISTENCE BE OF GREAT EXCELLENCE."

Temnizziv then redirected his attention toward Cell.

"SHALT WE DEPARTETH?" he asked.

"One minute," Cell said, within the still-oxygenated energy sphere. "Trunks, I gave another Dragon Radar to your mother, and since the White-Star Dragon Balls are still on Earth, she can detect them. Before we left, I psychically asked her to go to them, so that Temnizziv would not feel the need to emerge from Instant Transmission directly over a populated area. He is very familiar with her energy signature, and after he instant transmits toward her, we'll follow him."

"Sounds good," Trunks said. "I've got to tell you, Cell, I'm … amazed that he was able to do all that. I mean, I guess I should have realized he was capable of all this, but … wow."

"I've got a question for you," Broly said. "If Temnizziv can do all of that, how the Hell can't he restore life to people who have died more than once? It seems a lot easier to bring one person back to life again than to move the heavens."

"There's a simple, yet elegant answer to that," Cell said. "Life, particularly the energy of life, is special. The soul, true consciousness, and especially natural sentience are of such complexity that it's rather remarkable that the Dragon Balls can interact with them at all. Even though all you've seen here was quite majestic in scope, it in no way compares to the splendor of even a single life. Temnizziv moved matter across space, and he reconfigured it. The forces that are responsible for life are far more complex than those responsible for mere matter, and far more complex than even the forces Temnizziv used to move that matter. This is just one among the many reasons why life is to be cherished. It is true that Temnizziv and Shenron can revive people who have died just once, but as I've said before, to do so again requires overcoming a significant spiritual barrier resulting from restoring that which existed before, such that for a second revival consideration, both life and death existed before. When I return to the past, I will do everything in my power to find an answer to how to revive those who have died more than once, and it is my hope to bring that answer back here. I'll analyze Porunga's Dragon Balls, as they still exist in that timeline, and hopefully, I'll gain insights into the necessary equations and spiritual understandings. For now, though, let's do something that will enable us to never have to lose the Dragon Balls that are still available in this timeline in the way that we lost our timeline's Porunga. Temnizziv, let's go back to Earth."

"WILT BULMA BE WHERE THOU INDENDETH?" Temnizziv asked.

"She should be," Cell said.

"Thank you … for all you've done," Rel-Nevir said.

"FARE THEE WELL," Temnizziv said, right before his eye glowed a brighter red.

He then instant transmitted from the rejuvenated Rihr System, followed soon after by Cell, Trunks, and Broly.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, many kilometers east of West City, Age 786 …_

She had seen Temnizziv from West City when he had been summoned, as he indeed was as large as he was.

Now, however, upon seeing him from a much closer perspective, she was even more amazed at his graceful form.

Bulma was standing outside her newly built Capsule Corporation light plane, with the Three-Star ball among the set of White-Star Dragon Balls continuing to be the center of the revolving others, while they each hovered half a meter above the ground. She then saw her son emerge from Instant Transmission with Cell and Broly, and she was quite eager to ask them many questions.

Before she did, though, Trunks asked her a question of his own.

"So mom, what do you think of this guy?" Trunks asked, while pointing up above.

"He's certainly a lot different-looking from Shenron and Porunga!" she said. "So, did Temnizziv really fix up a whole star system, just like Cell said would happen?"

"He did," Broly said. "It was miraculous to observe."

"I SHALT NOW GRANT WISHES THRICE," Temnizziv said. "WHAT IS THY DESIRE?"

"It's astounding that after all that, we've still got three full wishes to use," Trunks said.

"Had I been told all those years ago when I first saw Shenron grant a wish for underwear that eventually I'd see Temnizziv do what he's about to do, I wouldn't have believed it," Bulma said.

"These wishes will be of great use, that's for sure," Cell said. "I'm glad we had the opportunity to talk about the first two wishes together, since that proved to be very important in determining exactly what the most auspicious wishes would be."

"That's true, and thanks for that, but Cell, I'm still unsure of why you insisted on keeping the third wish a secret," Trunks said.

"As I said before, I'm planning to share that secret with you today," Cell said. "Trust me, you'll find it to be an interesting one."

"Very well," Trunks said. "In that case, may I make the first wish?"

The others agreed.

"Temnizziv!" Trunks shouted, while looking above. "Because Cell couldn't automatically incorporate into the design of your Dragon Balls a particular feature that we want to associate with the set, and because he thinks we can do this via a wish, we'd like to try this."

"INTERESTING," Temnizziv said. "I AM CURIOUS AS TO THINE INTENTIONS."

"Actually, before I make the wish we were intending to make, let me ask you, Temnizziv, can you use your Grand Analysis to determine if we can wish for you to have the ability to revive those who have died more than once?," Trunks asked. "Even though we don't possess the knowledge of how to incorporate this as one of your abilities without a wish, maybe you, with your powers, can figure it out on your own if a wish can successfully be used for this purpose."

"I SHALT TRYETH," Temnizziv said.

He spent many moments analyzing many factors, then made a deduction.

"I CANNOT GRANT MYSELF THAT ABILITY THROUGH A WISH," Temnizziv said.

"Damn," Trunks said. "Well, I can't say I was expecting a different outcome. However, Cell says he does believe you'll be able to grant the wish I'm now about to ask of you. Temnizziv, can you make a determination, using Grand Analysis, if you can create a spiritual shield around each of the Dragon Balls in your set, as well as each of the Dragon Balls in Shenron's set, that will cause them to automatically be able to be no closer to any black hole than a kilometer from the outward extent around the black hole in which gravitational time dilation begins?"

Temnizziv concentrated upon the universe, then deduced an answer.

"I CAN DO THIS," Temnizziv said.

Those who had gathered, especially Cell, were extremely pleased by the response.

"Temnizziv, do you believe this will prevent your set of Dragon Balls and Shenron's set from having any conceivable chance of being absorbed by a black hole?" Trunks asked.

Temnizziv made a further analysis, then responded.

"THIS SHOULD DO AS THOU DESIREST," Temnizziv said.

"Awesome," Trunks said. "In that case, Temnizziv, we wish for you to please place the spiritual shields we discussed around each of the Dragon Balls of your set and Shenron's set!"

"ART THOU SURE THAT THIS IS THY DESIRE?" Temnizziv asked.

"Absolutely," Trunks said.

Temnizziv focused, and his red eye glowed brightly.

After many moments, the glow subsided.

"THY DESIRE HATH BEEN GRANTED," Temnizziv said. "WHAT IS THY NEXT DESIRE?"

"Temnizziv, we wish for you to create a floating island with extremely conducive nutrient conditions for growing Senzu beans," Broly said. "The island should hover about 10 kilometers from sea level, above the water amongst the chain of tropical islands that is considered to be in the 'southeastern' part of this planet. After fixing up that planet back there, this should be a walk in the cosmic park for you!"

"ART THOU SURE THAT THIS IS THY DESIRE?" Temnizziv asked.

"Wait – yeah, and make it star-shaped," Broly said. "It should have five points, just like the stars on the Dragon Balls. That would make the Senzu Sanctum look especially cool. Oh, and if the maximum distance from point-to-point could be one kilometer, that would be great as well."

As Temnizziv began to grant the wish, Broly reflected upon it.

He and Trunks had agreed with Cell that they should do everything in their power to protect the Earth and the rest of the universe of their timeline from any further potential threats. As part of this, he and Trunks had learned from Cell the secret of how to turn normal lima beans into Senzu beans, which could then be readily grown from previous seeds after a crop was established. With plentiful Senzu beans, they would be able to stock up on the crop in preparation for any potential threats.

The reason for having the island float so high in the air was to prevent any realistic chance of flooding, and any realistic chance of animals relying on the crop as a regular food source.

They had decided to call it the Senzu Sanctum because it was to be a location graced by plentiful Senzu beans, in further symbolic victory over the many years of adversity.

Temnizziv's eye then returned to its normal luster.

"THY SECOND DESIRE HATH BEEN GRANTED," Temnizziv said. "WHAT IS THY NEXT DESIRE?"

Cell had decided days beforehand what the third wish would be, and he had reasoned that it would be possible as a result of his extensive efforts in crafting Temnizziv's design.

He reflected upon the wish he was about to make with a sense of anticipation for what was to come, but he also felt a sense of melancholy, as the wish became the focus of much of his attention.

"Trunks, before we make the third wish with Temnizziv, I'd like to pass my keepership of him to you," Cell said, as Trunks became quite surprised.

"You do?" Trunks asked. "What exactly are you going to wish for, Cell, that you want me to become the keeper now?"

"Trust me," Cell said.

"Alright, but are you sure that we can do this right now, with Temnizziv still here?"

"Yes," Cell said. "While transferring keepership of an eternal dragon in the midst of his presence has to my knowledge never been done before, the knowledge that I've accumulated and deduced has led me to believe this would be possible. Would you agree, Temnizziv?"

Temnizziv thought for a moment, then responded.

"WITH THEE, I AGREEST," Temnizziv said.

"Are you ready, Trunks?" Cell asked.

"This is yet another big responsibility, and I'm ready for it," Trunks said as he held out his right hand.

Cell grasped Trunks' right hand with his own right hand, and the keepership transfer ritual began. A mystical golden glow surrounded Trunks, and unlike the ritual that Cell had performed with Broly in transferring keepership of Shenron, the golden glow surrounding Trunks contained flickers of crimson-red, likely resultant from the unique main coloration of the White-Star Dragon Balls. After about 10 seconds, the golden glow and flickers of crimson-red dissipated from view.

"You're now the keeper of Temnizziv, Trunks," Cell said, while lowering his right hand. "With your protection of his power, Broly's keepership of Shenron, and Popo's new, well-deserved status as guardian of Earth, this planet shall be quite secure. And Bulma, your wisdom and guidance shall also be of great benefit to this trio."

"They can count on my know-how if they want it, but as far as defending this planet is concerned, they're the strongest team the Earth has ever seen!" Bulma said.

"That's right," Cell said. "This timeline possesses protectors far stronger than me. I think, my friends, the time has finally arrived. I'm going to make this last wish, then travel back to Timeline III."

"But … where's your time machine, Cell?" Trunks asked. "Over many days, I saw you working on the Dragon Balls, and I wondered if you were making any progress on building the time machine too. Mom, did Cell ask you to bring the time machine with you? Is it in a capsule?"

"No, Trunks. Cell didn't ask me to bring a time machine here," Bulma said.

"Then where is – " Trunks began to ask, right before interrupting himself, upon seeing that Cell was pointing upward.

Trunks looked up toward Temnizziv, then realized the truth.

"Temnizziv _is_ the time machine, Trunks," Cell said. "I'm going to use this upcoming wish to go back to the alternate past."

"So, you were able to design this set of Dragon Balls so they'd actually be compatible with time travel!" Trunks said.

"Precisely," Cell said. "While there are elements of space-time that still elude us, such as being able to reach and interact with twisted space-time beyond the event horizon of a black hole, time travel, while also a contortion of space-time, is something that your mother enabled me to become quite familiar with. I was able to incorporate this knowledge extensively into Temnizziv's design, which enabled him to be, to my knowledge, the first living time machine in existence."

"Never did I imagine that the plans I made for the time machine would eventually be modified … into him!" Bulma said.

"Temnizziv's eye, like I said before, enables him to be far more capable of perceiving aspects of space-time than his predecessors, who were unable to properly interact with any form of abnormal space-time due to the limitations of their design," Cell said. "Unlike the quite randomized quanta within a star, which, as I said before made me hesitant to ask Temnizziv to manipulate the core of Rihr's star, the quanta of time are … well, the quanta are a bit more 'predictable,' especially when one is observing quanta in what we consider to be the 'past.' As far as getting Temnizziv back to the future after he travels to the past, that's far more complicated, but be confident in the fact that it can be done."

"Wait, so Temnizziv is actually going to go back in time with you?" Broly asked. "Are the White-Star Dragon Balls going to travel back in time too?"

"Yes, and then, Temnizziv and the White-Star Dragon Balls will automatically go back to this timeline," Cell said.

"From all I've heard about the Dragon Balls, though, wouldn't that cause a few issues with their functionality?" Broly asked. "If a keeper is in a fundamentally different realm from the set, then the set usually becomes inactive, right? And if the White-Star Dragon Balls go to Timeline III, wouldn't that not only run the risk of delinking them with Timeline IV because of Timeline III's different time signature, but further jeopardize Temnizziv from being able to return, since the wish wasn't actually made in Timeline III and might not apply to his actions there?"

"Rest assured, Broly, I thought of those concerns and I am quite confident based on the exact way I constructed Temnizziv that a time travel wish with him will work without the White-Star Dragon Balls losing functionality," Cell said. "You might think of the 'fix' that I incorporated into the White-Star Dragon Balls for this purpose as an 'auto-return' feature that considers not the circumstances of the timeline Temnizziv and the Dragon Balls are going to, but the circumstances of the timeline he and the set came from, where the wish was made. The 'auto-return' feature is such that for the purposes of time travel, Temnizziv and the White-Star Dragon Balls will be programmed before they arrive in Timeline III to, upon arriving in Timeline III, then return to Timeline IV. Since Temnizziv and the White-Star Dragon Balls will recognize even before arriving in Timeline III that they are there _only_ to then immediately return to Timeline IV, they will not treat their separation from Trunks as if it's a permanent one, since Temnizziv will know he's to go right back to Timeline IV, hence preserving his connection with the timeline and hence with Trunks' essence. The White-Star Dragon Balls also will 'know' this. As far as being delinked with Timeline IV, this also will not happen because of the 'auto-return' feature, as Temnizziv and his set of Dragon Balls still will be linked with Timeline IV in such a way that starting with the first quantum of time in which they're in Timeline III, they'll be completely fixated and focused on Timeline IV's time signature and getting back to Timeline IV to such a degree that they will not have enough time to properly consider or truly become associated with Timeline III and its time signature. Temnizziv will still recognize the wish as applying to him, despite being in Timeline III, because of this fixation with Timeline IV."

"Cell, if you were able to solve the timeline delinking problem for Temnizziv, would it be possible for you to modify Porunga's set from Timeline III so that he can safely come to our timeline and be used here and then returned to Timeline III for further safe use?" Trunks asked.

"Unfortunately, this delinking fix only works for a time travel wish because the eternal dragon and Dragon Balls know, even before going to another timeline, to return to the timeline from which they came and not truly interact with the other timeline, and to do only that," Cell said. "If we were to try using Porunga of Timeline III here, he and his set of Dragon Balls would certainly interact with our timeline and delinking would occur. In fact, the delinking would theoretically occur the moment he and his set of Dragon Balls came to this timeline without having the programmed encoding to go right back to Timeline III. However, the delinking fix for the time travel wish might eventually help me discern a complete answer to the delinking problem for all circumstances so we truly can bring Porunga of the alternate past to this timeline. It would be excellent if this was to happen. In fact, if circumstances are fortunate and I finally do find the answer, I'll use Temnizziv's counterpart from the alternate past, whom I will certainly create after I return, to travel back to this future."

"It would be only right for the alternate past to have its own version of this guy, and I'm glad you're going to make him there as well," Bulma said. "So, Temnizziv is familiar with the difference between the time signatures of Timelines III and IV, and won't just go into the past of Timeline IV and create a new timeline?"

"I made sure that he'll properly detect Timeline III, as per the principles you passed on to me and which I passed on to him," Cell said. "Now, Temnizziv, please use your Grand Analysis to make sure that you're fully prepared for this."

Temnizziv assessed reality, then responded.

"TRAVERSING THROUGH TIME, AS PER THE PARAMETERS THOU EXPLAINEST, IS WITHIN MY POWER," Temnizziv said.

"Good," Cell said, as he refocused his attention on his friends. "I'm going to miss all of you very much. We defeated my evil self together, and … there are so many levels upon which I'm thankful for all you've done. I'm confident that even though I am departing to fulfill my obligations to Timeline III and to help defend the universe there, the two of you, Trunks and Broly, will be bold and honorable defenders of Timeline IV."

"We'll punch evil in the face wherever it lurks," Broly said, as he offered his right hand for a shake. "You're a true warrior, Cell. Your own path will continue to serve as an inspiration for me."

"Likewise," Cell said, upon shaking Broly's right hand with his own.

"Cell, I want you to use all you learned from me to make Timeline III as good as it can be," Bulma said. "Come here so I can give you a hug."

He did, and they hugged for a few moments, which was something that neither of them, far earlier in their lives, had never expected they would do, but which they felt was quite appropriate now.

"Hey, Cell," Trunks said, right after Cell and Bulma released each other from their embrace. "My friend, I … want you to take care of yourself when you get back to Timeline III. There are many good people there who deserve to be alive, and since you're far stronger than they are now, their safety is going to truly be your responsibility."

"I plan on doing all I can so they can become all the stronger," Cell said. "I fully intend to train Gohan so he can one day not just achieve the level of strength I've achieved, but so he, too, can surpass it."

"Say hello to my mother and father from the alternate past, and Cell … I want you to also look after my younger self," Trunks said. "I know that everyone in the past, especially my father there, is going to take an interest in him becoming strong, but when the time comes for him to get even stronger, I want you to help him become as capable as he can possibly be."

"You have my word that I shall do that," Cell said.

"Take care, man," Trunks said, while offering his right hand for a shake.

Cell obliged, and for a few moments, the two former enemies mutually recognized that through all they had experienced, they truly had become friends.

"May benevolence be with you as well, Trunks," Cell said, as he relinquished his hand. "Temnizziv, before I make this third wish, I want to reveal the symbolic and structural significance of what my friends are about to see."

"A WISE DECISION," Temnizziv said.

"You might have noticed that the Three-Star ball has been quite prominent in its connection to Temnizziv," Cell said. "There's a symbolic reason for this. Its three stars represent the three broad elements of time – past, present, and future. For time travel to successfully occur, recognition of each of these three elements must be made. The present is the absolute quantum from which the travel occurs, and when either 'past' or 'future' is chosen for travel, there is recognition, through principles of balance, that the other is not chosen. However, when one travels to the past, there can be an alternate future timeline one can access, and when one travels to the future, there can be an alternate past timeline that one can access. In this way, time is truly balanced through this trio of elements."

Cell then redirected his attention toward Temnizziv, who knew of what soon would come, but was eager to experience it for the first time.

"Temnizziv, please initiate the preliminary stage for time travel," Cell said.

"IT SHALT BE DONE." Temnizziv said.

The Three-Star ball rose from the middle of the revolving others, and then, after walking toward the set, Cell acquired the Three-Star ball and held it in his right hand.

Upon his contact with the Three-Star ball, the other six shifted away from Cell while continuing their circular revolution pattern. They then elevated into the air so that they were at about the halfway point between Temnizziv and the ground below.

"Before a time travel wish is made with Temnizziv, this preliminary stage must be activated," Cell said. "While this serves a few purposes, the fact this preliminary stage exists is a safeguard, as even in the unlikely event that an enemy somehow gains access to Temnizziv, that entity will likely not be able to use Temnizziv for time travel because it won't know that this preliminary step must first be activated. To clarify, all you must say to have the preliminary step occur is to say to Temnizziv, 'initiate the preliminary stage for time travel.' Then, the Three-Star ball will rise from the rest, and after you acquire it, like I did, the other White-Star Dragon Balls will elevate. Now that they're at the midpoint between Temnizziv and us, the wish can occur."

"I'm glad this safeguard exists, but I highly doubt we'll ever need to depend on it," Trunks said. "However, since it's better to be prepared than unprepared, thanks for thinking ahead about this."

"Certainly," Cell said. "When I make the wish, you're going to see the six White-Star Dragon Balls other than the Three-Star ball form a dual-cross configuration, such that two of the Dragon Balls will form an X-axis of horizontal distance, two of the Dragon Balls will form a Y-axis of vertical distance, and two of the Dragon Balls will form a Z-axis of third-dimensional depth. The purpose of this is that these six points will enable Temnizziv to triangulate the exact physical position in Timeline III in which he is to emerge with me. The Three-Star ball, which I will hold throughout the time travel process until I reach Timeline III, will render the seventh 'point' we'll need to make this possible, which is an exact fixation on the quantum of time in which we are to emerge. After we emerge in Timeline III and his 'auto-return' feature activates, Temnizziv will use the Dragon Balls to triangulate the physical position at which he will return to Timeline III, which by default will be in the general vicinity of where he left, and the exact quantum of time for return, which will be exactly one hour after he departed. His set of Dragon Balls will then disperse, and after one standard year, the White-Star Dragon Balls will be active for use again."

"I'm impressed, Cell," Bulma said. "Even with all Temnizziv's done so far, this time travel consideration, alone, shows how innovative and industrious you've been."

"This wouldn't have been possible without you, Bulma," Cell said.

"Give my regards to everyone in the past, okay?" Bulma asked.

"You've got it," Cell said. "Temnizziv, it's time."

"IS THOU PREPARED FULLY TO MAKE THIS WISH?" Temnizziv asked.

"I am," Cell said. "Temnizziv, I wish to be brought to a spot not too far above the ground of this general vicinity in Timeline III, at the quantum of time that is exactly three standard months after Trunks and I together departed that timeline. It should be on the standard day of September 19, Age 767."

"ART THOU SURE THAT THIS IS THY DESIRE?" Temnizziv asked.

"Indeed I am," Cell said.

Temnizziv's eye of superior perception glowed, and the six White-Star Dragon Balls in the air began to revolve at a higher velocity. All of the White-Star Dragon Balls, including the Three-Star ball that Cell was holding, then began to glow in golden light, with tinges of crimson-red flickering amongst the auras.

"Until we meet again, my friends," Cell said, as he waved goodbye to Trunks, Broly, and Bulma, then soared into the air.

After a minute, he landed atop part of Temnizziv's midsection, then held the Three-Star ball prominently.

The six companion Dragon Balls rushed toward Cell, then after about 30 seconds, they began to revolve around both Cell and the Three-Star ball.

After achieving harmony with the Three-Star ball and acquiring all the needed data, the six Dragon Balls then rapidly shifted to the front of Temnizziv, while forming the dual-cross of the three-dimensional coordinate system.

After a few moments, and Temnizziv's intensified concentration, the coordinate grid became enshrouded by a glimmering white light, with each of the White-Star Dragon Balls, including the Three-Star ball, glowing brighter than they had before.

Temnizziv, with Cell standing resolutely atop him, soared toward the light, with the light interacting with reality as a time travel portal.

Cell passed through the light, as Trunks, Broly, and Bulma saw the glow of the Three-Star ball disappear from view.

After Temnizziv passed entirely through, the six remaining White-Star Dragon Balls then shifted from their coordinates into the diminishing sector of light, then passed through its form.

Moments later, the blinding light disappeared from view.

On the ground below, the trio contemplated all that had transpired.

"He's a warrior whom I'm proud to have fought alongside," Trunks said. "He fought valiantly against his evil self, showing the true hero he's become."

"Speaking of fighting, … this looks like a great place to spar," Broly said. "In honor of Cell, let's have a match. What do you say, Trunks?"

"Sounds awesome," Trunks said.

"I'll see the two of you later," Bulma said. "I have a speech I need to work on back at Capsule Corporation."

"We'll be seeing you later, then," Broly said.

Bulma smiled, then hopped aboard her light plane and began the flight home.

When she was at a safe distance, Broly's aura began to glimmer with golden shine.

"Are you ready for this?" Broly asked, with a grin.

"I am, but are you?" Trunks asked with an equally adventurous grin, as his golden aura sparked to life as well.

Moments later, their hair became golden, and after further accentuations of strength, Trunks, in his Super Saiyan 2 transformation, was in a fighting stance of enthusiasm, while Broly, in his Legendary Super Saiyan transformation, was in a fighting stance of courageousness.

The two transcendent Super Saiyans rushed toward each other in the thrill of combat, eager to become as strong as they possibly could for the glory of their universe and all Cell had cherished.

* * *

_**Timeline III**__, Planet Earth, West City, September 19, Age 767 …_

The sun was shining brightly upon the Capsule Corporation compound when he landed upon the grass, which was flowing gently as a result of a calm breeze.

Gohan had needed to perform a key task before arriving to help work on the prototype time machine, which he had eagerly volunteered to do after Bulma had asked for help in building the device.

Bulma had made some progress in decoding the secrets of time travel, but by her own estimation, there was a colossal quantity of work she still needed to do in order to gain full access to time travel capability. Much of the unresolved work involved principles that tested the highest levels of comprehension itself, and Bulma, despite extreme difficulty even for her, was doing all she could to overcome these obstacles. The parts and materials for the prototype were much heavier than those which had been part of the time machine Trunks had used to travel to their timeline, as Bulma had hoped that the heavier weight of the time machine would be able to counterbalance certain factors that she had not been able to theoretically resolve.

As such, the prototype time machine Bulma was trying to build was also far larger than the machine her counterpart from Timeline IV had built, by about 20 times in volume.

She expected it would be at least a few more weeks before she would be able to run appropriate preliminary tests, and in the meantime, physical construction of the device was on schedule.

The hope was that this prototype time machine, in large part through using all the data that could be salvaged from the decrepit time machine Cell had long beforehand used to travel to Timeline III from Timeline I and which had been left in Timeline III, would eventually gain enough capability to travel to Timeline IV so that the Z-Fighters could further their quest to determine what had happened to Trunks and Cell. In planning for the course of that mission, they knew that if their suspicions were true that a malicious entity had in fact somehow overpowered Trunks and Cell, traveling to the future would enable them to do their very best to save Timeline IV and liberate it from evil.

Gohan rang the main doorbell, and after about one minute, Bulma opened the door.

"How are you doing today, Bulma?" Gohan asked, as he walked inside.

"Progress could be better," she said. "As you could imagine, I'm trying to solve equations that are more than 200 times as difficult as any calculus problem you've ever seen. I just wish I could somehow talk with my future self and figure out how she did all she did."

"I give you a lot of credit for working so hard, that's for sure," Gohan said. "How far did dad and Vegeta get on the construction this morning?"

"They had to wait a while for a crucial custom-ordered set of titanium pieces to arrive, but they're in the midst of installing them," Bulma said. "I'm sure they could use your help with that and all the other construction we should try and finish by the end of today."

"Sounds like a plan," Gohan said, as he parted ways with Bulma, then began to traverse the interior of the building until he reached Workroom A-5.

Right before he entered the room, he heard a loud crash!

He opened the door, and upon first glance, it looked as though his father was floating in the air, a beam of significant weight had fallen through much of the intricate construction below.

Needless to say, Vegeta was quite livid.

"Damn it, Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled. "We just spent the past two hours putting that section together, and look what you did!"

"Vegeta, I had a good reason," Goku said.

"What the Hell could it possibly be?" Vegeta asked. "If you say your arms were tired, I'm going to smack you across the face!"

"I became distracted by the thought of what we're going to have for lunch!" Goku said.

"What!" Vegeta yelled.

"Yeah, didn't you hear Bulma say she's going to order us all that beef? How could you not be distracted over the thought of it?" Goku asked.

"Wow dad, you literally dropped the bar on this one," Gohan said, as he walked into the room.

"Gohan, your father would do well to learn from you, especially since he can't prevent his stomach from occupying his mind!" Vegeta said.

"Well, now that I'm here, we'll be able to rebuild the section quicker than it was built the first time around," Gohan said. "And then, after we – "

He abruptly interrupted himself upon sensing an unknown, significant energy signature suddenly emerge from seemingly nowhere.

It was clear by the change in his father's facial expression that he'd noticed it too, and Vegeta's expression suddenly became even more serious.

"I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who sensed that," Gohan said.

A few seconds later, Goku transformed into his Full-Power Super Saiyan state, while Vegeta transformed into his Ascended Super Saiyan form.

"Whatever this is, we –" Goku began to say, right before he also interrupted himself, upon sensing another energy signature he had in no way expected to sense.

However, this one was quite different from the first.

"Is … that who I think it is?" Vegeta asked, in the midst of mystification by the suddenness of what was transpiring.

Gohan then transformed into his Super Saiyan 2 form, with his aura shimmering in vitality.

"There's only one way to find out for sure, but especially with that other energy signature, we need to be ready for anything," Gohan said.

"Gohan are you confident you can get over there using the cool way?" Goku asked, with a bit of a smirk.

"Yeah, dad, I believe I can," he said. "I practiced a lot after our training session a few days ago."

"Alright, Vegeta, grab onto my left shoulder," Goku said.

Vegeta muttered to himself before doing so.

"Just shut up and get us over there," Vegeta said, with a scowl.

Goku placed his right index and center fingers toward his forehead, as he proudly saw Gohan do the same.

They instant transmitted with Vegeta toward the spot at which the energy signatures had emerged, eager to determine the truth of whom had arrived.

* * *

_**Timeline III**__, Planet Earth, many kilometers east of West City, Age 767 …_

Upon emerging from hyperspace, they became speechless upon the sight.

Temnizziv, in his form of grandeur, was in the midst of determining the space-time coordinates he would need to return to Timeline IV, and as such, the White-Star Dragon Balls were luminous in shines of predominant gold and cascading sparks of crimson-red.

Cell had been facing toward Temnizziv at about half a kilometer away, and he had let the Three-Star ball join the others so Temnizziv could complete his return.

In sensing the sudden arrival of the others a few meters behind him, Cell turned to acknowledge them, and for a few moments was awed by the very fact he was seeing them.

Before he could speak to address them, Temnizziv's voice boomed aloud, filling the vicinity with sound and causing Cell to redirect his attention toward him.

"I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THEE, AND MAY THY FURTHER VENTURES BE GRAND," Temnizziv said. "THOU HATH RETURNED, AND NOW, I SHALT RETURN."

The shining light within the coordinate grid formed by the White-Star Dragon Balls became all the brighter, as Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta watched the miraculous display.

Cell saw Temnizziv begin to enter the temporal portal, and after the passage of many quanta of time, Temnizziv completely passed through the light. The White-Star Dragon Balls quickly followed him, with each traversing through the light, which was beginning to decrease in size.

After the Three-Star ball entered the light, having followed all the others, the light lingered for a few more moments before dissipating completely.

With the eternal dragon he created now on his way to Timeline IV, Cell again focused his attention on his friends of Timeline III.

"It's good to see you all again," Cell said, with a pleasant smile.

The three Super Saiyans remained in their transformed states, as they still were assessing the implications of all they had seen.

"Cell, where is Trunks?" Vegeta forcefully asked.

"He's in Timeline IV, and he is stronger than ever before," Cell said. "In fact, he's stronger than me!"

Vegeta did not fully know whether to trust Cell, but he knew that if Cell's words were indeed true, then something remarkable had happened.

"Stronger than you!" Vegeta shouted. "Is he now able to become a Super Saiyan 2?"

"He achieved the form as a result of a valiant war he fought against a force of sordid evil," Cell said. "That force of evil restricted me for quite some time, but in the end, I was able to help Trunks vanquish that malicious entity and bring justice to his timeline."

Goku had been for many moments sensing the characteristics of Cell's energy signature, and while to Goku's delight it seemed that Cell's noble intentions remained, something felt quite different about Cell's power level, as if something drastic truly had happened and a much greater maximum power level was being withheld from full display.

Goku powered down from Full-Powered Super Saiyan, and Gohan moments later did so as well.

"I'd like to hear all about it," Goku said.

Cell, for many reasons, found the notion of speaking with Goku to be a wild one after all that had happened in Timeline IV, although he was comforted by the fact that Goku seemed as amiable as he remembered.

"There's much to tell, … Goku," Cell said.

"I'm sure there is!" Gohan said. "And Cell, was that … an eternal dragon?"

Cell thought for a few moments about how best to begin explaining all that had happened, and then, with Earth's shining star still casting rays of brightness overhead, the three Saiyans began to hear the many tales of what Cell and Trunks had experienced.

* * *

_**Timeline III**__, Space, one kilometer from the outermost point of Earth's atmosphere, September 19, Age 767 …_

As had been true of its counterpart in Age 786 of Timeline IV, a satellite that had long ago been placed in orbit around Earth for the purpose of detecting power levels loomed in the shadows of space.

It had activated months ago upon detecting power levels of desired significance at that time, and in various times thereafter, it had activated again.

Upon the emergence of Cell and Temnizziv in Timeline III, and with Gohan, Goku, and Vegeta powering up to their forms of Super Saiyan, the satellite had activated again.

With its additional activation, another signal of prominence was in the midst of transmitting from the satellite, reaching across the stars with news of developments on Earth.

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading Honor Trip's third season, and I hope you enjoyed the Season Three Finale!_

_At long last, after fighting valiantly against Future Cell and saving Timeline IV from his malicious vengeance, Trunks and Broly have become defenders on behalf of the entire timeline, and Cell has returned to Timeline III, eager to begin the next chapter in his life._

_What will happen next in Cell's journey? The future remains unknown, but his dreams of peace remain clear. _

_To all the readers of this story, you have been awesome for your earnest reading, and I appreciate your readership with humble sincerity. I hope you've enjoyed Season Three as much as I've had fun writing it, and on behalf of the entire Dragon Ball Honor Trip team, you have made us proud. _

_Coming up next: It's finally time for the retroactive 300__th__/400__th__ review comedy special, a parody of Dragon Ball Z Movie 7! I hope you're ready for some fun with Super Android 13, and I'm looking forward to writing it! The special is to be released on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012. _

_Until then, be proactive upon the goals you cherish most, and keep on smilin'._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Forty-Nine: (Completed Sept. 10, 2012)_

_Season Three: (Completed Sept. 10, 2012)_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _

_An additional thank you is in order for Davidstarlingm, coauthor of Bringer of Death, for his various elements of advice regarding the archaic aspects of Temnizziv's dialogue._


	57. 300th-400th Review Retro Special - Intro

**Dragon Ball Honor Trip Presents: **

**An Introduction to the Retroactive 300****th****/400****th**** Review Comedy Special … **

* * *

_Note: This entry contains various adult themes and suggestive language. The entry is intended for mature audiences only. Reader discretion is advised.  
_

* * *

_Note: As the upcoming special is to be comedic in nature, this introduction also is meant to be comedic in nature, although of a somewhat different style of comedy than the upcoming special will be. Much of what you are about to read is purposely ridiculous or absurd. It should be noted that the style of humor used for this introduction is at times rather subdued instead of outright lively, and that this was a stylistic choice for the purpose of achieving an intended aesthetic.  
_

* * *

_Timeline IV, on the morning of the fourth day after the defeat of Future Cell, which also was the fifth day before the first summoning of Temnizziv, and day three of the worldwide wild partying that was raging with joyous fervor – partying, of course, in honor of Future Cell's defeat, the final victories that also had been achieved against 17 and 18, and another special occasion that had occurred on the other side of the fourth wall …. _

_As the especially extensive scene-introducing exposition continued, Trunks was in the midst of waking up, as it indeed still was morning._

_The opening scene-introducing section then made note of the fact that the events that were to follow it were of a level of content unsuitable for younger audiences, right as Trunks greeted the morning by simultaneously belching aloud and scratching himself in a way that would not be specifically detailed, as per the event's recorded presence within the opening scene-introducing section, unlike the following passages, as the journey now continues, starting with further events in Trunks' basement … _

Yes, amongst the many rooms of the Capsule Corporation compound, there existed a small basement, under all the others. Across the grand realm of the basement, which possessed the stench and visual aesthetic of having been the site of many parties, not just from over the past few days but from when Bulma had been a teenager, there was old furniture, a few beanbag chairs tainted with various different shades that reflected various spilled beers, an outdated television set, a Ping-Pong table that had been used for many wondrous games involving questionable beverages, and a crack in a wall that had resulted from Trunks showing off his strength to a few lovely ladies by merely tapping that.

Last night's party had truly ended at the standard time of 4:00 AM, and the intensity of it now justified for Trunks the intensity of his hangover, which by far was the worst he had ever experienced.

The mass quantities of alcohol that had been consumed had not been particularly hard to find, despite the infrastructural degradation that had persisted until the wishes with Shenron four days beforehand. While the first of those wishes had restored many buildings and methods of transportation to the condition in which they had been before 17 and 18's decades of rampage, and even though the wish itself had in no way adjusted the total volume of alcohol present on the planet, there had still been an abundance available for the millions of celebrating survivors.

Throughout the ages, even in many times of desperation and degradation, alcohol has persisted as an element of fun, and while Trunks knew the value of never imbibing and endangering others through operating a vehicle or unleashing an energy blast or other forceful activities, and also knew that even though he was as strong as he was it would be unwise to overindulge so much that he could suffer from alcohol poisoning, he had enjoyed the many wet-T-shirt contests that had been conducted in his honor all the more because throughout the duration of those contests, other girls among the world's hottest had been constantly providing him with copious amounts of beer.

The partying had been well deserved, and his name was now recognized in households across the Earth as one of the key three who had saved the universe from unparalleled doom.

As for Trunks' two compatriots, both of whom had formerly been psychopaths, Broly had partied over many of the days, although he had reserved much of his time for his newfound, sincere love – Launch. Their relationship had rocketed not too long after they had been revived, and especially since Broly was about 50 years old and had found Launch to be more than awesome, he hadn't seriously considered advancing upon the hundreds of fangirls who at one point had made Capsule Corporation's basement almost entirely clogged with their presence. In fact, because he and Launch had possessed other plans of enjoyment, they had not stayed at the most recent party in Trunks' basement past 11:45 PM, and had spent about 15 minutes trying to wade through the crowd of folks so that they could get to the exit.

But before Broly had left, at around 11:00 PM, he had attempted to start a game of Ping-Pong at one of the two Ping-Pong tables in the basement – the one that wasn't being used for Beer-Pong. Broly, who had been merely buzzed, although he would have felt nothing of the sort had he been in his Legendary Super Saiyan form, had meant well by accepting the challenge of a few folks who wanted to see if they could defeat in at least something a person they had learned was far stronger than they were. When Broly attempted to serve the Ping-Pong ball, however, he inadvertently smacked the ball so hard with his racket that it passed straight through the table, cracking off one third of the playing surface.

However, all had not been for naught, as Broly had then entertained his would-be challengers by crushing the rest of the table and forming it into a few carrying cases for the many beer bottles that were being passed around.

And as for Cell, he had been spending much of his time since his counterpart's defeat conceptualizing the new eternal dragon – Temnizziv – whom he planned to soon manifest. However, Cell had occasionally taken breaks from working on the new set of Dragon Balls, and for his most recent break, he had arrived at the basement via instant transmission at about 12:15 AM, right next to a human male around Trunks' age who appeared to be enjoying the party so much that he was throwing up into the base of a potted plant.

While Cell, because of the radical way he had been engineered, by no means required liquid of any kind for the purpose of sustaining his life, he was well aware of his ability to consume beverages. Because of his design, which emphasized strength and efficiency, his tolerance for alcohol was far higher than that of even the most capable of human alcohol enthusiasts.

He had applied this particular fact for his full amusement, as when one drunken man challenged him to a drinking game to determine who was superior, Cell grinned and boldly stated that he would defeat not just the challenger, but that he would be able to defeat a 50-person team. The drunkard who had challenged Cell had been one of Future Cell's many victims, and as he had been plastered already, he was enthusiastic about what was to him an apparent opportunity to kick Future Cell's ass in return.

After gathering 49 other guys and many pitchers of beer, the competition had ensued. Cell had convinced his 50 challengers to let him drink Chardonnay wine in comparison to the cheer beer all throughout Trunks' basement, justifying the substitution by saying that there was greater alcohol content per volume in the wine, which would give his challengers a further advantage, which, all in all, he considered them to need as half of them were already quite plastered.

Cell had then materialized many pitchers with his Magic Materialization ability, then briefly instant transmitted away and returned with 200 bottles of space wine. Yes, space wine, which the folks on Planet Harfava had been churning out in significant numbers for the planet's continued celebrations of Morsmordom's defeat, from all the way back in Season II. Beer had then been poured into a pitcher for the first of the 50 challengers, and Cell poured an equal volume of wine into his own pitcher.

The good times and good drinks had rolled, and Cell had easily defeated the first challenger, then squashed the next 10 that followed. The 12th challenger, who also had been killed by Future Cell and who had after chugging two pitchers of beer then punched Cell in the face in attempted retaliation, then had passed out, all while Cell had continued to throw back more and more wine. Cell had handily defeated the remaining challengers, and only after his 179th pitcher of wine had begun to feel a slight buzz.

Indeed, Dr. Gero had unintentionally created the universe's most capable consumer of alcohol, which Cell relished for how ironically sublime this was.

At 2:10 AM, Cell had declared the competition to be finally over, to which there was much rejoicing among the other drunken folks down in the basement. In celebration, Cell had materialized a Martini glass and momentarily instant transmitted away again, then returned with a bottle of peppermint-flavored liqueur.

But it was morning now, and while Cell remembered with great clarity much of what had happened after 2:10 AM and until the party's finish at 4:00 AM, he doubted that Trunks had remembered much from during that brief period.

After finishing scratching himself, and realizing that he could not only see daylight through the windows toward the top of two of the walls, but that the loud music and chatter of jovial drunken voices was not filling the air with energetic fun, Trunks fully realized that the party had indeed been over for quite some time.

He was surprised to find himself laying atop two beanbag chairs that he evidently had put together at some point before he'd fallen asleep, although he couldn't quite remember how …

Oh.

Trunks realized with a startle that she was nowhere to be seen.

He then rolled off the beanbag chairs, stood up, was relieved to fully recognize that he was still wearing his clothes, then briefly stretched.

Upon a look around his basement, Trunks sighed to himself and realized there was much cleaning to be done. If it wasn't an enclosed area he had wanted to keep, he could have merely blasted all the garbage away, although he knew his father might have decided to do just that even so.

"Looks like everyone left without helping clean up," Trunks said aloud, while knowing that he had been planning to take a break from partying this morning so he could briefly relax in a more relaxed fashion, and that the last thing he had wanted to do was extensively clean instead. "I guess that's the thanks I get for not only saving all their asses, and bringing many of them back from the dead, but for giving them all that free beer."

"Tell me about it," Cell said, to Trunks' surprise.

Cell was sitting – yes, sitting – on a run-down couch positioned right in front of the basement's old television set and Trunks, upon looking in his direction, noticed that Cell had managed to actually sit down despite his wings through poking holes in the back of the couch so his wings wouldn't get in the way.

"Yo Cell," Trunks said, while further stretching and walking toward his friend. "Some party, right?"

"As I was there, it was of course a good party," Cell said.

Cell was in a quite relaxed position – his fingers were interlaced and behind his head, while his left foot was resting atop a table in front of the couch, with his right foot crossed over it.

"How'd you sleep?" Trunks asked, while taking a seat to Cell's right on the couch and then picking up a bottle of beer from the table that was still half full, which he then proceeded to drink.

"I didn't bother with it," Cell said. "For me, sleep isn't a necessity, after all. Besides, it's only 8:45 AM now. Everyone basically left at 4:00 in the morning."

"So if you weren't sleeping, what the hell were you doing?" Trunks asked, right before taking another sip of beer.

"See that Martini glass?" Cell asked.

Trunks eyed the glass with approval, then took another sip of his beer.

"Yeah, what about it?" Trunks asked.

"I had about 20 tequila sunrises, while waiting for you to wake up," Cell said.

"That's … wow, how much alcohol have you had over the past 12 hours?" Trunks asked.

"I didn't get more than slightly buzzed," Cell said, with a grin. "It's because when it comes to alcohol tolerance, that's one thing in which I truly am basically perfect. It certainly helped that Frieza and Cold were ridiculous when it came to space wine."

"That would help explain why Frieza seemed short a few brain cells, other than the fact that, you know, when I met him, half his head had already been blown to crap by Goku," Trunks said.

"As far as the long-term detrimental effects of alcohol on the mind, I fortunately don't have to worry about that, as my Namekian genetics enable me to regenerate all that stuff right away," Cell said.

"You're also lucky that you probably aren't experiencing quite the hangover I am," Trunks said. "But after all you had to drink, Cell, I've got to ask you, … where the hell does it all go? I mean, it's not like – "

"Trunks, there are some things that are best not asked," Cell said.

"Fine by me," Trunks said. "But hey, there was this … well, she was hot beyond belief, and … as I can't seem to remember much from before I apparently passed out on those beanbag chairs over there …."

"After you victoriously fell asleep, she left, as did everyone else down here," Cell said. "In fact, the party only ended because your mom kicked everyone out at that time, as the music and noise had gotten so loud that she couldn't sleep."

"Well damn, she left before I could get her number," Trunks said.

"Do you at all remember the characteristics of her energy signature?" Cell asked.

Trunks thought for a few moments, took a few sips of beer, then thought some more.

He then grinned.

"Now that you mention it, I think so," Trunks said. "Good thinking, man."

"Of course," Cell said, upon accepting Trunks' fist-bump.

"So, are we game for kicking back and relaxing while watching one of the movies around here, just like we planned yesterday?" Trunks asked. "I told Broly to come on over too at around 10:00."

"I'm game; why the hell not?" Cell asked. "Oh, but Broly actually sent me a psychic message letting me know to let you know that he wasn't going to be able to make it."

"He did?" Trunks asked. "Well then, I guess he and Launch will be having some fun today, and by fun, I mean the truly stimulating kind."

"You Saiyans and humans with your love, … how primitive," Cell said, in an inflection of joking derision.

"Well, I don't see you with a girlfriend," Trunks said.

"Trunks, I don't think I have to tell you that as a result of how I was designed, various aspects with regard to love are obviously complicated," Cell said.

"I don't doubt that," Trunks said. "Sorry, man."

"It isn't your fault that Dr. Gero was a piece of crap," Cell said. "And speaking of crap, let's see what movies you've got lying around here."

"Dude, my movie collection ain't much, but it ain't crap," Trunks said.

"By movie collection, are you referring to that stack of VHS tapes over there?" Cell asked.

"So they're old; big deal," Trunks said, as he got up from the couch and pulled out a random movie from the middle of the stack.

When he saw the movie, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, I guess my movie collection really does have some crap," Trunks said. "This is a VHS copy of Dragon Ball Z Movie 7, you know, the one with the three androids that according to this movie existed even though they inexplicably were never present in this timeline or Timeline I."

"Even my mind can't figure out what the hell they were thinking when they made that movie," Cell said. "I mean, you got pulled out of our dimension for that one, and what's the thanks you got? A few punches in the face and a few scenes that make you look like an idiot."

"I wasn't even given a copy of the movie, actually," Trunks said.

Cell was momentarily perplexed.

"Really? Then what's that you've got there?" Cell asked.

"I really don't know how the hell this ended up here, but I – "

Suddenly, the VHS tape of Dragon Ball Z Movie 7 became enshrouded by a burning red aura, causing Trunks to involuntarily release the tape from his right hand due to the sudden dramatic increase in its surface temperature.

The VHS tape then rapidly flew into the VHS player right under the television, and the entire television and VHS player became enshrouded in a flare of red energy.

The television screen suddenly turned on, and then, without warning, Cell and Trunks were sucked into the television screen, leaving behind the basement, in all its glory.

* * *

_In another realm … _

Trunks' hangover hadn't compared to the sensation he was feeling now. All the background scenery of the otherwise incomprehensive landscape was colored white and red, and he saw that Cell, too, seemed quite perplexed.

"What … the hell just happened?" Cell asked.

"Communists must have invaded my basement and planted that tape, that's what happened," Trunks said.

"That would explain the red around here," Cell said.

"You're both only half right!" a figure suddenly said from behind them, in an American Southern drawl, as per the accent and mannerisms he had been given for his portrayal in the classic FUNimation dub of his movie.

Cell and Trunks turned toward him, and sure enough, Android 13, clad with his trucker hat, was clearly amused.

"Oh look, it's this asshole," Trunks said.

"It's been a long time, city boy!" 13 said, right before suddenly whipping out a bottle of Jack Daniel's and taking a swig.

"Well, I guess this explains the white coloration of this bizarre realm," Cell said.

Cell and Trunks watched in mild amazement as 13 guzzled the entirety of the bottle down, then threw it backward and blasted it with a generic energy attack.

"Y'all might be wondering what the hell's happening here," 13 said. "As it turns out, the video tape you used was a retroactive plot device for the purposes of getting your asses over here for this retroactive special. That's right boys, Honor Trip is retroactively celebrating its 300th and 400th reviews, so hell yeah to that!"

"But … didn't those milestones happen a while back?" Trunks asked.

"Yes, and if I recall correctly, Honor Trip already has 600 reviews, so, there's that," Cell said. "

"Ah, but this thing has been in the works for some time now, and the only reason the combined special wasn't released yet was because it would have interrupted the long fight in which my boy, the better Cell, was kicking your ass," 13 said.

"For your information, we defeated him, just as we'll do to you," Cell said. "You're no match for us, 13. I've seen Movie 7 and what you can do. You also should know, as per the events of Honor Trip Season III, that you're way outclassed."

"Don't bring class into this, city boy, I'm talking about a whole other method of combat – a way that I'll go toe-to-toe with the two of you," 13 said.

"I know this is going to be a comedy special of your debut movie, but that proposition is far too funny," Trunks said. "You, having a way to defeat the two of us? No way."

"Oh, you'll see, boy, you'll see," 13 said. "Stay tuned, all y'all, for what's coming up next, to be released Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 – Honor Trip's 300th/400th review special, a comedic parody of my damn movie, Super Troll 13!"

* * *

_Until then, have a safe and happy one._

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Entry completed: Oct. 11, 2012 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	58. 300th-400th Review Special - Intro Pt II

**Dragon Ball Honor Trip Presents: **

**Epic Part II of the Epic Introduction to the Epic Retroactive 300****th****/400****th**** Review Special … **

* * *

_Epic Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the epic franchise it is, is not in any way an epic property I control. For instance, if I had written the epic canon version of DBZ, each character's power level would have been based solely on the total epic amount of hot sauce that character consumed. _

_With that said, I hope you enjoy the epic story! _

* * *

"As per my review of subsection 4.5.12664 of Honor Trip's code of standards and practices, I've taken it upon myself to reaffirm that the special will be rated "M," for mature audiences only," Cell said, while using his psychic powers to forcefully stuff the 10-kilometer-long document into its sanctified storage unit, an empty jar that had once contained sour pickles.

"Why would you rate it like that? Let's deceive people into thinking it will be less crude so they'll be more likely to read the thing!" Android 13 said. "I'm gonna give our remake of the movie a rating of 'R,' especially since deceit is a big part of what we real 'Red Ribbon!' folk enjoy!' Give it 'R' for the good ol' 'Red Ribbon Ar!'"

"More like 'R' for 'redneck,'" Trunks said, with a grin.

"And proud of it!" 13 said. "Remember, City Boy, back when FUNimation asked you to call me a 'Red Ribbon Redneck' and you agreed to do that because you thought it was ridiculous how an expression used for folks from the American South could be alive and well in Dragon Ball land? Well, I thought it was an awesome term, so yeah, that ain't offensive at all. In fact, I think I'll call myself an 'R-R-R.'"

"What are you now, a pirate, saying 'Ar' repeatedly?" Trunks asked.

"At least he's referring to himself with a triplicate of 'R,' as opposed to another letter which, in triplicate, stands for something far less appealing than a mere redneck," Cell said.

"Listen, those Kitsch Karaoke Klutzes are a bunch of damn fools," 13 said.

"Yeah, and I wonder what Staff Officer Black thinks about all this, considering the fact that, you know, he was the only black guy amongst the Red Ribbon Army's core leadership," Trunks said.

"Well, what did you want us to do, call him Staff Officer Purple-Pink-Polka-Dots?" 13 asked. "It just wouldn't have had the same sort of sound to it."

"Speaking of sounds, do you guys know what's causing that loud banging in the background?" Trunks asked.

"That's the sound of the damn movie trying to get itself started," 13 said.

"And here I thought it was Launch and Broly," Cell said. "Guess I was wrong. But listen, 13, you were quite outspoken at the end of the first part of the introduction about having some sort of way to defeat us despite your severe power level disadvantage," Cell said. "I'm extremely curious – what is it?"

"For starters, since I'm the guy who stole your assess into this dimension, I'm going to make things a bit more in my favor so I can score a win this time," 13 said.

13 then pulled out from his vest a sphere that –

"Is that a Dragon Ball?" Cell asked, with extreme surprise.

The sphere was about the size of one of Shenron's Dragon Balls, but it was mainly black in coloration, with (15.678326 x 10 ^ -2) black stars on its surface.

"This here is the Dragon Ball Plot Device!" 13 said. "With this powerful legendary artifact under my control, I can warp some, but not all, plot-based elements to fit my wishes."

"Where the hell did you get that?" Trunks asked.

"Some guy was selling it at a yard sale, and I picked it up from him," 13 said. "That guy – what was his name, Lucas? Can't recall at the moment."

"And how much did it cost?" Cell asked.

"About five mana," 13 said. "Had to tap a few things to get it. Anyway, by the power of this device … Trunks! I declare that your overall power level and capabilities for this special are going to regress to the level at which they had been as portrayed in the original movie!"

Waves of negative energy then emitted forth from the Dragon Ball Plot Device's spherical surface, enshrouding Trunks in regression, although not nearly as severely as would have been the case with the B.S. (Black Star) Dragon Balls, which in no way inspired the appearance of the Dragon Ball Plot Device.

"You bastard!" Trunks said. "My power level by the end of Season III and ability to become a Super Saiyan 2 were testaments to those who lost their lives through noble resistance against a manifestation of evil created by Dr. Gero! And here you are, a redneck prick created by the unparalleled prick himself, disrespecting Goku, my mother, and so many others!"

"Frankly, city boy, that sucks for you," 13 said.

"Damn this guy's annoying," Cell said, as he began to coalesce an energy attack near his right palm. "13, explain what the hell you really want from us or I'll burn the alcohol right out of your system."

"Ain't gonna happen, has-been," 13 said. "Dragon Ball Plot Device, give me sight beyond sight!"

Cell was rather baffled by 13's sudden shift of the Dragon Ball Plot Device, as he had brought it right in front of his face. It appeared to Cell as though 13 was for many moments looking with intense concentration toward a point on the sphere.

"So, that's how Movie 7 would have been had you been in it," 13 said, causing Cell's interest in 13's tactics to redouble. "I thought as much – it would have been badass, you and me teaming up to finally kill those bitches. But instead, you're now a little bitch yourself!"

Cell then shifted directly in front of 13 and lightly flicked him in the stomach with his left wrist, at a speed faster than that which 13 was capable of either processing efficiently or properly responding toward.

13 dropped the Plot Device and was grabbing his stomach in agony, with abundant and grievous pain flowing through him.

"Becoming a good guy enabled me to become far more badass than I ever was before, and saving the world from evil enabled me to become even more awesome," Cell said. "You think you're badass? No, 13. YOU are truly the little bitch. Only those who revel in evil can truly be 'bitches,' and only those who exemplify benevolence can slap said bitches in a manner of inherent awesomeness. And I merely flicked you with my wrist! Your inadequacy must therefore be ineffable for you to be so damaged."

"What about … when Gohan, that little kid, punched you in the chest and you … reacted the same damn way?" 13 asked, while trying to stabilize himself.

"That happened after he outright punched me; if I had punched you instead of merely flicking you with my wrist, my forceful fist would have gone so far through you that it would have ended up in Denver, Colorado," Cell said.

"Or Brisbane, Queensland," Trunks said. "It definitely could have ended up there, as well."

By the end of Cell and Trunks' geography lesson, 13 had gotten back on his feet, although he was still trying to catch his breath.

"You know, I still don't understand why the hell Dr. Gero made even the artificial androids capable of feeling pain," Trunks said.

"It's merely an incentive to kill our enemies quicker, so we can avoid that shit," 13 said.

"The answer is far simpler than that," Cell said. "Gero did that because he was a deranged, sadomasochistic dumb-ass. I've said it before and I'll say it again – just because someone is intellectually capable doesn't mean that person is wise."

"And just because a self-righteous prick thinks he's right doesn't mean he actually is – yeah, I'm talking to you, Cell!" 13 said, while Cell sneered. "You shouldn't talk back to your elders and demean them without concern for the consequences. Fly, my Plot Device, fly!"

The Dragon Ball Plot Device then soared to 13's left hand, as Cell braced himself for what was about to happen. Truth be told, he knew that because of his superior speed he could have merely caught the Plot Device before 13 reacquired it, although the Plot Device's negative plot convenience energy had prompted him to refrain from doing so.

"Cell, I'm going to force you to rejoin the team to which you really belong!" 13 said, as fascist propaganda began to spew forth in visual and audio waves from the Plot Device.

After a few moments, however, and to 13's surprise, Cell began to laugh.

"Bitch, please," Cell said, as he crossed his arms. "The Dragon Balls are far more powerful than that shit, and the mystic protection I gained from them that actively guards against my re-embracement of such evil is still intact. And more importantly, my mind has become so strong and now is in such accordance with logic that your pathetic generator of logic convolution over there wouldn't be able to warp my devotion even if the Dragon Balls weren't safeguarding me. As you know you can't win, 13, why don't you instead join our side and come back to our dimension? Trunks and I were about to have a few more drinks; we'd be happy to welcome you to the majestic marvel of his basement."

"Tempting, but I've got a better idea," 13 said. "I don't believe in that ol' saying, 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. But y'all know what I do believe? If you can't beat 'em, make 'em easier to beat! Trunks already got a taste of this, and now, Cell, it's your turn!"

The Plot Device then began to spin faster than a political pundit, and when it again began to spew forth negative energy, it again showed that it was full of figurative crap, just like a political pundit.

Cell's power was diminishing by the second, and his anger, in turn, was proportionately growing.

When his power level dropped to what it had been at the start of the Cell Games, the regression ended, and Cell, who had not been able to move while the bullshit had occurred, remarked upon his diminished strength.

"Even with all you did, 13, I can still easily kick your ass," Cell said. "You might be stronger than Trunks now, but with his far greater combat experience than that which he had possessed before, there's even a realistic chance that without my help, he could kick your ass."

"I'm just glad that the concept of repressing power levels is explicitly non-canon and that we won't have to deal with this tactic in future seasons of Honor Trip," Trunks said.

The air suddenly felt ominously devoid of warmth, as Trunks began to contemplate what had caused such a change.

13, however, was focusing on another aspect of the sudden cold.

"This chill is perfect for my booze!" 13 said, as he pulled out a bottle of winter ale from his left vest pocket and ripped the cap right off the top.

He downed it entirely, then smacked the empty bottle right into his forehead, shattering it thoroughly, with the glass shards falling to the floor.

"I was counting on having a few cold ones during our fight in the Asinine Arctic Arena in the main part of the movie, but this was a real treat," 13 said. "Oh, and speaking of five-letter words that begin with "T-R," I'll now reveal my main weapon against the two of ya."

"What, you mean decreasing our power levels wasn't the big trick?" Trunks asked, with surprise.

"Well, when you're dealing with 'Big 13,' you've got to be prepared for anything," 13 said. "I'm sure that both of ya understand what 'trolling' is, and both of ya are going to be the big recipients of it," 13 said.

"Aw fuck," Cell said. "Give me a break!"

"Break me off a piece of your visible contempt, because that's what I truly like to see," 13 said. "And, so we can progress with the festivities, here's my definition of trolling, which will better enable you to grasp the awesomeness I intend: 'Trolling: the act of provoking someone into having a reaction (often emotional and often of displeasure) for the primary (and often singular) purpose of providing the provoker with amusement.'"

"Wait, that's far too sophisticated a definition for you to have personally derived," Cell said. "Where the hell did you find that definition?"

"Actually, I did craft it myself," 13 said. "Pretty good, eh?"

"Why can't I fight one villain who isn't completely bat-shit insane?" Cell asked.

"When you were on his side, we all thought the same thing with regard to you," Trunks said, with a grin. "Besides, you used to be quite the troll yourself, Cell."

"And he'll have to be a troll again if he hopes to truly defeat me," 13 said. "Beating the crap out of both of you is merely going to be a bonus. What I really want to do is outperform the Red Ribbon Army's former trolling champion! That will enable me to truly become the ultimate android!"

"And what if I refuse to troll you in return, 13?" Cell asked.

"If you refuse, the total sum of my trolling energy shall overwhelm the entirety of the fabric of Honor Trip's existence, and all of Honor Trip Season IV shall consist of one huge, 100,000-word scene of me playing the banjo while making ridiculous sounds with my armpits," 13 said.

"Holy shit; that's an even worse torture than what we did to Broly in the first comedy special!" Cell said.

"I could put the 'roll' in 'troll,' if I really wanted," 13 said. "Oh, and of course, even if you do decide to join in the trolling fun, I'm going to manage to out-troll you! The wondrous reality of my plan for Honor Trip Season IV shall indeed come to pass! Isn't it a beauty? I've used the Dragon Ball Plot Device to make Honor Trip's future contingent upon whether you can overcome my trolling prowess. You don't have what it takes, has-been!"

"I've defeated evil before, and I can defeat evil again," Cell said. "If, like so many other ignoble principles, I need to warp trolling into truly being used for righteousness so that I can defeat malicious evil, then I shall."

"That's the spirit, has-been!" 13 said. "I want you try counter-trolling me so I can truly show how much better I am than you and so that I can truly achieve victory over this series! When you fail to out-troll me, and when my trolling wins the day, I shall persecute the rest of this series through making it full of substandard slush! I can see the highlights now – Season IV: The Armpit Banjo Festival; Season V: The Comprehensive Symphony of Ass Gas; Season VI: Return of the Jedi; and ample room for more! So many wondrous installments of trolling can come to pass, and I shall revel in those victorious moments!"

"Cell, we need to defeat this son-of-a-bitch," Trunks said. "The fate of Honor Trip depends on us!"

"Right," Cell said. "13, I shall crush your malevolent endeavors and save Honor Trip from your tyranny."

"You're going to lose, and I'm going to laugh," 13 said. "Think of it, Cell, Movie 7 is the perfect movie with which to troll you!"

"Damn it to hell, he's right!" Cell said.

13's Plot Device then transformed into a script, and 13 grinned.

"I'll be seeing ya, has-been!" 13 said, right before his appearance shifted into a sequence of letters, which then shifted toward the point in the script at which he was to reemerge.

"Fucking androids," Cell said, right before he used Magic Materialization to create a larger copy of the script, which was more than 4 meters in height and about 2.5 meters wide.

"So … how does this work? Do we just jump right in?" Trunks asked. "That would be overly convenient."

"It's a Dragon Ball Z Movie, Trunks. Of course there's going to be plot convenience, especially because of the movie we're dealing with," Cell said. "But to defeat 13 and save Honor Trip, it appears that for once, quite antithetical to canonical Honor Trip's purposes but necessary this time to beat 13 at his own game, we'll need to partly embrace the plot convenience, while still ridiculing it, of course."

Cell then rushed toward the script, and through the most convenient convenience he'd experienced all day, he passed right into it.

"This time, there better be some hot broads in this movie," Trunks said, right before diving right in.

* * *

_The stakes have been staked, and 13's trolling terror has begun – be sure to stay tuned for the epically deranged, comedic remake of DBZ Movie 7, Super Troll 13, next time on Dragon Ball Honor Trip!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Entry completed: Oct. 28, 2012_

_Next entry anticipated by: Nov. 30, 2012_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _

* * *

As always, if you have any questions or comments you'd like to send me directly, my e-mail address is american-dot-vigor-at-gmail-dot-com.

Especially since I am active in many endeavors, I may not be able to respond to your e-mails right away, but I shall strive to respond to them as soon as possible.

Until next time,

AV


	59. Comedy Special: Super Troll 13 (Rated M)

**Honor Trip **

**(300****th****/400****th**** Review Retroactive Super Comedy Fun-Fest Celebration!)**

**Dedicated to the fans!**

**DBZ Movie VII Remake: Super Troll 13**

**Aka: Continuity Nightmare … Behold, the Illogical Canon-Violating Action!**

– **A Non-Canon Comedy –**

* * *

_Disclaimer: DBZ and related series and installments are officially the property of their respective owners; I love DBZ more than I love hot sauce. Incidentally, did I ever tell you the one about the Dragon Radar that was late for work and got caught? You could say it was … detected! That was officially the most humorous joke you've ever read. Hey, where are my sunglasses? I need sunglasses so I can wear them after having made a bad pun, just like they do with that Internet meme. Ah well, on with the show …. _

* * *

_PLEASE REMEMBER that the following special is rated "M," for MATURE audiences only. This special contains material unsuitable for individuals under the age of 18. _

* * *

**(Timeline IV) Earth: Launch and Broly's Master Bedroom, 1998**

Their bedroom was profuse not only with respectable and fairly expensive linens, but with the sound of fervent and passionate kissing.

Broly had told Cell far earlier that day that he would be spending the day with Launch, and he indeed planned to spend the entire day having fun with her. His love for Launch also had enabled him to avoid the predicament Cell and Trunks had found themselves within, as he hadn't gone to Trunks' basement that morning and had not been trapped within the cursed copy of DBZ Movie 7 as per Android 13's troll-tastic plan.

However, Broly had checked his Internet connection merely a few minutes beforehand, and had known, after breaking the fourth wall and checking Honor Trip for updates, that his two fellow warriors had become imperiled. Broly also had swiftly recognized that Honor Trip, despite devoting the current special to celebrating its 300th and 400th reviews, had already surpassed 700 reviews, thanks to the awesomeness of its fans.

In fact, Broly and Launch had become so overjoyed at the milestone that they had engaged in their most recent kiss-a-thon, although they planned to soon return to what they had been doing before they had merely been kissing.

The pair of star-crossed lovers opened their eyes, then, like so many other things they had done together, broke the fourth wall further and addressed the audience.

"I know what you're thinking … why would Launch and I interrupt what we were doing just to thank all of you?" Broly asked, in posing a question to the audience. "It's because the two of us have all the rest of the day to do what we were doing, but right now, with you here, we wanted to thank you all so much for being awesome!"

"Yeah, thanks to all of yas!" Launch said, with her blond hair as graceful as it had ever been.

"Now, about this special … remember, folks, that it's rated 'M,' for mature audiences only," Broly said.

"Hear that, all of yas?" Launch asked. "There's going to be some adult-type stuff in this special, which you should have seen comin' after all the stuff you read in the two damn intros that led up to this thing."

"With that said, we hope you enjoy the story," Broly said, as he turned back toward Launch. "So what do you say, gorgeous? There's adult material in there, and we're quality adult material, right?"

"Ain't we ever!" Launch said, as she looked into his eyes.

"Let's get back to what we'd been doing!" Broly said, with eagerness overly apparent in his tone of voice.

"Yes sir, you sexy Saiyan!" Launch said, as she began to tenderly draw him closer to her.

They repositioned themselves on the bed, then got right back to what they'd been doing before they were kissing.

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: West City, Super Strip Club, 1992**

Although Yamcha again was missing from the usual gang of Dragon Ball perverts, a master, his pupil, and the shape-shifting pig once again were waiting in line for the spectacular exhibition of hot women they'd been promised. Accompanying them for this reified and refried remake was Trunks, who, unlike in the original version of the film, now had long hair.

"You can tell a lot about the overall tone of a film when the first damn scene with any of the main cast involves them earnestly endeavoring to see a bunch of boobs," Trunks said, while Master Roshi laughed, Oolong blushed, and Krillin was daydreaming about all he wanted to see. "The official version of Movie 7 is the only film in the franchise with any of us doing anything this raunchy, let alone starting out with it. So much for Dragon Ball Z being for kids."

"And unlike in the original version of the film, this time, instead of merely a beauty pageant, we're waiting in line for an all-out strip tease!" Master Roshi said, as he brought a cloth to his nose, in a preemptive defense against a sudden flow of blood, as is typical of pervs in manga and anime.

"Trunks, you weren't around back in the old days, or you'd know just how much Dragon Ball ain't for kids," Oolong said.

"Yeah, remember when I lifted up Bulma's shirt and exposed her boobs to Yamcha so that Master Roshi would see them and then comically nosebleed all over the invisible man in Baba's tournament?" Krillin asked, as Trunks began to become enraged.

"Heh heh! Oh my, her melons sure were great back then, and hey, they're still ripe now!" Roshi said, as Trunks' rage broke.

"That's my mother you're talking about, you despicable fucks!" Trunks yelled, as he punched Krillin in the chest and bopped Roshi across the head.

Master Roshi was out cold, and Krillin, who still was slightly conscious, wanted cold cuts.

"Trunks, if you only knew the half of all the crap Master Roshi's done over the years with regard to your mom, you'd have already kicked him to the moon, I'm sure, like on a far more aggressive version of the Honeymooners," Oolong said.

"Did you really just make reference to that old show?" Trunks said. "Is anyone going to understand why that's funny?"

Oolong suddenly transformed into a crudely construed version of Ralph Kramden.

"To the moon, Roshi! I said, to the moon!" Oolong said.

"I thought Earth no longer had a moon, as a result of not only Master Roshi blowing it up in Dragon Ball, but Piccolo blowing it up when he was training Gohan," Trunks said.

Oolong then shifted back to his original form.

"Well, that's true," he said. "Hey Trunks, what are women like in the future?"

"Just like in this timeline, there's hot ones, hotter ones, and other good gals," Trunks said.

"And have you had a girlfriend among any of them?" Oolong asked.

"Well, no. I was too busy saving the world over there to have had time for a meaningful relationship," Trunks said. "Besides, in no way did I want the androids to take advantage of a girlfriend of mine by threatening to harm her because of me."

"So, you've never had a girlfriend," Krillin said, while standing up from the spot on the floor where he'd been. "That makes something you said in the classic FUNimation dub of this movie make … a lot more sense."

Trunks raised his right eyebrow, visibly adorning his sense of suspicion.

"And what statement was that, exactly?" Trunks asked.

"Roshi and Oolong, in the original version of this film, had just finished ranting and raving over all the beauty pageant models they were looking forward to seeing, and then, they were running around like crazy and acting like a bunch of lustful fools with nothing on their minds other than touching as many boobs as possible," Krillin said. "All throughout their rantings and ravings about women, we all saw that you were looking rather nonchalant and uninterested. And right after Roshi and Oolong finished running around, I said to the two of them, with regard to you, 'Let's set a good example here.' And then, after I said that, you blushed, looked down as if you were embarrassed, and said, 'Oh, well, uh, don't worry about me, guys.'"

"How did you remember those words so well, Krillin?" Oolong asked.

"Plot convenience," Krillin said. "And after Trunks said that, Oolong, you and Roshi looked at him with perplexed stares, as if you didn't know what he meant by that. I mean, kind of thought, well … Trunks, are you afraid of women?"

Trunks widened his eyes at the thought.

"Wow, Krillin," Trunks said. "Did all of that really make you think that, of all things?"

"Hey, I thought it showed you were a communist, so you should be happy with what Krillin thought, instead," Oolong said.

"Oolong, I think you're forgetting that YOU are a communist," Krillin said.

"Oh yeah," he said.

"You really think I'm afraid of going out with women, even with me having been on line for the beauty pageant then and being on line now for the strip tease?" Trunks asked.

"Of course!" Roshi yelled, after regaining consciousness. "Back when Yamcha was trying to bang your mom – "

Roshi had suddenly interrupted himself as a result of Trunks placing his right fist within one micrometer of Roshi's face.

"Continue to say anything about that, and you know what will happen," Trunks said. "Let's be completely serious for a moment. There are many differences between me and Yamcha, right?"

"Of course!" Roshi said.

"Name a few," Trunks said.

"You're half-Saiyan," Oolong said.

"Your father would want to and definitely could kill the three of us if he found out not only about what we asserted about you, but about your mom," Krillin said.

"You're much braver than Yamcha, so your fear of women comes off as nonchalance, rather than outright fear," Roshi said.

"Yes to the first two, and thanks for thinking of me as brave, but Roshi, I wasn't acting nonchalant in the first film because of fear, I was doing it our of respect," Trunks said.

"Trunks, are you saying that I'm so frustrated with my own inadequacy when it comes to matters of sex that I blindly misjudge other people with regard to sexual issues?" Roshi asked.

The comment left Trunks speechless for many moments, as also was true of Krillin and Oolong.

Then, he responded.

"Yes," Trunks said. "I respect women and I'm not a pervert, unlike yourself, Roshi."

"I'm proud of it, man!" Roshi said.

"Listen, I only decided to come with you guys to that beauty pageant the first time we made this movie because those women volunteered to reveal themselves willingly, and I thought I'd be respectable about it and enjoy their beauty in a peaceful, relaxed manner. But you guys, instead of being respectful, lusted over them like a bunch of sleazes and ran around like a bunch of crazy bastards. In fact, the fact you were so excited to see those gals was kind of pathetic, since it seems you can only gain access to women when you PAY FOR IT OR STEAL A FEEL, instead of being able to legitimately win their affections, like me! I had no reason to be overly excited or for any of you to worry about me! Because I AM THE SEX, I can score big with hot ladies whenever the hell I want. More importantly, it's because I'm also a nice guy and truly do respect women, unlike you guys. When I do settle down and have a serious relationship, I want to give even more joy back to that lucky girl than she gives to me. Real, honest relationships work both ways – that's why it's a partnership. None of the three of you seem to understand that. I truly don't have to go to a show to get action – in fact, you should have seen the party I had right before I got sucked into this damn movie. Wet T-shirt contests and beer! Wet T-shirts and beer as far as the eyes could see!"

Krillin, Roshi, and Oolong were speechless.

"Now that we got that out of the way, hopefully, the strippers will actually be here today, unlike last time, in the official Movie 7, when we got the day of the beauty pageant wrong and the gals weren't there," Trunks said. "Jungles of jugs, I'm ready for you! Oh, and I forgot my watch; who's got the time?"

"It's about two hours until the curtains goes up and the clothes go down," Oolong said.

"In that case, we've got plenty of time to look at some porn," Trunks said, as Roshi became suddenly reinvigorated.

"Porn? Where?" Roshi asked.

"Unlike the first time we made this movie, this time, there's a vendor over by the front door of the building," Trunks said.

"And so there is!" Krillin exclaimed. "I didn't notice him earlier; I guess he got here at some point during the hour we've been waiting on line."

"And since we're the only ones on line right now, let's go over there and get the good stuff!" Roshi said, as he began to run over toward the vendor's pornography booth.

"As the ladies in those magazines volunteered to expose themselves willingly, I've got no problem with this," Trunks said with a wider grin than any he'd had all day, then ran toward the booth, followed by Krillin and Oolong.

When they arrived at the booth, they were surprised by whom was smiling back at them.

"Holy shit! It's Mitt Romney!" Trunks exclaimed, in acknowledging the man who had been the 2012 candidate for the presidency of the United States of America representing the Republican Party, the more conservative of the U.S.A.'s two main political parties.

Romney waved to the four of them, smiled wide, then shook each of their hands.

"I've got binders full of women!" Romney said, as Trunks, Krillin, Roshi and Oolong began to peruse his collection. _[Author's aside: Romney's dialogue here references his now infamous statement during the second 2012 presidential debate that he was given "binders full of women" with regard to candidates for executive positions for Massachusetts state government departments and agencies when he was governor of the state.]_

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: West City, Shopping Mall Paradise (SMP), 2003 [Hah! The acronym is backwards for something else.] **

Up the escalator the three of them went, while the cacophonous sounds of women screaming at each other and shoving each other out of the way to acquire on-sale clothing raged above.

Goku was carrying 20 boxes stacked atop each other, of which a bit more than half contained tampons for Chi-Chi and laxatives for the whole family.

Gohan was carrying at least 10 bags full of books and school supplies, while looking outright ashamed upon seeing his mother kick a boisterous women of more than 7,000 pounds across the face.

Cell was psychically levitating 30 boxes, half of which contained an assortment of varieties of hot sauce, while the other half contained assorted wines.

At the escalator's terminus, the three warriors paused, and made their visceral, highly philosophical thoughts known.

"Look at all those bitches and hoes trying to thwart Chi-Chi's menstrual mayhem," Cell said, while twirling his boxes in the air for no particular reason. "Gohan, what do you – shit! Gohan, look at you! You're a little kid again!"

Gohan suddenly realized that he felt a lot shorter, and that he once again had the appearance he had as an early 10-year-old, before his character design was modified to accommodate the onset of his early teen years.

He then tried to transform into a Super Saiyan, and to his dismay merely saw a white aura surround him. Gohan then realized that because of the Dragon Ball Plot Device that Android 13 had used in manifesting the latest incarnation of Movie 7, his power level truly had reverted to what it had been in the days before his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

"To Hell with everything!" Gohan said, as he dropped the bags and then punched into the air in disgust.

"Gohan, my studious offspring, observe the quarrel taking place in our midst," Goku said, adorning a hyperbolic version of his original Honor Trip persona for the special.

"I thought American Vigor was intending to lessen your vocabulary to make you much more in line with Toriyama's original vision for you and to increase canon compatibility," Gohan said.

"He is in fact planning to commence in that endeavor, but for this paramount and noteworthy occasion, he decided to enable to me to possess myriad liberties regarding my patterns of speech," Goku said. "However, I shall divert from my ineffable zeal as a logophile to reminisce over a felicitous excerpt I annunciated in the progenitor of this remake."

"Not even I have such an affinity for such flagrant use of long words," Cell said.

"Cell, my dear compatriot, it appears I am the superior sesquipedalian," Goku said.

"So you use long words, big deal," Cell said. "I thought you said you had a quote from the first movie you wanted to again say."

"Do you have a case of hippopotomonstros-esquippedaliophobia?" Goku asked.

"No Goku, I have no fear of long words, as any avid reader of Honor Trip could tell you," Cell said. _[Author's aside: that long word Goku just said actually is a real word! It means exactly what Cell alluded to – the feat of long words. Obviously, the word was created by some kind of sadist.]_

"Well then, here's my quote – Gohan, this is to be directed toward you, and focus on your mother and all those with whom she is combating for the garments," Goku said, as Gohan rolled his eyes in an unamused manner. "Check it out! It looks like that mud wrestling I showed you on TV once, remember?"

"That line was actually in the original FUNimation dub of the original Movie 7?" Cell asked.

"Indubitably," Goku said.

"Well, hot damn," Cell said. "It appears as though they aren't the prudes I thought they were."

Cell then took note of the music that was playing faintly in the background. He recognized it as Johann Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue in D major (Pachelbel's Canon), and while he quite enjoyed the song, he decided to use his psychic powers via long-range energy manipulation to change it. _[Author's aside: a little-known fact regarding this scene as portrayed in the classic FUNimation dub of Movie 7 is that the background music that plays while Goku, Gohan, and Chi-Chi are shopping actually is Pachelbel's Canon.]_

Cell shifted the music in a randomized fashion, eager to hear what would then begin to play, but as soon as it started, Cell changed the song again, as he didn't want to listen to "I Believe I Can Fly," by R. Kelly. He then biased the selection so as to increase the likelihood of a metal song being selected, and to his great enjoyment, "Electric," by Dream Evil, began to add ambience to the scene.

"Say dad, did you watch the later episodes of Season Two of Dragon Ball Z Abridged, created by TeamFourStar?" Gohan asked.

"I don't believe so," Goku said. "Of what are you endeavoring to highlight?"

"Dad, cut the crap," Gohan said.

"Fine," Goku said. "But I can bring it back whenever I want to."

"That's what they said about disco, and look how that turned out," Cell said.

"Anyway, Dad, the version of you that they have on there, in the second half of DBZ Abridged Season Two, started to use big words incorrectly, for comedic effect," Gohan said. "It's especially funny because that version of you has less intelligence than a flat tire. This all came after Ginyu took control of your body in that series, and he's far more sophisticated than the canon version, enabling there to have been a greater contrast between his mannerisms and yours, accentuating the humorous effect. Did I mention that in Dragon Ball Z Abridged, I, too, use even bigger words than I usually do for comedic value as well?"

"It sounds like it's funnier when I do it," Goku said, with a smile.

"I'm interested in the timing of this," Cell said.

"Pertaining to what?" Gohan asked.

"Honor Trip has been giving Goku uncharacteristically long words for his dialogue since late 2008, when the story's first chapter was published, and while Dragon Ball Z Abridged began in mid 2008 and before Honor Trip was established, the Abridged recurring joke of YOU, Goku, using long words wasn't around until 2011," Cell said.

"Well, whatever," Goku said. "Great minds think alike, I guess." _[Author's aside: I am of the humble opinion that TeamFourStar decided to implement the long-word joke for Abridged Goku independently of any considerations with regard to Goku using above-average words in any fanfic. The folks of TFS seem like good, honest guys.]_

"And speaking of thinking alike, it's clear that we're not, Goku!" Chi-Chi shouted, as she approached the group.

"What is it, Chi-Chi?" Goku asked. "I'm glad to see that you are no longer edaciously, voraciously, ravenously, rapaciously, insatiably, and avidly fighting with – "

"There he goes again," Gohan said, interrupting his father.

"I can't help it, Gohan," Goku said. "I'm trying to get a few more of those in while I still have the opportunity to say things at length."

"Well, I wanted to talk with you about something having to do with length, Goku," Chi-Chi said.

"Hah," Cell said.

"What, are you two years old?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Remember, dearest wife of my former sworn enemy, I've only been fully conscious for less than three years, give or take," Cell said. "So yeah, I can do what I want!"

"Whatever," Chi-Chi said, redirecting her attention to Goku. "Goku, the length of time you've worn that same shirt has been ridiculous."

"But Chi-Chi, the smell of my accumulated sweat helps ward off my enemies!" Goku said.

"It's over, Goku. You can't wear that same outfit every day of the year. We are buying you some new clothes." _[Actual lines from the actual classic FUNimation dub of the actual film.]_

"What, like the business suit he wore in the eighth movie when you dragged him to that school and forced him to present himself like a normal person?" Cell asked.

"Yeah, buster, and for your information, you could use some clothes, too!" Chi-Chi said. "Do you really think it's decent for you to be running around everywhere without any clothes on?"

"Shows how much you know about Namekian and Arcosian anatomy, let alone about what happens when the genetics of those species are combined with human and Saiyan genetic material," Cell said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Chi-Chi asked.

"It means that you can't see everything," Cell said.

"Damn," Chi-Chi said, sounding rather disappointed.

Cell stared at her in shock, as did Goku and Gohan.

Chi-Chi then realized what she'd said and quickly changed the subject.

"So, who wants to get some lunch?" she asked.

"Oh, I do!" Goku said, completely forgetting about what had happened since he had for the moment reverted into a hyperbolized version of his canon persona.

While Gohan shrugged it off, Cell was still relatively shocked.

As Goku and Gohan frolicked toward the upstairs restaurant, Chi-Chi turned around and winked at Cell, then said something that her husband and son couldn't hear.

"I guess that you inherited whatever made me attracted to Goku," she said with a grin. "Or maybe I just have a thing for tall, muscular monster men."

Cell of course knew that he possessed Goku's genetics, and he also knew that his construction had in no way been based on a DNA sample directly from Gohan.

Therefore, unlike if he had consumed 5 trillion gallons of mayonnaise, this wasn't totally gross.

"Uh … thanks?" Cell stated, with a nervous grin. "But Chi-Chi, aren't you a married woman?"

"Oh, I'll always love Goku despite the fact that he's dumb as shit in canon and pompous as shit when he talks with all that crap," Chi-Chi said. "However, as you've been around for more than 20 relative years in which you've had at least some form of consciousness and an advanced frame of mind, you are more than an adult. I think you can understand it when I say that sometimes, a gal my age likes to merely admire."

"I guess," Cell said.

"Well, I'll see you upstairs!" Chi-Chi said, as she ran to join her husband and son.

"And here I thought that the trolling wouldn't officially begin until those damn androids showed up," Cell said.

'_It's all part of the grand Red Ribbon plan!' _13 psychically said from afar, while manipulating the Dragon Ball Plot Device.

"13! What the hell?" Cell asked. "You've never possessed the ability to communicate telepathically!"

'_I do now, has-been!' _13 psychically said.

"Fucking androids," Cell said.

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: West City, busy streets full of expendable stunt-doubles, 93^2 **

While Trunks' future had been primarily ravaged throughout the years of his youth by two androids, a bodacious blonde beauty of a woman and another guy who was just some asshole, Timeline III was now being imperiled by two other androids, a swift-talking short-statured pimp and whatever the Hell Android 14 is supposed to be.

Android 15 blasted a bunch of folks to his left away, and then Android 14 used his eye beams to ignite 10 cars in flames.

"You'd think the people of West City would have some sort of emergency procedures in place for something like this, with at least a siren, or something," Android 15 said, while looking through his pimp glasses. "I mean, in the original version of this movie, when we wreck shit up, the Z-Fighters don't come running to get us. Of course they can't sense us since we're hipsters and we don't have detectable energy signatures, but you'd think they'd come on over here through sensing the fearful fluctuations in the energy all around us, or through having the skills to sense the rumbles of the explosions we're causing from afar. Hell, maybe they could have even sensed the fearful waves of pain flowing through each of the people here. And with Cell on their side this time, they have even more ability to hear us, although they ain't coming. What do you think about all this, 14?"

"Nuggets," Android 14 said.

"What a philosophically deep observation, 14," 15 said. "Now, let's see if we can find Goku ... ah, there."

15 turned toward the Shopping Mall Paradise, then scanned the building thoroughly and located Goku via detecting his energy signature.

"There he is," 15 said. "And now, 14, it's time to rid the world of a benevolent soul who wanted to spread peace and freedom for all."

"Nuggets," 14 said.

"Y'know, come to think of it, if 17 and 18 are supposed to be more advanced models than us, then why the hell do we have power level scanners, but they don't?" 15 asked. "They couldn't find Goku on their own during the Androids Saga because of that, and instead drove around in a van like a bunch of dumb-asses. By the time they got to his house, he was long gone. It's almost as if the plot convenience was so overwhelming at the time that they just had to not have the ability so that Goku could have enough time to recover and get his shit together to then fight Cell. And another thing, why the hell didn't Goku's heart failure happen earlier? Why did it have to happen at the plot convenient time of him fighting Gero and 19? I swear, there's so much bullshit it makes me proud to be a troll, ain't that right, 14?"

"Nuggets," 14 said.

"Alright man, remember, we need to play this cool," 15 said. "All we need to do is troll these bastards into submission and then Honor Trip is ours for keeps. All of the Honor Trip team's plans for the future will be eradicated and replaced with one big troll-athon, all under the stolen banner of the Honor Trip title and forever insulting the glory of the hijacked story. Once Big 13 takes control of it, his red-neck banjo playing days shall become all the more worthy of pizzazz, if you know what I'm saying. You remember what trolling is, right?"

"Nuggets," 14 said.

"That's right, it's the art of provoking an individual into having a reaction, often emotional and often of displeasure, for the singular or primary purpose of providing the provoker with amusement," 15 said. "And boy am I going to be amused by killing the crap out of Goku and his friends. Let's do this thing."

"Nuggets," 14 said.

* * *

**(Timeline FF7) Gaia/Earth: Midgar, 1997 and 2005 **

The clashes of their blades resonated throughout a forgotten yet tumultuous corridor of the city, with the strength of their materia accentuating their own hard-fought strength.

Cloud Strife, a man who had completely forgotten his own past and adopted someone else's as his own because he wanted to be cooler than he had been, only to then realize he was cool all along and regain his sense as a defender against corporate and demonic bullshit, was fighting against Sephiroth an emo egomaniacal extremist and former member of an elite military organization who, like so many other Final Fantasy villains, wanted to conquer the world and/or subdue humanity to, in his vision, improve the world.

Sephiroth swiped at cloud with his long sword, the Masamune, while Cloud deflected the attack with the Ultima Weapon, a sword he'd acquired after defeating an enemy with the amazingly different name of Ultimate Weapon.

"Hold on, jackass, I just came here to talk with you about something, and then you started attacking me!" Cloud yelled, while parrying the many strikes per minute that Sephiroth was unleashing at him.

"The more of you I kill, the easier it will be to merge with the Lifestream, take over this planet, and drive it around space so that I can go to other worlds and have tea parties with their populaces," Sephiroth said.

"What? Well, fuck that," Cloud said, as he backed up and braced himself for further attacks. "Listen man, I just wanted to ask you if you'd heard about that new Dragon Ball Z movie that's coming out, Battle of Gods."

"The one coming out on March 30, 2013?" Sephiroth asked. "Yeah, Toei Animation, Toriyama, and a bunch of people who want to make even more money off the Dragon Ball franchise are expanding the universe of that franchise again."

"Just like Star Wars," Cloud said.

"Like Star Wars? Of course, but if you haven't forgotten, that's also just like what happened with us," Sephiroth said, as he withdrew himself from active combat.

"That's right," Cloud said, as he, too, relaxed his stance. "Our game had already been over and done with back in 1997, but then, after immense popularity and tons of fanfics, hentai, and fanfics that also basically were textual hentai, our universe was expanded with a whole bunch of stuff, starting with the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie back in 2005."

"And then there was Crisis Core and a whole bunch of other stuff in which I got to kick serious ass," Sephiroth said. "But what's more important is that we expanded our story and enabled our bosses to make more money through having people BUY OUR NEW MERCHANDISE."

"It's been 16 years since Toei released a Dragon Ball franchise feature-length movie, and this is to be the 14th feature-length film of the Dragon Ball Z series," Cloud said. "It's about damn time, too. Those guys were recycling the same storylines over and over again for years, with redubs, video games, and so much more."

"Do you know how much money I've spent on the video games alone?" Sephiroth asked. "I mean, I got Final Bout and Ultimate Battle 22 back in the day, then I got the original Tenkaichi series, and all the games from the sets of Budokai Tenkaichi, Raging Blast, Raging Craptastic Super Blast, Raging Craptastic Super Saiyan Super De-Dooper Blast, and Holy Hot Sauce of Ultimate Divinity Raging Craptastic Super Saiyan Super De-Dooper Blast."

"That's a lot of games," Cloud said.

"Do you want to know how many times I've used a Playstation controller to defeat an incarnation of Saiyan-Saga era Vegeta?" Sephiroth asked.

"I'm guessing a lot," Cloud said.

"More than the number of hentai fics out there that involve yaoi between you and me," Sephiroth said.

"Well, if that's the case, then you've played Dragon Ball games a real crapload of times," Cloud said.

"You've said it," Sephiroth said. "I just hope, though, that with the new movie coming out, new characters aren't introduced that don't have the potential to undermine the basic logical integrity of the Dragon Ball universe, its rules, and its continuity."

The sky above suddenly turned dark, and out from the heavens, a white beam of light emerged. Two figures descended from the beam, one who looked a lot like Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, and another who looked like a kaioshin, of some sort.

"Are you who I think you are?" Sephiroth asked.

"What is up, my hommies?" said Bills, the god of destruction who is to make his official premiere appearance in Dragon Ball Movie 14: Battle of Gods. "I heard you talking about destruction, and I love destruction. I love it so much that I would not only marry it if I could, but write odes to it each day, lick it until the paint is dry, and then create various flavors of hot sauce to reflect its glory."

"Hear that, Cloud? Bills over here loves destruction, quite like me," Sephiroth said. "Yo Bills, first-bump it right here."

Sephiroth then offered Bills his right fist for a bump, to which the reciprocation was made.

"Our fists have been bumped in a sign of allegiance, but you, Sephiroth, should always know that I, Bills, am the superior god of destruction," Bills said.

"No way, man, that's my pride and joy," Sephiroth said. "No one can destroy worlds better than me."

"Guess again," said Wiss, the entity of similar appearance or outright status as a kaioshin (supreme kai), who also is to officially debut in Dragon Ball Z Movie 14: Battle of Gods. "Bills is apparently an important figure in the Dragon Ball universe who is going to challenge Goku after hearing of Frieza's destruction. Apparently, Bills is going to do quite well against Goku, and I should know, since I apparently am supposed to be quite familiar with Bills' backstory and with what he will be doing. Something tells me, Sephiroth, that you can't effectively fight Goku on your own. Bills, however, apparently can."

"I am the hot sauce, because the hot sauce is hot sauce," Bills said.

"So, why are you called Wiss?" Sephiroth asked. "I can kind of see 'Bills' as a variant of 'Anubis,' but why 'Wiss?'"

"My theory is that I am an entity of wisdom, and you can't spell 'wisdom' without 'Wiss,'" Wiss said.

"You also can't spell 'wisdom' without 'dumb!' Hah!'" Bills said.

"I hope to god the official versions of the two of you prove to be more logical than that which has been presented here, and that your official movie will actually be a constructive addition to the Dragon Ball franchise, rather than a source of continuity and logic errors," Cloud said.

"Which god do you hope to, me or him?" Wiss asked.

"Oy vey," Cloud said.

"And now, Sephiroth, since I'm here and since I want to destroy everything and don't care if I'm depriving you of the opportunity to destroy something, I'm going to destroy something," Bills said.

"Destroy stuff on your own turf, man!" Sephiroth said. "This is my turf to destroy!"

"Everything is my turf to destroy! The hot sauce told me this was so!" Bills said.

"If you even try to destroy anything here, then – "

Sephiroth interrupted himself, upon suddenly seeing a person materialize in front of him.

The other three turned toward the arrival as well.

"Gee willikers, it's Mitt Romney!" Sephiroth exclaimed, as Romney smiled to the four of them and waved.

"How's it going, everybody?" Romney asked. "I heard that there was a bit of a conflict brewing. What seems to be the trouble?"

"Bills over here doesn't know how to share," Sephiroth said.

"This guy is claiming ownership of what is rightfully mine!" Bills said.

"Hold on, hold on. I know just how to solve this," Romney said. "This is your plane of existence, right, Sephiroth?"

"Right," he said.

"Well then, Bills, here's 10-thousand bucks," Romney said, causing Bills to become excited by the cash. "Go buy yourself something and be friends with Sephiroth."

"Well, they don't call me BILLS for nothing!" Bills said. "You've convinced me to leave Sephiroth alone. Alright you two, when our movie and related video games are released, be sure to BUY OUR NEW MERCHANDISE!"

"Will do," Sephiroth said.

Wiss opened up a partition in the clouds above, and off the two gods went, to begin further rehearsals for Dragon Ball Z Movie 14: Battle of Gods.

"So Romney, what have you been up to these days, after losing to Obama in the Nov. 6 election, and all?" Cloud asked.

"Oh, nothing particularly dramatic, just shifting back and forth among planes of existence," Mitt Romney said. "On one plane, there was this giant talking dragon who kept on yelling 'Meh!' at me. After he began chasing me and demanding that I reveal to him the location of my crouton stash, I shifted away from there. I found the experience to be quite eventful, actually."

"Good to hear," Sephiroth said. "Hey, would you mind signing my sword?"

"And mine, too?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, ok. I'll do it," Romney said, as he pulled out a pen. "Oh, by the way, Cloud, I've been thinking about investing in Square Enix and Toei, and as a test run for my investment and desire for franchise cross promotion, I wanted to let you know that now, you don't just have blond hair and blue eyes because it's your base appearance. No, my friend, you're now a Super Saiyan!"

Cloud was amazed at the revelation, then put his sword down, suddenly feeling much more powerful than he had before.

He could feel the energy flowing through him, then exerted himself like he had seen the Super Saiyans do on television so many times.

Suddenly, a golden aura enshrouded him, and he felt more powerful then he ever had before.

"YES!" Cloud yelled, in the greatest of excitement.

**[Author's aside: AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT: Because of the inclusion of Bills and Wiss in this Honor Trip special, and because of the inclusion of dialogue for them, this special not only marks the first occasion EVER in which Bills and Wiss were included with dialogue in an English-language release of a Dragon Ball installment of a published or disseminated work, but this might, in fact, be the FIRST EVER APPEARANCE OF BILLS AND WISS IN A RELEASED DRAGON BALL PUBLICATION OR OTHER DISSEMINATED WORK.]**

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: West City, Shopping Mall Paradise (SMP), Upstairs Restaurant, 1548**

At his table, Cell was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the item he had ordered for dessert.

In the meantime, though, he was staring at the spectacle in front of him.

"Goku, with the vast quantity of food you eat, how have you not completely drained your family of financial resources?" Cell asked, as Goku finished his 149th plate for lunch.

"We have terrible credit," Goku said, right before continuing to chow down.

At another table, Krillin, Roshi, and Oolong were lamenting the fact that they had once again missed out on a show that otherwise would have been enjoyable. Trunks, bored by their self-pity, picked up his chair and brought it over to Goku's table, placing it to the right of Cell's chair.

"Yo man, we need to talk," Trunks said to Cell, in a whisper.

"What's up?" Cell asked.

"The androids are trying to override Honor Trip with crap, and we're just sitting here like a couple of schmucks doing nothing about it," Trunks said.

"Listen, I want to defeat them just as much as you do, but I need to take care of something first," Cell said.

"What could be more important to the two of us right now than saving Honor Trip from a bunch of trolls?" Trunks asked.

"Ice cream, Trunks. Ice cream with hot sauce," Cell said.

"What!"

"You heard me. Ice cream with hot sauce," Cell said. "The waiter is about to arrive with my ice cream, and I'm going to douse it with hot sauce."

"Isn't that going to taste nasty?" Trunks asked.

"Trunks, you won't get very far in life if you don't have a certain flavor of hot sauce on your ice cream," Cell said. "Listen, back in the 100th review special, I was about to have some icream when the reverberations from Paragus' fucking spaceship blew my ice cream right off the cone. I wasn't actually in the main part of the 200th review special, and so this time, I once again have an opportunity to – oh look, here it comes!"

The waiter brought Cell his ice cream, then Cell opened up one of the boxes of goods he'd acquired, fetched a bottle of Cooler-Singed Heat, then poured it atop the ice cream.

Just as Cell reached for his spoon, the entirety of the restaurant exploded in flames!

And the flames were not the result of the hot sauce alone!

* * *

**(Timeline IV) Earth: Launch and Broly's Master Bedroom, 1998**

"Your moves are breathtaking," Launch said, with her voice inflecting significant elation.

"I'm going to put it right there," Broly said, with his ardency readily apparent.

"It's clear you know what you're doing!" Launch said. "That makes doing this with you all the more fun!"

"Only the best for you!" Broly said.

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: West City, over a bunch of burning damage that easily could have been prevented had the Z-Fighters been doing their jobs instead of attending a strip club, shopping, and casually dining, 2346**

Cell, Trunks, Goku, and Gohan were floating in midair, while everyone else was busy with evacuating the area.

"All the expletives!" Cell yelled.

He then refocused on Androids 14 and 15, who were descending toward him.

"Well, look who we've got here, a traitor in our midst," 15 said.

"Nuggets," 14 said.

"On behalf of Big 13, we're going to troll the shit out of you until he arrives," 15 said. "Honor Trip is ours, boys!"

"You seem to be forgetting that even at my reduced power level, the two of your are no match for me!" Cell said. "Both of you are outdated crap compared to me! I hate Gero's guts, but at least he helped me have the power to kick your ass!"

"Nuggets," 14 said.

"Go ahead, Cell. Just try to harm us," 15 said.

"Your overconfident boasts are easily among the most amusing acts of idiocy I've encountered in a while," Cell said, as he shifted forward, without warning.

15 in no way had enough time to block the barrage, and Cell was relentlessly punching and kicking him, while in fact playing somewhat of a game of catch with himself through using 15 as if he were a giant beach ball.

14 turned toward Trunks, then let out his battle cry, which he had spent years of discernment perfecting for this occasion, his rematch with Trunks in the 20th anniversary year of the release of the movie.

"Nuggets," 14 said, as he charged toward Trunks.

"My long hair gives me super strength!" Trunks said, as he charged toward 14 and powered up to Super Saiyan.

14 was alarmed by the sudden change.

"What's the matter, didn't expect that I'd power up so soon?" Trunks asked. "Well, you might recall that two decades ago, the first time we made this movie, I was specifically asked to not power up until much later in the film, so as to increase the overall dramatic tension in this part of the film by making it appear as if you ever stood any actual challenge against me. For some bullshit reason, in the original film, Goku, father and I didn't just transform into Super Saiyans right at the start of our fights with you guys, and we instead waited until after we were beaten around a lot to transform. The same fucking thing happens in Bojack Unbound, as we explored in the 200th review special. But this time, I ain't going to let you, or the script troll me. No man, I'm going to do my part to save Honor Trip and defeat you by counter-trolling you!"

Trunks began to pummel the crap out of 14, while Cell continued in his enraged barrage of attacks against 15.

Even without their power levels from the end of Season III, Cell and Trunks, in defending Honor Trip from trolls, were kicking the crap out of them handily.

But even with superior strength on the part of the forces of righteousness, true trolls, those who use trolling for nefarious purposes, can employ cheap and dishonorable tactics.

It became readily apparent to Cell, after a while of pummeling 15, that the android, despite not being able to fight back, had been barely damaged.

Trunks noticed the same thing with regard to 14, then backed away from him and regrouped with Cell.

Goku and Gohan had been calmly observing the fights all the while, and Goku sensed that things were about to get much more intense.

"Gohan, go with your mother. I sense that things are about to get much more intense," Goku said.

"But dad, you don't want me to be in the rest of the movie?" Gohan asked.

"It's for your own good, son. These androids are more nefarious than they were before, and because they're so much more dangerous, I need you and especially Krillin to sit this one out."

"Alright, Dad. I'll respect that," Gohan said.

"See you in Season IV, son, when you're back at full strength," Goku said.

Gohan smiled, then waved goodbye.

"Looking forward to it!" he said, as he flew to escort his mother, Krillin, and others to safety.

Goku then transformed into his basic Super Saiyan form, then regrouped with Cell and Trunks.

"So, why the hell aren't these guys dropping like flies?" Goku asked. "Trunks, you've got more than enough capability to defeat these guys, and Cell, you of course do as well. What's happening?"

"It's probably some bullshit scheme that 13 devised to piss us off," Cell said. "But remember, guys, we need to remain calm and not let this shit affect us psychologically. If we get mad or get bothered by this frustrating situation, the commies win."

"You mean the trolls," Trunks said.

"Yes," Cell said. "Goku, 13 has a plot device that he's been using to warp events to his advantage. It appears that because of 13's trickery, physical force and superior speed alone won't defeat these guys."

"Well then, what is their weak point?" Goku asked.

"We don't got no weakpoint," 15 said. "Face it, Goku, the glory of Dr. Gero shall overcome you at last!"

"Not if we can help it," Cell said. "Besides, 15, you're missing a big point. I AM the true glory of Dr. Gero! I am proof that even the most evil of beings can change and pursue a path of goodness, in honor of a sincere venture to free others from sort of the evil they once upheld! I AM Gero's greatest achievement!"

Suddenly, Trunks noticed 15 slightly quiver, then calm down again.

Cell grinned.

'_Gentlemen, I believe I've figured out their weakness,' _Cell psychically said to Trunks and Goku. _'Let's go to the arctic like you guys did 20 years ago, that way we can defeat them without further damage to West City.'_

"Hey assholes, follow me!" Trunks said, as he flew toward the northeast.

14 turned to 15, with a question he'd been thinking about for some time.

"Nuggets?" 14 asked.

"Possibly," 15 said. "Come on, man; let's follow Trunks."

14 and 15 swiftly followed, and they then were followed by Cell and Goku, who were monitoring their movements to make sure they wouldn't readily turn around and decide to attack West City, in a supreme act of trolling.

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: West City, Capsule Corporation, 2013 **

"Damn I hate this movie," Eighteen said, while laying on a couch in the building's main living room. "Sixteen, why the hell weren't you, me, and Seventeen in this film?"

"You and Seventeen are in the opening sequence of the original film, in which Seventeen decapitates Gero, leading up to the introduction title sequence," Sixteen said.

"Oh, that doesn't count, Sixteen; it's just a redone flashback," Eighteen said. "Oh well, at least I get to be in Movie 11 and that one other thing with Vegeta's supposed brother, or whatever. Unfortunately for you, you're not actually in any of the Dragon Ball Z movies."

"Neither is Cell," Sixteen said. "Considering some of the bullshit villains the Dragon Ball franchise has had over the years, a film with Cell could have livened things up."

"Yeah, it could have," Eighteen said. "Hey Sixteen, do you think we might get the chance to see Seventeen again in Season IV?"

"The Earth will have two sets of Dragon Balls thanks to the presence of Shenron and Temnizziv, and in this timeline, we're blessed to have the set from New Namek still accessible," Sixteen said. "It is a distinct possibility that Seventeen will return."

"Oh, I wonder how he's been," Eighteen said.

* * *

**(Timeline III) Hell: Pools of Blood, or whatever that stuff is supposed to be, 2013**

He had been minding his own business, taking a quick snooze by the side of one of the blood pools, when he all of a sudden was awoken by cacophony.

"Alright guys, we need to come up with a new set of choreography!" Jeice shouted.

"I want to be the orange one!" Guldo said.

"Hey, I wanted to be the orange one!" Recoome said.

"That doesn't have anything to do with anything!" Burter said.

As their argument continued, Seventeen shifted himself so that he was facing away from them, then covered his ears.

"Fuck everything," he said to himself. "The moment I see Vegeta again in Season IV, I'm going to let him know just how much fun I've had down here!"

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: Asinine Arctic Arena, 132537**

The five fighters arrived, and they were not entirely surprised to see the two other fighters whom they had been expecting.

"What the Hell took you all so long?" Vegeta asked. "Piccolo and I have been waiting here for you all to arrive far longer than we did last time!"

"Father, please! Calm down! If you let these trolls get to you, Honor Trip might be destroyed.

"Asking me to calm down is a quite a request, boy," Vegeta said.

"Just do it, Vegeta," Piccolo said.

"Fine," Vegeta said, right before he transformed into his basic Super Saiyan form.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Cell said. "14 and 15 can only be destroyed if we TROLL THEM!"

14 and 15 both looked aghast at Cell's revelation, and Cell grinned at the apparent confirmation of the truth.

"It works both ways, you fools," Cell said, directing his attention to 14 and 15. "Anyone who seeks to harm others through trolling can themselves potentially be trolled. And while the five of us have all learned to be mentally strong, including Vegeta, who can control his rage when he truly wants to, I doubt the two of you have the programming to withstand what we have in store for you."

"Don't try anything stupid, Cell!" 15 yelled.

"Ah, but that's precisely what we want to do," Cell said. "I – "

From above, the sound of "YEE-HAW!" could be heard, followed thereafter by the booming instrumentation of "Long Haired Redneck," by David Allen Coe.

Android 13 indiscriminately blasted all around himself, causing the Z-Fighters, and even his own allies, to dodge the many stray blasts.

After a few moments, he landed, then took out a bottle of Maker's Mark.

"How the Hell are y'all?" 13 asked.

"You could have warned us before coming, G," 15 said.

"Big 13 ain't have to provide no warning to nobody," 13 said. "Now, let's get this show on the road!"

13 flew forward toward Goku and punched him across the face, with Goku flinching and then retaliating back via a barrage of punches.

Cell then smashed 13 in the right side of his head, causing Goku to be surprised as to the sudden intrusion.

"Cell, that bastard is all mine," Goku said.

"I know you principally fought him, Goku, but desperate times call for desperate measures," Cell said. "Just ask Broly about what we did to him in the 100th review special."

"I still can't believe that worked," Trunks said.

"Goku, if you think about it, you can beat 14 all on your own," Cell said.

"But, what do – OH. I understand what you're saying," Goku said. "Alright, Cell, kick 13's ass for me."

"Will do," Cell said, as he dashed toward 13, with Piccolo following him for that fight.

As Vegeta and Trunks suddenly confronted 15, thinking of ways to successfully troll him into submission, Goku knew what he had to do.

He landed in front of 14, whose nonchalant gaze seemed to pierce the souls of all enemies of trolls.

Goku knew thought that to save Honor Trip, the android trolls would need to be thoroughly, and finally defeated.

"Nuggets," 14 said.

"Your vocabulary sure has dwindled over the years, hasn't it, 14?" Goku asked.

"Nuggets!" 14 said.

"I know how you feel," Goku said.

"Nuggets," 14 said.

"Yes, I'm hungry too," Goku said. "Sorry man, you need to be defeated, and that's all there is to that."

14 came rushing toward Goku, and Goku, for one last, glorious time, adorned his original Honor Trip persona.

"Initiating the paramount maneuver to obliterate all trolls of few words: the EXTENSIVE VOCABULARY ATTACK!"

14 stopped short, as he could feel himself losing power.

"Your insufferable proprietor of transgressions, I desire with ebullience to exhibit my perspicacious wit," Goku said. "While the trolling you've exerted has been ineffectual because of my equanimity, it is to be remonstrated that you should be sagacious in acknowledging how rebarbative your overzealousness has been. And with subsequence, you – "

14 suddenly exploded, unable to bear the sheer intensity of Goku's trolling any longer.

"A wondrous gift it is, to express oneself with mellifluousness and thoroughness," Goku said. "But you don't always have to speak like that to get a point across."

Nearby, Trunks and Vegeta were in the middle of a series of contested rounds with 15.

"Yo' mamma's so fat that she is a moon of Jupiter," 15 said.

"That's my woman you're talking about, you little bastard," Vegeta said. "Well, you're mom's not actually a woman! Your mom is that fuckbag, Dr. Gero!"

"Dad, he's still alive, and you've been flinging insults at him for three minutes. This isn't working," Trunks said.

"Oh yeah, then what the Hell am I supposed to do?" Vegeta asked.

From out of seemingly nowhere, the answer came.

"How are you, my friends?" Mitt Romney asked.

"Romney! Long time, no see!" Trunks said.

"I hear this android is giving you some trouble," Romney said. "Just like the federal government with regard to spending, this guy doesn't seem to know when to quit."

"You said it, Romney! Blow those sons of bitches up by getting more nukes!" Vegeta yelled.

"Well, I'm not that aggressive, Vegeta," Romney said. "I – "

"Hey, who needs a nuclear weapon when you could hire me?" Vegeta said. "Not as much radiation, and still gets the job done, right?"

"Vegeta, I can't consider you for any federal jobs because I didn't win on Nov. 6," Romney said.

"What? But I voted for you, and I always win!" Vegeta exclaimed.

"Really father? You always win?" Trunks asked.

"Shut up, Trunks," Vegeta said.

"However, I can still stand for the principles I believe in," Romney said. "Hey android, I'm going to do something that you'll never forget!"

"What are you talking about, man?"

"Welcome to the premiere of my first-ever Dragon Ball Z attack, an attack inspired by my principles and which will defeat you because I have lots of money," Romney said.

"Money doesn't buy you power!" 15 said.

"Tell that to Bruce Wayne!" Romney said. "Now, 15, you're history! TAX CUT ATTACK!"

Romney lifted up his right hand, then quickly moved it downward. From out of a wave of coalesced energy came billions of dollars that would have been cut in taxes under his presidency, all compacted into a fine sheet of atoms that had a hardness greater than diamond. With extreme heat and pressure added to the attack as well, reflective of the political landscape in so many ways, the attack pierced straight across 15, causing him to explode.

"Awesome!" Vegeta said. "Yo Mitt, can you sign my right glove?"

"Sure!" Romney said.

* * *

**(Timeline A) Earth: The White House, Oval Office, 2012 **

"Yo Joe, did you see that?" U.S. President Barack Obama asked, in looking at the television screen. "Romney just blasted that mofo away!"

"Mr. President, this is a big fucking deal!" U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said, while drinking a beer and watching the remake of Dragon Ball Z Movie 7 alongside Obama. _[Author's aside: Biden has actually said the words, "This is a big fucking deal," on live television. When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (most of what is known as "Obamacare") became law, he said this to Obama while ostensibly thinking that his microphone was entirely off.]_

"I've got to find my way into one of these specials," Obama said. "I've always wanted to go Super Saiyan."

"All is possible in the future, Barry," Biden said.

"Well, good for Romney," Obama said.

"He really wanted to do this, especially after realizing that with Paul Ryan on his presidential ticket, and with his and Ryan's last names both beginning with R, and with the fact that he represents the political party affiliated with red, his presidential ticket could have been identified with the Red Ribbon Army symbol," Biden said. "He wanted to show once and for all that he in no way supports fascists or commies."

"Well fuck fascists, and fuck commies," Obama said.

* * *

**(Timeline IV) Earth: Launch and Broly's Master Bedroom, 199998**

"You've made this so hard!" Launch shouted, while looking tenderly at Broly.

"Of course I did," Broly said, with a grin.

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: Asinine Arctic Arena, 2000393 **

The five Z-Fighters converged on 13's position, and Cell, who had been trying to think of a way to successfully troll 13 into submission, was still in the midst of fighting him.

13 then broke away from Cell, and stretched out his arms.

"Hey Cell and Trunks, you guys, especially, care for logic in movies, right?"

"Oh shit," Trunks said.

"Well, why would the good doctor make my main power up contingent on the other two androids getting their asses whipped and getting destroyed? 13 asked. "Because you know, he thought we were all so strong that we'd never be destroyed, so why the hell would he make it so that I could only achieve my super form if a condition he thought he made highly improbable would occur?"

"Damn it … curse the unavoidable frustration!" Cell said, as 13 sneered, while absorbing components from 14 and 15, in one of the most illogical power-ups in the entirety of the Dragon Ball franchise.

His skin turned mostly blue and grey, his eyes turned yellow, and his hair became spiked and orange.

"Hey Vegeta, how do you like my new hair style?" Super Troll 13 asked, as Vegeta cringed at the sight of his Saiyan-style hair turned orange on an android, no less.

"Oh god damn it, 13," Vegeta said.

"Oh, and Piccolo, you know what it's like to have your skin be a primary color of light; so out of the other two, red and blue, why is it that I'm mostly blue, while I'm also a member of the RED Ribbon Army?" Super Troll 13 asked.

"Well, those bastards back in the day had officers of different color designations, didn't they?" Piccolo asked.

"Yeah, but none with blue skin like me!" Super Troll 13 said. "One would think Gero would have wanted me to have had bright red coloration, to symbolize the glory of the army! U mad about this revelation, bro?"

"Damn it, he's right!" Piccolo said.

"And Trunks, you've called me a redneck before, despite the fact I'm now blue, but remember, why the hell exactly did Gero in the classic FUNimation dub give me this accent?" Super Troll 13 asked. "I mean, he screwed up the décor with himself and 19, but with 17 and 18 especially, those folks can blend right into a crowd for the purpose of subterfuge and insidious movements. Why did he give me a southern American drawl, when almost no one in the Dragon Ball universe talks that way?"

"Oh my god," Trunks said.

"And Cell, yet another wondrous element of fun, when the hell is this movie even supposed to take place?" Super Troll 13 asked.

"Fuck you, 13," Cell said. "My rage over that has been bothering me this entire movie, and I've been trying to control it. Of course this movie can't take place before everyone goes in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber since there's no instance, starting with the moment Trunks arrived in the past for the second time and up until the chamber entry, in which he, Goku, and Vegeta are all not in some sort of combat with the androids. The damn movie can't take place after Vegeta and Trunks trained in the chamber but before Goku and Gohan were fully done since I was still being a bastard and Vegeta and Trunks were fighting me with their Ascended Super Saiyan forms, which they don't have in this movie, and since Goku and Gohan were in the chamber. The movie can't take place after Goku and Gohan's training but before the Cell Games since I was still around and was still a bastard, since Goku and Gohan aren't in their full-power Super Saiyan forms, and in fact, because Gohan can't yet transform into a Super Saiyan in the movie. And obviously, it can't take place after the Cell Games because of various obvious factors."

"Wait, Cell," Trunks said. "I refuse to give such a big concession to this troll over here and further endanger Honor Trip to his troll powers. I've thought about it for a while, and the original Movie 7 actually can fit in the timeline – if we're talking about Timeline II. In a timeline without your presence, Cell, yeah, sure, it's possible 17, 18, and even 16 could have been defeated with each member of the main cast still alive and with all of us celebrating before I went back to the future, such that because we were able to take the androids down with just Goku, my father and me as Super Saiyans, Gohan didn't have to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber before my return trip and didn't have to become a Super Saiyan. And for those who think the movie still can't happen simply because it doesn't explain where the hell 13, 14, and 15 were in MY timeline, well, it's clear that Gero's Supercomputer was still active, since it was working on you, Cell, long after 17 and 18 thought they'd destroyed the lab, but because of the changed timeline events, Gero could have gotten much farther in making 13, 14, and 15 functional in Timeline II than in Timelines I or IV, with somewhat of a canon precedent for this, as 19 is nowhere to be found in I or IV, yet is present in II and III."

"Holy shit, Trunks, you're right!" Cell exclaimed.

"Ah, but Cell, think of how ridiculous it was for Gero to have made both me and you such that our ultimate forms were contingent on absorbing two other androids!" Super Troll 13 said. "Why would he take a provision designed for a supposedly inferior model like me and place it in you, his supposedly ultimate creation? Here that, Cell? You've got a key feature over there that only I share with you, among all the androids! I guess the best trolls absorb two androids!"

"Not quite, 13," Cell said. "Sure, the principle of us absorbing two androids is the same, but you could only absorb them after the extremely unlikely event that they were destroyed! I could absorb them in perfect condition! Therefore, my absorption process is far superior, with yours as merely the prototype for mine! Hear that, 13? You are the General Grievous to my Darth Vader! I guess that's why they call you merely "super," while I'm "perfect!"

Cell could sense the logical integrity and spirit of Honor Trip gaining in further strength, with the effectiveness of Super Troll 13's trolling assult diminishing by the moment.

"Wait! There's one last piece of business!" Super Troll 13 yelled.

Super Troll 13 grabbed Goku, then emitted a colossal energy discharge in all directions, sending the other four Z-Fighters spiraling backward.

"Goku, I'm sure you remember the fun I had with what you very well know I'm about to do, as I did the first time we made this movie," Super Troll 13 said.

"Really?" Goku asked. "You're that desperate to win that you're going to hit below the belt!"

"Your balls shall be smashed in honor of my glory!" 13 said, as he lifted Goku up without enabling Goku to counteratack, brought back his right arm, then punched straight forward.

However there was … no effect?

"The fuck!" Super Troll 13 yelled.

"Joke's on you, asshole!" Goku said, as he quickly sent a Kamehameha to 13's face, then reentered a fighting stance.

"But how? I don't understand!" Super Troll 13 said. "What happened to you in the past 20 years since we first made this movie?"

"Oh, it's simple," Goku said. "I've gotten tactically smarter and have learned from the past is all; nothing's different down there, thanks to Chi-Chi. Remember when I powered up my finger with heightened defense when I was blocking Trunks' sword? Well – "

"Damn it!" Super Troll 13 yelled, as he pounded the ground in a sense of agonized defeat.

Honor Trip's future was looking as bright as ever, and the other Z-Fighters approached Super Troll 13, with a feeling of triumph.

"It's over, 13, give up," Goku said.

But just then, right above them all, a gigantic hole opened up in the sky. It was a black, lifeless void, and from within that place of unspeakable evil, the plot pirate made his entrance.

To the extreme shock of the five Z-Fighters, they saw the plot hole close behind the newcomer, with his breach of continuity complete.

He descended to the ground, and upon his landing, Super Troll 13 stood up, ran to him, and then bowed at his feet.

"Master Bojack, I am humbled by your presence!" Super Troll 13 said with fear and awe, groveling at the feet of the Dark Lord of All Trolls. "Please, forgive me for failing to troll these fighters into submission, and for failing to have them surrender to your – "

"Enough," Bojack said. "It is more than clear that you have failed, 13, despite the trust I placed in you. You should have won, but your weakness against their defenses shows your own incompetence. As I had planned to have you ultimately do to this series, I now shall do to you."

Super Troll 13 backed away in absolute fear, and Bojack powered up to his own Super form, with his skin ironically shifting blue to green and with his hair shifting from orange to red.

"It's amazing that while you, in your form, have orange hair and predominant blue coloration, I just shifted from those very colors into those I have now," Bojack said. "Now, 13, you realize that I truly am ascended far beyond your understanding and capabilities of trolling."

"Have mercy!" Super Troll 13 shouted while beginning to back away.

"As my own henchmen of the Galaxy Soldiers had known, I have no mercy," Bojack said. "All you ever were shall be contorted and eliminated, with my will increasing in achievement."

"No!" Super Troll 13 yelled.

In a last act of defiance, Bojack stuck out his right hand, completely stopping Super Troll 13 with his superior trolling powers, as the five Z-Fighters continued to be astounded by what they were seeing.

Bojack brought forth from Super Troll 13's left pants pocket the black sphere of the Dragon Ball Plot Device, then spread his fingers apart, shattering the device into pieces, to Super Troll 13's horror.

"Real trolls don't need to rely on pitiful toys," Bojack said. "Now, 13, join me!"

Bojack blasted Super Troll 13 with a silver light, then, after the light cleared, the Z-Fighters saw that 13's essence had been encapsulated within a silver sphere of energy.

Bojack grasped the silver sphere, then the sphere dissolved in appearance, as its energy had been absorbed by him.

Bojack's power level and trolling level skyrocketed, causing the Z-Fighters to shield their eyes.

When the force became stable, his new form was clearly visible in all its horrific might. Bojack's entire body, except for his hair and pants, had become a shiny, glistening silver. His hair now was of the style that Super Android 13 had possessed, and it now was purple in coloration.

"At long last, I have finally achieved my ultimate form," Bojack proudly and sordidly declared. "I am Trolljack, the Supreme Dark Lord of All Trolls."

* * *

**(Timeline IV) Earth: Launch and Broly's Master Bedroom, 1999998**

"If you put it there, you'll be all mine!" Launch shouted.

"I'll put it there, but I've got my own idea which I think you'll like," Broly said.

* * *

**(Timeline III) Earth: Asinine Arctic Arena, 1993**

Trolljack's horrifying glory pervaded through all that was present, causing each of the Z-Fighters to feel as though they were being trolled many times over.

"Bojack, I thought we killed you back in the 200th review special!" Trunks yelled.

"If you would have asked another version of Gohan, he would have told you that he'd last seen me in a Christmas Special known as Merry Mayhem," Trolljack said. "And yes, I at times inhabited the body of my counterpart from Universe 6 of Dragon Ball Multiverse, but his defeat at the hands of your counterpart, Cell, from Universe 17 of that plane of existence was all his own doing."

"You … have been shifting between planes of existence?" Cell asked.

"Of course," Trolljack said. "All the more people to troll."

"We just saw Mitt Romney shift to another plane of existence, and he's Mitt Romney!" Vegeta said. "How the hell did you get your hands on that kind of power, Bojack?"

"It's Trolljack, first of all," he said, as he transmitted a wave of emotional fear into Vegeta, causing even the mighty Saiyan prince to shudder. "Unlike Mitt Romney, I didn't earn the right to be able to shift among the planes of existence. As with many of my prized elements of knowledge, I acquired the ability to shift among planes as a result of stealing the skill from another entity."

"But why, then, are you here, of all places?" Goku asked.

"I sensed 13's failures accumulating across the void, and my trolling sense knew that something had to be done to finally put a stop to Honor Trip and end it entirely," Trolljack said. "Series that seek to expand the logic, integrity, and quality of the Dragon Ball phenomenon, and especially those that dare to challenge the preexistent logic, integrity, and quality so as to improve the overall quality of experiences for the fan base, deserve to be destroyed. I refuse to live in a multiverse in which so many people are experiencing lives of progress and enjoyment, when all of it should be mine. Through trolling, I can subdue and repress their progress and enjoyment, fulfilling my goal of absolute dominance and absolute authority to degrade the quality of everything but myself. I acquired 13's word that he would overpower Honor Trip through the art of trolling through making a critical breach through the use of this special, but he failed in his mission. The five of you survived his trolling endeavors, and as such, Honor Trip was saved. But when trolling can overpower logic, that is when series can be destroyed and I can expand my dominion."

"Words cannot describe how much I revile everything you support," Cell said.

"Degrading the lives of others to improve one's own quality of life is nothing new, Cell," Trolljack said. "Trolling them to achieve such power, however, makes the game all the more fun. Some of you fought valiantly against me in the 200th review special; as you know, my endeavors to degrade the quality of that special and to gain strength from the degradation were readily apparent, and now, you can see those wondrous elements manifested in all I'm doing now. I will impart upon Honor Trip, through overwhelming you with trolling, the ultimate continuity error, a break in continuity, which shall destroy Honor Trip as a result of applying the trolling energy against your diminished defenses against it."

"Just like Cell form DBM, I'm going to kick your ass," Cell said.

Bojack grinned, then began to walk forward.

"The five of you cannot possibly hope to counter-troll me, even together," Trolljack said. "And when you lose and Honor Trip dies, I shall embark forth upon an extended saga of destruction across many planes of existence. I shall invade another Dragon Ball tale, _Bringer of Death_, and bring it to its death through a variant of the trolling onslaught that shall destroy you here. From there, I will go to _Break Through the Limit, Piccolo's Choice, Dragonball AZ, The Majin Legacy, The Genetic Bridge, Dragon Ball Legends, Dragon Ball Multiverse_, and so many others, and I will use my trolling powers to weaken their defenses, sever their story integrity through the application of further trolling, and end their continuity to improve my own strength."

"We will defend Honor Trip to the last, and with your defeat here, we'll defend all the rest from your trolling scourge," Cell said.

"Your deaths are near," Trolljack said, as he stuck out both of his hands and psychologically assaulted the five warriors, who were trying as hard as they could to resist the negative emotions that Trolljack wanted them to feel. Images of terror, pain, and so many things filled them, as Trolljack began to smile and laugh.

"You will not be able to concentrate on overpowering those thoughts, with this, my grand weapon," Trolljack said, as he began to charge energy by each of his palms, which he then placed to his sides, with his legs perpendicular to his arms and with his palms facing the Z-Fighters. "Behold, fools, a modified version of my Galactic Buster, the Universal Troller! Your series, and so many more, shall die!"

Bojack brought his palms and the energy by them together and launched the silvery blast forward toward the warriors.

Cell knew very well that Future Cell had ultimately lost against him at the end of Season III because he hadn't been able to concentrate both on the mentally taxing endeavor of focusing on an energy signature other than his own and resisting an oncoming energy blast.

He knew that he needed to find some way to tolerate the incoming beam and not be overly harmed by the visions he was experiencing as a result of Trolljack's magic.

With the beam now three seconds away, Cell knew that the chance of him losing this battle as Future Cell did was – "

Wait.

OF COURSE.

After all, if defeating a troll could be accomplished through being a stronger troll, then overcoming one of a troll's tricks could be accomplished through using a stronger or more effective version of the trick.

In the three seconds until impact, Cell sent out a psychic message to his allies.

'_Everyone! Power up as high as you've ever been able to in Honor Trip! 13's plot device that was holding us back is gone!' _Cell psychically yelled.

Whereas Bojack had opened up and closed a plot hole to destroy a reality, Cell now was preventing another plot hole from forming in his effort to save a reality.

In thinking of Future Cell, Cell had realized that without the Dragon Ball Plot Device's influence in repressing their power levels, they might be able to achieve complete dominance over Trolljack without having to override his mind.

But the perfect counter-troll statement needed to be made, something that would keep Trolljack dead and which would not provide him with the opportunity to terrorize the universe ever again.

Suddenly, before the Universe Troller hit them, Cell powered up to his Super Perfect form, Trunks powered up to Super Saiyan 2, Goku powered up to Ultra Super Saiyan, Vegeta powered up to Ascended Super Saiyan and then Ultra Super Saiyan, and Piccolo powered up to his maximum power level as a Super Namek.

The five warriors all fired into the Universe Troller, sending it spiraling back toward Trolljack, to his complete surprise and fright.

'_To think, Bojack, you're losing because we took preemptive action to prevent you from taking advantage of the plot hole that would have formed had we not powered up all the way,'_ Cell said, as Trolljack became replete with fury. '_Your own mistake cost you everything, and in kinship with DBM, you have lost here, as well.' _

"I will merely revive and travel to another plane of existence, then come back to destroy Honor Trip later!" Trolljack yelled, desperately.

"Not quite," Cell said aloud, as the blasts finally cascaded upon Trolljack and consumed him.

Cell then grabbed Trunks and instant transmitted away …

* * *

**(Timeline IV) Earth: Capsule Corporation, Kitchen, Age 786 **

… then reappeared with Trunks outside the cursed cassette tape of Movie 7, which was made possible through Bojack's foolish destruction of the Dragon Ball Plot Device.

Before Bulma could ask what the Hell was going on, Cell and Trunks quickly ran down the stairs, then arrived in Trunks' basement and ran further toward the television set. Both warriors blasted the television to pieces, leaving nothing remaining of Trunks' movie collection, but accomplishing a much more noble purpose.

"We need to remember, Trunks, everyone who wasn't Bojack was in there just by proxy, so this didn't truly harm them," Cell said. "Bojack, however, entered the tape through shifting between planes of existence, and so hopefully, he was still trapped in there at the time we destroyed the television set, hence enabling us to have finally stopped him.

"In fact, it could be said that since he decided to enter a reality within a reality, that might have made it even harder for him to get out," Trunks said.

"Especially if we're going with Inception's logic, but yeah, I think we maximized our chances of defeating him by doing what we did," Cell said.

"Poor 13, though, it looks like he was completely used," Trunks said.

"He made the choice to troll, and we overcame it," Cell said.

"Holy crap, what a day," Trunks said, as he sat down on the couch that had been in front of the television set, which, due to Cell and Trunks' angling of blasts had been largely spared.

"You said it," Cell said, as he sat down on the couch and stuck his wings through the slots he'd made earlier.

They were momentarily quiet, then Trunks spoke up.

"So, it looks like we saved Honor Trip," Trunks said.

"The strength and awesomeness of its fans gave us further strength," Cell said. "It is something to be proud of, Trunks. And, in all honesty, I'm extremely looking forward to the start of Honor Trip Season IV."

"Well, you'll have many adventures over there in Timeline III, and I'll be here in the future," Trunks said. "I have a world to rebuild, you know."

"Yeah, but I'm confident you'll do what you need to do," Cell said. "Hey, are those beer cans still full?"

Trunks quickly got up from his seat, then walked over to a nearby table, where he discovered, to his delight, that they were in fact unopened and full.

Trunks tossed a can to Cell, then sat down himself and opened his can.

"To our victory, to celebrating Honor Trip's reviews, and to the imminent start of Season IV," Trunks said, while his can was raised.

"In thanks for all the good times, in thanks for Honor Trip's readers, and in thanks for Dragon Ball fans across the multiverse," Cell said, as he brought his can to the right, clanking it against Trunks' own.

* * *

**(Timeline IV) Earth: Launch and Broly's Master Bedroom, Age 786**

"Ah, now that was fun," Launch said, as she got up from the bed.

"It sure was," Broly said, while getting up as well. "You were right, Launch; playing chess in bed is not just fun, but cozy."

"You could be my king any day," Launch said, as she embraced him.

"And you're one Hell of an awesome queen," Broly said, as their love echoed throughout the night.

* * *

**(Timeline ?) Earth: Remnant of the Asinine Arctic Arena (a small ice deposit), Age 767**

Atop a small ice deposit surrounded by water, Piccolo was sitting in a relaxed, yet poised fashion, as was Vegeta, who was on the other side of the ice deposit.

"Is it over?" Piccolo asked.

"Not 'till the hot sauce jumps," Vegeta said.

A bottle of hot sauce then shot out of the water, then after a second in the air became again submerged beneath the sea.

"It's over," Vegeta said.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading Super Troll 13, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it! _

_I'm extremely excited for the start of Season IV, and before then, we've got another special installment of a different sort – Honor Trip on Dec. 20 will be proud to officially present the canon-compatible version of DBZ Movie 3, The Tree of Might! Genescritor, Honor Trip's chief editor, has written an AMAZING alternate version of the movie that is compatible with canon - and the exact methods and approach that he used to make it canon-compatible were quite innovative, resulting in a revised story that in my opinion far surpasses the quality of the original. The canon-compatible Tree of Might will be released right in time for Christmas, and as such, the timing is very much in accordance with that which the folks of TeamFourStar used for the release of their main adaptation of the Tree of Might, which is a Christmas Special._

_Be sure to check the section directly below this one for information on how to hear a special announcement I recorded in thanks to all of you! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Special Completed: Dec. 6, 2012_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _

* * *

BONUS:

If you go to YouTube and type in together the search terms "American Vigor," "Honor Trip," and "Dragon Ball," one of the first video results will be a special audio recording from yours truly, which I made in thanks for your continued readership. My YouTube name also is "AmericanVigor" [no space], and so the video can be found by visiting my YouTube channel.

In the event you cannot locate the recording, the message, for your reference, is as follows:

Greetings, fans of the Dragon Ball franchise, and especially, fans of Honor Trip! I am American Vigor! You have read the words I've written, and now, you can hear my voice. I want to thank each and every one of you for being a fellow fan of the Dragon Ball franchise, and I want to especially thank those of you listening to this message as a result of reading the Honor Trip special that brought you here, retroactively celebrating the story's 300th and 400th reviews. Your vigilant readership always has been appreciated, and thank you for appreciating the work of the Honor Trip team. Genescritor, Ruga-Rell, Roketto and I are looking forward to our further endeavors to share the enjoyment of Dragon Ball with you. May you all have an excellent one, and take care!


	60. DBHT Presents: The Tree of Might (1)

**Honor Trip Presents: **

**The Tree of Might**

**- a Special to a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction –**

**Part 1: Cultivation**

**Special Written by: Genescritor**

_Disclaimer: The Honor Trip team does not, in any way, own any official property related Dragon Ball, such as the anime, its characters, related movies, and so on. However, our team hopes to supplement that glorious franchise with our fanfictions, such as this one. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story._

* * *

**_Before you read further, a big announcement: Honor Trip Season Four shall officially premiere on January 10, 2013!_  
**

**_And now, it's time for Honor Trip's canon-compatible rendition of Dragon Ball Z Movie 3, The Tree of Might!_  
**

* * *

**THE GOAL of creating this special was to establish an adjusted version of the events of Dragon Ball Z Movie 3, The Tree of Might, that could truly be compatible with the events of Dragon Ball Z Timeline III, the main timeline of the series. The overall premise of the original film, and its inclusion of a primary antagonist seen by many as one of paramount interest because of his status as a reflection of what the series' primary protagonist could have been had the circumstances of his life been different, made creating a canon-compatible adaptation of Movie 3 an especially desirable task. **

**Just as Genescritor did in creating a truly canon-compatible version of Movie 8, so too has he done with Movie 3. The result is a bold interpretation as to how the official Movie 3 could have been made, an enjoyable Dragon Ball adventure that I enjoyed very much and which I believe you, too, can find superior to the original in awesomeness. **

**With that said, I now present to you the result of Genescritor's endeavors in reifying this vision, the canon-compatible Tree of Might! **

**- American Vigor**

* * *

_During the first of three years of training for the battle against the androids in Timeline III…_

_Planet Earth, March 20__th__, Age 765_

It was a temperate forest, located on a part of the planet's northern hemisphere that was currently shrouded in night, with nothing that could be considered unusual or weird by the planet's standards. The stars twinkled in the clear dark-blue sky, the crickets emitted their usual chirps, the owls flew soundlessly through the sky in their nocturnal hunt, and the field mice scurried along the forest floor in search of food, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

However, the seeming serenity of the evening was in no way reflective of the ominous events that had been foretold to the planet's strongest defenders by a time-traveling youth from the future. According to that young man, whose home had been engulfed in chaos for almost his entire life, in a little more than two years of the current time, the evil Doctor Gero would unleash his two deadliest creations upon the planet, diabolic androids far stronger than Frieza, the galactic overlord who until very recently had been widely considered to be the strongest being in the universe, had ever been. From the moment in which the planet's defenders had learned of what those malicious terrors had done to the Super Saiyan time traveler's future, they had been training diligently in an effort to change the course of their own history.

As they all were keenly aware that there was no true way of knowing in advance if their preparations would be enough to alter their future, many had decided to train as hard as they possibly could, so at the very least, they could be as prepared as possible.

However, the time traveler had not warned them of another impending threat. Unlike the ominous threat of the androids, this one was scheduled to be unleashed not in two years, but in two days. Indeed, the results of the defenders' efforts to strengthen themselves in the coming battles with the androids would be tested much earlier than any of them had expected.

Atop the tree line of this forest of Earth, one celestial object stood out between the thousands of others visible in the sky above, many of which were twinkling with the progression of time. Instead of appearing off-white, like most of the stars around it, it had a fiery orange coloration. Its stark color, however, was seemingly insignificant compared to the remarkable fact that from the perspective of the forest floor, it seemed to be growing in size, as though it were approaching Earth.

A rumbling sound could then be heard, right as, down below, the night animals were fleeing from the direction of the object, having instinctively sensed how dangerous it was. Shortly afterward, the object smashed into the ground, although it had slowed in speed before impact and hence created a smaller crater than it otherwise would have. The object was at the crater's center, and the crater itself was rimmed with dirt.

From the perspective of the forest floor right outside the crater and looking in, there were three long, thin antennae that could be seen poking from under the ground, obviously attached to whatever it was that had caused the crater, which was by no means a natural object.

Over the next moments, the mysterious, conspicuous machine remained motionless and silent, as though its working mechanisms were preparing for further action. Then, eight metal structures, as thin as the antennae, but more articulate – to the extent that they almost looked like a spider's legs – came forth from under the ground and arched over until their tips touched the crater's bottom. Then, the central object that the eight legs and the three antennae were attached to came forth from under the ground. It was a seemingly perfect sphere, with its cover mostly made of the same metal that the legs and the antennae were made of, but with a dark-blue lens that seemed to be for observation and documentation. By now, the machine looked like a peculiar round spider with three long spikes on its back and a single, gargantuan eye.

The machine started crawling out of the crater, making a loud ticking sound as it moved through the deathly quiet landscape, as all the animals seemed to have either fled or hidden after this visitor had arrived on their planet.

While it crawled, the machine registered everything in front of it through its lens. With each beep of its antennae, transmissions of information were being sent to an intended receiver.

* * *

_Several light-years away…_

In the dark vacuum of outer space, a spherical white spaceship with a blue porthole moved on to its destination. At first sight, it could be mistaken as one of the Space Pods traditionally used by the World Trade Organization, but it was in fact different. It was far larger, and it had far more advanced technology within it, although it flew as fast as a standard Space Pod.

Standing among the shadows at the back of his ship, the leader of the group watched the data being displayed on the porthole that, when necessary, performed the double task of screen of the advanced computer they had on their ship.

Closer to the screen-porthole, his five underlings also watched the screen's progression of data with keen interest, while the robot they had sent farther ahead relayed the information it was gathering.

"Master, according to our advance probe, Planet Earth is in prime condition. It has an excellent atmosphere, an environment to match, and a high level of biodiversity," said his second-in-command.

The leader walked closer to the porthole, his long white cape with puffy collar draped over his shoulders.

"As we had thought," he said. "And it seems the probe is also registering several power levels above 500,000 in Scouter units," he added as an afterthought, having noticed some of the data being displayed on the screen.

'I can see why all of the Cold family met their ends there,' he thought, remembering the recent information he had received about how Frieza and Cold had been killed on Planet Earth seven months ago, and how Cooler had met the same fate on this planet, three months afterward.

It was regrettable that the power-level-scanner within the probe robot didn't enable him to see exactly how strong these individuals were, as the highest concrete number it gave was '500,000,' and any level higher than that was simply defined as 'above 500,000.'

"Two of those powers must be Kakarot and Vegeta," stated another of his henchmen, his metallic voice resonating through the spaceship.

The leader didn't necessarily agree with that statement, but he recognized it as a valid possibility. He had made some thorough investigations after Frieza and Cold were killed, and had found out that there still were two full-blooded Saiyans – Kakarot and Vegeta – alive. Considering what Frieza had done to the Saiyans, it was likely those two had been the ones to kill Frieza, Cold, and, some time later, Cooler.

But there was something that didn't make sense. While he knew that someone who could annihilate Frieza, Cold and Cooler had to be exceedingly strong, he had trouble believing that even a Saiyan elite like Vegeta could reach a power level above 500,000. Not to mention Kakarot, who, according to the information he'd acquired, was a low-class. Granted, Kakarot was a son of Bardock, who had been the strongest low-class on Planet Vegeta, but still, his supposed possession of a power level above 500,000 seemed downright impossible.

And yet, there were several power levels above 500,000 on Earth. If Kakarot and Vegeta were still on Earth, their power levels had to be two among them. But what about the others? Were there more Saiyan survivors he hadn't heard about? Or were there a few exceedingly strong aliens living on Earth? Or rather, could there be some Earthlings that were insanely strong compared to their compatriots?

Maybe it was all these things at once. Or maybe it was something else that he couldn't figure out at the moment.

Whoever those beings were, the truth was that whoever killed the Cold family had done him an involuntary favor, by getting his competition out of the way. In fact, he had purposely refrained from going to Earth right after Frieza and Cold were killed so as to see if Cooler would go there and meet the same fate. According to his investigations, he had. And now, it was his turn to go to Earth.

At first, his intentions had been to simply destroy the planet from outer space, in order to wipe out the insanely strong beings that lived there, who could become serious threats to his own plans for universal domination.

"Show me the information about the planet's soil," he demanded.

Immediately, his second-in-command changed the information displayed on the screen. As soon as the leader read what was written there, he smiled widely.

"My lord, it seems that the soil of that planet is appropriate for the growth of our Tree of Might," the second-in-command stated proudly, unaware of the perfect redundancy of his act through stating what the leader could see for himself.

On any other occasion, the leader would have either been annoyed by his second-in-command's attitude or scoffed disdainfully at such a redundant behavior. However, right now, he simply didn't mind, as he too focused on the implications of such a fact.

"Excellent," he eventually said, more in response to his thoughts than to his henchman's information. "In that case, we will proceed with our alternate plan. Instead of destroying this planet from outer space, we will visit it and plant the Tree of Might."

That statement was met with uneasy looks from most of his henchmen. Only one of them seemed impassive as always – something that didn't surprise the leader, as that brute was literally devoid of emotion. Out of the other four, two of them didn't dare to say anything, seemingly divided between their apprehensiveness and the fact they also wanted to give this plan a chance. But the other two, who were either brave or nervous enough to voice their doubts, decided to speak.

"My Lord, with all due respect, should we really land on that planet?" asked one of those two, a short, squat being.

"After all, their numbers rival ours, and we are not entirely sure of how strong they actually are," added a soldier who was almost exactly equal in appearance to the one who had spoken before. "Even if each one of us also has a power level above 500,000, there's no way of knowing how far above 500,000 those beings are. We only know their powers must be way above 500,000 if they managed to kill Cold and Cooler. They may destroy us before we get to benefit from the Tree of Might's fruits."

Anger flaring inside him, the leader clenched his right fist and whipped his head toward the two henchmen. He was just about ready to kill them on the spot for that comment, but he managed to refrain himself. Even if those two runts were the weakest of the group with regard to power levels – not to mention the most cowardly – they were also the most intelligent ones, and the ones who truly understood all the technology they were using, as they had been its creators. Should he not have a use for their extremely high intelligence, he would probably have killed them on the spot.

"We have spent years trying to locate a planet with soil appropriate to grow the Tree of Might." he stated crisply. "Now that we have finally found one, we are going to attempt to grow it. And anyone who opposes this will never get to benefit from that tree!"

All of his henchmen instantly recoiled from his tone – except the one who hadn't shown any reaction at the idea of growing the Tree of Might on Earth. They were starting to look even more nervous, and the leader could see it wasn't only at the thought of going to a planet inhabited by such powerful individuals – it was also at his apparently instability.

Although he kept his icy façade, he cursed inwardly. He neither cared for these imbeciles nor did he particularly trust them, but they still had their purpose. And he knew he could not appear as a hot-headed idiot if he wanted to keep the respect of his underlings.

As a result, he coolly told them about the rest of his plan to grow the Tree of Might on that planet.

"If we keep our power levels suppressed, they won't know what's going on until it's too late to do anything about it, even if they do know how to detect energy signatures," the leader said. "So, just do that, and everything will be alright. We only have to go undetected for a few hours. By then, the Tree of Might will have reached a point where it is indestructible."

It was fortunate for them that they had figured out how to perform the power level concealment skill during the many massacres they had perpetrated – and that they already had a high power, thanks to their training between planet conquests. If the leader and his henchmen had not possessed that knowledge and power, growing the Tree of Might on Earth would have been a less appealing prospect.

Looking quite surer of themselves after knowing their leader actually had a plan and wasn't just acting on impulse, the henchmen who had been hesitant nodded at him solemnly.

Then, all of them looked through the porthole, knowing that Planet Earth was somewhere in the distance. Although their destination was still far away, the achievement of their goal had never seemed closer.

* * *

_Planet Earth, by the bank of a small creek, March 22__nd__, Age 765_

A fish swam quietly through the clear water, accompanied by two more of its kind. Although it was not a very smart creature, and therefore had little access to evolved contemplations of the way things worked, somewhere, in its uncomplex brain, it was satisfied. Its existence was peaceful, and it had been that way for far longer than most fish of the same species would have been able to say if they had any sort of recalling of their lives or ability to speak. The only things that could disturb their otherwise peaceful lives were the threat of being eaten and of having their habitat drying out or becoming otherwise uninhabitable. Fortunately, it was rare for the water level of this creek to decrease, and the creek was not often visited by predators or polluters, so it was very rare that the fish had to worry about any threats. All in all, they had the most peaceful existence a fish of their kind could wish for, if their brains were evolved enough to even start making such considerations.

Suddenly, a small stone fell into the water, scaring the three fish away, before sinking slowly into the bottom of the creek.

At the creek's bank, Krillin, who had been the one throwing the stone, lowered his hand again, and looked casually to the right, on the direction of the spot where Yamcha and Bulma were sitting together, contemplating the creek, and the spot about a meter away where Oolong and Puar were, the former throwing pebbles into the water, and the latter just enjoying the view.

Two tents were set up about twenty meters away, but besides them, there was no other sign of civilization in a radius of probably 100 kilometers.

All in all, it seemed like the perfect picture of peace to Krillin.

"You know, it would be great if things could always be peaceful like that," he said out of the blue, dispelling the silence.

"I get what you mean," Bulma added.

"It's kind of hard to imagine that a pair of killer androids will come two years from now and wipe that from existence," Yamcha added.

"Maybe for you," she remarked. "For me, it isn't. With Vegeta demanding for my father to build him training equipment so loudly that the whole compound can hear him, and then training himself to the point of collapse, one never forgets that the androids will arrive in two years' time."

Krillin raised an eyebrow, wondering what was wrong with Bulma. From the way she had spoken, it seemed almost as if she was concerned about Vegeta. But why would she be worried about Vegeta at all? He was just a bastard who most certainly wanted to kill them all after the battle against the androids was over, not to mention he had tried to kill them again. Sure, he would be useful in the fight – probably more useful than Krillin himself, as much as it hurt for him to admit it – but Krillin believed that, if it came down to it, they would be able to prevail without him. Besides, he had wanted to kill them all more than once before. How could Bulma be so worried about him?

By Bulma's side, Yamcha was scowling in a very obvious manner, clearly not liking the apparent concern Bulma was having for Vegeta. Bulma, however, just seemed to ignore him – but whether on purpose or accidentally, Krillin couldn't tell.

But before Krillin could ponder any further about what exact impact Vegeta was having in Bulma's relationship with Yamcha, the blue-haired woman herself carried on with her speech, now looking visibly more upset than before.

"Besides, Yamcha, if you had accepted my suggestion of gathering the Dragon Balls and asking Shenron where that doctor's lab was so that we would go there and kill him this whole matter would have been done with a long time ago!" Bulma shouted.

The last part of her sentence had been spoken so loudly that it startled even Oolong and Puar, who were a considerable distance away from them.

"Geez, Bulma, can you just keep quiet?" Oolong shouted at her, his voice conveying his grumpiness in a very obvious manner. "I didn't exactly accept your invitation for this camping trip so I could hear your complaining, you know?"

That seemed to be a very wrong move on Oolong's part, as Bulma, in a tone even louder than before, turned toward him and shouted, "Well, forgive me for being upset, but I think I have a right to be that way considering that for all we know this world as we know it may come to an end two years from now!"

The last word was shouted so forcefully that Oolong actually fell onto his rear end, the look on his face before that happened showing he was more than sorry that he had complained about her screaming. But Bulma, not letting herself lose her pace, carried on, "In fact, I thought a coward like you would also have preferred if this threat was over and done with, rather than have to worry about what may happen two years from now just because Goku wanted to have a good fight!"

Deciding it was time to finish the shouting before any of them got their eardrums broken, Krillin decided to change subjects.

"Speaking of Goku, shouldn't he be here?" he asked. "I thought you invited him and his family for the camping trip as well."

Calming down as if by magic, Bulma said, "Yes, I did. But Chi-Chi warned me they were going to arrive a little bit late, apparently because of something they must do before they get here."

Krillin nodded. He could just imagine why Chi-Chi would have them arriving late. Probably, she would take the chance to have Gohan doing as much schoolwork as possible before they came, or something else in that vein. To be honest with himself, he was surprised Chi-Chi simply hadn't forbidden Gohan and Goku from accepting Bulma's invitation.

Not even a second after that thought crossed his mind, two energy signatures entered his senses. Krillin turned his gaze toward a spot in the sky, trying to discern anything other than the endless blue expanse. However, the ones the energy signatures belonged to were still too far away for that.

"I can sense them coming," Yamcha said, looking at the same spot in the sky from where the two energy signatures were present.

"Really?" Bulma asked, as she, Puar, and Oolong looked at the same spot Yamcha and Krillin had their eyes on.

For some time, nothing could be seen on the clear sky, except for a few sparse clouds. But soon, two figures appeared. It was Goku riding the Flying Nimbus, wearing a huge backpack and with Chi-Chi holding onto his right arm and Gohan, who was flying on his own and was also wearing a huge backpack.

Less than 20 seconds afterward, the Flying Nimbus skidded to a stop, hovering about 30 centimeters above ground, as usual, and Gohan landed firmly.

"Hey, guys!" Goku said, as he jumped off the Flying Nimbus with Chi-Chi in his arms. "Good to see you!" he added while he set her down.

"Good to see you as well, man," Yamcha said, with Krillin, Oolong, and Puar nodding in agreement. "And you too, Gohan."

"Hello," Gohan said while he removed his backpack, his gaze turned to the whole group.

"It's about time, Goku," Bulma said, although she didn't really look upset at his delay. "What took you so long?"

When Bulma asked that question, Gohan looked somewhat embarrassed, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry we're late," Goku apologized. "Chi-Chi wanted Gohan to finish his homework before we got here."

"Of course I did!" Chi-Chi said in the stern tone only she could pull off, as if to dissuade even slight thoughts about voicing objections. "If there's time for him to go camping in the middle of this extremely obsessed training for the arrival of those androids, there's also time for him to study!"

Krillin's shoulders slumped, and he did his best to repress a groan. Why did Goku have to bring his wife? Didn't he know that when men went camping they were supposed to leave their wives at home unless they went camping as a family? Still, there was nothing he could do about that, other than to try not to show obvious signs of discomfort, unless he wanted to face her wrath – which he didn't.

In an attempt to focus on something else, Krillin decided to change the subject, "Isn't Piccolo coming? I thought he would, seeing as he's training with you."

Yamcha, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar gave him a peculiar look, clearly finding it weird that Krillin was asking about Piccolo. Krillin recognized in retrospect that he could have thought of a better topic.

However, Goku simply shrugged and said, "Nope. He said that if we were going to waste valuable days of training, it was up to us, but he would never do it himself. As far as I know, he went off to meditate by some waterfall while he's waiting for us to come back from the camping trip."

"I get what you mean," Bulma said. "Vegeta said a pretty similar thing when I invited him to come on the camping trip. Only he used way more colorful vocabulary."

The stern look on Chi-Chi's face was joined by what seemed incredulous anger at the mention of Vegeta. "I still can't believe you actually have that murderous psychopath living in your house and that you're actually providing him with training equipment."

"He's not that bad," Bulma said. "Sure, he may be a loudmouthed bossy jerk, but at least he's not going around killing people – or even threatening any of us with physical violence when he demands for training equipment."

"I still think you should just kick him out of your house." Chi-Chi said. "In fact, you could just kick him out of this planet. He's got a space ship, he can just leave. We won't need him for the fight against those androids anyway."

"Kicking him out wouldn't work," Bulma said. "He doesn't do anything just because others want him to."

At that comment, Krillin couldn't help but to think of Bulma, who also had a significant tendency to do what she wanted without caring about anyone else's opinions.

"Besides, it would give him the satisfaction of thinking he's affecting us," she added. "And I refuse to allow that to happen."

"It's actually better to keep him close by," Goku said, joining in the conversation. "At least this way, we can have more of an idea of what he's up to, and we're less likely to be surprised by him if he goes back to his old ways."

Krillin couldn't help but to notice that Yamcha seemed to be getting an ever-grumpier look as the conversation progressed. Again, he couldn't help but to wonder whether Vegeta's presence was having any effect on Yamcha's relationship with Bulma.

But he wasn't going to mention that now.

"Look guys, no offense meant, but we didn't really come here to talk about people, much less about Vegeta," Krillin said, in the airiest tone he could muster. "We just came here to have a good time and enjoy nature. So why don't we help Goku and his family set up their tents, and then enjoy the camping trip?"

Krillin's suggestion was met with several nods and looks of agreement.

* * *

_In a remote section of a forest…_

They were here.

They had arrived at the place where their robot had landed, and they had already set up a line of explosives across the ground. Ordinarily, they would have been able to use their own energies for the purpose they intended to fulfill, but without knowing whether these fighters had the means to detect them or not, it was risky to do so. They couldn't risk being found until they had consumed some of the Tree of Might's fruits.

"Now!" the leader said, pressing the button of the detonator he was holding.

All the explosives went off at the same time with a deafening boom, releasing a huge cloud of dust and flinging the remnants of many destroyed trees into the air.

After the dust had settled, there was a huge gap in the ground, as if a gigantic knife had come down on it from above and made a horizontal cut. The leader briefly examined the trench, lined by dust and huge chunks of broken wood and leaves.

"It has enough room," he said.

Then, without any further words, he tossed the seed he held – greenish-brown, and with the size and shape of a bean – into the huge gap.

Although it was a small seed, it needed to be thrown into a gargantuan hole. After all, the most magnificent plant in the whole universe would be grown from it.

Again envisioning the universe falling to its knees in front of him, he smiled again, as he watched the seed vanishing in the pitch-black darkness inside the crack.

* * *

_Kami's Lookout…_

Clutching his staff in his right hand, the guardian of the planet stood straighter, startled by what he had just experienced. The bad feeling Kami had been having since the previous day had suddenly intensified.

It could only mean one thing – a great evil was to befall the planet, an evil that had the potential to be much more destructive than any there had ever been since the Earth had started having a guardian.

This, much to his regret, seemed to be becoming a habit.

With the weight of worry pressing down on him, Kami clutched his staff tighter, wondering about the best course of action.

Kami had so far refrained from contacting the physically strongest among the planet's defenders because he had not known enough about the evil force that had manifested. As he did not want to lead his friends into a trap and wanted to learn more about this new threat through his various sensing powers, he continued to monitor the situation, hoping to be able to provide clear and prudent guidance soon regarding the threat.

* * *

_Inside the hole opened by the explosives…_

Over the first five minutes or so after settling on the bottom of the trench, the mysterious seed was at peace, not disturbing anything around it and not being disturbed.

The only sign that it was in any sort of activity was a tiny sprout, flailing like a mouse's tail.

Then, as if it had been waiting for a signal, it rapidly expanded, with a multitude of structures looking similar to roots – but which were actually branches – radiating outwardly from the place where the seed had been moments before.

The structures grew at startling speed, cutting through thick layers of soil, erupting from the ground at many different places across the Earth at the same time, and making the animals flee in their wake. In a matter of minutes, they had already destroyed forests, broken through the walls of gorges, and smashed cities down, like a multitude of overgrown earthworms digging gigantic tunnels in their wake without any obstacle capable of stopping them.

Meanwhile, the main trunk grew upward at an equally high speed, while another kind of branches – these ones looking more akin to those of the trees that existed on Planet Earth – grew outwardly from it.

In less than three hours, the first Tree of Might in eons had grown, enveloping much of the planet in its draining roots.

* * *

_Kami's Lookout…_

Standing at the edge of his lookout, Kami held the staff as firmly as he could, all while looking in horror at the Earth below.

He'd gotten his answer as to how destructive the evil force he had sensed could truly be.

The monstrosity that rose kilometers above the planet's surface ranked among the greatest evils this planet had ever seen. He could feel that the combined strength of this evil energy was far fowler than that which even Frieza and his father had possessed.

"What is wrong, Kami?" Mr. Popo asked, sensing his master's palpable distress.

"Something terrible is happening, Mr. Popo." was all he could say. "If action is not taken soon, life as we know it on Earth might be destroyed long before the predicted apocalypse two years from now."

Kami deeply regretted that he had not acted upon his initial thoughts when he had first sensed the thing growing. He had thought of attempting to destroy that tree while it was still small, or to send Goku and some of the others to take care of that.

Sadly, he knew all too well that, by an inherited order of the kais, he was not permitted to have done that. The protocol of Guardian of Earth, which had been passed to the first of the planet's guardians by the kais long ago and which had been passed on to him by his predecessor, had forbidden him from taking hasty measures to prevent a threat. He was meant to take the time to study a threat as well as possible, and then devise a plan to wipe it out, for this enable there to be less of a likelihood for the threat to get away. The protocol had also been derived from the kais' sacred principle of noninterference to preserve the natural flow, which, as per its adaptation to guardian's affairs of Earth, permitted direct interference to help the planet only in circumstances when no other force could stop an evil force from threatening the natural flow of Earth's events and lifecycles, or in circumstances when a student of the guardian needed assistance.

Kami knew how undesirably ironic it was that only now that the evil force had manifested in overwhelming strength could he offer any help to act against it.

Still, even though he could sense how dangerous the tree was, he knew relatively nothing about it. The sudden and rapid growth of a tree of this size and energy level, as far as Kami knew, was unprecedented in the Earth's history.

But he had an idea of someone who might know. And even though it was against protocol to contact superior deities so soon after the planet entered a crisis, he knew he had to do so. He could sense that, should he not do so, this tree very well could merely be the stepping stone of a crisis that could engulf the whole universe.

* * *

_By the bank of a small creek…_

The sun was setting behind the trees, filling the sky with an orange-pink hue.

At a considerable distance from the tents that had been set up by Bulma and the other campers, there was a pile of ashes over two meters wide, close to the skeleton of a fish more than three meters long, which had been caught and gutted by Goku, and whose huge slices had just been roasted over the huge fire.

At the moment, Krillin, Yamcha, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Oolong, and Puar were sitting on a log with standard-sized pieces of fish, while Gohan had a piece the size of a house cat.

The biggest piece of all, however, was easily Goku's, which was bigger than a middle-sized dog, and which he was holding in his own hands, due to the lack of dishes of an appropriate size.

"Watch out for the fish-bones!" Goku said as he sat down himself. "It never hurts to be cautious, you know. Now, let's dig in!"

Even before the others had time to react, Goku opened his mouth to start devouring his piece of fish. But then, and much to his surprise, he could hear a voice via a psychic message sent to his mind.

"_Goku!_"

The effect was instantaneous. Goku's mouth snapped shut right as he was about to bite the first chunk off his huge piece of fish.

Gohan looked at his father worriedly.

"What is it, dad?" he asked.

Goku stood up, after placing the fish atop the log on which he had been sitting.

"I'm getting a message form Otherworld," he said without turning to look at his son. "What's up, King Kai?"

"_What's up? Have you not felt the rumblings all around Planet Earth?" _King Kai asked.

"Rumblings? The only rumblings I've felt all day have been the ones coming from my stomach," Goku said. "I've got a big fish right here; I could use Instant Transmission to give you some, if you want."

"_Well thanks, but we have more important fish to fry,"_ King Kai said. _"I guess you haven't seen any gigantic tree roots – or branches – popping out of the ground anywhere close to you, have you?"_

"No, I can't say I have," Goku said.

"_Ah, that explains why you aren't aware of what's going on over there; it's happening at other parts of the Earth's surface – but wait, you didn't sense what was happening at all via your ability to sense energy?"_ King Kai asked.

"King Kai, I've been so hungry that the only thing I've been concentrating on is food," Goku said. "Now, from what you've said so far, this doesn't sound good at all."

"_After Kami told me that something dreadful had happened to your planet, I took a look for myself," _King Kai said. _ "Unfortunately, he was not exaggerating._ _A malefic plant, called the Tree of Might, has taken root on Planet Earth." _

"Tree of Might?" Goku repeated, in order to keep the others informed, as he could tell the connection with King Kai was established specifically with him. "That doesn't sound like too much of a problem. I'm stronger than Frieza now, after all, and so I especially doubt that there's any tree out there that I can't trim down to size."

"_It isn't so simple, Goku," _King Kai said. _ "This isn't an ordinary tree by any means. Originally, the fruits of that tree were meant to be eaten only by the gods, and the fact that the latest incarnation of The Tree of Might grew on Earth must mean that someone from another planet brought a seed here from a previous tree and is trying to victimize the Earth to make himself radically stronger."_

"How could eating a piece of fruit make someone that much stronger?" Goku asked.

"_Because of the energy each piece of fruit contains – but Goku, the way it gets the energy is horrifying," _King Kai said._ "Many of the tree's branches grow far beneath the surface to find the nutrients the tree needs to bear fruit. If the tree is allowed to grow, it literally sucks out every form of energy existing on that planet – plants, water, electricity, the animals, you name it. Then, that energy is transferred into its fruit, and in turn, it passes on to whoever eats the fruit, which is so empowering that even the weakest of warriors can become many magnitudes stronger after eating it. And the planet the Tree of Might grows on is left as nothing but a desert full of sand, cracks, and animal carcasses._"

"You mean that will happen to the Earth if we allow this tree to grow to its full development?" Goku asked, in understanding the full seriousness of the situation.

"_Earth would be devastated,_" King Kai stated simply.

"Then I refuse to allow that to happen!" Goku shouted, already prepared for battle.

* * *

_Inside the Tree of Might…_

After taking the last bite out of a dark-green fruit, the leader chewed forcefully, struggling to keep the piece in his mouth. While unripe, this fruit had a terrible taste, and eating it was in a way harder than any of the battles he had ever fought in his life. Hopefully, the fully ripened fruit would be easier on his taste buds – although he still had to wait a little while longer before the first ripe fruits would be ready to be picked.

But he wasn't complaining. After all, even though unripe fruits of the Tree of Might were far from as empowering as ripe ones, eating many of them could still be greatly beneficial.

Smirking at the thought, he dropped what was left of the fruit, which joined the remnants of several other fruits of the Tree of Might that were scattered around his feet.

Behind him, he could hear his soldiers speaking, commenting on the power boosts they had gotten. Although each of them had gotten to eat less than a fifth of the amount of fruits he'd eaten himself, they were also significantly stronger.

"Even when it's green, this fruit's strengthening capabilities are remarkable," said his second in command, with a sadistic smile on his face.

"Once it is ripe, our boosts in power will be immensurable!" said another of them as he looked up at the developing fruits, his ponytail falling down his neck and shoulders. "Then, no one will be able to stop us, much less our lord!"

"And then, the whole universe will be ours," said one of the two squat dwarfs.

"Thanks to the Tree of Might," said his twin, the smile on his face at the prospect of universal oppression perfectly matching his brother's.

"But first, we have to wipe out this pathetic planet," said the fifth, still not opening his mouth when speaking.

That sentence was what finally got the leader to speak.

"No," he said as he turned around, his white cape swaying in the air. "The first thing to do is to punish those idiots, Vegeta and Kakarot."

As he finished the sentence, he coiled his tail around his waist.

* * *

_By the bank of a small creek…_

It had taken less than a minute for Goku to relay to his friends what King Kai had told him – and after that, it had taken less than a second for all of them to become either considerably anxious or downright panicked.

"What?" Chi-Chi shouted. "All the forests will die?"

"And the water will be drained?" Yamcha repeated.

"It doesn't make any sense!" Bulma said.

"I agree," Krillin added. "What kind of a tree is it?"

"I don't know," Goku said. "King Kai didn't explain that very well. But we must put a stop to this right now."

"Sounds great to me, Goku," Oolong said. "Good luck!"

"I'm in," Krillin said, standing up and clenching his left fist.

"Me too," Yamcha added, standing up as well.

"Yes, dad," Gohan stated.

"Gohan, you're staying here," Chi-Chi stated in a no-nonsense tone, her arms so firmly crossed that it seemed they would permanently stay like that.

"What?" Gohan asked. "But mom…"

"But nothing." Chi-Chi insisted. "You are staying here. We came here for a camping trip, not for you to go away to start brawling around or destroying things. Besides, it's not as if your father needs your help to destroy some overgrown tree."

Switching her gaze to her husband, she added, "Right, Goku?"

Unable to answer straight away, Goku lowered his head, while Gohan looked at him expectantly, and Chi-Chi kept fixating him with her stern gaze.

He was torn. On one hand, he wanted Gohan to come with him because his son deserved the right to help defend his planet, and since leaving Gohan out would further frustrate him because warriors of lesser capability than he would be able to fight while he would not. Also, as far as Goku could guess, it couldn't be all that dangerous, seeing as after all, they were all meant to survive until the arrival of the androids in the timeline Trunks had come from.

However, the truth was that Trunks had only warned him about the androids. And yet, in the months since Trunks had departed from their timeline, they had already faced two threats other than the androids. First, they had faced Dr. Wheelo, who had wanted to steal Goku's body. Then, there had been Cooler, Frieza's older brother, who had come to try to avenge his brother, only to end up killed alongside all his henchmen. And now, whoever had grown this weird tree – assuming someone had actually grown it, and the seed hadn't just fallen down on Earth – was yet another threat that Trunks had not warned them about, for a total of three.

What could this mean? Had Trunks held out on him for some reason, or had his coming here somehow changed things to such an extent that they'd had to deal with a plethora of extra threats that Earth's defenders in Trunks' timeline had not needed to face?

No, that didn't make any sense. Dr. Wheelo had been trapped under that glacier for fifty years, so Trunks coming into this timeline only a year ago wouldn't have made him appear out of nowhere. Also, Cooler had stated he was Frieza's older brother, which meant he almost certainly had ended up coming to Earth also in Trunks' timeline out of revenge and had been defeated there.

But what about this tree? Had it been somehow drawn in by Trunks' stay in this timeline, or had it also appeared in Trunks' own future?

Either way, that wasn't important. They had to destroy this tree. And seeing as they didn't yet know how the extent to which this timeline differed from the timeline Trunks had come from, it was indeed better that Gohan wouldn't come along.

"Alright, Chi-Chi," he said. "Gohan will stay with you, and the three of us will go to destroy that tree."

"What?" Gohan protested. "But dad…"

"You'll be safer here." Goku stated simply, cutting off the rest of his son's speech.

Then, not giving his son time to argue any further, Goku started to levitate and called to Krillin and Yamcha, "Come on guys!"

Without any further word, Goku took off to where he knew the Tree of Might was, with Krillin and Yamcha flying after him.

* * *

_By the base of the Tree of Might…_

Approximately 20 minutes after Goku first heard about the Tree of Might, he was standing on what looked like one of its roots, with Krillin to his right, and Yamcha to his left, as the three of them stared at the trunk of the mountainous plant.

Yamcha and Krillin looked as though they were somewhere between shock and disgust. Goku himself was awed.

He'd seen plenty of things over the course his life – both before dying and after being resurrected. He'd seen a rabbit that turned people into carrots, a planet with a race of short, purple-skinned aliens that knew a teleportation technique, and he had even seen other parts of outer space in a way few people on this planet would ever experience.

But this tree, with a trunk so tall that it probably reached the outer atmosphere and a canopy so wide that it shadowed an area of thousands of square kilometers, easily was among most extreme things he had yet seen. It was impressive that a plant could grow to be so big in such little time – as well as it was regrettable that such a marvel of nature had to bring about such disgrace to the planet on which it grew.

But the existence of such a plant was as incredible as the atmosphere in the place was unnerving. The tree's canopy was so thick that very little sunlight came through, rendering the area enveloped in a shaded haze. Huge thick vines hung down from it like gigantic snakes, which seemed like they could lash out at them at any moment. There were three huge holes in the trunk that largely resembled beady, dead eyes, as though the tree itself was watching them and was not happy at their presence. Lastly, the twisted, gnarled roots easily seemed the sort of place from which anything could come to strike them.

"It looks like someone is way too good at gardening," Krillin finally managed to shout in a mix of surprise and disgust. "Who the hell grew this thing?"

At Krillin's questions, Goku forced his thoughts away. As impressive as this Tree of Might looked, he knew that allowing it to keep growing was not an option.

"Very well, guys," he said, making the stance for the Kamehameha. "Are you ready?"

Yamcha and Krillin copied the stance.

"Yes," they chorused.

Over the next 30 seconds, the three of them gathered energy between their hands, and then, each of them fired a Kamehameha into the same spot on the tree.

A huge explosion came when the three attacks struck the same spot, and the shockwave from the explosion washed over them as the whole Tree of Might quaked under their feet.

Sure that their attacks had hit their mark, the three fighters waited for the small earthquake and the dust to settle down, before examining the damage. They had not destroyed the tree, as it was still standing, but all of them hoped to have made significant damage.

When the dust dissipated, their hopes were foiled. The tree was still intact. Not even the slightest of marks could be seen on its bark.

"It didn't work!" Krillin said. "Let's try again."

"I refuse to believe that a tree is stronger than me!" Yamcha said.

Not adding his own response, Goku surveyed the damage again, not believing that this combined attack from the three of them – easily capable of destroying a planet – hadn't had any effect on the Tree of Might. Goku wasn't an expert in botanic sciences, but he knew that this plant defied each and every limit of resilience for vegetable life forms of Earth.

However, he was only at two percent of his full power right now. He could still turn into a Super Saiyan and attempt to blast the tree again. If he did so, it was likely the results would be far better.

But right as he was about to bring forth the transformation, his senses detected a group of energy signatures. Alarmed at the fact such powerful energies had revealed themselves so suddenly, Goku looked around in an attempt to see the beings.

He found that, at the moment, they were not in his vision field, but his senses were detecting clearly where they were.

The three Z-Fighters flew vertically, following the route of one of the roots. And then, the Z-fighters saw them.

There were five of them, all standing on that gnarled root – except for two of them, who were sitting on the shoulders of one of the others – looking down at the three Earth warriors, and looking considerably different among themselves.

One was more than two and a half meters tall, and as muscular as a bodybuilder, with dark-brown hair tied in a braid, pale-orange skin, and an x-shaped scar on the left side of his chin. He reminded Goku of a mix of Nappa and Recoome, with one trait of Yamcha thrown in, and another trait of that blue-skinned green-haired Frieza soldier he had seen in Krillin's memories – named Zarbon, if he remembered it right – thrown into the mix.

He wore a red scouter, white battle armor with coppery shoulder pads – each of them with two curved spikes that resembled lower canines of a carnivore – a pair of loose red leg garments over equally baggy blue trousers, a black wrist bracer on his right arm, and a red garment similar to an arm warmer that went from his wrist to his elbow on his left arm.

Another was as tall as an average human, but considerably muscular as well, black-haired, with a mullet haircut that fell down mid-back, with that part tied into a ponytail, and a skin tone that matched that of a mildly tanned human. He wore a red scouter, black and grey battle armor with matching boots, which were partially hidden by a pair of pink leg warmers, dangling earrings, and a white necklace with a small red jewel.

The third was approximately two meters tall, had a muscular body as well, and red skin. Like the first three, he wore a red scouter, but his battle armor was considerably different. It was all silver, and seemed almost like a one-piece that covered most of the being's body, except for his arms, neck, and head – although that part was partially covered by a helmet that matched the armor, and he wore two wrist bracers, which also matched the armor. Most notable, however, were the two strange tubes about as thick as a broomstick's handle that went from the place where one of the being's clavicles met the being's neck on his front to the matching spot on his back.

The fourth and fifth were the smallest of the group, looked exactly like each other, and were sitting on the shoulders of the man with the braid. They were short and plump, with purple skin, and large heads that looked like spheres that had been clobbered in and had a permanent dent as a result on three spots: on the top of the beings' scalp, and on each of the beings' cheeks. Notably, each of the beings' heads was mostly formed by an abnormally large braincase, which included an abnormally large brain to match. Like all the others, they were wearing battle armor. Their battle attire was black with matching boots, blue trousers, and white wrist bracers. However, they had their own distinctive feature – they each had a collar that looked like that of an uplifted shirt.

"You came here for nothing," said the fighter with the braid. "In case you didn't know, this tree is indestructible."

"Man, their powers are incredible!" Yamcha said. "Who the hell are these guys?"

Not thrown off by their power levels, Goku kept glaring at the group of thugs that looked haughtily at them.

"Who are you? Why have you grown this tree on Earth?" Goku asked.

The one with the ponytail clicked his tongue at that question.

"You're in no position to make demands, you idiotic Saiyan," he said. "After all, you and your friends are about to die!" He shrugged his shoulders, and said, "But we can just as well tell you, so that you three will die erudite, can't we?"

His question was met with general nods from his companions, except the one with the silver armor, who didn't even blink.

Then, the giant with the braid placed his hand on his chest.

"I am Amond, the most atrocious criminal known in this galaxy, who has never been caught or imprisoned, except for a one-day prison sentence on planet Nutts," he said.

Then, the one with the ponytail spoke, "I am Daiz, prince of the Pukinpa Dynasty from Planet Kabocha."

The red skinned one was next. "I am Cacao, a battle cyborg from Planet Ikonda, built for an interstellar war."

The two small beings jumped off of Amond's shoulders, also introducing themselves.

"I'm Rasin," said one of them.

"And I'm Lakasei," said another.

"We are from Planet Beenz…" said Rasin

"…we are the last two Beenz in existence…" said Lakasei.

"… and we were revived by extract from the Tree of Might after spending countless eons fossilized in suspended animation!"

For a moment, the eyes of the three Earth fighters widened in amazement. Although they knew that resurrecting people was not an impossibility – in fact, each of them had been resurrected at least once – the idea of using extract from a tree to do so was still odd enough to cause them to be amazed.

But now wasn't the time to ponder about that.

"Right then," Krillin said as bravely as he could. "You introduced yourselves, now tear this tree off our planet and get out of here before we have to get violent with you."

Amond smirked at that comment.

"Such big words, for such a puny little man," he said, before he stood up. "I'll enjoy shoving them down your throat."

Krillin gulped at that. Not because of Amond's size – he'd beaten down people taller and more muscular than Amond before – but because of the alien's power level, which was far more than his own. A fight against this being would be dangerous.

But Krillin knew that power was not everything, and he had a fair share of deadly moves up his sleeves. If he played things right, he could defeat this guy.

"I get the scarred one," Cacao said in his robotic voice, his pupil-less eyes locked on Yamcha.

"Suit yourself!" Yamcha said. "Just don't complain when I send you to the scrap yard!"

Cacao did not even blink at the statement.

Meanwhile, Daiz set his sights on Goku.

"In that case, what do you say we fight, Kakarot?" said Daiz, bowing at Goku in a mocking manner.

"How do you know my name, let alone my Saiyan one?" Goku asked.

"That bit of information is one I don't find exceedingly important to share," Daiz said. "And when I'm done with crushing you to a pulp, it won't make a difference whether you know that or not."

"You're right," Goku said. "Except for the part about crushing me to a pulp. You can't defeat me. So leave this planet before I have to kill you."

"You won't be talking so big after the three of us overpower the three of you!" Daiz said.

"Hey!" Rasin complained. "And what about us?"

"Why don't we get any of them?" Lakasei complained as well.

"Because you two are the weaklings of the group," Amond replied. "You may have nice brains, but your usefulness ends there. So suck it up and stay put, or I'll be the one putting you in your place."

Rasin and Lakasei grumbled in a very obvious manner, but that was as far as they went in showing their displeasure. After all, each of them had eaten exactly the same number of fruits from the Tree of Might, so, compared to each other, their strengths were still proportionally the same. And Rasin and Lakasei had always been the weakest of the group, like Amond had put it.

With scowls still on their faces, the two purple aliens sat down, not exactly bothering to hide their discontentment.

Meanwhile, Amond, Cacao, and Daiz stared down at their new opponents, intending to put their newly-gained power to the test.

* * *

_In a dying forest…_

The devastating effect of the Tree of Might could already be felt on the planet, even at an area located thousands of kilometers away, such as this forest.

Many of the once solid trees had fallen to the forest floor because of the bulbous protrusions from the Tree of Might that had erupted underneath them, and those that were still standing were visibly withered, with the few leaves they had left rendered a sickly yellow in stark contrast to their previous green. The damage also manifested itself in the form of the animals that littered the ground, as, unfortunately for them, the Tree of Might's draining spell affected weak organisms. Those who could had tried to run away, but many of them had already died, and even the strongest ones were already visibly drained.

A loud tapping sound mixed with a rush of wind suddenly broke through the deathly quietude that ruled the forest. The few animals that still had the strength to do so tried to look at the source of the sound – right on time to see a purple blur emerging from the fallen trees.

Moments after it appeared, it stopped, revealing itself to be Gohan.

Even though his mother had not wanted him to go and fight against this unknown threat, and his father had not opposed her when she expressed such intentions, Gohan had not been able to stay put while he knew that his home was imperiled. This affected him as deeply as it did all forms of life on Earth, and he was ready to fight for his planet, even if it meant incurring his mother's wrath.

Before flying further, he allowed himself one last look at the direction of the campsite.

"I'm sorry, mom, but I have to do this," Gohan said.

As he said those words, he already knew that once he faced his mother, they would do very little good. She would be mad anyway, and no one would be able to stop her wrath. However, that did not give him pause.

Unfortunately, the dying animals that surrounded him, looking at him with wide, scared eyes made him stop.

Gohan knew he had seen far more suffering in his six years than many people did throughout their whole lives. He had witnessed the plight of those orphans at that abandoned village. He had seen three of his father's friends and the one he looked to as a second father die in battle against two merciless soldiers. He had watched innocent Nameks being killed by a tyrant's soldiers and others killed just because they got in the way of a ruthless Saiyan. He had stood by a galactic tyrant killing two more of his friends – one of whom had already been killed. He had watched the death of a venerable elder of a peaceful race.

But never, ever, had he ever seen the victims of a tragedy looking at him with such scared eyes, begging him for some form of help. The look those animals had was almost frightening to the young boy, regardless of how much Saiyan blood he had. But as much as it scared him, it also strengthened his resolve to fight.

"Don't worry," Gohan told them, in spite of doubting that they would understand. "We'll set things right."

Saying nothing else, he took off to the place where he could sense the energies of his father and two of his friends, and the fighters they were about to face.

* * *

_By the base of the Tree of Might…_

Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha kept staring at the three warriors they had to face, barely blinking, as they waited for their foes to make the first move, so they could know what to respond to.

Unfortunately, in spite of their clear self-assuredness, the aliens seemed to think the same, as Daiz, Amond, and Cacao didn't move from their spots – except for Daiz, who repeatedly threw a stone up, with a smug look stamped on his face, obviously intending for the three warriors to lose their patience and recklessly charge. However, none of the Earth's fighters fell for that. They had all been through enough to not let such a simple thing upset them.

After a few more moments of the stand-off, Daiz finally let the stone rest in his hand.

"Very well," he said, obviously tired of waiting. "Let's begin."

With that, Daiz crushed the stone in his hand and rushed toward Goku, as Yamcha flew toward Cacao and Krillin rocketed off toward Amond.

Then, all six of them disappeared, leaving Rasin and Lakasei there, still looking quite sullen about not having anyone to fight with.

A moment after they had disappeared, the biggest fragment of the stone Daiz had crushed fell down on the root – only to be destroyed a second afterward by both of the upset twins.

Deciding that, at least in this case, allowing his opponent to strike first would be disadvantageous for him, Krillin charged in to fight his foe, determined to finish this fight as soon as possible. He could already tell through his energy-sensing skills that this alien would be killed by one of his special techniques, but Krillin had to unleash it quickly, before Amond turned him into raw hamburger. Hopefully, as this guy looked like Nappa and Recoome, he would be so in terms of idiocy as well.

Amond braced himself for battle and delivered a punch at Krillin. The short fighter sped up, dodging the strike, and started his offensive by delivering a kick up to Amond's chin, and then punching his left cheek. The hulking alien staggered backwards, but Krillin did not keep any distance between the two of them. Instead, he closed in again and kneed the alien's windpipe, making him wheeze out. Then, he punched Amond's nose, before kicking the giant's right cheek, which succeeded in throwing him away.

Deciding that now was a good time to try to finish this fight, Krillin landed and raised his hand above his head, ready to make a Destructo Disk – the one technique he knew would finish off his opponent.

Willing the technique to come as quickly as possible, Krillin soon heard the telltale buzzing – although he did not need it to know that his disk was about to form itself. But right before the attack was gathered, Amond flipped in the air, set his feet on the ground, and then fired an energy blast at Krillin, who had to cut off the formation of his Destructo Disk to dodge. Even as Krillin was dodging, Amond rocketed off toward the small fighter, intending to knock him so hard he wouldn't know what hit him. The former monk, surprised at the fact his opponent was so fast despite his size, flew upward on reflex, narrowly dodging the giant's charge.

Amond skidded to a halt, opening two furrows on the ground, and looked up at his opponent before going at him again. Immediately, Krillin fired an energy blast, which made Amond stop in order to bat the attack away. He didn't have any major difficulty doing so, but the time he took allowed Krillin to close in again and start throwing strikes. Amond blocked them as well as he could, but the massive difference in sizes between the two of them placed him at a disadvantage in a fight at close quarters. Krillin knew that, and he made full use of it one last time, by delivering another punch to Amond's nose, which remarkably didn't break even after having taken two blows, although now there was a tiny stream of blood leaking from his left nostril.

Snarling in rage at having been damaged – no matter how little – Amond clenched his fists, his eyes drilling two figurative holes into the smaller fighter.

Krillin cursed at seeing how relatively ineffective his attacks were. He knew the gap in power between Amond and himself was simply so massive that just resorting to skill wouldn't do, but he still hadn't expected that much from the giant. Now, more than ever, he was sure he needed to use his Destructo Disk if he wanted to win this fight.

He didn't have time to dwell on the matter any further, because Amond opened his massive arms, and closed them down like a vice, clearly intending to squeeze Krillin against himself. Determined to stay as unharmed as possible until he could successfully unleash his Destructo Disk, Krillin flew upward, dodging the giant's grab, and he again kicked the man's jaw, spinning him around in a 120-degree angle.

This time, however, Amond simply followed the momentum and kept spinning while stretching his right arm, so that it would hit Krillin. Sensing Amond's intent, Krillin flew upward, dodging the blow, before he engaged in another exchange of blows with the giant, who had kept spinning and was now fully turned toward him.

As Cacao charged at him, Yamcha assumed the most solid fighting stance he could, trying to keep his nervousness from impairing him in the fight.

Fortunately, from Yamcha's perspective, Cacao didn't seem to have much of a fighting instinct, which for Yamcha meant that he shouldn't be all that complicated to fight with for a short amount of time. But if he made up for that with other skills, then Yamcha would be in trouble in the long run.

When Cacao got within fighting range, he threw a punch, which Yamcha grabbed easily. Taking the chance to test how tough Cacao's armor was, Yamcha tried to clench his fist, expecting it to crumple up the metal. However, even the thin metal from Cacao's hand protections turned out to be beyond his ability to crush.

Although somewhat confused by the fact his attack had been blocked, Cacao quickly delivered another punch, which Yamcha also caught without much of a problem. Then, he flipped backward while he let go of Cacao's hands, at the same time slamming his feet onto Cacao's face, which sent him rocketing away.

While Cacao flew away, Yamcha grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and started gathering energy in it. Soon, an orange energy-sphere the size of a handball hovered above Yamcha's palm – right as Cacao recovered and flew at him again. Yamcha briefly took notice of how Cacao, in spite having been sent away by his strike, did not seem damaged, but he didn't dwell on it.

"You want some of this?" Yamcha shouted, throwing his Spirit Ball at him.

Cacao immediately stopped and swerved his left half to the right, dodging the energy ball. However, Yamcha made the Spirit Ball turn left, and then turn left again, so that it went back at Cacao. Cacao dodged it again, and the Spirit Ball drilled a hole through the rocky ground.

Thinking that this attack would no longer be usable, Cacao focused his attention on Yamcha again, but the former bandit, who had been expecting it, flicked his fingers upward and to the left, and the Spirit Ball erupted from the ground again, hitting Cacao squarely on his abs. His armor protected him from the damage, but it got somewhat scratched in the process, although there was no hole in it.

Yamcha flew forward to see if he could hit the same spot again, but Cacao rushed at him, and the two started throwing blows at each other, both of them managing to block the other's strikes successfully – although Yamcha was starting to get bruised just from blocking the cyborg's strikes, due to the fact Cacao hit him with metal gloves.

After only a short exchange of blows, Yamcha disappeared away, in an attempt to have enough time to think of a strategy to defeat the cyborg. However, at that time, the shoulder pads, chest plates, thigh plates, and shin plates of Cacao's armor opened up like lids of boxes, revealing jet propellers hidden there – which immediately set to work and made him fly about 100 meters backward and upward.

As soon as the plates on Cacao's armor closed up, Yamcha reappeared, and his eyes widened in surprise at finding Cacao in front of him. Immediately, Cacao rammed on him, clearly intending to slam him down on the ground. Reacting as quickly as he could, Yamcha got his arms free, clasped his hands into a ball, and slammed them on Cacao's face, shattering the cyborg's scouter, and right as another jet propeller on Cacao's back had started to work. Had Yamcha not slammed him in the face, Cacao would have flown down even faster and rammed him on the floor, but in this case, it made Yamcha's blow much more effective, as the cyborg was effectively shoved in both directions at the same time.

Before Cacao managed to recover, Yamcha flew to behind him and, again with his hands clasped together, clobbered Cacao's nape, sending him rocketing down. Although he was still confused, Cacao managed to land down on all fours, jets of steam shooting out of his body.

While Cacao tried to put himself together, Yamcha put some distance between himself and his foe, again wondering what would be the best tactic to get rid of this guy.

As Daiz charged at him again, Goku calmly stood in place to meet his foe, whose approach, although it would look inconceivably fast to many beings in the universe, seemed quite slow to him.

When Daiz delivered a punch, Goku lazily raised his arm to block it, and then punched Daiz in the face. Had the blow been delivered at full power, Goku would have at least dislocated Daiz's jaw, but he was purposefully holding back so as not to kill him or seriously hurt him.

Daiz tried to deliver a sweeping kick, but Goku parried it with his right hand, and then leaned his head to the side to dodge the energy blast Daiz had fired at him. Instantly after, Daiz was throwing another punch at his nose, but Goku raised both his hands, held Daiz's wrist, and then spun the alien around once before throwing him against one of the Tree of Might's roots.

Goku took the time to focus his senses on Yamcha's and Krillin's fights. He could tell that both of them were quite outclassed in terms of raw power, but seemed to be holding their own for now. If they got in serious trouble, he would help them, but at least for now, he would let them have their fights, as he guessed they wouldn't like having him interfere unless they were in dire need of help.

Decreasing his focus on those fights, he turned back to Daiz, who had just managed to heave himself upward.

"I hope that by now I've made it more than obvious that you are completely outmatched against me," Goku said, his frustration more than evident, as Daiz stood somewhat shakily. "Continuing to fight is pointless. Get your friends, and get the Hell out of here."

Instead of answering, Daiz glared furiously at Goku, then looked around, as though he expected to see some form of help coming. Goku briefly focused more deeply on the energy signatures of the two small aliens that were sitting at the Tree of Might's roots, so he could see if they were up something, but they were still sitting on the same spot, sulking over the fact they weren't fighting.

Daiz seemed to notice Goku's distraction, because he immediately charged in, but Goku, switching his focus back to Daiz in an instant, assumed another fighting stance.

Again, Daiz delivered a flurry of punches and kicks, all of which Goku managed to block. But this time, it was with some more difficulty than before, as Daiz, in spite of attacking in a very uncoordinated manner, seemed to be significantly empowered by his anger so as to be slightly more of a threat.

But that wouldn't last for long.

* * *

_Inside one of the Tree of Might's three cavities, and inside a spaceship…_

Standing front of a screen that would show him any of the three battles he chose, he growled at what he was seeing. Even though his soldiers hadn't eaten by far as much fruits from the Tree of Might as himself, he had been expecting them to fare better than this in their fights.

Sure, he hadn't exactly been sure that Daiz would be able to kill Kakarot – who, in spite of being a low-class Saiyan, clearly was one of the power levels above 500,000 that his device had detected – but he would have thought Amond and Cacao would fare better against two puny humans. Never would he have expected that mere Earthlings would reach such power levels, but these ones clearly had. And although they weren't as strong as his soldiers, their skill clearly made up for what they lacked in strength, at least for now.

Should his soldiers be unable to outlast these Earthlings, he would have to step in himself. Even if Kakarot and the two humans fought him, he perceived himself to be so much more powerful than them that no amount of skill would help.

Right as the thought came into his mind, his scouter beeped, detecting three energy signatures that were approaching. He frowned. Although they were nothing compared to him, they were significantly high compared to his soldiers. And with Daiz about to lose to Kakarot, and Cacao and Amond unable to handle the Earthlings' skill, his soldiers would soon be defeated. He had no emotional attachments to any of his men, but he didn't exactly look forward to doing all the work of conquering the universe by himself. It was much better to have a few grunts to help ease the burden, even considering that now, with the Tree of Might's power coursing through his veins, conquering planets would be far easier than it had been.

Before stepping in, however, he decided to see who was approaching.

First, he made the screen show him the solitary power, which was higher than either of the two that were approaching together.

For a moment, his eyes widened in surprise at what he saw, but then, a pleased smile appeared on his lips.

"My, my," he said, shrugging off the white cape draped over his shoulders, "it appears that the Saiyan race's numbers aren't quite as dwindled as I had thought."

* * *

_By the base of the Tree of Might…_

At one of the Tree of Might's roots, Rasin's and Lakasei's scouters beeped, as two signals were picked up by them. There were two power levels approaching from one direction, and another power level approaching from another.

"Do you see that, Lakasei?" asked Rasin.

"You bet," Lakasei replied. "Let's get them!"

Rasin smiled in a way that perfectly mirrored his brother. Both of them were extremely annoyed at having been left out of fights, and neither could contain their excitement for battle.

However, there was one important doubt in Rasin's mind.

"Which will we get?" Rasin asked. "The two coming together, or the other one?"

Lakasei stopped short, clearly not having thought about that – although it seemed like he was already heading for the single power level. After a few seconds of thought, he opened his mouth, but before he spoke, their leader spoke through their scouters.

"_Go for the two power levels that are coming together._ _The one coming alone is mine._"

Both twins grumbled. They wanted to test their newfound powers on worthy opponents, and the one coming alone seemed a better choice than either of the other two.

But neither of them dared to challenge their leader's orders. And at least now they wouldn't be sitting out of the fights.

So, although somewhat unsatisfied, they changed course for the other two beings.

Flying as quickly as they could without expending energy that they would need in the battle that was about to come, Tien and Chiaotzu approached the gigantic tree and saw the three battles that were taking place in the general area.

Neither of them knew much of what was going on. This day had started off rather normally for Tien and Chiaotzu, with the two of them training as hard as possible for the battle against the androids that would come only a little more than two years from now.

But suddenly, as if out of nowhere, things that looked like huge roots had started erupting from the ground like giant earthworms, completely destroying their training ground. And then, a matter of moments later, Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha had started fighting three very strong beings, who were clearly another threat that the boy from the future had neglected warning them about.

The thought of facing another threat, however, paled in comparison to the sight of this huge tree. Even after seeing the gigantic roots erupting from the ground, neither Tien nor Chiaotzu had expected to see such a huge plant.

"I can't believe it!" Tien exclaimed. "Who the hell grew this here?"

"I don't know, Tien." Chiaotzu replied in an awed tone.

Like the three other warriors that had seen the Tree of Might before them, they were awed at the fact such a plant could exist.

However, they had much less time to be awed or to ask questions than Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha, because not even a second after Chiaotzu had spoken, two short aliens that looked exactly alike suddenly appeared about twenty meters away from them, sadistic grins plastered on their faces. Both Chiaotzu's and Tien's eyes widened when they realized these beings were wearing battle armors which were clearly like the standard ones in Frieza's forces, although with subtle differences.

"You two were very foolish to come here," one of the beings said. "This is not a place for weaklings, or for idiots who get into fights they have no chance of winning."

"Unfortunately, we're not a forgiving pair," the other one replied. "Which means you'll have to pay for your foolishness. Rest assured, the pain will end when you die."

Tien immediately settled into a fighting stance, followed by Chiaotzu.

"We'll see about that," Tien said.

Chiaotzu didn't say anything, but his stern look was a perfect match of Tien's.

Moving as one, the two of them charged toward Tien, one of them considerably ahead of the other. Tien moved to the left to dodge Rasin's charge, and then moved again to the right to dodge Lakasei.

Meanwhile, Rasin was about to headbutt Chiaotzu, but the short fighter fired an energy blast at him. Rasin stopped to deflect it, but in the meantime, Chiaotzu rocketed toward the purple alien, making him crash against his brother.

The two aliens growled at the white-skinned dwarf, but before they could take any further action, Tien grabbed Lakasei's arm, punched him in the face, and threw him away, before rushing toward him and engaging him in battle.

Rasin formed an energy blast, but before he could fire it he heard a shout of, "Dodon Ray!"

Looking behind instead of dodging, Rasin was hit squarely in the face, and his scouter was destroyed in the process.

Not giving his opponent the chance to recover from the strike, Chiaotzu rushed in and punched Rasin's chin, before slamming him downwards with all his might.

Stopping on mid-air at a considerable distance from the battlefield, Gohan looked around, to get a better idea of what was going on before deciding to do something. He could both see and sense that his father and four of his friends were engaged in battle, and that although his father was the only one who had more raw power than his foe, all of them were holding their own due to their superior degree of skill.

For a moment, Gohan wondered if he should help any of them, as he was stronger than any of the aliens he could sense, but he decided against it. If he barged into any fight, any of the aliens could gain an unexpected advantage from his interference. And as all of his friends had already been resurrected by the Dragon Balls, any potential deaths would be all the more problematic, as they now could only be revived by the set of Dragon Balls on New Namek.

It would be better for him to lie low for now and then help whoever found himself in difficulty first.

Unfortunately, before he could put that plan in action, a man appeared in front of him, and one of the most powerful energy signatures he had ever sensed slammed into his senses.

However, the man's strong energy signature caused much less of an impression on Gohan than his appearance.

The man was wearing Saiyan armor, which was similar in coloration to the one Raditz had worn, although parts that had been brown in Raditz's armor were purple for this one. Also, the wrist guards were white with two purple patches and one purple ring around the wrist.

But his physical appearance was the most awing part.

Except for two 'devil horns' in his hairstyle, and his much darker skin, this man looked exactly like someone Gohan knew very well.

"Daddy?" Gohan gasped in amazement.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the first part of Honor Trip Presents: The Tree of Might, the definitive, canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible version of the original Movie 3 story!_

_Be sure to stay tuned for the second part, which will be released Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012! _

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_

_Tree of Might Special Part One: Completed Dec. 20, 2012 _

_Edit Credit: American Vigor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	61. DBHT Presents: The Tree of Might (2)

**Honor Trip Presents: **

**The Tree of Might**

**- a Special to a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction –**

**Part 2: Brashness**

**Special Written by: Genescritor**

_Disclaimer: The Honor Trip team does not, in any way, own any official property related Dragon Ball, such as the anime, its characters, related movies, and so on. However, our team hopes to supplement that glorious franchise with our fanfictions, such as this one. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story._

* * *

_During the first of three years of training for the battle against the androids in Timeline III …_

The man who looked like Goku had a facial expression that Gohan had never seen his father portray, one of amused contempt.

Giving him a bone-chilling smile, the stranger said, "Yes, I see. You must be Kakarot's son!"

Overcoming his shock, Gohan shouted at the stranger in a challenging tone, "Why do you look like my dad?"

Not answering his question, the man snatched at Gohan's puffy collar and lifted him to eye level. Then, he answered Gohan's question,

"It's only natural that Kakarot and I look alike, seeing as we belong to the same class of Saiyan warriors – the lowest!" he said.

The red scouter the man was wearing beeped, and a few characters that Gohan could not read appeared on its screen.

"Your power level is impressive, even with your Saiyan blood," he said after reading the data given to him.

Trying to control the growing nervousness he felt at being in the grip of such a strong stranger, Gohan asked, "Wh-who are you?"

"Who am I? Well…" the man began, uncoiling his tail from around his waist.

In an instant, Gohan understood.

"You are… a Saiyan?" he asked, although he already knew the answer to that question, and recognized that he should have guessed such a thing from the moment he'd seen this man's appearance.

"Yes," he replied, not making any comment on how redundant the question was. "My name is Turles."

"T-turles?" the boy stuttered, divided between his amazement at finding another Saiyan that had survived the destruction of Planet Vegeta and the fear he was experiencing. He knew how evil Saiyans were, and he also knew that, should he choose so, Turles could easily end his life, in an especially horrid way because of his appearance.

But rather than making any move in that direction, Turles carried on speaking, "Don't you want to come with me, little one? You can travel through space, destroy the planets you want, eat at any time, drink until you can take no more… you'll be very happy, I promise. Do you understand, little one?"

Gohan snarled in rage. He would never accept such an offer, and he was through with letting this evil man have his way with him.

"L-l-let me go, you hear me?" Gohan shouted, throwing a punch at Turles, who caught it effortlessly.

"Whoa, lad, what's that?" he drawled, the bone-chilling smile becoming more pronounced.

Then, a stern look replacing his previous expression, he added in a more serious voice, "Think well about my proposal. Our race is at the verge of extinction, we must help each other."

To add to his speech, Turles squeezed Gohan's right fist, making the young boy scream in pain.

"I want to be your friend," Turles insisted.

Not listening to his words, Gohan did his best to stop himself from screaming any more. He wouldn't give Turles the satisfaction of knowing he was managing to torture him.

Halting his squeezing of Gohan's fist for the moment, Turles spoke again.

"I condemned this planet to dry up slowly," Turles said. "I'm offering you a chance to survive. You'd better follow me gently. If you refuse, you'll die sooner than expected."

As if he was trying to strengthen his point, Turles bent Gohan's fist backwards, eliciting another scream of pain from him, this one twice louder than the one from before.

Then, Turles' scouter beeped.

"Someone's coming," he said, looking to the left. "Sorry, little one; we'll continue our conversation later."

Then, his eyes locked on the person who had arrived.

Gohan looked in the same direction, and a smile immediately found its way onto his face.

His white cape swaying, Piccolo was floating only 15 meters away, glaring at Turles contemptuously.

"Who are you?" Turles asked, somewhat surprised at finding a Namek on this planet.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed gleefully.

Not turning his eyes away from Turles at Gohan's call, Piccolo commanded in a stern, no-nonsense voice, "Leave him alone."

The bone-chilling smile returned to Turles' face.

"I don't take orders from anyone," he proclaimed.

"Oh yeah?" Piccolo shouted, before rocketing off toward Turles, his right arm stretched out as though he intended to tear Turles apart with his bare hands.

Smirking at his opponent's move, Turles threw Gohan at him, which made Piccolo halt his charge in order to catch him.

"It's good to see you!" Gohan said, looking up at him.

"Are you alright?" Piccolo asked in a concerned tone he would only use when talking to Gohan.

"Y-yes, I think so," Gohan replied.

Piccolo nodded slightly in relief, but right as he did so, Turles appeared behind him and stretched his hand out toward Piccolo's back, which made the Namek turn around in surprise. Smiling at the terrified look on Piccolo's face, Turles fired an energy blast, which consumed both the Namek and his student.

For as long as he could, Piccolo tried to shield Gohan from the blast, even as it drained him from his power and consciousness and destroyed his weighted clothes. But, eventually, he let Gohan slip out of his grip, and the two of them fell down limply, each of them landing on one of the Tree of Might's roots.

Feeling every inch of his body in a pain even deeper than the one he'd experienced when Frieza in his second form had beaten him to near-death, Gohan tried to force himself to his feet, in order to fight back at that sadistic Saiyan in whatever way he could.

However, Turles quickly pressed him against the ground by placing a foot on his back.

"If you're a Saiyan, you must learn to act like one, which entails learning how to use your full potential," Turles stated. "And if I delivered my attack properly, I've just given you the means to do so."

After giving Gohan a brief look, Turles smiled in satisfaction, as he spotted a large tear on the seat of Gohan's trousers. An instant later, a brown tail snaked out of it, before falling limply to the ground.

"I knew it," he said. "Stressful situations typically force the growth of our tails if we don't have them, in case you didn't know that. And now, allow me to show you just what it can do."

Knowing what Turles had in mind, Gohan desperately struggled against the foot pressing down on him, but he had been rendered so weak and was in so much pain that he could barely twitch by now.

Turles raised his right hand, palm pointing upwards, and a sphere of light the size of a cantaloupe appeared on it. Turles brought his right arm backward, then threw the blast at the sky.

"Moon blast, explode!" he shouted, clenching his fist afterward, and causing a bright flash to illuminate the area.

* * *

Suddenly distracted from his fight against Daiz, Goku looked around, trying to find the source of the bright flash of light that had just lit up a considerable portion of the surrounding area, countering the shade made by the Tree of Might's canopy.

As he found what he was looking for, he gasped in shock. He had seen this before, on the very same day he had learned a tragic truth about his past, when the prince of his race had arrived in an attempt to conquer Earth.

In a manner apparently similar to Vegeta's artificial moon technique, there was a sphere that served as the equivalent for the full moon with regard to inducing the Saiyan transformation into the Great Ape form.

Focusing his senses in that direction, Goku realized that two Saiyan energy signatures were there, and that while Gohan possessed one of them, the characteristics of the energy signature of the other Saiyan were rather distinct from Vegeta's own, which greatly surprised Goku, as he, like his son, had thought that only two full-blooded Saiyans and one half-blooded Saiyan remained.

The fact the sphere was in the air meant one of two things: either the stranger was going to turn into a Great Ape for some unknown reason, or he was somehow attempting to force Gohan to turn into a Great Ape, also for some reason of which Goku was unaware.

But he knew that regardless of the reason, it would be far better if he prevented the transformation from occurring, rather than letting the situation become more tumultuous.

* * *

Taking care to not look at the Power Ball in the sky, Turles threw Gohan into the air with a kick and grabbed his head.

"Now enjoy the view, little one," Turles said, turning Gohan's head toward the glowing sphere, while keeping the half-Saiyan's eyelids open.

In a vain attempt to stop what he knew was to come, Gohan tried to raise his arms and pry Turles' fingers off of his eyelids. To his great despair, his arms merely twitched, as they felt so heavy and in so much pain that he couldn't move them.

His eyelids were simply unable to fight their way through the fingers that held them open.

'Not that…,' Gohan thought, feeling despair starting to overcome him. 'Please, not that….'

It was useless. There was no escape.

* * *

Right as Goku was about to start flying toward his son as quickly as he could, an energy blast came straight at him. Goku deflected it away, but in the meantime, Daiz rocketed toward him, a furious look on his face.

"We're not done yet, Kakarot!" Daiz shouted, ready to unleash another barrage of attacks on the Earth-raised Saiyan.

Goku grit his teeth in frustration, blocking two punches that Daiz had delivered in quick succession.

'I don't have time for this!' he thought in frustration as he blocked a kick from the alien. Until now, although he'd been beating the crap out of Daiz for all practical purposes, he'd tried to be soft, in an attempt to convince him to surrender and leave Earth.

"Leave me alone!" Goku shouted as he blocked a knee-strike from Daiz, the aura of a Kaio-ken erupting around him.

Instantly, Daiz's scouter exploded, and the alien's eyes bugged out in a panicked look. However, Goku didn't even care to notice it, and simply punched Daiz's face as hard as possible. A sickening crack was heard, as Daiz's jaw, teeth, and skull were shattered by the single strike, with his energy signature going out like a light.. The alien was no more.

As Daiz's lifeless body fell to the ground below, Goku rushed toward Gohan's energy signature, leaving behind the crimson trail of his Kaio-ken aura.

* * *

Helpless in the grip of the man who looked like his father, but who was so different from him on the inside, Gohan made another brief attempt to avert his gaze away from the blast.

However, he could already tell it was useless. His whole body was twitching and pounding, as his power began soaring to new heights and he felt consciousness slipping from his grasp.

'No…' Gohan thought, his despair skyrocketing with each passing minute. 'Please, no…'

He again tried to raise a hand to release himself from Turles' grasp, but, as before, he couldn't even do so. And that was the last attempt he made to free himself, as at that moment his mind was overwhelmed by the lack of consciousness typical of untrained Saiyans that ascended into this form.

* * *

"Don't look at it!" Goku shouted as he approached at high speed, having already realized which one of his two guesses was right.

* * *

Goku's shout was loud enough for it to reach the place where Gohan was, but his son didn't even hear it, as the transformation was already underway. His jaws and nose elongated into a muzzle, his nails became sharper and darker, his ears became pointier, his eyes went completely red, and all of his body grew bigger and hairier, ripping Gohan's clothes to shreds.

Knowing he had accomplished what he wanted, Turles slid about 30 meters backward and fired an energy blast into the glowing Power Ball in the sky without looking at it. Soon afterward, the sphere that had catalyzed Gohan's transformation exploded.

"If I hadn't destroyed the Moon Blast, I would have turned into a Great Ape as well, but now, even with it being gone, its residual effect will keep the boy in that state for some time," he said to himself, before looking down at Gohan. "And now, young one, you'll rid the universe of this imbecile once and for all," he added, diverting his look to the approaching Kakarot.

* * *

The crimson aura around him dispelling, Goku skidded to a halt, not even three meters away from the Great Ape that was pounding its chest with its fits. Even though the Kaio-ken state had increased his speed, Goku hadn't gotten there in time to stop the transformation.

In retrospection, he regretted that he had not used Instant Transmission from the beginning to get to Gohan faster and cut off his tail. Unfortunately, hindsight did no good in this case. At this moment, he could only try to get to Gohan and cut off his tail.

Not wanting to waste further time, Goku went to put his fingers against his forehead, intending to instant transmit there and cut off the ape's tail. But then, he saw the stranger, standing there with his arms crossed, and with a satisfied look on his face. He noticed that this Saiyan looked almost like himself, and from the Saiyan's actions, Goku recognized in an instant that this Saiyan was what Goku himself could have been like had he not had that fortunate accident when he was a little boy.

That thought, combined with the knowledge that this Saiyan had seriously hurt his son – which he knew from the brief feeling he'd gotten of Gohan's energy before his son had turned into a Great Ape – caused Goku's fury to soar, although not enough for him to turn into a Super Saiyan.

"You there!" Goku shouted at the Saiyan, glaring daggers at him. "Once I get my hands on you, you're going to pay for hurting my son!"

Hearing Goku's scream, the Great Ape looked down, and its eyes gleamed wickedly. It had found its first victim.

"Gohan, don't!" Goku shouted, seeing the Great Ape raising his left hand.

His shout had no effect other than keeping the Great Ape's focus on him. Clenching his hand into a fist, the Great Ape threw a punch at him. Immediately, Goku put two fingers to his forehead and instant-transmitted behind Gohan, before raising a hand to form a Destructo Disk to cut off the ape's tail. Noticing it, the Great Ape's tail whipped through the air, swatting Goku away. The Saiyan flew for about 100 meters before managing to stop his momentum – and by then, Gohan was almost on him again.

"Kaio-ken!" Goku shouted, flying away as quickly as he could with his doubled strength and speed, with the Great Ape hot on his heels.

Goku landed on one of the Tree of Might's roots, and the Great Ape fell down in front of him a moment afterward, the whole root shaking with its weight. Still using his Kaio-ken, Goku took off again and the Great Ape restarted its pursuit. Goku briefly touched down on another root, and then flew to his right in an effort to throw off the Great Ape, but although it took a moment to spot his change of course, it instantly followed him afterwards right as Goku landed on yet another of the Tree of Might's roots, with the Great Ape landing heavily in front of him an instant later.

Goku then flew between the Great Ape's parted legs, getting away again.

The giant ape followed him with his gaze, and it ended up flipping forward while attempting to track his movement. Immediately, Goku skidded to a halt, dropping his Kaio-ken in his haste, and instant-transmitted behind the Great Ape, again hoping to cut off its tail before it recovered.

But yet again, the enormous tail uncoiled and knocked the breath out of Goku, even harder than before, sending him crashing against one of the Tree of Might's roots. Goku screamed in pain as he crashed, before sliding down limply and dropping on the ground, helpless to do anything to stop the Great Ape that stalked toward him.

While the Great Ape approached Goku, the murderous intent ablaze in its eyes, Turles guffawed from the root where he had been watching the scene.

"The son will kill his dear father, in the merciless way of a true Saiyan," he proclaimed for everyone to hear. "Don't worry Kakarot, once you're out of the way, I'll take good care of him!"

Paying no attention to Turles' words, Gohan slid his hand into a gap between two of the Tree's roots, plucked Goku out, and started to squeeze him.

Although Goku had been in this sort of situation before, and the gap in power between him and the transformed Gohan was much smaller than the one between him and Great Ape Vegeta had been, this was still an unpleasant predicament for him.

Using all the strength he dared to, Goku brought up his Kaio-ken again and tried to pry the Great Ape's hands off of himself without hurting his son. The Great Ape growled in confusion as his hands started being pried apart, unable to understand why his opponent had become stronger all of a sudden. However, he didn't dwell on that thought for long and instead started forcing his hands back together, intending to squash the foe in his grasp.

If he wanted to, he could easily throw Gohan off of himself simply by increasing the power of his Kaio-ken, but he wanted to keep it as weak as possible, still in an attempt to spare his son from major damage, so he simply tried to separate the Great's Ape's hands as quickly as possible. But the beast was still trying to squash him, and if this continued on, Gohan could end up hurting himself anyway by exerting too much strength.

Suddenly, an energy beam came out of nowhere, clearly aimed at the Great Ape's tail. Losing his focus on Goku, Gohan thrust his right hand toward the beam, which exploded harmlessly against his palm.

As he took the chance to put some distance between himself and his son, Goku looked at the direction the beam had come from and saw Piccolo standing there with his left hand raised.

"Damn," Piccolo said, adding a frustrated snarl to his curse.

The Namek had time to say no more, as Gohan went at him like a freight train, his right fist already pulled back for a punch. Narrowly dodging the strike, Piccolo flew in a semi-circle around Gohan, then flew to Goku, stopping beside him.

"Are you alright, Piccolo?" Goku asked in a hushed whisper.

"I'll get through it," Piccolo replied, keeping his eyes locked on the Great Ape. "But we must cut off Gohan's tail if we want to get him back to normal."

No sooner than he said that, Gohan opened his mouth and fired a Mouth Blast at them. Immediately, Goku grabbed Piccolo's wrist, then instant transmitted behind Gohan's head, avoiding the blast.

Listening to the faint whizzing that was the telltale sign of instant transmission, Gohan turned around and fired another Mouth Blast. Again, Goku managed to use Instant Transmission to get himself and Piccolo behind Gohan's head. But this time, he flew away, in an attempt to have more time to think. Piccolo followed him, looking nothing short of upset.

"That would have been an excellent chance to use your instant transmission and then cut off his tail!" Piccolo shouted. "Why didn't you do it?"

"He never gives me time to do so," Goku replied. "Whenever I try to gather energy for an attack, he just bats me away."

At that moment, the Great Ape turned around, setting his sights on Goku and Piccolo again.

"That's bad," Piccolo said, while steeling himself for the Great Ape's imminent charge. "If we can't get to his tail and we can't get through to his head, the situation's bad indeed."

Suddenly, Piccolo's words caused Goku to realize something important.

"Get through to his head…" Goku said, as he remembered a strategy he had used in the battle against Vegeta. "Of course!"

Right as the Great Ape was about to come down on them again, Goku established a telepathic connection with his son.

"_Stop it, Gohan!_" he said. "_It's us! Your dad and Piccolo!_"

The effect was instantaneous. Gohan immediately skidded to a halt, stopping less than two meters away from Goku and Piccolo.

"_That's it,_" Goku said, continuing to talk through telepathy. "_Stay calm. We're not your enemies._"

With what looked like excruciating slowness to the tense Goku and the confused Piccolo, the aggressive look on Gohan's giant bestial face melted away into a more placid, almost peaceful one.

"What are you doing, Goku?" Piccolo asked, unable to repress his otherwise stoic tone from infusing with awe. "He's as docile as a lamb now."

"I'm talking telepathically to him," Goku explained. "I did this when he transformed into a Great Ape during the fight against Vegeta, and it worked. Talk to him telepathically as well, maybe it will help even further."

While the two of them talked, Turles flew to a root about 100 meters to Gohan's left – and correspondingly, to Goku's and Piccolo's right – so that he could have a better view of what was going on.

He couldn't understand what was happening. First, Kakarot had not been at all able to control the Great Ape, who was as murderous as all of its kind should be, and all of a sudden, the transformed Saiyan brat had calmed? What the hell were these two doing?

"_Now Gohan, stay put, so that we can cut off your tail and get you back to normal,_" Goku said, as he started flying toward Gohan's back.

Gohan tensed up and took a hand to his backside at that remark, but he did not try to fight back. It was obvious he was divided between the knowledge that this had to be done and the fear of the pain that was about to come.

"_Don't worry, kid,_" Piccolo comforted as gently as possible to him, finally speaking telepathically himself. "_It won't hurt for long._"

Still at his privileged spot, Turles bared his teeth at the sight. He still didn't understand much of what was going on, but he could tell that Kakarot and the green man had somehow managed to calm the Great Ape, and that they were getting ready to cut off his tail. That was a foil to his plans of having a new servant. And he would not stand for that.

"You worms!" he shouted. "You think calming him down has saved you? I'll kill you myself if I have to!"

Without further ado, he fired an energy blast at Piccolo.

The blast came so suddenly and unexpectedly, especially because of Piccolo's continued focus on keeping Gohan calm, that the Namek didn't have time to dodge and was struck back by the attack.

Gohan's look went from placid to shocked at seeing his master and best friend being attacked with such violence.

"Piccolo!" Goku shouted as the Namek was hurled away, flipping through the air.

Gohan turned toward the direction from which the blast had been emitted, then spotted Turles. After recognizing Turles as the likely source of the blast, Gohan opened his maw wide and fired a Mouth Blast toward him.

Turles, after overcoming his surprise at the sudden attack, flew upward and to the left to dodge the attack, which was about to impact the sport where he'd been standing.

Turles watched the explosion caused by the Mouth Blast as it hit the root, a slightly alarmed look on his face, but then, he sensed something else approaching and turned away from it – only to look at Gohan as he flew toward him at lightning speed, roaring with fury.

"You're a fool!" Turles said, smiling wickedly. "Do you really think you can stand up to me?"

Either not listening or not understanding, Gohan threw a haymaker at Turles, but the Saiyan disappeared, dodging it. Then, he reappeared in front of Gohan's abs and gut-punched him, causing him to gasp out in pain. Almost before the gasp had been fully uttered, Turles delivered an uppercut to his chest, which sent Gohan soaring upwards. Then, he vanished and reappeared in Gohan's path, before slamming him down back-first toward the ground.

"I should have expected this," he said. "Your cowardly father betrayed our people's cause; it's no wonder you do the same."

Then, he pressed his palms together for a moment, before separating them again, revealing an orange square spinning in a counterclockwise manner from his point of view. As he distanced his hands from each other, the square turned into a ring with a diameter that was approximately equal to the width of Turles' chest.

It was a technique Turles had invented himself, and the deadliest attack in his repertoire: the Kill Driver. To this day, no one had taken a hit from it and lived to tell the tale.

With the ring of energy done forming, Turles raised his arms above his head, and then, as he moved them forward, he put his hands together at their heels with their fingers pointing to the sides.

"Go to Hell!" Turles shouted, with the Kill Driver rocketing toward Gohan, who twisted as thought he was fruitlessly trying to gather himself in order to dodge the attack.

But then, from his position not too far away, Goku powered up to Kaio-ken x 3 and threw a rapidly formed Destructo Disk toward Gohan.

With precise aim, the attack cut off the tail that had enabled Gohan's transformation in the first place, and Goku's son started to rapidly shrink, with his hairs vanishing and his head morphing back into a human-like form.

The Kill Driver was still searing toward him, but by now, Gohan was so small that he passed through the empty center of the ringed energy attack, which would have hit him had he been in his much larger Great Ape form.

Without hitting its intended target, the Kill Driver kept going toward the ground, vanishing through a gap between two of the Tree of Might's root-like branches, before causing a massive orange-yellow explosion.

Goku flew toward the falling Gohan to catch him in his arms, then landed on a nearby rocky outcrop.

"Dad, you caught me…" the boy whispered, his eyes opening a tiny bit.

Goku smiled reassuringly at his son, unable to find words capable of expressing the relief he felt. It felt as though a huge hand had squeezed his heart for the longest time and then suddenly let it go.

However, his relief did not last long.

As he had been so concentrated on Gohan's well-being, Goku had not noticed the purple energy attack hurdling toward him, and only noticed it without enough time to properly dodge or focus for an Instant Transmission.

Goku recognized that the attack contained more than enough power to obliterate both him and Gohan, and in acting as quickly as possible, Goku held Gohan against himself with his left hand and then flared the crimson aura of his Kaio-ken x5, intending to bat the blast away with his free hand, which he would be able to do with the Kaio-ken strengthening him.

However, that turned out to be unnecessary. An energy wave erupted from a crevice between two of the tree's roots, pushing Turles' attack away vertically, straight into outer space.

Turles briefly followed his attack's route with his eyes, surprised at having it deflected by someone other than Goku.

"Who did that?" he demanded, looking at the place from where the attack had come. "Show yourself!"

At those words, there was an explosion of dust from the same crevice the attack had come from, which briefly prompted Goku, whose crimson-aura was now gone, to shield his face with his right arm. Then, the outline of a short muscular figure with flame-shaped hair rose from it.

"Vegeta!" Goku gasped in amazement, as the dust slowly dissipated, revealing that it was indeed the Saiyan Prince, clad in a white and gold Saiyan armor with medium blue bodysuit. "What are you doing here?"

Still flying upward to be at eye-level with Turles, Vegeta didn't even deem Goku worthy of a glance.

"Stop asking useless questions, Kakarot," he barked as he kept levitating. "And above all, don't thank me. There's no way I would come here to help you. I am here only to make sure that no one robs me from the pleasure of killing you."

Finally stopping at the same altitude at which Turles was hovering, Vegeta glared at him, before adding in an almost exceedingly scornful manner, "Not even a ridiculous clone of your disgusting self."

Ever so slowly, the look of shocked anger on Turles face disappeared, replaced by a wicked smile.

"Well, well… the Princess of all Saiyans," he sneered, emphasizing the 'ess' syllable. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I could say the same," Vegeta shot back in a stern tone, his heavy gaze focused on Turles. "How are you even here, considering that our race was destroyed by Frieza, except for myself and only three others?"

"I don't have to share that bit of information with you, your Royal Shortness," Turles said in a mocking tone.

Vegeta immediately growled in rage. Why he was letting this idiot get to him so quickly was beyond him, but somehow the fact he had Kakarot's appearance, coupled with such an arrogant attitude, contributed to completely enraging Vegeta with just a single insult.

"But I guess I can do that just as well," Turles carried on nonchalantly. "After all, it's not as if doing so affects what I'm about to do to you."

Vegeta snarled in rage again, but he did not answer the insult, as he just wasn't in the right mood to argue with this Saiyan. Besides, he didn't want to change subjects, as part of him demanded to know why this idiot was alive to begin with.

As for Goku, although he wanted to get Gohan to safety, he couldn't help but to stay behind for a few moments longer, out of curiosity. After all, by the information he had about the fate of his race, Turles shouldn't even be alive, and, like Vegeta, at least part of him wanted to know how that was possible.

His voice suddenly gaining an almost nostalgic tone, Turles started his story.

"Some days before Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, he sent me along with a group of eleven elite Saiyans to planet Tupira, so that we would conquer it to add it to his empire," he began. "The whole team found that remarkably odd, as planet Tupira was known to be an exceedingly hard mission, so much so that it would take at least a few hundred standard Saiyans to conquer it successfully, and even if things were raised up to the elite scale, it would take at the very least some dozens of them to perform the job successfully. I found it odd as well, mainly because although I possessed the power level of an elite Saiyan, I had only been sent to missions for low-class warriors until then."

Turles paused, clearly being in no real hurry to finish his story, as if he wanted to fully experience the nostalgia that he was feeling. That prompted Vegeta to clench his fists. He was in no mood to listening to someone preaching, mainly if that someone was an idiot who looked like Kakarot and who had dared to address him as Turles had.

Turles carried on speaking, "Later on, I came to the conclusion that Frieza must have decided that keeping us all on our home planet would be suspicious, and therefore took care to send those of us that went on missions to places that it would be impossible for us to get back from. And it worked, for the most part, as all eleven of my companions fell to the Tupirans' might, even considering we fought them in our Great Ape states. However, I managed to survive the purging myself, although I was in the most damanged state I had ever been until then."

Putting his anger aside for the time-being, Vegeta nodded, almost as if they two were old neighbors chatting about something as ordinary as the weather.

'That makes sense,' Vegeta thought. 'After all, Frieza must have purposefully sent me and Nappa on an easy mission, as according to Dodoria, he wanted me alive. On the other hand, and if I remember it right, Raditz was on a mission intended for someone of a level considerably higher than his, and was simply either lucky or smart enough to live through it.'

For a moment, as he recalled the years all three of them had spent serving Frieza, Vegeta couldn't help but to feel some reluctant admiration for his dead long-haired comrade. Although the idiot had been completely expandable, as they could easily grow Saibamen as strong as him when it came to raw power, he'd been resourceful and tenacious enough to survive for more than 20 years in a place where his life literally had no value for anyone but himself, and therefore he had to rely exclusively on his own will and wits to get through. He'd certainly been smart in that way, although he'd been a complete idiot by neglecting to train his tail. But then again, like Vegeta had said, he'd been completely expendable, so much so that he hadn't even considered resurrecting him with the Dragon Balls.

Vegeta then refocused on Turles, as he again carried on speaking.

"But no Tupiran that I know of made it out alive, or if they did, they never came back to finish the job," Turles said. "Having realized the chance that fate had given me, I embraced it, and instead of crawling back to Frieza like a little lapdog, I stayed away and focused all my efforts on becoming strong enough to kill Frieza and his family and overthrow their empire."

A sneer suddenly back to his face, he added, "In fact, I should be thanking you all for that, as it seems that, somehow, it's thanks to the lot you that I no longer have to take care of them myself. So, if you stay put, I'll give you a quick, painless death as proof of my gratitude."

Vegeta growled at Turles, his anger at the other Saiyan's insults suddenly returning full-force, even stronger than before.

"You fool!" he roared, a vein protruding on his forehead. "Who do you think you're talking to? I am Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans! And I'm going to beat you into the ground if you don't learn to respect that fact!"

"I have never respected anything or anyone besides myself, and I certainly will not start doing it just because an egomaniac like you wants me to do it," Turles said, with his grin becoming all the more aggressive in appearance.

The vein on his forehead protruding even further, Vegeta shouted, "We'll see about that!"

Then, he charged at Turles, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks, all of which Turles blocked effortlessly, the wicked grin ever plastered on his face.

"Vegeta, stop!" Goku shouted, knowing that Turles would either obliterate the Saiyan Prince with one shot or would torture him for a while before finally disposing of him.

If Vegeta heard him, he didn't pay any attention, too focused on trying to hit Turles. At last, he managed to land a punch on Turles' left cheek, disturbing his concentration enough for him to drop his guard. Taking advantage of that, Vegeta sank a fist into Turles' gut, and then delivered a roundhouse kick to Turles' right cheek that sent the Saiyan soaring away.

In spite of Vegeta's apparent advantage, Goku wasn't fooled. He didn't feel Turles' energy fluctuating as Vegeta's attacks connected, which meant the other Saiyan was simply toying with him. Goku had to help Vegeta.

But first, he had to get his son to safety. After he had done that, he would fight Turles himself.

Taking the chance while Turles was distracted with fighting Vegeta, Goku flew away, intending to instant transmit away as soon as he was far enough for Turles not to see him performing the technique.

In the meantime, as Turles kept soaring away, Vegeta had thrust both his arms forward, gathering energy for one of his moves, the Final Burst Cannon, which he had used to try to kill Frieza in his final form back on Planet Namek, and was now going to use in order to kill one unexpected survivor of his race. It was a pity, now that he thought of it. After all, his race was nearly extinct, and by killing Turles he was aiding the process rather than trying to stop it. But Vegeta wasn't one to preach around and make people see the light. Not to mention this cretin clearly wanted the universe for himself. And Vegeta cherished the thought that if someone was going to conquer the universe some day, it would be himself – after he dealt with Kakarot, that is.

With that thought in mind, Vegeta fired his Final Burst Cannon at Turles, lending a deep purple hue to the landscape. However, right when the beam was about to make contact, Turles suddenly recovered and flew upward, completely dodging the beam, which disappeared into the distance. Then, he fired an energy wave at Vegeta, who also flew upward in order to dodge it. Unlike Turles, however, Vegeta nearly was hit by the attack.

At that time, Turles disappeared from where he was, and reappeared right in front of Vegeta, the arrogant smirk plastered on his face again.

Before Vegeta could again snarl in anger at seeing such an infuriating look on a face that was so similar to Kakarot's, Turles sank a fist into Vegeta's abs, causing the Saiyan Prince to be besieged with pain.

* * *

Right at that moment, but considerably far from there, Krillin formed an energy blast in his hands, using it to cushion a punch from Amond. The giant let out a frustrated snarl at having his strike blocked, but quickly delivered an equally powerful strike with his other hand, which Krillin barely managed to dodge.

This wasn't good. He'd been holding his own until now, thanks to Amond's lack of skill, but there had been more than a few close calls, and until now all his attempts at using the Destructo Disk had failed. Whenever he managed to get the right distance between himself and Amond, the giant quickly approached, and Krillin was forced to approach as well so that he wouldn't be at the right range to be hit by the enormous fighter.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, he was running out of power. Sooner or later, he would be unable to muster the strength to dodge, and then, he would be doomed.

Right as the thought crossed his mind, Amond reached forward and his right hand latched onto the left side of Krillin's chest.

"Gotcha!" he said as he then grabbed the other side of Krillin's chest, smiling in victory at having finally gotten a hold of his opponent.

Krillin gulped, certain that the alien would either tear him in half like a slab of paper of slam his head against him. None of those would be pleasant for him. But in spite of his fear, he noticed that Amond appeared too focused on being happy at himself for his accomplishment to carry on with either of those acts for the moment. Deciding now would be the best chance he got to follow his plan, Krillin put his hands on either side of his face with fingers pointing to his eyes and shouted, "Solar Flare!"

At Krillin's command, a bright flash of light erupted in the area, dazing the giant alien. Bellowing in surprise at the unexpected attack, Amond let go of Krillin and put his hands to his face, although it was far too late to shield them from the blinding light.

"My eyes!" he roared over and over again. "My eyes!"

Not wasting any time, Krillin flew backward, landed about 10 meters away from Amond, and raised his right arm, the palm of his hand pointed to the sky. He knew it was a bit close, but if he moved too far, the disk could fail. Summoning every ounce of strength he could gather, he willed his Destructo Disk to form as quickly as possible, knowing that if he failed this time, he wouldn't have another chance. Krillin's muscles screamed in protest, aching from the strain put on by forming a Destructo Disk at such a speed, but Krillin's mind fought back the pain, while the disk appeared above his palm.

Hearing the sound of the attack, Amond fired an energy ball in the general direction of Krillin, but it seemed he was too used to relying on his eyes, as the sphere missed by quite a margin.

Deciding that the disk was powerful enough to achieve its end, Krillin threw it forward as quickly as he could, while Amond finally regained his eyesight – only to see a deadly disk of energy heading straight for him. A gasp of amazement left his throat, and then, the disk met his neck.

As it did, Krillin closed his eyes, while he listened to the slashing sound of Amond's head being sliced off his body. He didn't particularly look forward to the sight in front of him.

* * *

Jumping over the sweeping kick that Cacao swung toward him, Yamcha delivered a knee-strike to the cyborg's face, making it stumble a few steps backwards. Not giving Cacao the time to recover, Yamcha clasped his hands into a ball and slammed Cacao away and into one of the Tree of Might's roots.

Having gained some precious seconds, Yamcha tried to get his breath back, feeling his whole body battered, bloody, and itchy from the sweat that stung his wounds. Cacao was somewhat clumsy as a fighter, clearly relying more on computerized data than on actual thinking. However, he was much stronger than Yamcha, and the metal gloves he wore enabled him to hit hard in spite of his clumsiness. Also, he seemed insensitive to pain. Although he took some time to put himself together after being hit by Yamcha's attacks, he always came back for more after taking damage.

His arms were somewhat bruised, and his face looked like an apple that somewhat had grasped too tightly, with both his eyes now visible due to his scouter having been destroyed long ago. But other than that, his armor only had a few scuffs. And Yamcha knew that even if he somehow managed to summon enough power to crack a hole in the armor, it would take all the energy he had left to do so.

'If only there was some obvious weak spot on his armor…' Yamcha thought ruefully.

His thoughts were halted, as again Cacao charged at him, the jet propeller on his back working to speed up his flight. Yamcha pulled his right fist backward, gathering all the energy he could in it, and then threw a punch, intending to have it hit Cacao's face – but the cyborg stopped short and the blow missed his target. Yamcha cursed at that, but he could not stop his momentum, and his fist instead hit one of those weird tubes Cacao had erupting from the place where his clavicles and his neck met.

And then, something strange happened.

Cacao, who had been about to slam his foot into Yamcha's gut, stopped short in his movement, as though the blow to that metal tube had shaken him somewhat.

Yamcha looked in confusion at the cyborg. Up until now, Cacao had never seemed truly damaged by the strikes he took, although he always needed some time to adjust, as if taking blows was something that wasn't within his standard calculations. So, what was it that was happening now?

Were these metal tubes somehow an important component of his armor?

Up until now, Yamcha had neglected them, believing it would be useless trying to hit them, as they seemed to be no more than decorations. But right now, he realized that could be more to those things than it seemed at first sight. And in the end, he was just desperate enough to resort to damaging them in order to win.

Thankful that Cacao still hadn't recovered from the strike, Yamcha quickly reached for the two metal tubes, both the one he had hit earlier and the other one. Cacao let out a robotic grunt that seemed to hold a large amount of concern – even fear – but Yamcha didn't give him time to retaliate, and started spinning around like a top, always keeping the tubes as firmly gripped as possible. As Yamcha did so, he gathered as much energy as possible in his hands, determined to make sure he would fulfill his goal.

After about half a minute of spinning, Yamcha made a motion as if he was going to throw Cacao away, but kept the metal tubes gripped in his hands, which were full of energy he'd gathered on that spot.

As he did so, the front ends of the tubes were ripped off of Cacao's chest plates. Noticing it, Yamcha spun around one last time, before releasing the tubes, and the cyborg was, yet again, slammed against one of the Tree of Might's roots, before falling down limply. This time, however, he didn't get up. Instead, electricity bolts started coming out both of the broken ends of Cacao's tubes and from the holes into which they had been attached.

Moments later, the cyborg exploded, sending pieces of metal and burned flesh flying in every direction.

"Whew!" Yamcha said as he fell down on his bottom, both from dizziness and tiredness.

* * *

As Tien tried to deliver a knee-strike to his opponent, Lakasei flew upward, dodging it, and thrust his arms toward Tien's chest. Sensing the energy being gathered in the alien's palms, Tien tried to slam his clenched fists on both sides of his foe's head, but Lakasei was faster and fired the energy blast, the force of the explosion pushing Tien about 15 meters away. It had not been a deadly blow, but by this stage, Tien had already taken many attacks like that and was much more damaged than his opponent, whom he had only managed to hit a few times. While the two of them had approximately the same strength, and Tien's individual hits caused more damage to the alien than the other way around, they did not have the same size, and Lakasei was smart enough to take advantage of the fact he was much smaller. Fortunately for Tien, Lakasei didn't have a good fighting technique. However, Lakasei was way less tired and damaged than his foe.

Before Tien pulled himself together, Lakasei fired a barrage of energy blasts at him, intending to weaken him even further. Fearful that Lakasei might try to surprise him while he was focused on the blasts, Tien immediately focused his energy-sensing ability, tracking Lakasei's movements – although he knew that the alien had somewhat of a skill to suppress his energy, as if he hadn't, he would have been detected wherever he was on Earth a long time before the battle had started.

However, he didn't seem capable of using that skill while he was fighting, and Tien easily sensed Lakasei approaching from behind him. Not looking back, Tien flew downward, neatly dodging the blow Lakasei had attempted to deliver to throw him into the way of the approaching blasts.

But that plan was foiled, and Lakasei was hit by his own blasts, unable to even surmount a defense.

This was the chance Tien had been waiting for.

While Lakasei attempted to overcome his sluggishness, Tien put his hands together by the tips of their fingers, and raised his arms so that Lakasei was visible through the triangle in his hands, as an amber glow appeared on them.

The intensity of it gradually grew, while Lakasei recovered from the hit.

"Damn it," Lakasei cursed, before looking down at his opponent.

His eyes widened at the sight of energy in the three-eyed man's hands.

Not giving him time to properly react, Tien shouted, "Tri-Beam, ha!"

At that instant, a huge energy wave came from the triangle in Tien's hands, and engulfed the small alien, obliterating him so rapidly that he didn't even have enough time to feel as terrified as he should have.

Sighing in relief at seeing the ashes and charred bits of flesh that were the only thing left from his opponent dropping like snow, Tien flew down and landed to recover from the battle.

* * *

Ducking underneath the punch that Chiaotzu threw at him, Rasin delivered a knee-strike to the gut of the small man, then threw his own punch at Chiaotzu's chest. Chiaotzu managed to block it somewhat by putting both of his hands in front of Rasin's fist. However, right afterward, Rasin delivered a punch with his other hand, sending Chiaotzu soaring away.

Leaving a trail of drops of blood that fell to the ground like rain, Chiaotzu tried his best to regain focus on the battle, which had been a losing one after the first 30 seconds or so. Although Rasin was not very skilled in battle, he sure was smart, and he was considerably stronger than Chiaotzu was. And although Chiaotzu had a technique that was sure to work on this opponent, he hadn't gotten a chance to use it yet.

Not giving Chiaotzu time to recover, Rasin flew closer again and delivered three punches to Chiaotzu's torso, before sending him soaring away a second time. Then, he started gathering energy in the palm of his right hand, forming an orange blast.

"Get ready for your end, clown!" he shouted, the sphere lighting the sadistic look on his face.

Making an effort he'd imagined himself incapable of exerting without passing out, Chiaotzu stopped his momentum. Every inch of his body was in pain, but Chiaotzu didn't pay attention to it and instead looked at what his opponent was doing. Rasin was getting the killing shot ready to be fired, completely focused on wiping him off the face of the planet. Deciding now was the best chance he would get to get his plan in practice, Chiaotzu fired an energy blast at his opponent. Not put off, Rasin deflected it with his free hand, but doing so allowed his rival to do what he needed. Finally finding an opening in his rival's defenses, Chiaotzu closed in on his opponent until he was about three meters away, extended both of his hands, and focused all of his telekinetic powers on his opponent.

As he did so, the energy blast Rasin was forming fizzled out, and he took both his hands to his chest, a look of the deepest suffering on his face, similar to that of a man whose head was being forcibly kept underwater, but more intense.

If an on-looker were to watch the scene, he would believe that Rasin was being choked. And he was, although not by a usual method, but by one that, at least on Earth, could only be performed by Chiaotzu.

As a part of his training for the fight against the androids, Chiaotzu had been perfecting his telekinetic powers so that they would work on opponents as strong as possible. He doubted they would do any good against the androids that would come, even after two further years of training. In fact, as of right now, they would be little more than useless on Frieza himself. But against an opponent like Rasin, who was stronger than him, but not all much that stronger, the magnitude of his psychic powers was more than enough for his purposes, although he had to put all of his focus into applying the psychic powers so that they would work as quickly as he wanted.

"You… freak…" Rasin managed to whisper out very slowly, as if talking required an extreme effort from him. "What are you… doing?"

Chiaotzu did not let himself lose his focus on his task, and channeled even more of his telekinetic powers into his foe, a pale-blue glow appearing around him as he did so.

Rasin started raising his right hand while keeping his left arm draped over his chest, clearly intending to blast him away, but he moved far too slowly, and was unable to muster enough focus to gather energy in his hands, due to the immense suffering by not only having his breathing reflex blocked, but also by having the air forcibly sucked out of his lungs.

In less than 20 seconds, Rasin fell down to the ground, losing the little bit of focus required to stay aloft that he had managed to keep. Chiaotzu followed the his rival's fall, always keeping his hands trained on him so that he would not give him the slightest chance to recover.

The pudgy alien glared at the small white-skinned man, his eyes now twice bigger than normal as they bugged out at his opponent, but it didn't help his situation, as Chiaotzu simply kept focusing his telekinesis. In the midst of glaring at Chiaotzu, Rasin's head fell, as he lost his consciousness. A matter of seconds afterward, Chiaotzu's telekinesis forced a cardiac arrest on the alien, and his form became even limper than before.

Still not wanting to take any chances, Chiaotzu gathered energy for the densest Dodon Ray he could make on the index finger of his right hand. Once he had gathered a beam potent enough, Chiaotzu fired it at his opponent. Being unconscious and having already suffered a clinical death, Rasin was completely helpless, and the dense, but very thick blast ran through the armor and completely destroyed his heart as his energy signature was snuffed out like a candle's flame.

Noticing that his opponent was dead indeed, Chiaotzu let out a deep sigh, as the effort of using his telekinetic powers on a significantly stronger opponent, combined with the damage he'd received before managing to defeat his opponent, had taken their toll on him.

* * *

Unaware that all of his henchmen had been killed by this point, Turles slammed yet another punch into Vegeta's ribcage, an ecstatic smile plastered on his face. The Saiyan Prince went flying into the air from the force of the strike, his shout of pain audible to any pair of ears that could listen. But only Turles could hear him, and Vegeta's shout of pain only served to intensify Turles' ecstasy, as he took great pleasure in causing such pain. It was not because it was specifically to Vegeta, but because he loved to inflict pain upon others, and he lived for the screams of suffering and horror his opponents let out as he beat them mercilessly. It was a pity Vegeta was nearly done by now, but there were still a few more bits of fun he could get from him.

Disappearing from where he was, Turles reappeared in Vegeta's path and grabbed his opponent's hair in his left hand. Then, he slammed one punch into Vegeta's gut, and his heart again soared as Vegeta shouted in pain. He repeated the move a second time, but on this occasion, Vegeta's shout was much lower in volume. Unsatisfied at the fact Vegeta wasn't suffering as much as he should, Turles again slammed a fist into his opponent's torso, wanting to get another scream out of him. This time, he didn't even moan. It seemed he was in so much pain that his body had become numb to it.

Knowing he wouldn't get much more enjoyment out of beating Vegeta, Turles let go of the Saiyan Prince's hair, clasped his hands together, and slammed Vegeta down into the ground, where he left a crater 10 meters wide on a rock.

Although by this point he should be at the very least comatose, Vegeta still tried to get up, having noticed that the countless onslaught on whose end he'd been seemed to have finally finished. However, even as he had barely started to raise his head, Turles put his foot down on it, keeping it pressed against the bottom of the crater Vegeta had formed when he fell, and nullifying any of the Saiyan's attempts at getting up.

"So this is it, eh?" Turles scoffed at his beaten opponent. "You truly are the Princess of all Saiyans."

Vegeta moaned in pain, feeling hatred like he'd never felt before coursing through him. However, by this point, he was too injured and tired to act out on it, other than by gritting his teeth and letting out a weak snarl.

"What? No last words?" Turles mocked. "I'm so disappointed. I really looked forward to witnessing an explosion of angry comments before I obliterated you!"

With that, Turles pointed his palm downward, intending to gather enough energy to destroy Vegeta. However, several moments passed, and not a speck of energy came forth from Turles' hand – not because he wasn't managing to summon it, but because he was not even doing such a thing, as he simply didn't want to kill Vegeta.

That was not to say he would feel any regret if he did so, or that he was sorry for him. But for Turles, the act of killing simply was not fun. He liked to beat the crap out of his opponents, to use them as punching bags. However, the actual part of killing simply wasn't pleasurable enough for Turles to find it worth the effort. More often than not, he beat his opponents within an inch of their lives and then left them for dead, as they usually ended up in such a state. In fact, most of the ones he killed were by accident, when they didn't withstand as much damage as he had hoped.

"You know what?" Turles said in a casual tone. "You're actually so pathetic that I won't even kill you."

Now that he thought of it, not killing Vegeta would actually be a bigger torture than doing so, as Vegeta would certainly feel even more humiliated if he was deemed as unworthy of being killed.

However, he didn't think of it any further, and instead pressed his scouter. If he remembered it right, not only should Kakarot still be around, but there were a few Earthlings fighting his soldiers. And while Turles doubted the Earthlings would win, maybe some of them had managed to defeat his soldiers.

If so, he could have some fun beating the crap out of them.

Satisfied at himself after making that plan, Turles pressed the button on his scouter to examine the nearby power-level readings.

After making his assessment, he flew off, ready to have more fun.

* * *

Still trying to get his breath back, Krillin sat down on one of the Tree of Might's roots, with Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Tien sitting close by as well. None of the four of them had wanted to stick by the spots where they had killed their opponents, but Krillin was easily the one who wanted to do so the least, as even after everything he had already seen, having a glimpse of Amond's decapitated body was still enough to make him somewhat queasy. So, the four of them had gathered and sat by, while sensing Turles beating the crap out of Vegeta.

Although they had thought of stepping in to help – exclusively because they thought Vegeta should survive to help them against the androids, as they didn't particularly care for him otherwise – they hadn't dared to do so. They could easily feel Turles' power level, and knew that even if the four of them were on top condition, they would be no match for him. Now that they were tired, he would make quick work of them.

Of course, he was not anywhere near strong enough to be a match for Goku as a Super Saiyan, but Goku was not here, apparently because he had gone away to put Gohan in a safe place. If Turles attacked them, they would have to hold on until Goku returned.

Suddenly, Tien stood up and turned his three-eyed head toward the sky.

"He's coming," Tien said simply, sinking into a fighting stance.

A sense of doom coming over them, Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu stood up as well and settled into their own fighting stances, ready to meet Turles' charge.

Soon, what looked like an advancing purple comet was visible, signaling Turles' imminent arrival.

The Saiyan halted his approach about 15 meters away from them, hovering in midair, his arms folded in a way akin to that which Vegeta often displayed – although instead of scowling, he had a haughty smirk on his face. The Saiyan's confidence in his much higher power level was obvious.

"I'm Turles," he said. "I see the four of you managed to deal with my soldiers!"

"You … look just like Goku!" Krillin said, reflecting the mutual surprise among the four defenders of Earth.

"Kakarot and I are both Saiyans, although I'm the only one between us who truly upholds the ways of our race," Turles said. "However, let's not focus for the moment on the fact that he and I look alike; let's focus on the four of you …."

Krillin tensed up. The Saiyan's voice sounded calm and cool, but he remembered that both Nappa and Vegeta had been upset whenever their Saibamen hadn't been able to deal with their enemies. If this Saiyan was anything like them, he'd probably feel the same way.

But rather than making a hostile move, the Saiyan simply grinned further.

"The four of you are capable fighters! Want a job?" Turles asked.

As the four humans' eyes widened in puzzlement, he added, "I could do with a few grunts to help me ease the burden of conquering the universe, and although Kakarot killed Daiz, you managed to kill the other four fools by yourselves. You fit the bill. Besides, surely you understand that, should you stay here, you will be doomed, as your planet is rapidly becoming uninhabitable and there is no hope to save it."

After a few moments of silence to let his words sink in properly, the Saiyan added, "So, what do you say?"

Yamcha quickly replied, "I say there is no way any of us will accept it. We are not evil bastards like you, and even if our planet is beyond salvation like you say, there is no way we will betray our planet and its people!"

All the others gave Turles glares that showed how their sentiments on the matter were exact matches of Yamcha's.

"Only fools would throw away their lives for a planet on the verge of death!" Turles said.

"It's a better idea than joining forces with bastards like you!" Yamcha said, right before he looked at Tien, and the two exchanged a nod, before looking back at Turles.

"Between you and Goku, only Goku is an honorable man," Tien added, even as he added by telepathy, at least to Krillin, "_Throw the strongest energy attack you can when I do the same!_"

As soon as Tien finished uttering his telepathy-relayed sentence, he fired the strongest energy wave he could muster at Turles, right as Chiaotzu did the same thing. A split-second afterward, both Yamcha and Krillin fired a Kamehameha, and all four attacks joined into a single one that blazed toward Turles. But the Saiyan simply put his shoulder against the attack and charged his way through it with almost no effort on his part, causing the combined attack to fall apart into a shower of energy particles as he did so.

Before any of the humans had time to think, Turles was in front of Tien and delivered a punch to his abs. Tien hadn't even started to gasp as Turles disappeared from where he stood and reappeared by Krillin, his tail uncoiling like a snake and clobbering the bald human into the branch he'd been standing on.

Instantly after delivering that attack, he disappeared from where he stood, reappeared by Yamcha, and slammed the major knuckles of his right hand into the human's chest. It was only then that Chiaotzu's eyes started to widen, as the attacks had been too fast for any of the four humans to follow the speed at which they were being delivered. An alarmed look started dawning on his face, but even before it had fully come to his features, Turles disappeared again and reappeared in front of Chiaotzu, punched him in the chest, and then vanished again.

Then, he reappeared at a considerable distance, his arms raised above his head, even before all the humans had finished falling on the same branch where they had been standing. A sinister smile on his lips, Turles gathered an energy attack in his hands, making it more than powerful enough to kill all the humans at once. As much as killing wasn't as pleasurable for him as for other Saiyans, he did enjoy it to a measure. Besides, the humans didn't deserve to live after turning down the offer he'd made them, and they were too soft to be good punching bags. Killing them was the only thing that would bring him any sort of enjoyment.

But right as he started throwing his arms forward to fire the attack, his scouter beeped loudly as it showed a number.

It was an exceptionally large number, Turles realized, and a startled look appeared on his face as the Calamity Blaster he'd been about to fire dispelled.

"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size, huh?" a voice asked from behind Turles, as the four humans finally finished falling on the root and slipped off of it, before landing on a rocky outcrop that was below it.

Turles hadn't counted on anyone sneaking up on him in such a manner – although he realized it had been foolish of him to be off-guard, mainly considering all the precautions he had taken when growing the Tree of Might on this planet. He also hadn't expected the one who had spoken to come back, as he'd thought the idiot had already fled.

However, Turles was not one to dwell on his surprise for long, and with the haughty smirk back on his face, Turles turned around and looked at Goku, who was glaring at him, as Goku had kept on thinking of what the other Saiyan had done to his son.

"So, Kakarot, you decided not to run away after all?" he scoffed. "That's great; I wasn't really looking forward to scouring this planet in order to have the pleasure of punching you repeatedly."

Goku's glare intensified. "I wasn't running away in the first place. I was just getting my son to safety, so that you wouldn't try using him for any of your dirty tricks in my fight against you."

Unfazed by Goku's harsh reply, Turles said, "Well, that's certainly noble and thoughtful of you, but it does you no good. The only thing you've managed to do is to delay your son's death, because you're going to die by my hand, and even if he manages to avoid being found by me, he'll die from hunger and thirst, as the Tree of Might will soon render this planet uninhabitable!"

Goku knew Turles was speaking the truth, but he wasn't worried about that. He was quite sure that the Tree of Might was not indestructible, and he knew that even if destroying it wouldn't automatically set the planet right, they still had the Dragon Balls to restore the planet's health.

But he wouldn't share that information with Turles.

"We have our ways of fixing that sort of damage," Goku simply said, deciding not to elaborate so that he would not grant Turles any unnecessary knowledge. "And I will not die by your hand, Turles. In fact, if you don't leave this planet right now, you'll die by mine."

Over the next few seconds, Turles gave Goku a stupefied look, not even blinking as if such a thing took an extreme amount of time for his brain to process and was so demanding that he couldn't do anything other than stare in amazement. Then, he started laughing at the top of his lungs, as though he had just heard the best joke in the entire universe. Goku allowed Turles to continue laughing, always glaring at him. If Turles got all the laughter out of his system now, he would be much more scared once he saw what Goku had in store for him. And that would make it that much more satisfying for Goku to beat the crap out of him.

"And just why would I be the one dying by your hand, Kakarot?" Turles shouted, looking almost crazy with his look still showing vestiges of laughter, contorting a face the Earth recognized as noble with further maliciousness.

Rather than giving a verbal reply, Goku brought up around himself the crimson aura of his Kaio-ken x 5 state, making his hair point upward in a hairstyle that looked exactly like that of his Super Saiyan transformation, although his overall power output was far lower than that of his maximum capability.

'His power level has increased fivefold!' Turles thought, as his scouter suddenly registered an alarming increase in Kakarot's power.

"What sort of technique is that?" Turles asked, unable to stop himself from voicing it because of the amount of awe he was experiencing.

"That is another thing I don't need to tell you," Goku replied harshly, the crimson aura of his Kaioken blazing more intensely for a moment. "So, I'll only tell you this: if you get into whatever space ship you used to come here and do not threaten another planet in the universe ever again, I can let you leave in peace. But if you stay and fight, you'll only meet your doom."

Put on guard by the number his scouter showed him, Turles did not reply with a taunt, as he could see that Kakarot definitely wasn't someone to be trifled with. However, he would not allow the moron to think he had managed to intimidate him in any way.

"Do you really think so, Kakarot?" Turles shouted in a defiant tone, assuming a fighting stance. "Well then, come and get me, if you dare!"

Goku's stern look didn't falter for an instant.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Goku replied, his aura pulsating at a faster rate as he said that.

Before Turles had time to reply, Goku rocketed forward with an explosion of crimson, ready to meet his look-alike head on, and to beat him into the ground, not only for everything he had done, but to ensure he wouldn't do anything of the sort again.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the second part of Honor Trip Presents: The Tree of Might, the definitive, canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible version of the original Movie 3 story!_

_Up next in the third part of the special: Goku fights the mighty Turles, determined to defend the Earth from evil. However, Turles still has a few surprises in store for our hero! Stay tuned for Part 3, to be released Dec. 25, 2012!_

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_

_Tree of Might Special Part Two: Completed Dec. 22, 2012 _

_Edit Credit: American Vigor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	62. DBHT Presents: The Tree of Might (3)

**Honor Trip Presents: **

**The Tree of Might**

**- a Special to a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction –**

**Part 3: Uprooting**

**Special Written by: Genescritor**

_Disclaimer: The Honor Trip team does not, in any way, own any official property related Dragon Ball, such as the anime, its characters, related movies, and so on. However, our team hopes to supplement that glorious franchise with our fanfictions, such as this one. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story._

* * *

Goku was approaching at a speed that astounded Turles, and the ruthless Saiyan invader was doing his best to maintain a defensive stance, while glaring defiantly at his opponent.

Inwardly, Turles admitted that he was nervous. Granted, he had known since before his arrival on Earth that Kakarot had to have defeated Frieza, King Cold, and Cooler to have still been alive after their own invasions of Earth, but Turles had allowed himself to believe that Kakarot had defeated them before they had accessed anything that resembled their full power, and only with the help of all his friends. However, it had become more than clear for Turles that even Kakarot on his own was a force to be reckoned with, especially considering the increased power level registered by Turles' scouter.

Any further thoughts on the matter were halted when Goku threw a punch at Turles, with his scouter beeping again and registering a further increase in Kakarot's power. Briefly distracted by that reading, Turles almost lost the opportunity to block Goku's haymaker with his left hand and barely managed to raise his right arm to parry the roundhouse kick that followed that strike. Grunting slightly as his shin made contact with Turles' forearm guard, Goku retracted his left leg, but as he did so, he brought his right knee forward, intending to slam it on Turles' nose. Turles immediately jumped backward to dodge that attack, but Goku, allowing his momentum to continue to carry him forward, delivered a second roundhouse kick with his left leg and hit Turles' left cheek with it, throwing the armored Saiyan backward.

As soon as he regained his focus enough to do so, Turles allowed his momentum to give him impulse to give a full flip backward, which he used to realign himself. Right after managing to do so, Goku was already on top of him, throwing a right hook. While putting his left hand up to grab Goku's fist at the last possible moment, Turles threw a right hook of his own at Goku, but the other Saiyan managed to catch it without much effort. And through all of that, Turles' scouter kept beeping, while registering a slow, but steady increase of Kakarot's power level.

Deciding to ignore his scouter's readings, and instead trying to see whether he could force Goku out of whatever strategy he was using, Turles leaned backward, intending to slam his forehead on Goku's.

Goku predicted the move and slammed his own forehead on Turles', nearly knocking off his scouter. Although the blow caused him to grimace in pain, Turles endured it and yanked his right fist from Goku's grasp, before bringing it back forward to slam it on Goku's nose. Goku leaned slightly to the right, preventing his nose from being hit, but the punch still hit him below his left eye, disturbing his concentration enough for the crimson aura around him to dispel, and for his power level to suddenly drop.

Smirking in satisfaction, Turles started throwing a left hook, but before the punch was even halfway there, Goku refocused, and his crimson aura burst around him again. With his Kaio-ken x5 restored, he swiftly put his right forearm in front of Turles' fist to block the strike.

Startled because of Kakarot's quick recovery, Turles halted his movements out of amazement, rather than pressing a further attack. Doing so nearly cost him a punch to the chest, and he just barely managed to put his right hand forward to block it.

Knowing they were at a temporary stalemate, both opponents jumped backward, landing about 15 meters away from each other. But at the exact moment his feet touched the ground, Goku rocketed forward again, his crimson aura again blazing more intensely. This time, Turles did not manage to block the hit and received a right hook from Kakarot straight to the jaw, which sent him soaring backward. After soaring for dozens of meters, Turles gave three quarters of a flip backward, pressed his feet into the ground below for an instant, and then rocketed upward, hoping to gain some ground on Kakarot and have time to think about a new strategy. It was a vain effort, as once again, Goku was almost on top of Turles when he managed to reorient himself, already throwing another punch at him. Turles put up his left hand to block it, but before he could counterattack, Goku was already throwing another punch at him, which he barely managed to block.

Over the next moments, Goku threw tens of punches at him, which Turles had great difficulty blocking, especially when Kakarot broke the flurry of punches with an occasional kick. And Turles' difficulty seemed to only increase as time went on, as once again, Kakarot's power was increasing in a slow but steady manner, as proved by the continuous change of numbers on Turles' scouter, accompanied by an uninterrupted beeping. Clearly, Kakarot could use this technique of his that enabled him to increase his power-level even when he was fighting, although it took him more time to do so. Still, by now Kakarot was already half again as strong as Turles himself was, and his power level and speed kept increasing. If Turles didn't do anything, he'd soon be pummeled, as Kakarot's strikes would come so quickly that he would be unable to block them.

Eventually, as Kakarot broke his flurry of punches with a sweeping kick, which Turles managed to block with his left hand, but ending up with his whole arm shaking in the process, the armored Saiyan decided he'd had enough. Yelling to the top of his lungs, he let out an explosion of energy, hoping that it would cause Kakarot to lose his focus on maintaining his technique. It didn't, but it forced Kakarot more than a meter backward, with his power level now steady rather than ever-increasing. Not wasting any time, Turles threw his arms forward and fired an energy wave from both hands, sure he would hit Goku with it.

Unfortunately for Turles, almost before the attack had left his hands, Goku disappeared, and the energy wave went through nothing but air. Immediately letting go of his hold on his attack, Turles tensed up, his whole body alert for any sign of Kakarot's appearance. But right as he'd put himself on guard, he heard a sound behind himself. Instinctively, he leaned forward, just managing to dodge a knife-hand chop Goku had tried to deliver on his neck. In the middle of that gesture, Turles kicked backward with his right leg, hitting Kakarot's belly and forcing him to let out a slight grunt of pain. However, the blow was not intense enough to make him lose his focus on the Kaioken.

Righting himself as quickly as he could, Turles turned around, gathering impetus for a right hook in the process. He wasn't fast enough, though, as Goku quickly got his focus back on the fight and brought up his left hand to block Turles' right fist, while again delivering a punch with his right one. Turles brought his left hand up to catch the blow, while trying to think of every option he had left to defeat Kakarot. He knew he could always use his secret weapon, but he didn't believe this to be a very good moment, as it took him some time to do so, and Kakarot was so engrossed in fighting him that it would take something really strong to make him stop. Therefore, he'd have to resort to something else.

And considering the place where he was, he'd just had an idea.

Before Goku could react, Turles untucked his tail from around his waist and wrapped it around Goku's knee, pulling the Saiyan to himself by his leg. Goku could not react on time, and Turles immediately delivered a haymaker to his gut. Then, he raised both hands above his forehead, clasping them together in the process, and slammed them down on Goku's head, sending him quickly downward. Just to further stun him, Turles fired an energy wave at Kakarot's back, completely pushing him into the ground.

Then, before Kakarot had time to recover, Turles flew off straight into one of the three large cavities in the Tree of Might's trunk, not even taking the time to coil his tail around his waist in the process, and hoping to have time to do what he wanted to before Kakarot had the time to catch him. As soon as he got to the cavity that had been closer to him when he had taken off, he looked around to have an idea of Kakarot's position. He could faintly see that the other Saiyan was getting up already, but was not emanating a crimson aura. That should mean Turles would have enough time to do what he wanted.

Turning his head back forward, Turles doubled his efforts to get to his destination, but all of a sudden, a strange whizzing sound caught his attention. Looking behind again, he saw Kakarot standing right there at a spot where Turles himself had been moments before, his middle and index fingers put to his forehead, his clothes slightly ripped and covered in patches of dirt, and his body covered in scratches.

Turles' eyes widened at the sight. Just how had the idiot managed to move so quickly? Was it another of those tricks of his?

If it was, then Turles certainly would not let him use it again!

Taking advantage of the few instants Kakarot seemed to take to regain his bearings, Turles immediately fired an energy blast from his right hand, hoping to knock Kakarot away. Kakarot immediately soared upward, dodging the blast, but Turles, who had been ready for that, fired a second blast from his left hand straight into the path Kakarot would move into. Again, Kakarot put his middle and index fingers to his forehead, but this time, before he could use whatever trick he had used befoe, Turles' blast hit him, blowing him away.

Finding that enough for his purposes, Turles immediately turned back forward and flew toward the cavity's 'ceiling'. Much to his relief, what he looked for was there. Tens and tens of red fruits, each of them with a diameter of about 20 centimeters. These were the Fruit of the Tree of Might, considerably riper than before when he had eaten several of them.

He instantly latched his right hand onto a round, red fruit, picking it off. Then, he picked another with his left hand, sure of victory. Ripe fruits were sure to be much more empowering than the unripe ones he had eaten, and hopefully, would empower him enough to defeat this good-for-nothing low-class warrior.

Wasting no more time, Turles bit into the large fruit and tore out the biggest chunk he could, before chewing and swallowing it as quickly as possible.

Moments afterward, his muscles bulged massively for an instant, and his fist clenched more tightly on reflex, squashing a good portion of the fruit, although some of it remained intact inside his palm.

Turles could not believe it. If he judged things right, his power had doubled after eating this piece of fruit. It should be enough to defeat Kakarot, but just in case he could take that technique of his even higher than he had until now, Turles swallowed the last portion of the fruit he held. Once again, his muscles bulged out massively, before deflating faster than a balloon. This time, the power level increase was less impressive in proportion and in absolute value, but it was still significant enough that eating the remaining piece of fruit had been worthwhile. However, the question was whether it would be enough to defeat Kakarot. Maybe it was better to pick a new fruit, just in case.

But before he had the time to take off in order to do so, though, he heard a noise that clearly indicated that Kakarot was flying at him again, after having used that technique of his that increased his power level while surrounding him with a crimson aura. After quickly shaking his right hand to get the remnants of juice off of it, Turles gave a quarter of a turn backward and to the the left, delivering an elbow-strike with his left elbow. Clearly surprised at Turles' speed, Kakarot skidded to a halt, barely managing to parry Turles' elbow, even with both hands. Turles immediately followed up on that strike, carrying on his turn, and delivering a haymaker to Goku's chest, which caused the crimson aura around Goku to fade as he let out a gasp of pain and started falling to his knees. Not even giving him time for that, Turles brought his right arm backward while bringing his left one forward and firing an energy wave that pushed Kakarot for hundreds of meters, far beyond the edge of the tree's cavity.

Eventually, Goku managed to right himself, letting out several coughs of pain. Turles sure packed a lot more power behind his attacks now. It was still not much, as Goku could still become much stronger, but he'd still have to kick things up a notch. And he'd have to do so quickly, because Turles was covering the ground that separated them at an astonishing speed.

Tensing up his muscles, Goku brought up the crimson aura of his Kaioken x10, before blocking the punch Turles had been aiming at his cheek. Before Turles had the time to react, Goku again deliver a knife-hand strike to his neck, but Turles recovered from his amazement right on time to parry the blow, and then brought up his knee with the intention of slamming it on Goku's groin. But at that time, Goku did the same thing, and their knees clashed, making both Saiyans grunt. Finding this was a good time to do so, Goku formed an energy blast in his right hand, hoping to blast Turles' head at pointblank range. But again, Turles used his tail, which had been left uncoiled since he last used it to strike, and whipped Goku's knee, which was still pushing against his own, with its tip. Goku screamed in pain, again surprised at Turles' usage of his tail, and Turles used those brief seconds to deliver a haymaker to Goku's gut, before slamming a left hook on his cheek, which sent Goku flying away, the crimson aura of his Kaioken gone again. Turles immediately rocketed after him, his purplish-pink aura trailing behind him, and he delivered a knee-strike to Goku's belly before clasping his hands together and slamming them on Goku's face, throwing him down toward the ground. To finish the set, he immediately fired a barrage of energy blasts at Goku, which not only pushed him down faster, but damaged him even further.

Finding he had done enough damage for now, Turles flew down, standing more than 20 meters from the place where Kakarot was covered in rubble. He knew Kakarot was alive, as he had deliberately refrained from using too much power for these blasts, as he wanted to make his fight with Kakarot last. If Kakarot would die after such comparatively weak strikes, it would be a real disappointment.

But, just as Turles had predicted, Kakarot soon got up, pushing the rubble that covered him aside. He looked even worse for the wear now, as he had additional visible injuries on his body, his trousers were somewhat more scratched than before, and much of his shirt and undershirt were gone, having been destroyed by the blasts. But he still looked more than fit enough to fight.

"See, Kakarot?" Turles asked him. "Thanks to the Fruit of the Tree of Might, I will become the most powerful warrior the universe has ever seen, if I haven't done so already. Every living creature will come to know the name Turles as their ruler. And you will be able to do nothing to stop it!"

Goku growled at him, but did not say anything else, which allowed Turles to carry on.

"However, if you fall down to your knees and apologize, I may be kind and allow you and your son to be part of my new team of soldiers. After all, you two are fairly strong, Kakarot, and you aren't loudmouthed stuck-up idiots, like the Prin_cess _of All Saiyans. It would be a waste to kill warriors such as you."

Goku's glare intensified.

"My name is Goku, not Kakarot!" Goku shouted. "And I would never accept that offer, even if I couldn't defeat you!"

Goku's response triggered a brief wave of laughter from Turles.

"You mean you assume you can defeat me?" Turles asked. "Don't be a fool, Kakarot. From what I could see, you used that technique to its limit, and even if you didn't do so, I can see you would take a considerable amount of time to raise it more than you did until now. And I'm not foolish enough to stay put and let you do that."

To an extent, Turles was right. Goku could raise his Kaioken to a higher level, up to a x20 multiplier, but although it no longer damaged his body as it had when he had used it against Frieza on Planet Namek, he still had to stay put and have undisturbed concentration for some time in order to pull it off successfully. But what Turles didn't know was that Goku now had an asset much more effective than the Kaioken.

"I wasn't thinking you would let me do that," Goku replied, as he clenched his fists and bent his arms slightly, flexing his muscles a little bit. "But the Kaioken is not the best trick I have up my sleeve. I have another one, and although I am unable to effectively combine it with the Kaioken, you'll find it's a much more effective technique."

Before Turles could say anything else, Goku grabbed the remnants of his shirt and undershirt, ripped them off in one clean gesture, and threw them aside. Then, he let out a primal scream, a golden aura erupted around him, and his eyes went from black to teal. His eyebrows became golden, just like his hair, which rose into the sky, except for his bangs. In addition to all of that, his muscle mass increased noticeably, a strong wind started emanating from him, and a shockwave erupted from his body, blowing away the pieces of rock that had still been around him, and shattering them after they had blown for about two meters.

The look on Turles' face went from conceited to shocked, as the scouter he was wearing exploded instantly.

"I am a Super Saiyan," Goku stated plainly, his teal pupils glaring coldly at the Saiyan in front of him.

Too awed by what was transpiring, Turles didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to Goku's words, capable only of staring at the Super Saiyan in front of him, his mouth open in amazement.

"Wh-what the… no, this is impossible!" he finally shouted out, as if denying what he saw would be enough to make it false.

"It's not," Goku stated simply. "You're about to find that out further for yourself. And don't even think about trying to eat another of those fruits. I am fifty times stronger in this state than I was before, and I'm also much faster. I can move more than quickly enough to stop you from consuming more fruits."

In spite of the clear threat in his words, Goku made no move to attack him.

"But I will only do so if you don't follow my advice and leave this planet in peace, after promising not to hurt anyone else ever again," Goku stated. "If you do so, no harm will come to you. If you want to, we can even fight again sometime in the future. But be warned, I have my ways of knowing whether you are holding up your end of the promise."

His trademark arrogant smirk completely gone, Turles glared with seething anger at the Super Saiyan. How could this be? The Super Saiyan was meant to be only a silly legend, not reality! And even if it was real, how could a low-class Saiyan like Kakarot have reached it? Mainly considering that Turles, who was much stronger than any low-class Saiyan recorded before, although he had been labeled a low-class warrior himself, hadn't managed to reach the transformation! It just wasn't possible!

But somehow, it was happening, and frustration because of it would do him no good. What he needed to do was to plan a way of winning against even this – the legendary transformation of their race.

The thought about transformations brought light to Turles' mind. He knew he could not try to eat another of the Tree of Might's fruits without being stopped by Kakarot, but he still had another secret weapon to use, one which, considering both the information Kakarot had freelanced about the Super Saiyan power multiplier and the increase in strength Turles had gotten after eating some of the Tree of Might's ripe fruit, would enable him to win without needing to resort to eating another fruit. And using that secret weapon would just bring the appropriate amount of symbolism to this battle.

"Don't start chanting victory too soon, Kakarot," Turles said, the haughty smirk back to his face. "You never know when you'll regret it!"

As hints of puzzlement came to Kakarot's stern look, Turles immediately put his plan into practice.

* * *

_The Kame House…_

At that moment, thousands of kilometers away from the battle, Master Roshi turned his head in the direction of the place where the battle between Goku and Turles was raging on, his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.

He had been sensing the battle against those invaders – one of which was a Saiyan – ever since it had started, and had been fervently hoping that his students would manage to defeat yet another unexpected threat that had come to this planet – the third one coming before the androids. In fact, he had been wondering since the beginning why Goku hadn't turned into a Super Saiyan right from the beginning to finish the matter quickly. After all, his Super Saiyan form easily possessed more than enough power to kill all these invaders in a flash. But from what Roshi had gathered from his knowledge regarding the two previous battles in which Goku had transformed into a Super Saiyan on Earth – first, the battle against Dr. Wheelo, and then the battle against Cooler – Goku wouldn't turn into a Super Saiyan unless he felt it was truly necessary, as he didn't like to use his best tricks right from the beginning and wanted to give his opponents a chance to reform their ways before outright killing them.

At first, Roshi had been relieved when he had sensed Goku finally ascending into Super Saiyan, but that relief had quickly faded when he had realized, based on sensing Turles' energy, that the Saiyan was planning a counteroffensive. Roshi knew what would be the final result of the Saiyan's plan, as he had sensed that sort of shift in Saiyan energies on other occasions, the most recent of which had been in one of the battles that had taken place since the Tree of Might's planting. He also knew that Goku was in big trouble if Turles successfully implemented his plan.

And lastly, he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything to help his student, no matter how much he wanted to.

As on previous occasions, Roshi clenched his fists in anger at that knowledge. Even though he had been surpassed by his students for years, and had sensed battles against beings whose power went far beyond what had once been Roshi's worst nightmares, there were still times when he was furious at his powerlessness, at the fact that for someone who had once been the strongest man in the world, he had a role that was little more than useless.

He was brought out of those thoughts when a moan reached his ears. It was Turtle, who had started to get weaker and weaker, exactly like everything else on this planet. It was certainly a result of whatever was affecting the planet in such a manner. Over the past few hours, the ocean had been drying up at an unprecedented rate, the seaweed on the exposed bottom had been withering and dying much faster than normal, and the few sea animals who could actually survive without water for a significant amount of time keeled over and died far more quickly than they should have. Clearly, those aliens wanted the planet's energy for their own purposes, and for that, they were willing to resort to absorbing just about everything. While Turtle was tougher than any sea turtle ever recorded, he didn't seem to be strong enough to escape the deathly effects of whatever the aliens were using to drain this planet.

Somehow, Roshi himself wasn't affected – maybe because he was actually strong enough to not be affected by the Tree of Might's energy siphon effect, in spite of being weaker than a bug compared to some of his former students. Fortunately, he was still more than capable enough to help his 1,000 year-old friend get through this until the planet was healed.

Immediately, Roshi picked up a bucket that was by his side, jumped off the outcrop that his island had turned into, ran toward a puddle of saltwater that still remained, and filled his bucket before running back toward his island, jumping onto it, and running to his friend's side.

"Easy, my good friend, easy," Roshi said, soaking a towel into the bucket and running it across Turtle's head as quickly as he could, hoping the water would do some good before being drained away by the alien trechnique. "Rest assured, Goku and the others will find a way to make everything alright."

Like all the times when he'd said those words since the battle against these invaders had begun, he fervently hoped they weren't empty ones, and that Goku and his friends would actually be able to somehow mend everything.

* * *

When he first saw Turles regaining his confidence, Goku took it as either an underestimation of his skills as a Super Saiyan or an attempt to bluff in spite of knowing that he was outmatched. Seeing that had frustrated him to no end, as had happened before when his foes hadn't possessed the common sense to see that their defeat was assured.

But suddenly, Turles' eyes seemed to glow with a weak inner light, as his smirk became feral. The gesture immediately brought Goku's guard up, as he knew better than to think it was some sort of illusion or merely a cheap trick.

"I'm going to crush you, Kakarot," Turles hissed.

The confused look on Goku's face became slightly more pronounced, as he tensed up even further for any attack that would come from Turles. However, Turles didn't move. Instead, he seemed to be perfectly content with simply standing still.

But then, Turles' pupils suddenly became red, and he started twitching, although in an abnormally slow manner, as though he was having a seizure and the deed was being captured in slow motion. Then, his body started growing and morphing, with his teeth becoming sharper, his eyes reddening, his jaws elongating into a muzzle, and dark-brown hair suddenly growing all over his body.

Goku's look became one of amazement as he realized just what Turles was doing. He was transforming into a Great Ape, just like Vegeta had done during the battle against him, just like Gohan had on that very same battle, and just like Turles had somehow forced Gohan to transform into before. But how was he managing to do so? Turles had already destroyed that Power Ball he had used to turn Gohan into a Great Ape earlier on, and he hadn't made any new one since then! In fact, he didn't even seem to be looking at any specific place! How could Turles be turning into a Great Ape without staring at any source of moonlight?

Source of moonlight… now that Goku thought of it, Turles' eyes had started glowing with an inner light! Could some artificial source of moonlight actually be inside his eyes? But if that was it, how had he managed to put it there in the first place? And just what type of source was it?

Steeling himself for the impending battle, Goku looked up, staring into the blood red eyes of the Great Ape, whose armor had expanded to accommodate his much larger size.

"Behold and despair, Kakarot," Turles growled in the deep voice typical of the Great Ape transformation, baring his teeth at him.

* * *

_King Kai's planet…_

As he watched the battle taking place on Planet Earth, King Kai deepened his frown, knowing that the situation had just become more difficult for Goku. Clearly, this Saiyan was more resourceful than King Kai had ever hoped antagonist Saiyans would be. Not only had he somehow gotten his hands on a seed of the Tree of Might and on extract of the same thing – which he'd undoubtedly used to resurrect those two Beenzans that had been a part of his crew – but he had somehow figured out a way to trigger his Great Ape transformation without needing to resort to any source of Blutz Waves, at least, not any source that was outwardly visibile.

Suddenly, a voice that seemed to come out of thin air cut through his thoughts.

"_Tell me King Kai, am I imagining things, by any chance?_" Kami asked him telepathically, all the way from his Lookout. "_Have I truly seen this scoundrel become a Great Ape without any artificial source of moonlight?_"

King Kai nodded negatively, although he knew Kami had not seen him.

"I am afraid so, Kami," King Kai replied sadly. "Turles has actually managed to transform. And either I am very wrong, or he means some monkey business."

In spite of how dire the situation was, King Kai could not help but to snicker at his joke, putting his hands in front of his mouth in an attempt to stifle it.

"_King Kai, with all due respect, I would advise you to stop your laughter,_" Kami said telepathically. "_This is a very serious situation, and laughing seems hardly an appropriate response._"

His seriousness returning in a second after Kami pointed that out to him in the most respectful manner he could muster, King Kai replied, "_I know that._"

Seemingly satisfied by that, Kami asked, "_Do you also know of something that can be done to stop this beast? Is it in any way possible that Goku can outlast him until the power of the Tree of Might leaves his body?_"

This time, King Kai did not shake his head, but such a thing did not mean the answer was negative. When the Fruit of the Tree of Might was consumed by lower beings, the results were completely different from when it was consumed by those it was intended for.

"_Sadly, that's not a possibility,_" King Kai replied. "_Once the energy from a Fruit of the Tree of Might enters a lower being's body, the empowerment is not temporary. While the being who ate the fruit will still get tired and need sustenance and sleep, his or her power level changes completely on a permanent basis._"

This time, Kami did not reply, as if he was taking special care to register and analyze King Kai's words.

"_I am afraid Goku will have to do his best against a permanently stronger opponent,_" King Kai carried on. "_Hopefully, his Super Saiyan powers will be enough to grant him victory, even though Turles is now stronger than him._"

King Kai turned his focus back to the location of the battle, the unusually serious look on his face becoming ever more pronounced.

* * *

As he stared up at the Great Ape in front of him, Goku's stern look deepened. He had to admit Turles looked more terrifying when in his transformed state, but not enough so to intimidate Goku all that much. Turles was indeed stronger than Goku at the moment – about twice stronger – but that was not too much of a gap in strength for Goku not to hold his own until he could finish him off by using certain particular methods. And he could already think of more than one way to do so.

But first, he wanted to have his curiosity about one thing sated.

"How did you become a Great Ape without any moon or any visible source of artificial moonlight around?" Goku asked.

His snarl morphing into a feral smile, Turles explained in his deep voice, "That would be because the source of moonlight is actually inside my eyes, Kakarot. Two of my minions, Rasin and Lakasei, managed to artificially create bioluminescent organs which emanate Blutz Waves, and surgically introduced them into my eyes. Whenever I want to trigger the Great Ape transformation, I can channel energy into them, and when I want to stop it, I can just pull it out. Therefore, I can fight in my Great Ape form for as long as I wish without having to care about the source of Blutz Waves being destroyed! And of course, unlike your son, I have learned to control myself in this form, causing your death to be all the more certain!"

Goku nodded. It was quite an ingenious move on Turles' part. Not to mention it further showed how he liked to use biological weapons, now that he thought of it. He used the fruits of a magical tree to empower himself, and an artificially designed organism to have access to the transformation all Saiyans with tails could use whenever he wanted.

The thought brought a smirk to Goku's lips. The last time he'd fought a Great Ape, he had stood no chance and had only managed to live through the ordeal thanks to the help of Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe. This time, the chances were move even, although not exactly on Goku's side. But the truth was that he needed some training for the androids, and fighting someone he didn't particularly care about hurting was a very good way to do it.

If he decided things were too bad, he should be capable of ending this without too many problems. But first, he'd see just how good Turles was.

* * *

Unbeknownst to both Goku and Turles, someone else was watching the fight, standing at a distance, but remaining in the same general area.

While he tried his best to overcome the pain from his earlier combat, Krillin stared in horror at the massive monstrosity that stood in front of Goku, smirking haughtily at the Super Saiyan below him. He had completely forgotten how terrifying these apes were, and setting his sights on one at a time when he thought he would never have to see one of them again, particularly after he had thought all the living Saiyans had lost their tails, was especially unnerving.

The most incredible part was that Turles' power level as a Great Ape, surpassed that of Goku's as a Super Saiyan. It was particularly remarkable because Krillin had come to view Super Saiyans as being far more capable than Great Apes, thanks to how their power level augmentation was not only larger in proportion, but in absolute level – until now. The combined power level multipliers of the Fruit of the Tree of Might and the Great Ape form had indeed helped Turles become stronger than Goku as a Super Saiyan, and it was clear that despite his ascendancy to the Super Saiyan transformation, Goku would need help with this one.

Unfortunately, Krillin seemed to be the only one who could do so, as all the others were too injured to be getting back up anytime soon, and it probably would take Senzu Beans to wake them up. But Krillin was standing now, as somehow Turles' tail hadn't whipped him hard enough to leave him unconscious for long.

Either way, the truth of the matter was that he would need to help Goku. But considering the massive difference of powers between himself and the Great Ape, he'd have to be cautious, and do so only when the right moment came. And once that time came, he knew that for the successful defense of the Earth, he couldn't fail.

* * *

For an amount of time that seemed eternal, Goku stood as still as a statue, gazing sternly into Turles' blood-red eyes, his golden aura blazing around him. Turles stared back, the arrogant smirk present even in his Great Ape face, his tail swishing behind him. Neither opponent dared to make a move, because if one of them did so, the other would be better able to respond, and that was an advantage neither of them wanted to lose.

But the fight would have to begin, and that meant one of them would have to attack first.

Resigning himself to being the first to do so, Goku twitched slightly, ready to rush toward Turles. In an instant, Turles opened his mouth and fired a blast from it. It was not all that strong when compared to the best he could do, but it would still be enough to hurt Goku if it hit him. Immediately, Goku jumped away from it, landing about 50 meters away.

Turles immediately fired another Mouth Blast, which nearly hit Goku as well, but he jumped away again. Turles repeated the process 12 times more, and for each of them, Goku managed to stay just one step ahead of the blasts and the explosions they caused.

But eventually, Turles gathered himself and unleashed a fifteenth blast, much stronger than any of the others he had released until now. Sensing that it would take much more to dodge this one, Goku put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared from the blast's path, moments before it released a massive explosion.

With the explosion masking the noise and air dislocation caused by his Instant Transmission, Goku reappeared behind Turles and thrust both his hands forward, firing the strongest energy blast he could muster in such a short amount of time at the back of the Great Ape's neck. Turles roared in pain at the hit and toppled down, but before he crashed down belly-first, he managed to somewhat recover, and instead fell on his hands and knees, causing a thunderous crash to be heard in the area.

But Turles didn't stay put for long, and he rolled to the right with speed that belied such a great beast. As he did so, he extended his left arm, intending to slam it on Goku. Surprised at Turles' speed in this form, Goku barely had the time to put up a cross block, and in spite of doing so, he was still thrown dozens of meters to Turles' right.

When he finally managed to right himself, he saw that Turles was once again firing a Mouth Blast at him. Disappearing from its path as quickly as he could, Goku reappeared about 20 meters upward and to his left, before firing a Kamehameha at Turles. But the Great Ape simply raised his left hand and put it against the Kamehameha, causing it to explode on impact. Hissing slightly at the minor burns caused by it, Turles thrust his right hand forward and fired a barrage of energy blasts from it, all of them straight at Goku.

Once again, Goku put his fingers to his forehead and instant transmitted out of the blasts' path, reappearing behind Turles. But this time, Turles immediately released an explosion of energy all around him, which made Goku lose his focus and sent him flying through the air. When he managed to recover, most of his vision field was occupied by Turles' fist coming at him, and again, Goku barely had the time to put up a cross block, which enabled him to somewhat withstand the punch's impact, but still sent him about 20 meters away. By the time he had managed to overcome his pain, Turles' left hand was wrapping itself around Goku's whole body.

Fortunately, Goku managed to raise his arms in time for them not to be inside Turles' grip. Before the Great Ape could start squashing him, Goku fired an energy wave from both hands, hitting Turles squarely on the tip of his muzzle. Roaring in pain, Turles immediately released Goku and put his hands to his nose, while forcefully blowing through it to abate the burning feeling in his nostrils. Goku took advantage of that and, flaring his aura around him, rushed forward and delivered a soccer kick to the left side of Turles' lower jaw, causing him to topple to the right. However, as Turles fell, he managed to thrust out his left arm and slap Goku's back, sending him down toward the ground as well.

While Turles crashed loudly on his right side, Goku fell down on all fours, imbedding himself about an inch into the ground from the impetus. Thankfully, the smackdown hadn't been as strong as it could have been, but it had still hurt him. And he barely had the time to recover from it, as Turles, not even getting up, delivered a punch that came rocketing down toward him.

Goku immediately flew backward to dodge it, but at that moment Turles delivered a kick with his right leg, forcing Goku to fly upward to dodge it. Unfortunately, doing so caused him to be hit by another kick, which Turles had delivered with his left leg. Once again, Goku was thrown away by the attack for dozens of meters before he managed to stop his momentum. This time, when he managed to recover, his vision field was almost entirely occupied by a Mouth Blast from Turles. Goku immediately flew upward to dodge it, but at that moment Turles fired an energy wave from his left hand straight toward him. Goku raised his hands to hold it, but was pushed away by the energy wave for almost 500 meters, until he finally managed to gather enough strength in his arms to divert the blast away toward space.

Goku immediately started looking around to see where Turles had gone, trying to see what he was up to. But before he could find him with his eyes, he felt the breath of a huge creature right on his back. The feeling caused him to suddenly feel his stomach clench. He knew without having to look that the Great Ape was right behind him.

Thinking as quickly as he could, Goku put two fingers to his forehead and instant-transmitted away from there, right as Turles fired a Mouth Blast that would have hit him if he'd hesitated even for a split-second. As he reappeared behind Turles, Goku again thrust his arms forward to fire an energy blast at the back of the Great Ape's head, but Turles had anticipated this and again unleashed an explosion of energy all around him. This time, Goku was more ready for the counterattack and managed to withstand it better, putting his arms up in a cross block. Still, he was pushed almost 50 meters backward by it. When he recovered, Turles was already turning around.

Deciding this was a good time to finally start seriously attempting to end this battle, Goku fired a Kamehameha at Turles, hoping to have it enter Turles mouth and explode there. But Turles put his right forearm up in the Kamehameha's path, while at the same time throwing a left hook at Goku. As quickly as he could, Goku fired an energy wave at Turles' massive fist, causing a stinging feeling that was strong enough for Turles to stop his momentum somewhat, enabling Goku to parry the punch, although the effort caused his whole body to shake. Seeing a shadow looming over him, Goku instinctively flew downward, right on time to avoid being smashed between Turles' right hand and his left fist. After he had descended for about 10 meters, he rocketed back upward and delivered an uppercut to Turles' chin, surprising him enough to make him fall on his back and drop down like a stone. Seizing his chance, Goku instant-transmitted to below Turles and started gathering energy for a Destructo Disk, intending to cut off Turles' tail. However, before he could throw it, Turles fell almost on top of him. As the close distance wouldn't enable Goku to fire the disk properly, Goku flew in a big half circle around Turles, until he was a few dozen meters above the Great Ape's falling form.

Even in mid-fall, Turles opened his mouth and fired a blast from it, forcing Goku to dodge to the left, and as he had expected Goku to dodge, Turles fired a barrage of energy blasts toward him from his right hand.

Goku immediately fired an energy blast of his own at them, which met one of the blasts from Turles' barrage. The collision between those two released a massive explosion, whose shockwave caused most of the other blasts to detonate as well. However, two of them kept going straight toward Goku. Thankfully, they were individually weak, and Goku managed to deflect both of them with one hand only, the first with the left, and the second with the right. However, there was another mouth blast from Turles heading straight toward him.

Thinking as quickly as he could, Goku instant-transmitted out of the blast's path and reappeared right in front of Turles' belly. Putting his hands against it, Goku immediately fired an energy wave which pushed Turles down almost until he hit the ground, at which time he managed to right himself and stand against the energy wave. Keeping his energy wave going with his right hand, Goku raised his left hand and fired a second energy wave, this time at Turles' face.

As he wasn't using his hands to hold back the energy wave pushing against him, Turles easily put one hand in front of the second energy wave, which exploded on impact. At that time, the first energy wave was dispelled as well, as Goku again instant-transmitted away from where he was. But this time, he reappeared behind Turles' right knee and delivered a haymaker to the spot.

Being enough in pain from the surprise of the blow and the fact it had been delivered to a sensitive area, Turles dropped down on one knee, gasping in pain. Deciding this was another good chance to try to cut off Turles' tail, Goku raised his right hand again, but this time, it was the very appendage he wanted to remove that cut through the air and batted him away. Goku easily flew for more than 100 meters before he finally managed to flip in the air and land in a proper fighting stance. In the meantime, Turles recovered from the hit on his knee and raised his hands above his head, before firing another energy wave from his hands at Goku. Having too little time to react to that, Goku extended his arms to stop the energy wave, but he was effortlessly pushed away, his feet opening twin furrows below him, which were being consumed right afterward by the much bigger furrow Turles' blast was making in the ground.

Goku could not tell for how long he was pushed, but all of a sudden, he had the feeling that there was something behind him. He quickly looked backward, although not losing his hold on the blast, and saw that indeed, he was about to come to a sudden drop where the plateau he was standing on ended. But then, to his great surprise, Turles came up from behind it, his jaws already open to form a Mouth Blast. Knowing he would die if he was caught between two blasts, Goku took one hand away from the energy wave that was pushing him and used it to fire the strongest energy blast he could muster to the ground. The explosion of Goku's blast was enough to also cause Turles' energy wave to detonate, and the Great Ape had to shield his face to protect himself from the explosion of his own attack.

Goku then appeared about 100 meters away, floating in the sky. That had definitely been a close one. So much so, that in his haste he had actually forgotten to use this chance to get behind Turles and cut off his tail in some manner. And now, he couldn't do so, as Turles now seemed to be aware enough of how his Instant Transmission worked to be able to counter it, and if he saw him disappearing like that, he'd immediately know – or at least suspect – what he was up to.

Before Goku had time to think of a further attack plan, Turles raised both his hands above his head and gathered an energy ball between them, which he then threw at Goku. As quickly as he could, Goku gathered a Kamehameha and fired it at Turles' blast. When the Kamehameha met the purplish-pink sphere, it knocked it away into space, before continuing to move toward Turles. Again, Turles raised his right hand to hold it, but this time, Goku moved both his hands to the right, which caused the Kamehameha to change its course, straight toward Turles' head. Turles gasped in surprise when he saw that, noticing the Kamehameha moving unerringly toward his head. If it hit its mark, it would cause damage that would be severe, if not lethal. In the last moment before that happened, Turles jumped upward – as it was exceedingly hard for him to bend enough to dodge the attack in the amount of time he had – and steeled himself to take the Kamehameha to his chest. As he was wearing battle armor, he was shielded from most of the damage, but the armor itself had a gaping hole at the spot where the Kamehameha had hit it. Turles paid it no mind, though, and instead fired a barrage of energy blasts at the place where Goku still was, seemingly about to use that technique of his again.

The blasts didn't get there on time to prevent Goku from disappearing, but this time, when he reappeared behind Turles, he flew away as quickly as he could, knowing that Turles would certainly know where he had reappeared and would use another explosion of energy to attempt to knock him away. His guess turned out to be right, but this time, Goku managed to fly quickly enough to stay one step ahead of the explosion. Once he sensed the explosion had subsided, he quickly put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared from where he was, not even slowing down. He reappeared right in front of Turles' muzzle, seemingly flying straight into the ape's mouth. But right as he was about to get there, he sharply wrenched the lower half of his body forward and slammed the soles of his two feet into Turles' chin, forcing him to turn his head upward. Turles grunted in pain, but at the same time, he started closing his hands down on Goku like a deadly vice, not even trying to look at him in the process. Goku immediately flew backward to dodge, but Turles righted his head and opened his mouth, firing another Mouth Blast at Goku. Goku dodged it by flying downward, while at the same time firing the strongest and most concentrated energy blast he could to the spot of Turles' chest where the armor had been destroyed by Goku's Kamehameha. The blast hit Turles close to the spot where his neck and left shoulder met, blowing even more of his armor away, and again knocking him backward.

Noticing the position that Turles was about to get in, Goku again raised his right hand, this time to fire a Destructo Disk from the spot where he stood. But suddenly, Turles rolled to the left mid-fall, while at the same time delivering a kick with his right leg. As he had been about to form his Destructo Disk, Goku was in an open position, and could not block the kick that struck him from the left, sending him hundreds of meters away. Eventually, Goku managed to right himself, but by that time, Turles had already recovered and was flying toward him again, his mouth open to fire another Mouth Blast.

Remembering a tactic that he had used during the fight against Great Ape Vegeta, Goku put his hands on both sides of his face, with his fingers spread wide and pointing toward his eyes, and shouted, "Solar Flare!"

A bright flash of light erupted in the area, forcing Turles to skid to a halt and close his eyes, while placing his hands there.

"My eyes!" he roared in utter fury. "My eyes! Damn you, Kakarot! I'll get you for that!"

In spite of Turles statement, Goku rocketed toward his chest and slammed a punch on the bruise his earlier blast had made. He didn't trust his Solar Flare to be enough to keep Turles distracted long enough to notice Goku getting behind him to cut off his tail. The blow brought a gasp of pain out of Turles' jaws, but Goku immediately flew upward and delivered the strongest punch he could to Turles' neck. Turles tried to gasp in pain at the hit, but the blow had made his throat go too tight for him to do so.

Finally deciding this was enough, Goku instant-transmitted to just above Turles tail, so that his Destructo Disk would have to travel the smallest bit of ground possible. But apparently, even while dazed by the Solar Flare and overcome by the pain of those two hits he had taken, Turles had enough perception to know what Goku had just done, and before Goku even had the time to form his Destructo Disk, he unleashed another explosion of energy all around himself. This one, however, was fueled by fury, as demonstrated by the roar that left Turles' maw when the explosion radiated from his body. Goku was hurled away, but this time, Turles turned fully around before he had even regained his sight and fired a hailstorm of energy blasts from both hands, not caring about what he hit, as long as he managed to hit Goku in the process.

Fortunately, Goku was small when compared to Turles' Great Ape form, and he had soared considerably far away before Turles had even finished turning around, which made the first wave of extra energy blasts pass by him. However, the shower of purple blasts only grew more intense as time went on, and Goku kept having trouble stopping his momentum, which barely seemed to decrease. After soaring for more than a kilometer, he finally managed to stop, but one of Turles' blasts was heading straight toward him. Unable to think about any course of action in the time he had left, Goku was struck spot on, and he began to fall out of the sky.

Although his whole body had been numbed by the hit he had taken, Goku desperately tried to put himself together as quickly as he could, knowing Turles certainly would not give him enough time to do so. Sadly, his body had been rendered too sluggish by the blast, and he could not even focus enough to stop his fall by flying. And even when he saw Turles rocketing at him like a giant missile, he couldn't muster enough strength to stand against him and was helpless when Turles threw a right hook at him.

Like a thrown pebble, Goku rocketed away until he slammed against the massive log of the Tree of Might, before dropping like a stone to the ground below. Although he somehow was still in his Super Saiyan state, it was clear he was powerless to stop whatever came next.

Letting out a roar of victory, Turles started gathering the strongest Mouth Blast he could muster, intending to finish this once and for all.

* * *

At the exact same moment, in three different locations, three people shouted exactly the same word.

"NO!" shouted Kami, King Kai, and Master Roshi, the first on his Lookout, the second on his small planet, and the third on his island, which thanks to the Tree of Might was no longer surrounded by sea, but was instead a small outcrop surrounded by a soggy ground where only sparse puddles and countless dead or dying sea animals could be seen.

However, just as they had shouted the word together after sensing the course of the battle, the three of them knew it would do no good. Goku was doomed.

* * *

Having finally gathered enough energy in his Mouth Blast, Turles intended to soon fire it at Goku, intending to destroy him until there was nothing left. The thought caused a feeling of triumph to soar inside him. At long last, he'd be able to level the bastard and show him the superiority of a true warrior.

Suddenly, only an instant before he fired his Mouth Blast, Turles heard an unfamiliar sound, similar to that made by a metal-cutting saw. Finding it better not to waste time to locate what was trying to hit him, Turles flew upward as quickly as he could, right as a cloud of yellow saucers that were clearly made of energy passed below him, causing Turles' heart to jump in a startle. If they were as potent as they appeared to be, they could have cut him to pieces if he had stayed at that spot for even a moment longer. Finding it better to kill whoever had fired the disks before he managed to repeat the trick, Turles turned his head toward the spot from which the disks had appeared to come and fired the Mouth Blast he still had gathered in his jaws.

At that time, a similar barrage of disks came from that same location, all of them coming toward Turles' mouth blast. When the combined disks met it, they pushed against the Mouth Blast for a moment, and then, like a powerful avalance against trees, the blast that had been meant to kill a Super Saiyan tore through the Destructo Disks.

On the receiving end of the blast, Krillin flew rapidly to the left, avoiding the Mouth Blast before it impacted the ground where he had been standing.

The explosion was a massive one that was so bright that it temporarily overwhelmed Krillin's field of vision, so much so that he briefly had to cover his eyes.

When the light from the explosition dissipated, Krillin looked at the spot where Turles had been, hoping to see him before Turles saw him so that he could attempt to get another shot in at the beast. If it hit, he was reasonably sure it would at least do significant damage, considering the techique's destructive power and special properties. However, much to his horror, Turles wasn't there at all. Clearly, he had expected something to be up and had moved from where he had been. But if that was the case, where could he be?

Rather than looking with his eyes, Krillin searched with his energy-sensing skills. An instant afterward, he had his answer – and he gulped in fear as he realized Turles' exact location.

"Looking for someone?" Turles boomed from behind him, causing Krillin to turn around and look up at the Great Ape that stared down at him, like an omnipotent god looking down on mere mortals.

Then, before Krillin could do anything else, Turles threw a punch at him, fully intending to squash him in a single blow. As quickly as he could, Krillin flew backward, dodging the hit by less than half a meter. When he felt he was at a safe enough distance, Krillin raised right his hand to fire another Destructo Disk, but Turles just opened his mouth. Guessing what he would be doing, Krillin didn't even form his disk and instead flew upward, right before Turles unleashed a mouth blast that would have disintegrated him if it had even grazed him. And the Great Ape didn't stop there, as he raised his left hand toward Krillin and fired an energy wave. As quickly as possible, Krillin flew to the left, again barely dodging the blast Turles had fired at him. But the Great Ape quickly flew toward him and reached out his massive right hand to grab him and squash him like a fly. Krillin immediately fired an energy wave at the tip of his finger, using as much power as possible. Turles yelped slightly and retracted his hand, but moments afterwards, he reached his left hand out to grab Krillin. The bald fighter immediately flew upward again and put his hands with fingers spread wide on both sides of his face, hoping to daze the Great Ape for long enough to get away.

Recognizing the move, Turles blew at Krillin as strongly as he could, knocking him off balance. This time, before Goku's best friend could recover, Turles massive right hand grabbed him.

"Gotcha!" he shouted triumphantly, bringing the former monk right in front of his face.

Feeling the massive hand that enveloped him and noticing the massive red eyes that seemed to bore right into his, Krillin was paralyzed by fright. He considered himself a brave man, but as he stared into such merciless eyes, knowing that he was about to be finished off, he could do nothing but quiver in fear, unable to utter as much as a sentence.

"You really should have stayed put after I knocked you out, you little wimp," Turles roared at him. "Now I'm going to crush your head and laugh at the sight!"

Krillin felt his fear increasing even more, if such a thing was even possible.

'Why do these things always happen to me?' he couldn't help but wonder. 'I didn't even get married yet!'

And why was he dying now anyway? Shouldn't he have at least survived up to the fight against the androids? If that was the case, why was this overgrown monkey finishing him off more than two years before expected? Just what had that kid that came from the future changed with his visit?

Probably not much, as Krillin's counterpart from that alternate timeline also had most likely died alone, if one was to discount having his comrades being killed by a pair of terrifying monsters on the same planet and presumably at around the same time. Krillin recognized that his counterpart from the future, in the end, merely gotten had two extra years before dying again.

"Die!" Turles roared, before raising his left hand, and sending it down toward Krillin like a gigantic gavel.

Krillin closed his eyes, hoping that somehow doing so would make things less scary for him, although he still felt like he was just about to have a heart attack.

But suddenly, right as Turles' hand was about to crash down on him, a loud snap was heard, and Turles' hand froze about a meter away from Krillin's head.

Having heard the sound, Krillin opened his eyes, only to find that Turles' fierce growl had been replaced by one that sounded both pained and amazed.

"Damn it…" Turles growled in fury at some unknown entity. "You're going to regret that, you bastard!"

As Krillin raised an eyebrow, wondering just what was going on, Turles suddenly released him, letting out a roar of agony.

"My strength is leaving me!" Turles moaned, as he shrank back to his normal size, his dark-brown hair disappearing, his eyes returning to their black color with white sclera, and his muzzle reshaping into a face.

Looking behind the shrinking Turles in an attempt to see exactly what was going on, Krillin saw Goku floating there in his Super Saiyan form, his hands clasped together into a ball and lowered, as though he had slammed them down on something. He could see that Turles' tail was now hanging limply behind him, twitching weakly as he tried to move it.

'Thanks, old friend,' Krillin thought, giving Goku a grateful smile, even though the Super Saiyan was not looking at him. 'Thanks a lot.'

Suddenly feeling faint after the thought left his mind, Krillin used whatever consciousness he had left to drop slowly toward the ground, before allowing himself to fall on his bottom as soon as he touched down on one of the Tree of Might's roots. After all, such close encounters with death were never easy to endure.

* * *

Floating exactly behind the spot where the base of Turles' tail had been when he had still been a Great Ape, Goku unclasped his hands and let out a sigh of relief, which caused his whole body to ache. He'd received lots of damage from Turles during the fight against him, but the last attack had hurt so badly that it had been a wonder Goku had managed to retain his consciousness – and by extent, his Super Saiyan form. And even though he'd remained conscious, he had for the most time been unable to do anything but stare, mostly unaware of what was going on around him.

However, when he had realized that Turles had been about to slam his hand down on Krillin's head, he had been so scared that he had forgotten all about his pain and, acting on little more than an impulse, he had instant-transmitted to the base of Turles' tail and delivered the strongest blow he could muster to its base, hoping to hurt him enough to get his attention. After all, although a Saiyan tail was strong, it was still much frailer than an arm or a leg, considering it was made of multiple bones which were small and thin when compared to the bones of a Saiyan's arms or legs, therefore it had been fairly easy for Goku to break it.

And apparently, a Saiyan with a broken tail also could not turn into a Great Ape or retain the form – or maybe just this particular fracture had simply damaged the nerves that conducted the Blutz Waves through the Saiyan's tail to a large enough extent for Turles to not be able to retain the transformation any longer. While Saiyan tails could grow back, they couldn't be willed into growing like Namekian limbs, nor did they have a predetermined time for when they would grow back. Therefore, Turles would no longer attempt the transformation again in this battle.

After wiping sweat off of his forehead with his left forearm, Goku turned and looked at Turles, who was floating in the air, panting heavily, exhausted by reverting back to his normal form. In spite of his tiredness, he was clearly furious, and the faint light glowing inside his eyes – undoubtedly thanks to the small bioluminescent organs that were still emitting Blutz Waves – gave him an absolutely crazed look.

"Kakarot…" Turles growled through his panting. "Kakarot… you broke my tail, you bastard!"

Unfazed by Turles' anger, Goku replied sternly, "And you were about to kill Krillin. You should be grateful that you haven't managed to do so, because otherwise I would most likely kill you without remorse."

As he said so, he clenched his fists in anger, remembering the last time when Krillin had died, the one in which Goku had become a Super Saiyan thanks to the overwhelming anger he had felt. He had been so consumed by it that, to this day, Goku didn't know how he had ever been willing to spare Frieza.

Unfazed by Goku's words, Turles charged at him with his hands spread apart as if he intended to grab him and butcher him with his bare hands. But Turles had been severely weakened by reverting to his normal state, and while Goku also wasn't at the top of his power, he still had more than enough energy to kill Turles. With Turles being tired as well, it would be no challenge.

Disappearing from where he was, Goku reappeared about two meters ahead and slammed his major knuckles on Turles' nose, before clasping his hands together and slamming them down on Turles' chest, sending him rocketing toward the same root of the Tree of Might where Krillin sat on his bottom. His bald friend winced slightly when he saw Turles impacting about 30 meters away from him, but he didn't seem scared, only startled.

Moaning in pain, Turles slowly forced himself to his feet, still absolutely furious at the fact that Kakarot had humiliated him so much, even though he was supposed to be the most powerful Saiyan in the universe thanks to the Tree of Might.

As soon as Turles managed to somewhat stand up, hunched over from exhaustion and pain, Goku appeared 10 meters to his left, and stated in a harsh tone, "This is your last chance, Turles. Say you'll never endanger anyone else or any other planet again, get back into your ship, and leave Earth with your life and without any fruit of the Tree of Might."

After a slight pause to make sure his warning sank fully in, Goku continued, "Remember, this is your last chance. From this moment on, if you pull _any sort of stunt_, I will kill you. Get it?"

Turles merely growled. He could not believe it that Kakarot dared to order him around like that, as if he was anyone at all to decide whether Turles got to live or die. Turles himself was the one who should have the right to do so! He was the one who should have killed Kakarot before finally having free reign to rule the universe! And in fact, not only had he been about to do so, but he would have certainly done it if not for that bald freak's interference!

Even more enraged at the realization, Turles quickly turned toward Krillin, who was still sitting there, his hands firmly planted on the root in order to stop himself from falling backward any farther.

"This is all your fault!" Turles shouted, as he threw a huge energy wave from both hands at Krillin, fully focused on wiping him from existence.

Krillin shouted in fright, again fully convinced that his end had come prematurely after all. But at that moment, Goku appeared in front of him, his left fist pulled backwards to his upper side, enveloped in a yellow energy sphere.

"Be it as you wish!" Goku shouted, thrusting his left hand forward and releasing a massive yellow beam from it.

Turles barely had the time to realize what was going on before Goku's attack effortlessly engulfed his own, before running over him as well. Uttering a last scream of agony, Turles was blown apart in less than a second, as Goku's energy wave carried on into the distance.

Dispelling the wave as soon as he sensed that Turles' energy signature was gone, Goku looked around, just to be sure that he had in fact been destroyed. The only thing he saw were a few pieces of armor the size of rice grains and a small cloud of ash that was quickly dispelled by the wind.

"It's over," Goku stated, finally powering down into his normal state.

Turning around to meet Krillin, he gave him a friendly smile and asked, "Are you alright?"

Chuckling nervously, Krillin said, "Well, I guess so. After all, that attack didn't hit me. But if you don't mind me asking, just why do you always have to wait until the last moment before cutting in? Is it some bad habit of yours or what?"

Goku laughed quietly in response, but did not answer. He was too busy in savoring the feeling of having this battle finally over.

But then again, it wasn't really over yet. After all, there was still the Tree of Might to deal with.

"Now's not the time for jokes, Krillin," Goku said, reacquiring a serious expression. "We still need to destroy this overgrown tree, and then gather the Dragon Balls to resurrect all those who have been killed by it."

"But before we destroy the tree, shouldn't we all take the chance to eat some of the fruit ourselves?" Krillin asked.

Goku looked and felt shocked at the suggestion.

"Krillin, innocents across the Earth died because of this tree, and the fruit contains energy that was stolen from them," Goku said. "How could you make such a suggestion and … oh, of course. You're thinking about the androids, right?"

"Of course I am, Goku, otherwise I'd never even think about using their energy to get stronger, as did a certain bastard who's no longer with us," Krillin said. "All I'm saying is that since we know the androids are coming in two years, we should take the opportunity to eat the fruit now so we can be all the more prepared to fight them. We can restore everyone who died with the Dragon Balls anyway, and besides, I don't think they'd mind if we did this now so that we can save the world later."

"It just doesn't feel right," Goku said. "I don't want to benefit from the deaths of anyone, and while Turles was a coward who stole energy for his strength instead of training to earn it, we're better than that. If all this did happen in the future, I'm almost certain the future-me also refused to eat the fruit. Also, Krillin, there are people dying right now whose energy wouldn't necessarily be restored if we eat the fruit. As it is, I'm not sure that they'd get their energy back if we destroy this tree, and while I sure hope they will, I've got a feeling that if we eat the fruit, they won't. I don't want to kill anyone now just so I can save other people later."

"Yeah, I hear what you're saying," Krillin said. "And speaking of helping people, we've got to figure out if our friends are alright."

At that very time, a new voice cut in, "I think I can help with that."

Recognizing the manner of speech and the voice, Goku turned on its direction. Just as he expected, Yajirobe was standing there, his left hand on his hip, and the other holding a pouch that undoubtedly contained Senzu Beans.

"Hey there, Yajirobe!" Goku greeted in his usual enthusiastic manner. "Good to see you!"

"Likewise," Yajirobe said out of some unexpected politeness. Then, going straight to the point, he added, "Korin told me to send ya these Senzu Beans, which somehow were not affected by this damned tree. At first, they were meant to heal the others so they could help ya in this battle, but it's clear that you already defeated the guy."

Saying no more, he tossed the pouch of Senzu Beans at Goku, which he caught before taking one out and eating it. Feeling his strength returning in a flash, Goku tossed the pouch at Krillin, then powered up again to Super Saiyan.

"Krillin, you and Yajirobe take care of gathering the others around and giving them Senzu Beans," Goku said. "I'll take care of destroying that tree."

Krillin nodded, but Yajirobe quickly produced a capsule, threw it at the root they were standing on, and jumped into the hover car that had been housed inside it.

"No way!" he shouted. "Have baldy deliver the Senzu Beans on his own! I ain't doin' it with him!"

With that, he started up his car, making it float a little more than a meter off the ground so suddenly that it seemed like the vehicle itself jumped upward.

"Why?" Goku asked, puzzled at Yajirobe's reaction.

A look of pure panic on his face, Yajirobe turned to Goku and shouted as quickly as he possibly could, "Because I don't wanna be here when Vegeta wakes up! Who knows what he'll do if he sees me!"

With that, Yajirobe sped off into the distance, his car getting away from them so quickly that Goku thought even Piccolo's female driving instructor would have thought she was slow when compared to him.

"That Yajirobe," Krillin said in a hopeless tone, shaking his head melodramatically. "Always thinking with his cowardice."

Goku did not reply to that statement. He knew Yajirobe was not exactly the bravest person around, but as far as Goku himself was concerned, there was no problem with his cowardice, as long as it didn't get in the way of those who were brave and wanted to fight. In fact, had it not been for Yajirobe's bravery when he cut off Vegeta's tail many battles ago, probably none of them would be here, as Vegeta would have killed them all without the slightest effort.

"But then again, we don't really need his help for this bit," Krillin said, seemingly talking more to himself than to anyone else.

But after he finished that sentence, he turned to Goku and added, "Alright, I'll give the others the Senzu Beans, and you take care of this tree."

The two of them immediately flew off in separate directions, Krillin toward his fallen friends, and Goku to underneath the Tree of Might's base.

* * *

Once he got to the top of a small dark cavity of the Tree of Might, Goku immediately powered up as much as he could, with his Super Saiyan aura flaring with strength. Although he was in a cavity of the tree, he could still see some light from outside and was by no means past the bark, which comprised the 'ceiling,' 'floor,' and three 'walls' around him. He wasn't sure of how much power exactly it would take to blow this tree apart, but he knew the attack would have to be as dense as possible and pack as much power as it could. After all, when he, Krillin, and Yamcha had tried to destroy the tree before with their Kamehameha waves, they hadn't even managed to scrape the bark.

As soon as he was sure he had gathered as much energy as he possibly could on his own, Goku concentrated it all in his left hand, in order to use a stronger version of the same attack that he had used to kill Turles. When he finished, he fired the blast upward and in the direction of the tree's center, into the cavity's 'ceiling.' Over the first seconds, Goku had to struggle in order to push his blast into it, as the bark proved to be resilient enough to withstand it for some time. But eventually, the blast got through the bark, and then started drilling through hundreds of meters of further wood, which although not as tough as the bark, was still strong enough to make Goku focus all his effort into piercing through it.

As the blast traveled upward, cracks started to appear all over the Tree of Might's huge trunk, as the blast that traveled through it forced it to expand and break apart, with beams of an intense yellow light peeking through the cracks. After a while, there was a brief moment when things seemed to get easy, as according to Goku's senses, the blast flew upward without any significant interruption. But he could tell, also thanks to his energy-sensing skills, that such a thing was due only to the fact that the blast had found one of the Tree of Might's three largest cavities.

Sure enough, after a brief instant of travelling without meeting any barrier, the blast met another obstacle, again formed by the tree's bark. But this time, as he had already put some effort into making his blast drill through the bark a first time and the blast had cut through kilometers of wood, Goku had much more difficulty making the blast repeat the deed. Still, he pushed and pushed, so much so that veins started to protrude all over his body from the intense effort he was exerting. And it paid off, as he again managed to pierce the bark, and did so with such force that the blast cut through the next section of the tree's trunk as if it was nothing but air for some hundreds of meters, making that upper section crack apart as well.

The time came when the energy wave lost its impetus. In fact, it happened to such an extent that Goku nearly didn't have the strength to continue the output of the blast. But his motivation to not give up until the main trunk of this accursed tree was run through from top to bottom kept him going. Truth being told, he wasn't sure if simply destroying this tree would be enough to solve the problems the tree had caused, but he was desperate enough to try such a thing. And in the end, this tree simply could not stay on this planet. Therefore, it had to be removed, no matter how hard it was.

Finally, when Goku could feel his own body was about to rip itself apart like the tree he so forcefully was trying to destroy, his highly concentrated energy beam drilled through the top of the tree, before vanishing into space. Goku then extensively looked at his surroundings, wanting to see if his attack had somehow managed to change anything.

At first, nothing happened, giving the impression that drilling this massive hole through the Tree of Might had done little more than create a wide, long hole through it. But then, the whole trunk started emitting a golden-yellow glow, as well as all the roots that emanated from it. From outer space, one could clearly see the light released by the drilled tree, itself symbolizing the light that had returned to Earth with the defeat of Turles.

Then, everywhere at the same time, the Tree of Might exploded, releasing the energy that had been trapped inside its gigantic volume.

Giving a small smile of victory at the sight, Goku finally powered down from Super Saiyan, sighing in relief yet again.

* * *

With the Tree of Might destroyed, most of the problems it had caused the Earth were solved in less than an hour. The golden dust of energy that had been trapped inside the plant covered the planet like a warm blanket, as the power that Turles and his soldiers had intended to use for themselves returned to the ones it rightfully belonged to.

All over Earth, with intervals of only a few seconds, dead or dying beings rose as their energy reentered their bodies, dried and withered plants and trees perked up in minutes, and rivers, lakes and oceans that had been reduced to nothing but puddles became full with crystalline water.

After many hours in which it had been about to meet an untimely end, Earth had finally become a blue jewel of the cosmos again.

* * *

Of course, the fact the Tree of Might was destroyed did not mean by far that all the damage it had caused was undone. After all, the massive holes its roots had made as they snaked and cut through the Earth hadn't disappeared with the Tree, and while most of its victims had been due to the plant's energy theft, there had been several beings who had been killed simply as a result of having one of the Tree of Might's roots come down on or upon them when they hadn't been expecting it, or by having pieces of things the Tree of Might had either knocked over or destroyed – like buildings, trees, and even hills – falling down on them.

But it was exactly for that reason that Goku had taken the Dragon Radar Bulma had for some reason brought on her camping trip and flown across the globe to find the Dragon Balls, followed by Gohan and – surprisingly so – by Vegeta as well. While the Prince of all Saiyans didn't think much of helping Kakarot with any sort of task, he had, in his words, been extremely eager to return to his training, which had been rudely interrupted by that damned tree when its roots had invaded West City. That was, still to paraphrase him, the only reason why he was willing to help Kakarot and his son search for the Dragon Balls, as he wanted to make sure they wouldn't mess up or stall things unnecessarily.

With their combined efforts, it had been a matter of a few hours to gather all of the Dragon Balls. As many of the balls had been located in places where there were no nearby significant energy signatures, such as the location of the last ball – part of the remote and barren wasteland of Yunzabit Heights, Goku had not been able to use Instant Transmission to acquire many of them.

And once they got to the last, they wasted no more time in making their wish.

As the three of them stood in the middle of the barren landscape, Goku called to the top of his lungs, his voice vibrating with the extreme eagerness he always sensed whenever he was about to see the Eternal Dragon, "Come forth, Shenron!"

In mere moments, the sky overhead became pitch black, as the Dragon Balls glowed intensely, before a pillar of golden light erupted from them, going upward for more than 100 meters, before it finally morphed into Shenron.

"He's different from the one on Planet Namek," Vegeta couldn't help but to remark, clearly trying not to reveal the amazement he felt, as after all, this was the first time he had seen the Earth's eternal dragon.

Gohan himself was also awed by Shenron's presence, and like Vegeta, he had also seen Porunga, the eternal dragon of the former Planet Namek and now of Planet New Namek. There was something about all eternal dragons that caused all those who witnessed them being summoned to feel awed, even if they had seen an eternal dragon before.

Unaware of the awe that those below him were experiencing, Shenron opened his jaws and boomed, "STATE YOUR WISH, AND CHOOSE WISELY!"

Goku, the only one out of their trio who had seen Shenron before – and who had actually summoned him once already – managed to bring himself out of his awe enough to voice the wish.

"Shenron, we wish for you to undo any damage that has been done to this planet ever since Turles arrived, whether it is relates to lost lives, nature, or things people made!" Goku requested, shouting up at the dragon above him.

After a few moments of silence, Shenron replied, "A SIMPLE MATTER. I SHALL GRANT THIS WISH."

Shenron's red eyes glowed, and all over the planet, the remaining damage that hadn't been undone by the Tree of Might's destruction was repaired. Although there wasn't a lot to see at the barren wasteland where they all were, a few large holes in the ground filled themselves, and rocks that had crumpled apart were repaired.

"It's a good thing that you included just about everything in that wish," Vegeta barked. "If you'd forgotten something that would have helped out the planet you cherish so much, I would have laughed."

Gohan glared at him, clearly upset at the fact Vegeta would just take any chance he could to bring his father down just because of that annoying superiority complex he had. But Goku shrugged it off. He'd never been the sort to let words hurt him, as long as they didn't consist of very bad news.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Shenron stated. "FAREWELL."

With that, Shenron and the Dragon Balls emanated an intense golden glow before the spheres rose into the air, seemingly absorbing all the light they and Shenron had emanated. Once they had reached a certain altitude, they scattered around the globe.

Down below, Goku gave one last look at the scattering spheres, enthused that the latest threat to the Earth had been overcome, but focused on the upcoming threat that had ravaged the Earth of Trunks' timeline.

Victory had indeed been achieved today, but defeat had been far too close. Goku knew that if the androids were as powerful as Trunks had suggested they were, he would have to make his already demanding training schedule all the more active.

The people of Planet Earth did not deserve to live in fear, and Goku was prepared to do everything he possibly could to become as strong as possible.

But to win the war that would take place in two years, he knew it was quite likely that he would need teammates would could truly fight at his level against the androids.

Krillin's bravery today had been the deciding factor between life and death, and Goku knew he would be forever grateful for Krillin's actions, but he also knew that if he was to be caught in another perilous situation against the androids, he would likely need far more support from his allies, especially considering that Turles, while powerful, was merely one opponent, while the two androids would supposedly each be far stronger than he had been.

Goku briefly looked to the left toward his son, then looked toward Vegeta to his right.

As Trunks had become a Super Saiyan, Goku knew it was more than possible for his son and Vegeta to become Super Saiyans as well.

The major question, however, was whether either of them would ascend in time.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the final part of Honor Trip Presents: The Tree of Might, the definitive, canon-compatible, logic-compatible, and continuity-compatible version of the original Movie 3 story!_

_**Up next: HONOR TRIP SEASON FOUR PREMIERES JAN. 10, 2013! **_

_Hoping you enjoyed the chapter,_

_Genescritor_

_Tree of Might Special Part Two: Completed Dec. 25, 2012 [Merry Christmas to all!]_

_Edit Credit: American Vigor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	63. L: Commitment, Season IV Premiere!

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty: Commitment (Season Four Premiere!)**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_**Can there be peace with malice and war with serenity? **_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, Mt. Paozu; Sept. 23, Age 767 (four days after Cell's return from Timeline IV, and three months and four days after Cell and Trunks traveled forward in time) …_

The sun had risen only a few minutes ago, with the grand rays of dawn casting early light upon the land.

Within the home of two of the Earth's strongest defenders, the wife to one and the mother to their son was in the midst of sleep.

Her sleep suddenly became restless, and she began to toss and turn. Chaos abounded in her tumultuous dream, and in reality, she unconsciously reached across her bed to place an arm around her husband, seeking the comfort he could provide.

She awoke with a startle upon the realization, first subconscious and then conscious, that he was not there!

Chi-Chi's eyes were momentarily indicative of franticness before they became somewhat more akin to calmness, and her pace of breathing slowed from rapidity. She turned to her right and checked a clock for the time: 7:00 AM.

After putting on one of her larger gowns, as the additional size was required to accommodate her special joy of about four months so far, she left the bed and walked toward Gohan's room. She opened the door and saw, with only limited surprise, that he, too, was not present.

A brief search around their home enabled Chi-Chi to confirm that neither her husband nor her son were anywhere within.

She was eager to determine their whereabouts, and after putting on a garment that would provide her with additional warmth, she opened their home's main door and walked outside.

Upon a brief look toward the diminishing shadows in the West, she looked toward the surging light in the East.

Goku was steadfastly standing about 10 meters from her, enthralled with the rays of the rising sun.

Chi-Chi walked toward him, noticing that he was wearing his orange gi, and when she was just two meters from him, Goku acknowledged her presence by looking back toward her.

She warmly embraced him, and he briefly kissed her on the lips.

"Couldn't sleep?" Goku asked.

"That makes two of us," Chi-Chi said, while still in her husband's tender embrace.

He relinquished his right arm but kept his left around the backside of her waist, and he brought her gently to his left side. While they both looked toward the sky, with the ambience flourishing with placid wind, Goku rested his head atop Chi-Chi's own, and she smiled.

"So, what are you doing up so early?" she asked, while continuing to enjoy the coziness of her husband.

"I'm up because of stress, I guess," Goku said. "I woke up about an hour ago, and I couldn't stop thinking about what's scheduled for later today and what's soon to come. I'm uneasy about it, Chi-Chi. I went outside to calm down, and instead, I've been anything but calm."

"I'm not a big fan of Cell's plan either, Goku," Chi-Chi said. "I guess he's doing the right thing by speaking on television later today about what happened to him and where he's been. He does owe everyone out there an explanation, but most of the things he wants to do after that today and over the next few days trouble me."

"I don't doubt he's still on our side, though," Goku asked. "The other evening, when he was meeting with you, me, and Piccolo, he seemed sincere about the reasons he wants to go through with his plan. Besides, if he had really wanted to, he could have already done away with all of us."

Chi-Chi looked at her husband in alarm.

"What are you talking about, Goku?" she asked. "Gohan kicked the tar out of Cell a few months ago, and he's been training a lot since then to become even stronger!"

"Remember when Cell was talking about the power boosts that he and Trunks got when they were fighting Cell's evil twin? From what it sounded like to me, his experiences in the future have caused him to become far stronger than any of us," Goku said.

"You sensed it?" Chi-Chi asked. "By the way, one of these days, you have to teach me how to do that."

"I gladly will," Goku said, with a smile. "But yeah, for any of us who know how to sense energy, it's clear that he's highly repressing his complete power. I could have beaten him before if he didn't power up, and Gohan certainly could have, but now, I'm fairly confident that we wouldn't stand a chance."

"Then why did you and Piccolo say that you'd support what Cell wants to do?" Chi-Chi asked.

"I trust him," Goku said. "Cell wouldn't have given us all those details about what he's planning if he was trying to somehow trick us. He's offered up a lot that he didn't have to, and he wouldn't have done that if he wasn't on our side. Besides, if he was still one of the bad guys, we wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Well, if you trust him so much, then why are you stressed out about all this?" Chi-Chi asked.

"I don't want anything to go wrong," Goku said. "Overconfidence is no one's friend."

"From all that Cell told us the night before we and Piccolo met with him privately, you know, when we went over to Capsule Corporation and all our buddies were there, it seems he learned that lesson the hard way," Chi-Chi said.

"And to think that Vegeta and I were ready to go to the future to see what was up," Goku said. "If Cell and Trunks had lost that fateful match against Cell's evil twin, Vegeta and I would have been killed, and that monster would have stolen our time machine and come here. You have no idea how glad I am that for once, Bulma didn't figure something out quickly."

"I didn't tell you this the other day, but Bulma pulled me aside at one point with tears in her eyes," Chi-Chi said. "She realized, just like you did, how horrible it could have been had you and Vegeta gone to the future. I don't know what she sees in Vegeta, but she told me that she would have never forgiven herself had Vegeta died because she succeeded in making a new time machine."

"I feel extremely sorry for her future-self, though," Goku said. "She wasn't so lucky."

"At least Vegeta still exists in some way over there; Goku, I honestly don't know how the future-me could possibly get through knowing that you don't even exist any more over there," Chi-Chi said.

Goku was silent for many moments, in part because of the emotional difficulty of that truth and in part because of reverence.

"I can't truly describe what it feels like to know that I'm still here, alive and well, while he not only died because of a virus, but gave up his own existence to save the universe he loved," Goku said.

"He was a true hero, just like you," Chi-Chi said, right before kissing Goku for many moments.

While he of course cherished the kiss, and returned it, Goku still was solemn.

As their lips parted, Goku looked into her eyes.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," Goku said. "We all wouldn't be, because if he hadn't done what he did, the evil Cell would have defeated Trunks, Cell would never have been freed, Vegeta and I would have gone to the future, and the evil Cell would have stolen our time machine. Cell regrets that he stole a time machine long ago in his experiences, and fortunately, history did not repeat itself."

"Cell and Trunks deserve the credit for killing that freak, but of course, they couldn't have done it without the future-you," Chi-Chi said.

"The poor guy missed out on so much," Goku said, while pointing toward Chi-Chi's chest. "This little one is going to be our pride and joy, and we'll cherish our baby all the more, as we'll have to make up for the fact that the two of us in the future were denied the wonder of experiencing this gift of life again."

Chi-Chi pleasantly smiled, then placed her left hand on her belly and looked downward.

"This kid is going to have a lot to live up to, that's for sure," Chi-Chi said. "I hope Gohan is looking forward to being a big brother."

"I'm sure he is," Goku said. "It's even more important than all the other great stuff that's happening for him, and he knows that."

"Speaking of our Super Saiyan son, do you know where he is?" Chi-Chi asked.

"He's a few kilometers from here, and training, from the sense of it," Goku said. "I guess he's not going all-out like he did the other day, as I haven't seen any explosions in the sky since I've been out here. He must have gotten up even earlier than I did."

"Gohan's got even more on his mind than we do," Chi-Chi said. "We're moving to West City next week, after all, and he's getting ready for working on his first big movie. More importantly, since we'll be living in the city now, he'll finally have the opportunity to go to school with people his age and make friends."

"I hope he likes it," Goku said. "Krillin and I became friends around Gohan's age, and most of our other friends are older than we are. I never got the chance to make many more friends my own age."

"I had a few, but I haven't seen them in a long time," Chi-Chi said. "Gohan will finally have the life he deserves, not like the sort of thing that I was dreaming about."

"So, that's what got you up?" Goku asked.

"I dreamt something horrible, Goku, probably influenced by all the terrible things we heard about what happened to the future," Chi-Chi said. "Thankfully, at least, Cell used the Dragon Balls over there to alleviate some of the pain, but in my dream, … well, there was no end to the pain. I tried to find you, and then – "

"But I'm here now, right?" Goku asked, as he brought his right arm around her and hugged her again. "I plan to keep it that way."

Chi-Chi smiled warmly as she snuggled with her husband, while the sun rose higher in the sky.

* * *

_Sept. 23, Age 767, 8:15 AM, a few kilometers Southeast of Mt. Paozu … _

He was sitting atop a boulder by a cascading waterfall, with his eyes closed in meditation after training in various speed maneuvers for an hour-and-a-half.

The warrior silently anticipated what was to come in merely a few hours, and he also reflected upon much of what had happened since the day he had ascended beyond the basic level of Super Saiyan.

After Cell's tournament, after Cell's trial, and months before Cell had returned from the future, Gohan had made a vow to keep training so that he could be all the more prepared to fight whatever unanticipated elements threatened the Earth, the universe, and most importantly, his family.

Despite his status for many months as the strongest fighter of Earth's remembered history, Gohan refused to let himself languish in the apparent calm after Cell's trial and the battle against Morsmordom on Harfava.

While he knew that Trunks had not mentioned any enemies that had arrived after the androids, he knew that the timelines were already so different from each other that the mere fact that another enemy hadn't appeared in Timelines I and IV in Ages 767 through 785 was no guarantee that Timeline III would be free of such an enemy in those years.

Gohan refused to dishonor all those who had aided him in his journey to become stronger by relaxing now, and he knew that by becoming even stronger, he could be all the more capable of training with his fellow Z-Fighters so that they, too, could become even stronger.

Now, with Cell's return, he knew that he had yet another goal to achieve.

In what felt like a very long time ago, he had severely surprised Cell by demonstrating his capabilities as a Super Saiyan 2, and Cell had not been able to counteract his superior strength and speed.

Gohan, like his father, recognized, however, that as a result of Cell's venture to Timeline IV, the dynamic between his power level and Cell's own had drastically changed.

From all Cell had said, Gohan understood how dire the conflict against Future Cell had truly been, and he was astounded by the idea that Trunks and Broly, according to Cell, were even stronger than Cell had become!

Gohan could sense that Cell had become not just stronger, but radically so, and Gohan had been able to see with his eyes how much more capable Cell had become outside the realm of fighting. The eternal dragon Cell had created, Temnizziv, had been a sight unlike any other Gohan had ever seen, and this was a feat of special significance, as Gohan had felt this even after having seen both Shenron and Porunga.

Gohan had been excited about the prospect of Cell creating an incarnation of Temnizziv for Timeline III, and a few days ago, during the evening meeting at Capsule Corporation, Cell had hinted that he was intending to create Temnizziv's Timeline III counterpart soon.

With Cell's newfound powers, Gohan felt even more invigorated to become stronger than he had before, and –

In an interruption of his meditation, Gohan opened his eyes.

His former foe had suddenly arrived via Instant Transmission, and he was standing about three meters in front of him, with his arms crossed in confidence.

"It seems I'm not the only one who decided to meditate this morning," Cell said, as Gohan focused on his words. "Surely, there is much to think about."

"There is," Gohan said, while hopping off the rock and stretching. "You need to be careful with what you say on television later today, Cell. Some of what you told us could be dangerous if made public, especially regarding the Dragon Balls."

"Oh, I'm quite aware of that," Cell said, as he looked toward the sky, then back to Gohan.

"So Cell, what exactly is the reason for this visit?" Gohan asked. "I hadn't expected to see you until later today, at the ZTV station."

"I decided to offer you a choice that I think you'll want to pursue," Cell said. "It involves the subject of our meeting scheduled for much later today."

"The one for 5:00 PM?" Gohan asked.

"Yes," Cell said. "When you, me, and each of our allies gathers at that time, we shall have a meeting of the utmost importance."

"I'm still unsure of why you haven't revealed the subject of the meeting," Gohan said.

"You will understand why when the meeting begins," Cell said. "First, though, would you like me to offer you the choice I was referring to?"

"Sure," Gohan asked.

Cell shifted to a fighting stance, then grinned.

"Would you like to be the first fighter of this timeline to experience my newfound powers?" Cell asked.

Gohan smirked, then entered a fighting stance of his own.

"Of course," Gohan said, while powering up to Super Saiyan 2.

"Excellent," Cell said, as the aura of his Super Perfect form flared to view.

The sparks in their auras accented the waterfall with golden flickers of light, as the two strongest warriors of Earth in Timeline III, at last, began to fight again.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 50__th__ chapter of Honor Trip, and welcome to Season Four!_

_Up next in Chapter 51, to be released Thursday, Jan. 17, at 10:00 PM: Cell and Gohan spar in a battle of surging power, and Cell makes an appeal to the people of Earth. And what exactly is Cell planning that has Goku and Chi-Chi on edge? Stay tuned!_

_**This chapter is dedicated to the birth of Davidstarlingm's son, David IV, on Tuesday, Jan. 8! May he be forever blessed! **_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty: Completed Jan. 10, 2013_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	64. LI: Exhibition

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-One: Exhibition**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Power level reference guide: [Examines foundational power levels of forms without fighters powering up within the forms.]**

**Gohan (Super Saiyan 2) at the time of the Cell Games, May 26, Age 767: 1,500 TNS**

**Gohan (Super Saiyan 2) at the time of today's bout, Sept. 23, Age 767: 1,575 TNS**

**Percentage increase in highest-form foundational power level for Gohan: 5 percent.**

**Cell (Perfect form, Super Saiyan analog), at the time of the Cell Games: 450 TNS**

**Cell (Super Perfect form [SS2 analog]), at the time of today's bout: 12,850 TNS**

**Percentage increase in highest-form foundational power level for Cell: 2,756 percent.**

**Gohan's highest-form strength advantage over Cell during the Cell Games: 3.33x**

**Cell's highest-form strength advantage over Gohan in today's bout: 8.16x**

* * *

Neither fighter had yet experienced the other's newfound strength.

In the moments before their imminent clash, Cell sought to determine whether he should truly fight with his maximum strength, as he, too, recognized that the events of Timeline IV had augmented his power level far beyond what it had been during the Cell Games and had shattered Gohan's power level advantage between them. Cell until now had not possessed the opportunity to sense the advanced Saiyan's full strength to assess the precise degree of the present disparity.

He could sense that Gohan had become slightly stronger than he had been during the Cell Games, and Cell was not overly surprised that the increase was merely slight. Gohan, in the intervening relative times since last they'd fought, had not encountered and battled any opponents of significant strength to overcome, whereas Cell had endured a challenge of the extreme and had been further boosted through his bioengineered abilities. Cell also surmised that some of Gohan's strength increase was not attributable to training, as the young man had become naturally stronger as a result of his advancement in age during this period of his life.

Gohan also sensed his opponent's power level, and in the midst of his resulting mix of excitement and awe, and partly fear, he was fascinated by the appearance of the aura of Cell's Super Perfect form, especially since he was the first fighter to see it among all who had been born in Timeline III. The similarity of Cell's aura with his own, a golden flare of ardent spirit with bolts of highly concentrated energy coursing throughout, seemingly answered for Gohan many questions he had asked himself when observing Cell's abilities and directly fighting against him months ago.

Before proceeding further, Cell focused on an energy signature a few kilometers away, then transmitted a psychic message.

'_Goku, we're about to begin_,' Cell psychically said. '_Are you sure you want me to do this?_'

'_Go ahead,_' Goku said. '_It would be good for Gohan to be aware of exactly how strong you've become before you start putting your plan into practice._'

'_He'll learn quite well how much he'll need to overcome,_' Cell said.

"Why aren't you attacking?" Gohan asked, with obvious temper, while he deepened his fighting stance.

"I could ask you the same, although I know the answer already," Cell said, with a grin. "You've sensed my power level, and you're letting your sense of fear resurge within you."

The mere suggestion caused Gohan's aura to shine with greater force, fueling his strength with rage.

"Yes, that's the spirit; tap in to the source of your Super Saiyan power," Cell said. "You'll need all of it if you ever hope to defeat me. This time, Gohan, there aren't any new forms you'll be able to summon from obscurity, nor any psychological conditions that could prompt anything of the sort. You'll have to fight me as a Super Saiyan 2, while I have gained far more strength than you have ever possessed."

"Strength isn't everything," Gohan said.

"I taught that lesson to Trunks many months ago by your time and relatively mine, but I have outclassed you in both realms of combat," Cell said.

"You shouldn't be so overconfident," Gohan said. "I've had a few insights since our last bout that will enable me to win anyway."

"That's a bluff, and nothing more," Cell said. "Now, Gohan, prove me wrong, … if you can."

After a moment of hesitation, Gohan launched himself forward with the lightning-fast speed of his Super Saiyan 2 form, aiming to punch Cell straight in the gut, as he had in his first true attack as a Super Saiyan 2 against Cell months ago.

Whereas Cell had not been able to block the attack months ago and had felt inexpressible pain when the attack had hit, Cell blocked Gohan's punch with ease, barely flinching from his fighting stance.

Gohan's eyes widened in revelation, and he then began to barrage Cell with a mixed series of punches toward his chest and face.

Even though no one in Timeline III had defied Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 skills before, Cell was continuing to block his punches, although he was exerting noticeably more effort than he had been before. After 15 seconds of the flurry of strikes, Gohan landed a punch straight in Cell's gut, at almost the exact same spot that had caused Cell to be barely able to stand up months beforehand.

This time, however, Cell merely grunted at the impact, while stepping backward with his left foot.

Gohan paused after realizing how minimally Cell had been affected by the attack.

'_That was … almost as hard as I can punch!' _Gohan thought, with a grin of nervous shock appearing. _'This … isn't good.' _

"What's the matter, Super Saiyan?" Cell asked. "Have you lost your desire to fight?"

Gohan responded with celerity, moving faster than almost everyone else on the planet was capable of seeing, and gathered significant energy by the palms of his hands, which he had already raised.

"Masenko-Ha!" Gohan shouted, with the attack emitting from his palms merely a meter away from Cell's face.

Right as it was about to hit, Cell declined to deflect the attack.

Instead, he caught it.

While the Masenko typically takes the form of an energy beam, Cell used his advanced mental powers to sever the beam and cause the portion farther from him to explode. Such severing would not work for all beam attacks, but because of the particular energy configuration of the Masenko, and because of Cell's power level advantage over Gohan, Cell's Blast Sever had worked. He had used his mental energy exertion to collect the closer portion of the energy beam and gather it into a ball.

With the attack repurposed in his right hand, Cell then brought the attack toward his front, ready to fire.

"Here, catch!" Cell yelled, as Gohan's own attack shot forth toward him.

Gohan dodged out of the way of the blast, and while it had been angled toward the ground and otherwise would have impacted, Cell redirected the blast upward.

The fact that Gohan's own attack had been converted so readily into an attack of a different form troubled Gohan greatly, almost as much as trying to outmaneuver Cell's Chasing Bullet Plus.

Gohan soared upward for hundreds of meters, with the attack still following him, and right as he was about to shift the angle of his ascension, he noticed that the attack was no longer directly following him. However, he failed to notice exactly why this had occurred, and Cell emerged from Instant Transmission right behind him.

Cell could have readily applied his shifted position toward striking Gohan's back, although he had chosen to not do so.

Gohan turned to face him, aggravated at Cell's actions, but not purely because the truth of their heightened capability gap had become more than apparent.

"Why aren't you taking this seriously?" Gohan asked.

"If I had been taking this seriously, you would already be dead," Cell said, right when Cell released the energy of the Chasing Bullet Plus behind him, but far enough away that neither fighter was affected by the explosion.

Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 hair briefly rustled from the force of the explosion, while he focused on Cell's face, which suddenly sported a provoking grin.

"Using a repurposed energy attack of that sort is indeed not as effective as many among the other techniques of which I'm capable, but regardless of this, all of my techniques, even that one and others beneath it in value, are of superior precision and construction to anything you can achieve right now," Cell said, in a purposefully mocking manner. "It's only been a few months, Gohan; I hadn't imagined that you would lose so much of your combat mindset and instinct in that time."

Gohan was absolutely livid.

"I haven't lost any of my ability!" Gohan yelled. "I – "

"Your training sessions have been ineffective, and you know it," Cell said, while folding his arms in front of him. "You need a truly strong fighter who can help you push beyond your heightened limits, instead of languishing in what has become relative mediocrity of capability when compared to what I possess. Oh, the Super Saiyan 2 form, a wonder when used by Trunks, but amusingly inconsequential when used by you."

Gohan's rage was turning toward sheer surprise at Cell's words. They were far more akin to what he would have said long ago, so much so that it prompted a question.

"Are you … the future you?" Gohan asked. "Have you been lying to us this whole time?"

The thought made Cell shudder with revulsion; his counterpart had haunted his nightmares ever since his ultimate defeat, and in many of those nightmares, Cell had suffered various visions of what might have happened had Future Cell succeeded, sometimes looking from the outside, and sometimes looking from within, which would have been his helpless situation had he not been liberated by Trunks.

"No, Gohan; if I was him, this planet would have already been overrun with death," Cell said. "You should feel grateful that we won the war; had we not, and had your father and Vegeta not been interrupted by my return and instead traveled to the future and inadvertently provided that menace with a time machine, he would have come here and slaughtered you all. Unfortunately, you, too, would not have been able to do anything effective to stop him, as per your lackluster performance against me."

"It's not my fault you're a freak," Gohan said.

"You, young warrior, need to be able to be prepared to overcome anything, even if the opponent's advantage is bewilderingly unfair," Cell said. "I of course admit, and am in no way particularly proud, that my strength was gained as the result of ineffable horror and the implemented plans of a murderer more despicable in approach than I had ever been. I gained my Super Perfect form and highly augmented strength as a result of a madman's quest for universal oppression, and you gained your Super Saiyan 2 form in response to the horror of knowing how many more people I would have killed other than Sixteen in my own quest for such universal domination. Yes, you're the nobler warrior than I. But nobleness alone won't save you."

Cell scowled, then, at a speed far faster than Gohan could readily discern, Cell punched him forcefully in his right shoulder, with obvious resultant dislocation.

Gohan screamed loudly in pain, then had his scream interrupted when Cell fiercely punched him in the gut with his left fist. With Gohan dazed from the strikes, Cell flipped above Gohan and kicked him downward, causing Gohan to spiral toward the ground.

Before impact, Cell emerged from Instant Transmission near the ground and used his mental energy manipulation to slow the rate of Gohan's descent and reverse his horizontal momentum, causing Gohan to land forcefully in the dirt about seven meters ahead of him.

Gohan, even as a Super Saiyan 2, felt overburdened with pain, and struggled to stand up again.

Cell walked slowly forward, and Gohan jumped backward into a fighting stance, aggravating his arm in the process. Cell, however, was pleased that the stance was one of great fervor, and that Gohan looked even more determined that he had before.

"Three hits – three hits were all it took to bring you to this severely weakened position," Cell said, as Gohan began to prepare energy for a counterattack. "Not only is your right arm damaged, but your pride has been damaged as well. I can see the feeling of desperation in your eyes."

Suddenly, Gohan launched a one-handed Kamehameha wave of immense power toward Cell … which Cell punched back toward Gohan, hitting him point-blank.

Gohan was knocked back many meters from the force of his own attack, and landed again with his face in the dirt.

He stood up, saw and sensed that Cell was many meters from him, then instant transmitted forward and appeared two meters in front of Cell.

"You know you can't defeat me," Cell said.

"Then what the Hell was the point of all this if you knew I couldn't win?" Gohan asked.

"I never want you to surrender, that's the point," Cell said. "You should always fight, right to the end!"

Cell then powered up significantly, with his Super Perfect aura roaring ablaze, and right before charging toward Gohan, the Super Saiyan 2 instant transmitted from view, then reappeared behind Cell and launched a small, blue disk of energy, 2-centimeters in diameter, that landed on Cell's back.

"You take pride in your Shining Nova, but you're not the only one who's developed a new technique!" Gohan shouted, while charging energy with his left hand, as Cell turned toward him. "Pinpoint Kamehameha!"

Gohan launched the energy wave, with Cell jumping backward many meters out of intrigue as to the operation of the technique. Upon noticing that the attack swerved slightly toward him, he jumped back and to the right, and noticed the attack take a much sharper turn.

"An impressive variant of your father's Bending Kamehameha, to be sure," Cell said. "It's rampaging toward the small target on my back, is it not?"

Cell looked into the face of what would have been death for many, then grinned.

"No matter," Cell said, while launching a barely-charged Special Beam Cannon straight into the wave, causing it to explode and the target on his back to fizzle out.

Gohan soared upward to avert the colossal explosion caused by the waves, but moments after he began his flight, Cell emerged from Instant Transmission above him and hammered him downward into the explosion of energies.

Cell watched from above as the dust cleared, sensing Gohan's life force intact below.

He landed on the ground, then walked forward toward the smoldering epicenter of the dissipated attacks.

Gohan was struggling to stand up again, and Cell instant transmitted toward him, emerging from Hyperspace one meter from Gohan.

As Gohan endeavored to stand, Cell pointed his palm toward Gohan's face, which the Super Saiyan 2 took note of with alarm.

Cell's five fingers of his left hand were spread apart from each other, and he was in a prime position to consume Gohan with an overwhelming blast of energy that could end his life.

Gohan, out of actual fright because of renewed uncertainty, closed his eyes.

Death, however, did not follow.

Instead of an intensified wave of destruction, waves of healing energy spread from Cell's hand and enveloped Gohan's body in rejuvenation.

He opened his eyes to see a white aura of healing energy coursing around him, with the white giving his Super Saiyan 2 form a discordant, yet concordant appearance.

Gohan looked toward Cell's expression of absolute seriousness, to which Cell responded.

"You should be grateful that you, and many others – but especially you – have taught me to value life," Cell said, while Gohan felt his strength returning to him. "Also, you can thank the future counterpart of your friend, Dende, for empowering me with his healing technique."

Gohan watched Cell silently, contemplating all that had happened, while the healing process progressed.

"It looks like I'm going to have to work tirelessly if I want to be able to adequately spar with you again," Gohan said, despondently.

"If each of us is fighting at full strength, yes," Cell said. "But there is a far more important consideration than sparing with me."

"Yeah, like why my father didn't transmit over here, if he sensed you beating the crap out of me," Gohan said.

"Actually, he sanctioned this bout, as did Piccolo," Cell said, to Gohan's extreme visible surprise. "Also, did I mention that your mother, as well, agreed to this?"

Gohan was absolutely bewildered.

"Of course, I didn't tell everyone," Cell said. "I had a private discussion with your parents and Piccolo one evening after our general group met at Capsule Corporation. Your father was the one who suggested this match, after I identified to him a goal of tactical importance."

"My father told you to beat the crap out of me?" Gohan asked.

"Yes," Cell said, with a pleasant grin.

"What the Hell for!" Gohan asked.

"He wanted you to better understand the extent of my capabilities so that you could truly be aware of the present reality of the differences in our strength and speed," Cell said, while continuing to heal Gohan. "Through being aware of this, he, Piccolo, your mother and I felt you would be better empowered to make a series of imperative decisions regarding an overall plan I've developed, mostly for the purpose of strengthening the safety of this planet."

"Is there some sort of threat you're aware of that I don't know about?" Gohan asked.

"Not specifically, but as you know, there is ever the potential for a threat to arise," Cell said. "The unexpected can inflict the Earth at any time. Think of 17 and 18 in the future! Think of me, in this timeline! I know that you've been training quite thoroughly to enable yourself to become stronger, and knowing you, Gohan, you wouldn't be doing so arbitrarily. You probably realize, as I have, that the differences between this timeline and Timelines I and IV is so significant that there is no certainty as to what might happen from this point forward, and that we can't rely on enemies not manifesting just because Trunks didn't encounter them in the future."

"But even so, Cell, it seems extremely unlikely that an unknown force will appear that will be able to challenge you," Gohan said, while feeling that his energy had almost fully returned. "Your strength and speed are extreme as they are, and your other abilities make you even more difficult to defeat!"

"I don't want to take any chances," Cell said, upon completing the healing process. "I've learned that lesson the hard way. If an unknown enemy surfaces, and somehow manages to defeat me through superior skill or strength or speed, I don't want the Earth and all its people, and the universe and all its people, to be inexorably victimized. If I fall, and no longer can protect the innocent I've come to cherish defending, I don't want their planets to fall. We must do whatever we can to make sure that the malicious oppressors and baleful forces are defeated."

"That's all understood, Cell, but what exactly does this have to do with our match today?" Gohan asked.

Cell offered his right hand for a shake.

"How would you like to be my student?" he asked.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 51st chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: A DOUBLE-FEATURE, to be released Thursday, Jan. 24, at 10:00 PM!_

_Act 1: Our illustrious illustrating bon vivant, Roketto, has written an amazing special chapter that is a sneak-preview of our upcoming Planet Arcos miniseries, examining the vibrant history of the homeworld of Frieza, Cooler, and King Kold! The special features Lieutenant Kaji, an Arcosian with attitude, and you'll soon be introduced to the ARCOSIAN ADVENTURE!_

_Act 2: Chapter 52 of the main series! What will Gohan's answer be? Stay tuned!_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-One: Completed Jan. 17, 2013_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	65. Planet Arcos Mini-Series (1): Kaji

**Honor Trip Presents:**

**The Planet Arcos Mini-Series**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Special Chapter One: Kaji**

**~ Written by Roketto ~**

* * *

_Disclaimer: the Honor Trip team does not, in any way, own any official property related __**Dragon Ball Z**__. Some of the original characters appearing in _Honor Trip_ do belong to their respective creators, however, so please do not use them without permission._

* * *

_Hi guys, Roketto here! As this is my first official fanfiction to be released __**on**__ the Web, I would like to thank everyone who encouraged me and made this possible, especially my teammates: American Vigor, Ruga-Rell, and Genescritor. I'd also like to thank Davidstarlingm, who helped me with the technical aspects of micropropogation and who also served as the inspiration for Professor Ignai._

* * *

_Planet Arcos, Age 732 - one year after Frieza encounters the Saiyans and takes over Planet Vegeta_

Kaji scowled. The expression, worn out of habit, seemed all the more vicious because of the scarred contours of his face, which held one side of his lips in a permanent downturned expression. He hated waiting. He also hated being patronized, so this test of his patience was doubly such.

In the years after the war, which he hadn't even fought in, he had been shunted around in various military capacities, proving that blood and violence was his only true passion, but even the Arcosian military had standards, it would seem. One fight too many, and he had found himself in this mess. Grimacing in anger again, he thought back to the situation that had brought him to this fate.

"_So Kaji, have you thought of what you will do when this unit is disbanded?" an Arcosian, tall for his age, asked while looking down at Kaji with a smirk on his face. "It's not as though you can teach, what with that unfortunate…temper of yours…" _

_Kaji growled, his clenched fists starting to shake. _

"_Oh, I had no idea that you were so concerned for my future, Liito," Kaji forced out. "Why don't you worry about yourself? Last I checked, you were at the top of the ranks, but only because of your political connections to the local merchants. What's that old saying, 'Hardship builds character; opulence builds depravity?' I think you've demonstrated the latter part fairly well." _

_Kaji glared up at the taller Arcosian, proud of his own wit. If he could just get this moron to back down, he wouldn't have to risk a confrontation._

_What had Polaris always told him? 'Fight with your mind as well as your body'? _

_Liito, meanwhile, apparently did not adhere to that philosophy: he swung his fist full-force at Kaji, who quickly blocked it. _

"_You…you scum!" Liito yelled; his face was contorted in rage now, with his teeth bared. "How dare you accuse me of using my connections to succeed, when you're General Polaris' lapdog!" _

_Kaji stiffened at that remark. _

"_Not to mention, you're in good with the other royals, I heard," Litto said. "Guess it's nice to be able to badmouth anyone you want, even your superiors, without fear of retribution!" _

_Liito stalked toward Kaji, tail lashing. Kaji had not broken his gaze this whole time, but he could feel the anger welling up in him. Litto's insults were intolerable. Polaris was his mentor, nothing more than that…he would never give him special privileges over someone more qualified. He was anticipating a promotion because he was skilled, plain and simple._

"_What's the matter, no witty comeback, lieutenant? Or are you afraid someone will actually stand up to you for once?" Litto asked. "I'm not afraid of you! You're all bluster and foul mood, but you're not strong enough to beat me!" _

_With that, Liito charged. He managed to catch Kaji off guard with his longer reach and decked him across the face, sending him flying into the opposite wall of the barracks. By this time, many others had gathered and were nervously milling about. Most of them had seen Kaji fight before, and no one doubted his brutality…but Liito was already galled, his pride challenged, and he could not be convinced to back down. Kaji assumed a fighting stance, only intending to teach this upstart a lesson and get back to proper rank and order. His first punch missed, as Liito feinted to his right side. His larger opponent took that opening to slam his left knee into Kaji's right side, and then stomp on his right foot. Kaji yelled with pain and a newly kindled rage, and thus began to fight back in earnest. _

'_That bastard! He must have read my files and memorized all my weak points!' Kaji angrily thought._

_Kaji walked with a slight limp on his right side, a result of muscle and nerve damage from…that horrible time. The limp was bad enough to brand him as a survivor of personal tragedy in the war, but the scars practically screamed, to all who met him, 'This man witnessed Hell, and did not come away whole.' He hated how they looked at him, with that mixture of pity, fear, and revulsion. Like they wished he would just die and disappear, along with all other reminders of that time._

'_Well, good luck getting rid of me,' Kaji defiantly thought. 'I'm determined to survive to spite you all.'_

_Focusing his attention back on the fight at hand, Kaji launched into a barrage of hits, forcing Liito backward. The thrum of blood pounded in his ears, his mind churning. _

'_How do they expect me to uphold what pride I have left, if I have to deal with these daily insults?' Kaji thought. _

_He indignantly thought of all the other incidents, the jeers, the whispers that ceased when he entered a room, all of it. Bellowing in rage, he kept striking his now-prone opponent. Again and again, until his fists ached and he could no longer make out the features of the man's face, he raged. _

_Someone was screaming at him. Hands pulled him backward, still struggling and lashing out. Someone big slapped him, across his face, hard enough to draw blood. _

_His eyes finally focused to see his master, General Polaris, towering over him, his eyes cold and hard. His eyes wide, Kaji peered around Polaris to see the wall spattered with blood, and… Oh god… He looked up at the general, searching his eyes for any sympathy. _

"_I…I didn't start this! I was only defen-" he started, his throat suddenly dry. _

"_Lieutenant Kaji, go back to your quarters. Tomorrow morning, I will send for you," Polaris coldly said. _

_That had been it. No corporal punishment, no lashes, not even any harsh words; just that single, calm order. He had walked back to his barracks in a trance, washed the blood off of himself, and went to sleep, like nothing at all was wrong. Now, the morning after, he dreaded what he knew was coming. Whenever his master failed to castigate subordinates immediately, it usually meant a much worse fate was in store. Kaji could be stripped of his rank, imprisoned, banished, or executed, he had no idea, and that lack of control over his own fate shook him to his core._

_The messenger had come, as promised, bright and early that morning. A tall, lithe woman, who Kaji had never met before, but who he guessed was one of the many capitol secretaries/mail runners. She introduced herself curtly, he promptly forgot her name, and she told him where to go to meet with the general. A garden villa in the downtown district, not too far from their current location, she explained, so that Kaji could make his way there without attracting the attention of the media. _

"_The media?" Kaji asked with surprise. _

"_Yes lieutenant, the man you killed last night was very prominent," the messenger said. _

_He sat back in shock. This was really happening. He had beaten several of those who dared to goad him, but never like this. Not to death. _

_The reality of the situation sank in fully, and he tried to conceal the nervous twitching of his tail from the messenger. She noticed, barely hiding an expression of that accursed…pity…again before she politely said goodbye and left. Before she departed, she deigned to tell him that General Polaris had his best interests in mind, and to be grateful. That sentiment made him grit his teeth, frustrated that his master really was giving him leniency after all. _

_He hated being patronized like this. He was a hobbled, broken warrior, but a warrior nonetheless. Without thinking, he slammed his fist through the wall, putting a good-sized hole through the thick masonry. Calming himself, he steeled his resolve for the meeting. The short trip over to the villa was uneventful, with Kaji not seeing anyone up this early to antagonize him, least of all reporters. Thank all the spirits for that small mercy; he wouldn't have known what to do if confronted with them._

With an exasperated sigh, Kaji broke this brief reverie and, for what seemed like the hundredth time, stared at the door to General Polaris' study. The young male attendant who had met him at the door had said that the general would be out momentarily to meet with him, but "momentarily" could be anytime from a few seconds to a few hours, for all he knew. The door finally opening gave him a start, as he sat up straight on the couch in the airy anteroom. Without ceremony, General Polaris quietly walked in, pausing only momentarily to touch a button on his scouter before sitting down opposite Kaji.

"Lieutenant Kaji, would you like to know what I have been doing in the time that you have been waiting here?" the taller man started coolly, without a hint of anger in his voice.

Kaji shifted in his seat. He knew a rebuke was coming, but he still needed to find a way to soften the blow…what response would be appropriate?

"I…I am here because of my actions, which were rash and reflected badly on not only myself, but my superiors…sir," he ventured cautiously. He had kept his head respectfully low since Polaris walked in, trying to avoid any eye contact that might betray the fear he felt gnawing at his guts.

"A good standard answer, Kaji, one that seeks to appeal to etiquette and honor, but what I really want to know is - why do you think you're here? Care to tell me what exactly provoked you last night?"

Kaji dared to look up, keeping his scarred face devoid of any emotion. Polaris was staring him down, a slight smile on his face, but his eyes reflected no mirth.

'_He's interrogating me,'_ Kaji thought. _'No use hiding the whole story now….'_

He must have faltered with an answer too long, because before he could gather his thoughts, Polaris cut in, leaning forward in his seat so that he was much closer to the lieutenant.

"While you were waiting just now, and, I assume while you were either sleeping or stewing over your fate in this whole mess last night, I have been actively petitioning for your life, lieutenant."

Kaji unconsciously blinked and sat back, pressing into the cushion behind him.

"You see Kaji, I have been very lenient with you. To your detriment, it seems," Polaris said, with his voice starting to become sharper in tone, which Kaji knew to be a precursor to what was to come. "You have taken my kindness and concern, and returned to me shame and belligerence."

"I-I'm sorry, general!" Kaji said. "I…this wasn't supposed to happen, I tried to avoid the situation, but Liito…that bastard had it out for me, and I was just defending myself! Myself, and my honor!"

The young Arcosian had, without realizing it, stood up, and his voice had risen to a shout.

The older man glared up at him.

"Sit down, Lieutenant Kaji," Polaris said, as Kaji obeyed. "Your honor is one thing, but a fellow soldier's life is quite another. This is not a battlefield. There are rules to be followed, something that you seem to have trouble grasping."

Kaji's face twitched slightly, his fists balled up stiffly at his sides.

"With all due respect, sir, you seem to have trouble grasping the problem," Kaji said. "It's not me, it's them. All of them. Sneering at me, avoiding me, and treating me like I'm some kind of monster…I cannot abide by the rules if they don't allow me to have peace."

Almost immediately, he regretted saying those words, as Polaris' tail lashed out, the hard tip smacking him across the face, leaving his vision slightly blurred.

"Listen to me, you insolent worm, I know full well how you are treated!" Polaris shouted. "You think that you are the only one? That you are somehow special in your misery? There are those of us who have no scars marking our skins, and yet we are still shunned, even more than you, because of our actions during the war!"

Polaris' face was now twisted in anger, with his black lips drawn back against his teeth.

"You think _you_ are the monster? Master Frieza surpasses us all in strength, a mere boy when he led the army, and if he wished, he could kill us all, on little more than a whim! Do not forget, Kaji, that you never saw battle due to your wounds – you have no right to judge yourself a monster, nor do you have the right to place your own unhappiness before others' _lives_!"

He punctuated the last word with another slap, knocking Kaji to the floor. The younger man lay prone for a few moments, numb at his master's words.

"You are selfish, and woefully short-sighted!" Polaris yelled. "I can't believe that, while the rest of the world is working on rebuilding, you'd rather feel sorry for yourself and lash out at anyone who irks you!"

'_It's true,'_ Kaji thought. _'Since the war ended, I was so…so angry that I never got to take revenge, never even got to see one of those filthy Saiyans die for their crimes.'_

He slowly got to his feet, his cheek aching. He could feel that there would be a nasty bruise there tomorrow.

Frowning, Kaji asked, "Is there anything I can do? To fix this, I mean…"

Polaris sighed, eyes shut, his hand going to the bridge of his nose as though he had a headache.

"Kaji…you have so much potential, which is why I took special interest in you to begin with," Polaris said, as Kaji shifted again nervously, his tail twitching on the floor by his ankles.

Polaris' voice had seemed to soften in that sentence, all the rage of his previous outburst evaporated.

"As I had started to say before, I have been lobbying all night to 'fix this', as you so crudely put it. It will not be a slap on the wrist this time, Kaji; no, it will be a much more severe punishment, and it is only due to my intervention that you aren't slated for execution."

The lieutenant's eyes widened at this. So, what Liito said was right. Polaris was giving him special treatment after all. That thought brought a grimace to his face, as he tried to control his tail from lashing angrily by coiling it around one leg.

This did not go unnoticed by Polaris.

"I see that now you are starting to regret your actions. Sometimes, when one is attacked by harsh words, they conceal a bit of truth," Polaris said, while rising from his seat and beginning to cross the room. "That is why you were so incensed, wasn't it? The thought that your own skill is not enough to earn you a promotion?"

Polaris poured two glasses of wine from the bar located in a niche in the room, then returned to his seat.

"Drink, you'll need this for what we'll be discussing next," the general said, handing Kaji one of the glasses.

Kaji again sighed, this time out of resignation, as he took a long draught. It was cool and sweet, sliding down his throat pleasantly. Polaris did the same, before clearing his throat to speak.

"As of now, I have been presented with two options of how to deal with you. These offers are very generous, given the circumstances, so I dare not ask the king to try to find you a better deal."

Upon hearing this, Kaji choked briefly, sputtering and trying to regain his composure.

"King Cold knows about this?" he asked, weakly.

"Yes, I could not keep such an incident from him; you know that," Polaris said. "Liito was very influential in organizing the off-planet trade markets, so you just reduced our planet's foremost expert on the off-worlders to a bloody pulp," Polaris said around another sip of wine. "It was all I could do to reason with him, he was…rather displeased with your conduct."

Kaji paled at the thought of Cold leveling punishment on him. Even before the war, Cold had been known as a ruthless, no-nonsense king. Any threats or injury towards people the king deemed indispensible were met with little mercy. Kaji shuddered inwardly.

"Now then, don't look so rattled; I dealt with it, you won't be sent to the labs, the prisons, or be put to death," Polaris smirked at his pupil.

'_Just what is my fate, then?'_ Kaji thought. _'What else is left as a serious punishment?'_

"I'll indulge your curiosity, because I know you're just dying to know what's in store for you," Polaris said, a hint of mirth in his face.

Kaji tried to keep a stoic face while his master seemingly enjoyed the younger man's anxiety.

"I told you before that you had two choices. Both of them are so-called hard posts, designed to remove you from the king's notice, and more importantly, from the public eye. This little skirmish of yours took a lot to silence thus far, but if you remain in the capitol, even I can't save you from what the gossipmongers will say."

Kaji winced.

'_Just tell me already what the choices are,'_ he thought. _'I won't be happy with either of them, so why drag it out?'_

"Now then, option number one: you will join a roving research team, in the jungles of Arcos, mostly around the southwestern regions, but mostly, you'll go wherever the head researcher tells you. I don't know about the research, and you won't have to know much either – you'll just act as protection against the dangers of the wilderness."

'_Great, I'd have to babysit some clueless lab techs, and I'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere perpetually,'_ Kaji thought bitterly.

"I think I'll go with option number two, it can't be any worse than that," Kaji said, as he crossed his arms and tapped his tail against the side of the sofa. "Are you certain?" Polaris asked, with a sly grin. "There you go again, making a rash decision without thinking about the big picture. I assure you, option two is decidedly worse. There's a small permanent research station just past the tree line, almost at the North Pole. They're always short on research assistants and protection detail alike, because the temperature is so low up there that nobody is willing to stay long. Of course, you would be required to stay. Oh, and Kaji…you would have to wear shoes."

Polaris chuckled and drank again from his wine glass, seemingly unaffected by Kaji's now mortified facial expression.

"W-what?! The pole?" Kaji asked. "You're…you're joking, right sir? Nobody can survive up there for long; they all freeze to death or…or commit suicide!"

Draining his glass, Polaris gave him a cryptic smirk.

"That's the point, my reckless pupil. That's where my brother originally wanted to assign you, after I convinced him that killing you was beneath him."

Kaji felt a chill run up his spine at this realization. Everyone always talked about how Cold and Polaris were master strategists, both in battle and in politics. This was a reminder that these titans were not to be trifled with…even when Cold decided to show supposed mercy, his idea of a pardon was sadistic to say the least. Political opponents in the past had all been quietly dealt with, such that no one dared challenge Cold's authority now. They had all been "reassigned," "given special privileges," or otherwise manipulated like so many chess pieces, so that it was inevitable that they would self-destruct, either mentally or at least monetarily, leaving no opposition.

The biggest fear of any Arcosian in danger of displeasing their king was not death, although that could be slow and torturous at his hands. No, criminals singularly lost their nerve at the mere mention of being shipped out to the pole, to the infamous Polar Research and Atmospheric Monitoring Laboratory, or PRAML for short.

The irony of the acronym was not lost on anyone with more than a monkey's brain: _pramer_ was the Arcosian word for despair, and criminals were known to commit suicide in transit, rather than willingly reach such an unforgiving place. Even if they lived through the trip, about a third of them died anyway of everything from exposure and frostbite to altitude sickness, not counting those who chose to end it themselves.

'_When you get right down to it, we're just not made to live like that.'_ Kaji thought.

No sunlight for months on end, all those bulky clothes to keep out the cold…and _shoes_, for god's sake! He wrinkled his nose at the thought. He couldn't picture himself in such a ridiculous getup, not even to save his life.

"I guess that given the circumstances, I'm to believe that you want me to take the first option?" Kaji asked.

"Yes, that's the idea; I do want you alive and in possession of all your senses and what sanity you have, so that eventually, you can return to my side," Polaris said casually.

"By your side? After all that I've done, you'd still be willing to forgive me?" Kaji asked**, **incredulously.

"It's not a matter of forgiveness, Kaji. Ever since you were young, you showed a potential and drive that is a rarity. Prince Frieza possesses the same qualities as you do, and he is well on his way to utilizing them fully, but I have always believed that it's best to have more than one prodigy around, just in case."

Kaji looked at him skeptically. He didn't believe for a moment that Polaris thought he was the prince's equal. When they were younger, he'd had the upper hand in sparring, but beyond that, Frieza had everything he lacked. Confidence, the ability to analyze an opponent's weaknesses in a flash, and the ability to endure made him the superior fighter, something that Kaji realized when they were both older, and Frieza won more matches than he lost.

'_And now he's in a league practically by himself…he may as well be a god, while compared to him I'm an insect,'_ Kaji thought.

Still, he wasn't going to argue with Polaris. Whatever plans he had, Kaji reasoned, they were beyond his capacity to understand, much less influence.

"So, that's it, then? You've made your decision?" Polaris asked, while refilling his glass and smiling broadly at the lieutenant.

Kaji looked glumly at his commanding officer and offered his now-empty glass. The general poured the welcome alcohol and raised his own glass.

"To new beginnings, Kaji."

The scarred lieutenant raised his glass.

"Ah, to new beginnings…," Kaji intoned somewhat flatly.

The formalities out of the way, he just wanted to drink, at least until he could quell the negative emotions swirling around in his head.

Polaris spoke up; clearly oblivious to the younger man's desire to put himself into a better state of mind, saying, "Now that all of that is behind us, you should probably meet up with your patrol unit. The head scientist of that region just came in the day before yesterday to get supplies…and a new team."

Kaji eyed him over the rim of his glass.

"What happened to his old team?" Kaji asked.

"Apparently their lead guide became ill, something he picked up in the jungle, so they lost their 'compass,' so to speak," Polaris said. "The other members of the team begged for reassignments, so Ignai – that's the scientist's name – is in need of a whole new exploration party. I heard they're sending some female lab assistant who worked with him before, but that's only one person, and the only willing volunteer for this expedition."

Polaris paused to drink, and Kaji mused, "Well then, where are they going to get the other party members? I'm only one person, then there's the girl, and the scientist…that leaves two mandatory spots open, if I'm up to date on exploration protocol."

The general nodded.

"Yes, that's right; we're working on finding you two more capable members, preferably with fighting experience," Polaris said. "I don't want to have you shouldering the entire burden for keeping them safe, after all." "Seems like you don't trust me, general," Kaji said, "but I'm more than capable of defending a group of noncombatants against wild beasts on my own."

Polaris frowned slightly at the rebuttal, but said nothing.

After a few more drinks, Kaji was feeling better about the whole situation.

'_Everything turned out better than I could have hoped,' _he thought. _'Besides, getting away from the city for a while, away from all those people, might help me in the long run.'_

In truth, he still resented that Polaris had confirmed that his situation was indeed a result of favoritism, but for the moment being, he was content to let the effects of the wine take his mind off anything that vexed him. After thanking the general profusely, in a way that was more polite than anything he might have said sober, he made his way to the terminal port, where he had been instructed to stay the night and meet up with his party in the morning.

He hadn't bothered going back to the barracks to retrieve his belongings, few as they were.

'_Why bother? I'll have no use for any of it migrating through the forest,'_ he thought.

He didn't have much to be attached to, he mused, neither person nor property. When the Saiyans had come, his ancestral home had been one of the first to be burned, because of his family's status. When the home burned, so had everything he'd ever known. And everyone. His hand unconsciously strayed to his face, to trace the livid scars that marred its surface.

'_Yet I survived. Alone.'_

Suddenly, through the impairing haze of the wine, he remembered something he did want to retrieve, before he left everything here behind. The terminal port wasn't far from the barracks, but he decided to take the back way, just in case someone saw him.

'_To think, … me, of all people, slinking around like this,'_ he thought with annoyance. _'But if a newsmonger catches me, I'd have to figure out how to explain last night.'_

As far as he knew, the news hadn't broken yet, at least not the whole story. Better to be out of the city before whatever twisted version of events Polaris helped craft bubbled to the surface. Finally, he made it to the back door of his quarters in the officers' barracks. Stealing inside quietly, he made his way to a closet. Among his dress armor and a few extra items of clothing, there was a long, narrow box, … a sword-case, in fact.

Opening it, he removed the blade and studied it under the weak moonlight streaming in through the window.

It was a traditional Arcosian sword called a _faishin_, or hook-bladed saber. Prized for its versatility in battle as well as in its capacity as a tool, this type of sword was wielded by royalty and commoners alike – a symbol of bridging all cultural bounds with its flexibility. His had belonged to his father, who had received it from his father. It had seen frequent use, betrayed by the small nicks and scratches along its length. It had also been one of the few intact things he'd been able to pull from the smoldering wreckage of his home. The blade had exquisite balance, the hilt and tapered blade in perfect equilibrium, while the sleek form of the sword belied its toughness – one stroke, if wielded by someone of skill, could lop off an arm, leg, or tail effortlessly with the leading edge. The backward-pointing hook from which it derived its name was the "tool" part of the versatile weapon. In a farmer's field, it was used as a scythe, in the canopy of a forest it acted as a climbing hook, and in battle it could be used to disarm opponents and access vulnerable elbow and knee joints protected by bony armor. In short, the perfect weapon, suited for every occasion and purpose.

Kaji smiled, for the first time in a long while. Changing into some fresh armor that had a belt and thigh-guard, he fastened the sword to the belt. He no longer felt trapped, or carried aimlessly by fate.

'_Now, I can affect my own destiny,'_ he thought optimistically. _'Whatever the future holds, I will survive with this sword.'_

After an uneventful trip back to the terminal port, Kaji collapsed onto the bed in the small traveler's room that he assumed had been paid for by Polaris himself. His last thought before sleep overtook him was that he'd have to find an honorable way to repay his master for all of his kindness. After what seemed only a few minutes since he closed his eyes, Kaji was awoken by an incessant buzzing from the door intercom.

"Urgh…," he cursed mildly as he rolled out of the bed, still wearing his armor from last night.

A glint of metal in the corner caught his eye – the _faishin_, he recalled, that he had retrieved. A brief look of confidence flitted across his scarred features, before the door began buzzing again, earning a scowl and a few choice curses muttered under his breath.

"Hold on, I'm coming…," he called in an annoyed tone – really, who was even awake at this hour?

The door gently _whooshed_ open to reveal, surprisingly, the woman from before, the capitol messenger.

'Curses,' Kaji thought, 'I knew I should have committed her name to memory.'

He decided to ignore the situation and cut to the chase.

"Are you here to escort me to meet my new team?" Kaji asked.

The messenger nodded in affirmation, ushering him out the door.

"You have no possessions to transport, I take it?" she asked.

"No, just this sword," Kaji said, fastening the _faishin_ to his belt once again.

"A wise choice; onereally can't expect you to journey easily with baggage," the messenger said somewhat airily.

Kaji wondered if that was a thinly disguised jab at him, and he wondered if perhaps she knew the entire story.

'_Hmph, well it doesn't matter if she does, soon I'll be out of sight, out of mind for all of these wretches, just as they all wished,'_ he thought.

It didn't matter now, at any rate. Soon he'd be meeting his new "team." He just hoped that Polaris had been able to find competent individuals to fill the two open spots.

As they rounded a corner, the messenger told him that his party was awaiting him up ahead, and her job was thus complete. Before he could protest or ask her anything further, she had vanished.

"Huh, strange…almost like she was avoiding meeting these other people," Kaji said. "Ah well, let's get this over with…."

His sword quietly clanking against his armor as he walked, Kaji approached the door to another traveler's room off the main hallway that ran parallel to the transport platform.

'_Must be the place; there are no other rooms down this hall,'_ he thought.

He pushed the button to open the sliding vertical door, and crossed the threshold, stepping inside. An unoccupied room was all that greeted him.

'_Where the hell are they? Aren't they supposed to be waiting?'_

Kaji considered that he might have entered the wrong room, and turned to leave. At that moment, the door inexplicably whizzed shut.

"What the hell?" Kaji asked aloud, while trying the exit button. Nothing. Pressing a voice override on the panel, he gave the command "open." There was still no response from the door.

Then, a voice crackled to life over the intercom.

"Gooood morning Lieutenant!"

Kaji bared his teeth in a snarl.

"Who the hell is this, and why have you locked me in?" Kaji asked. "Are you here to assassinate me!"

His hand went to the hilt of his sword, his body tense.

"Oh no no no, _nothing_ like that, Lieutenant! We just need a password from you." said the voice on the other end of the intercom, taunting in a jovial tone of voice.

"Is this some kind of joke!" Kaji snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Open this door this instant, or else!"

"Or else what?" asked the voice on the other end, with a snicker.

Kaji could hear stifled laughter in the background. That was the last straw. Whoever this was, they were _mocking_ him! Outside, the door suddenly exploded outward in a blast of fiery, red ki. The heavily reinforced metal door, now dented, landed and spun to a stop in front of the now-charred entrance as Kaji furiously made his way through the smoky doorway after it.

"Oh shoot…."

Kaji swung his head to the side of the door, recognizing the voice that had taunted him. Standing about two heads taller than him was the largest Arcosian he'd ever seen. The big guy, about as wide as he was tall, seemed to be surprised that Kaji had broken down the door.

"You!" Kaji growled, while stalking forward. "You're going to pay for humiliating me, you…you fat bastard! I don't know who you are, but it doesn't matter now, because I won't be the one putting a name on your grave!"

The rotund giant had a frightened look on his face and quickly threw up his hands in front of him.

"D-don't take it so personally!" he said. "I was just kidding around, really! I didn't think you'd…well…that you'd bust down a door like that! Haha…can you please not kill me sir? I mean, I heard you were scary, but sheesh, they weren't kidding when they sai-"

He was cut off by Kaji grabbing him by the throat and forcing him down to his level.

"Who the hell are you? Speak!" Kaji shouted.

The taller man looked positively petrified and could only squeak in response. Enraged, Kaji was about to punch him in the face, when another person interjected.

"Lieutenant Kaji, right?" the new speaker asked. "Look, I'm sorry about my brother, he doesn't really…ah…well, he's kinda thick, and maybe suicidal. Anyway, if you'll unhand him, we can get on with proper introductions."

The speaker, a tall Arcosian as thin as his brother was wide, stepped between Kaji and his hapless victim, taking a moment to gently slap the slightly shorter man on the back of the head.

"Idiot! You almost got yourself killed again!" he shouted. "Watever possessed you to think provoking him was a good idea?"

"Oh come _on_, Hagala, how was I supposed to know he'd try to kill me?" his brother asked. "How was I even s'posed to know he'd get out before he'd calmed down?"

The shorter of the two brothers pouted, with a petulant look on his face.

The one called Hagala sighed in exasperation and turned to Kaji.

"Again, sir, I'm truly sorry if my idiot brother offended you," Hagala said.

Kaji, who had calmed down slightly, sneered at the much taller man.

"You're lucky I'm shipping out soon, or you'd both be saying 'sorry' from a regen-tank," Kaji said.

The two siblings exchanged glances, and then looked back at Kaji.

"Well, see, that's the thing, sir…we're shipping out with you," the older sibling said, while rubbing the back of his head in an apologetic manner, while the younger just grinned.

Kaji, in contrast, was practically crackling with red energy, his feet gripping the floor so hard it was beginning to crack, his fists held rigidly at his sides.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Kaji said, with a measured, yet unmistakably forceful voice.

The pair stepped back, laughing nervously, their tails twitching and curling behind them with unease.

"Oh, you must be Lieutenant Kaji," said a voice from behind him, an older Arcosian.

Kaji turned to face him. Frowning, he took in a tall, spindly man with a deeply lined face, wearing a lab smock.

'_Must be the head scientist…but spirits above, what a decrepit old geezer!'_ Kaji thought.

"I'm Ignai, the head scientist on this honorable, peregrine, knowledge-seeking expedition," the man warmly intoned, bowing politely.

'Honorable…yeah, right…,' Kaji thought to himself, while feeling a headache coming on, no doubt the result of being bombarded with all of this ridiculousness at once. 'So we've got a disrespectful tub of lard, an overly-apologetic beanpole, and this old guy who looks ready for the funeral pyre…just great, what a winning team. No wonder the previous members asked for a transfer.'

Of course, there was one more member, right?

Kaji steeled himself to meet the research assistant, expecting someone loud and brash, a mewling, clueless whelp, or some other iteration of annoyance, sent by the spirits to test his resolve.

"Lieutenant Kaji, I would like you to meet my assistant, Kataba," Ignai said.

The scarred lieutenant turned to the female Arcosian who had finally made an appearance behind her mentor.

"Pleased to meet you, lieutenant. As Ignai said, I'm Kataba."

She bowed slightly, and then stood to face him. She had a pretty face, with wide, expressive eyes, a thin, feminine mouth, and graceful horns angled sharply back from her skull.

Kaji was pleasantly surprised that, at first blush, she didn't seem to be as worthless as the other three, but he hid his sentiment.

"Likewise. I see you all know about me, but that's to be expected, given my rank," Kaji said.

He puffed out his chest, confident that these weaklings would at least respect him for his title.

"Uhhh…not to interrupt, but we've been traveling the southern mountain range, so we really _don't_ know you. We were just told to meet some guy named 'Kaji', and he was gonna be our new wilderness guide," the fat one said.

What was his name?

"You," Kaji commanded, "I didn't quite catch your name."

The fat man laughed.

"Ah, sorry, guess I was too busy trying to make you feel welcome, and then you almost ripped my head off, so I forgot my manners!"

He had a big, stupid grin on his face, and Kaji felt a growing dislike for his attitude.

"Th' name's Hufeh, and this is my older brother, Mr. Dour Face and Sour Attitude, but you can call him Hagala."

The thin Arcosian grimaced, elbowing his younger brother and hissing, "you moron, this is Lieutenant Kaji of the Royal Army, even though we've been out in the boonies, you should at least know _that_."

Kaji decided to change the subject before they decided to tell the world, or at least the few people now milling about on the transport platform, just how much they knew about him.

"If you know who I am, then you know the respect I am afforded, isn't that right, _gentlemen_?" he asked, while grinding out the last word and glaring pointedly at Hufeh. "What was this business of locking me in the room you were supposed to meet me in, some kind of test? Was it an early mutiny, perhaps? I was told that I'd be getting two more members for this team to fill the quota, but I do not tolerate the kind of aggravation you seem to delight in causing me."

Kaji's tail was waving languidly behind him, ready to begin lashing with real anger if their response was unsatisfactory.

Hufeh gulped nervously.

"Well…y'see…we were just playing a prank on you…to, you know…," he trailed off, staring at the floor.

"What my foolish younger brother is trying to express is that this is his idea of welcoming you, sir," Hagala said. "It's a twisted, reckless way, and better for making enemies, as I tell him time and again, but he persists regardless of what I say. In fact, it was just this penchant for pranks that got us this assignment, wasn't it, Hufeh? You just _had_ to tick off Captain Eir by putting soap flakes in his drink, when you _knew_ it'd mean getting us kicked from the unit! He thought it was an attempt to _poison_ him!"

The lithe man punctuated his lecture by poking his brother in the side of the head with one bony finger, to which Hufeh responded by groaning, "All right already! I get it; I screwed up, and you bailed me out, and now we both suffer! I get it!"

Brushing away Hagala's hand, he crossed his arms and looked, for all the world, as though he was pouting.

'_Add "immature" to the list of qualities I do not like in these two,'_ Kaji thought with a frown.

He sighed. He would be spending the indefinite future with these insufferable morons…maybe he should have gone to PRAML, shoes and all.

At least that could have been a quick death.

He left his momentary brooding thoughts to glance at the brothers, who were now wrestling and bickering with each other, Hufeh having managed to put Hagala in a headlock. They were drawing attention.

Kaji was considering shouting at them, when Kataba instead strode up to the pair, angrily shoving them apart.

"You guys are something else, you know that!" she said. "Here you are, acting like a couple of still-wet hatchlings! We have important work to do, and you're holding us up. Now _move_! We need to catch the Southern Transport or we'll have to wait until this afternoon. If you keep this up, I'll just shove you both onto the rails and ask for two more-competent fighters to accompany us!"

The two stared at the small, previously demure young female, before smiling apologetically.

"Okay, okay, calm down little miss spitfire, we won't get in the way of your precious research," Hufeh said, while brushing off the outburst with a defusing grin, as seemed to be the norm for him.

Hagala just smiled somewhat woodenly and inched away from the edge of the platform, mumbling an apology. Her tail held high behind her back, Kataba turned her attention to Kaji. The scarred fighter was surprised at her show of dominance, but he was equally impressed at how well she'd hidden her power – his scouter had shown a slight jump when she had physically separated Hagala and Hufeh.

"Alright, now that that's taken care of, shall we be off, lieutenant?" she asked, smiling brightly at him.

"Right then, let's get going," Kaji said. "You can brief me while we're in transit."

Ignai, who had been quietly observing the others' interactions, remarked, "I'd say we have a strong mix of personalities with this bunch, what with my genius, Kataba's intelligence, Hufeh and Hagala's enthusiasm, and our lieutenant here in charge, we're sure to make some absolutely _wonderful_ scientific progress!"

Kaji groaned; surely the old man was joking. With this group of clowns, they'd be lucky to survive a week without tearing each other apart.

On the transport, Kaji listened in near-total silence as the other members of the group explained their objectives, and how they had all come to be on this assignment. Apparently, Ignai, the doddering old fool, actually wanted to be marooned in the middle of nowhere, studying tree growth and animal life. Kaji could not figure out why anyone would want to be out there, away from all the comforts, or at least safety, of civilization, but he sensed that there was something the old man was holding back.

Letting his thoughts rejoin Ignai's long-winded explanation, Kaji learned that a big concern was the native flora and fauna making resurgences and edging out the transplanted life. He only half-listened to the whole explanation; all he knew was that Arcos was not their original world – he and most of his generation only knew this planet, but the older people talked about Old Arcos, and about how their species embarked on an exodus here to avoid sure extinction. Great old stories for the history books, but not something Kaji particularly cared about. The past was the past, as far as he was concerned.

Kataba was Ignai's old research assistant, from the days when he had been content to work in a laboratory. She was bright and driven to learn and explore, "ever since she was young", in her words. She proudly showed the others her scouter, which she had "tweaked" – she leaned in, conspiratorially, and warned them not to tell anyone, or she might have it taken away.

"What does it do?" Hufeh asked.

"Just about everything I can think of," she gleefully responded, "including sense really, really high powers without shorting out!"

"So, if you were to measure Lord Frieza, it could withstand that?" Kaji asked.

She flashed him a cocky smirk.

"Sure, I've used it on him before, from a distance, of course," Kataba said. "I don't think the royals would appreciate knowing they're being used as measuring sticks for my little science project."

At this, everyone nervously glanced around the pod to see if anyone had overheard; they didn't need scouters to know how monstrously strong their planetary leaders were, and Cold had eyes and ears everywhere.

Hufeh and Hagala told their stories next. The two brothers, close in age if not in appearance, had been in the army until their recent dismissal, Hagala said. They had not seen any real combat – "unless you count diggin' ditches and fighting th' other grunts" – Hufeh chimed in, interrupting his brother.

Hagala scowled, before continuing.

"As I was saying, that's right; we never saw hide nor hair of those repulsive monkeys, because we weren't anywhere near the big cities, and we were in the reserves to boot," Hagala said.

Hufeh leaned back languidly in his seat, sighing, "It was sooo boring, you have no idea! The food was terrible, too, and there weren't any modern facilities, and…"

Kaji absentmindedly tried to listen to Hufeh's whining, but he felt a headache coming on. Darn it. Plucked from civilization, and flung into the wilderness with these incompetents…maybe Cold and Polaris had conspired to kill him.

"…and then, you should have seen his face! It was hilarious!" Hufeh boisterously laughed, apparently relating one of the many pranks he had pulled on his commanding officer; it had been something to do with glue and some fireworks…at any rate, Kaji wasn't listening, having no interest in the brothers' puerile antics.

"Hey…uh…Sir? You okay?" asked the girl – Kataba, he remembered – who had slid into the seat across from him and was eyeing him with an unsure expression.

"I'm fine," he grumbled and turned towards the window.

The silence created by his curt response dragged on awkwardly, until Kataba tactfully joined the rest of the group's conversation, leaving Kaji alone, staring blankly out the window. As the buildings of the capitol gave way to fields, and as the fields morphed into trees, Kaji pondered again, for the first time while he was sober, what General Polaris had meant about having two prodigies around. He also pondered Polaris' comment about 'returning to his side'… Kaji had never been particularly close, hierarchically, to Polaris, other than deferring to him as a superior. What the hell was he getting at, when he had said that? It made no sense to the young Arcosian. General Polaris had treated him as his own son, in the wake of the war, when so many other orphans had simply been sent to be raised with distant relatives, friends, or even other people with whom they had no blood.

Kaji had thought, at first, that it was out of pity. After all, a horrifically wounded young child who had been pulled from the flaming ruins had to elicit sympathy. As he grew older though, Kaji began to have a different theory on why Polaris had committed to being his guardian. First, he had been a close match in age for Prince Frieza, who, after the war, had…changed. It was as though he'd become…darker, more sullen, and sharp, sharp as a honed blade, and just as dangerous. Add to that his unpredictable moods and Kaji could see why Cold might ask his brother, Polaris, to keep a stabilizing force in the prince's life. Not that it had helped – Frieza had shut down every attempt Kaji had made to be friendly. Whether it was on the training grounds or in the palace, Frieza was cold, distant, and utterly unsympathetic. It was like talking to a statue carved from ice, and just as unproductive and damaging.

Other than training, Kaji quickly learned to avoid Frieza, and instead sought out Polaris for any solace he had needed. It was then that Kaji had glimpsed another possibility for why the general cared about him. Being royalty, but not of the royal family, Polaris was disallowed from having an heir. When he was still very young, Kaji recalled that Polaris had asked him to treat him 'as a father'…it had been a puzzling request to him at the time, but he was grateful for anything resembling a family, after the loss of his own.

Looking back, Kaji saw that this was the one reason, above any other, that Polaris had taken him in. It was neither out of kindness, nor out of obligation to the king and to Frieza.

'_And it was certainly not for his health and sanity_,' Kaji thought, chuckling to himself. '_After all that he's done for me, even if it was selfish, I ought to at least earn his respect…but instead, I'm nothing but an embarrassment…._'

Ignai, who was sitting next to him, interrupted his thoughts with some question.

"Huh?" Kaji blinked, snapping out of his reverie.

"I said, while we're on the subject, do you have any experience fighting?" the old man asked slowly, cautiously, as though he were afraid Kaji might leap at him, with fangs bared like a beast. "Where were you in the war, if I may ask?"

'_Hmph, must be my appearance…well no matter, it'll be good for at least one person on this mission to respect me.'_

He cleared his throat before responding.

"As per my rank, I'm very adept at fighting, and no, doctor, you may _not_ ask where I was during the war," Kaji said.

Shutting down _that_ little line of questioning was his top priority with these people; he didn't want to say anything about himself unless he had to.

'_Let the small-minded people wonder and gossip. I'm not spilling my guts for them, unless the situation absolutely demands it.'_

Ignoring Ignai's shocked facial expression, he glanced across at Hufeh and Hagala. They had been noisily arguing, adding to Kaji's burgeoning headache, but had stopped at Ignai's question. Now, they were staring pointedly at him.

"What do you want?" Kaji asked, while crossing his arms over his chest and scowling. "Anything you would like to say to your superior before we disembark? Choose your response carefully – I'm not in a lenient mood."

The three others either muttered or nodded 'no' and returned to their own conversation. He glanced sidelong at Ignai, who looked as though he were getting increasingly uncomfortable, seemingly unable to sit still in his seat beside the younger man.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kaji noticed a series of repetitive movements from the scientist, as if he were making furtive glances from side to side. What did he find so damn interesting? Ignai looked as though he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, seemingly unable to sit still beside the younger man.

Great. No matter where he went or what he did, everyone stared at him, treating him like a monster. Would it never end?

He steeled himself, the knuckles on his left hand cracking as they curled into a fist. Polaris wouldn't be particularly lenient if he killed the scientist he was supposed to protect on the first day; the pole would be the best he could hope for. Yet still the blasted doctor kept twitching beside him, as if he couldn't take his eyes off the warrior for more than a second at a time.

Finally, Kaji spun to face him.

"What the hell is your problem, _doctor_!" Kaji yelled, spitting the last word out sarcastically, and still feeling a little vindictive after Ignai's last query.

The elderly scientist jumped at Kaji's words, and his pale eyes bulged.

"Wh-why, whatever prompted such an impertinent question?" Ignai asked. "I know you outrank us all, sir, but is it too much to ask for a meager measure of respect for an old man?"

Kaji paused, slightly confused. Maybe Ignai hadn't been staring at him after all. He started to respond with a dry, rehearsed apology, but stopped when he noticed Ignai's hands. His long, spidery fingers were tapping a rapid beat on the side of his cushioned seat, and his tail kept flexing from side to side. Not at the tip, which would suggest nervousness or anticipation, but halfway down, as if it was simply moving of its own accord like some kind of snake.

Kaji's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

The older man's drumming increased in frequency and force until the tapping became audible. His eyes, still wide, kept flicking back and forth as his breath became strained. Finally, he gripped his tail with his tapping hand, squeezing so hard that the knuckles turned white.

"I'm...sorry, sir. You'll have to bear with me. I have a...condition."

The younger man cocked his head in mock curiosity.

"A condition?" he asked. "You have a condition that makes you annoying? If you're mocking me, doctor, I swear –"

He was cut off by Ignai's surprisingly loud outburst.

"I am _not_ mocking you, and may the spirits strike me dead if I am!" he said, with a strained voice, and with his tail twisting back and forth with alarming speed. "I can't help it, and your confrontational attitude is only going to aggravate it! I truly cannot help it, sir, as much as I desperately want to! I can mask it for a little while, for appearances, as I have done for the past t-two d-days.…"

He stuttered and started to jerk his head from side to side in an alarming fashion. Kaji watched, his mouth slightly open with shock, as Ignai took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Well … as you can see, the more I contain it, the stronger it is when it comes back."

Kaji smirked slightly, as he now was genuinely curious.

"What is 'it'? This condition – does it affect your ability to work?" Kaji asked. "I'd like to know now if this mission is simply a waste of time."

Ignai took a deep breath and composed himself.

"I assure you it does not affect my ability to work," he said. "My condition is purely natural, not a malevolent spirit or something of the sort. Although there is no official scientific designation, my own tests indicate that it is a neurological misalignment of sorts that causes some degree of discomfort."

At Kaji's blank look, Ignai sighed and said, "Simply put, the more I repress my urges to twitch, the more difficult it becomes."

The whole head-jerking incident had attracted Hagala and Hufeh's attention, though Kataba was still sitting silently and nonplussed.

"It is _not_," continued Ignai pointedly, "a so-called mental illness or lack of sanity."

Despite the doctor's reassurance, Hagala was trying to distance himself from Ignai's still rapidly-twitching tail.

"_Nor_ is it contagious, so there is _no_ need for you all to act as though I have some sort of _plague_!" At the old man's angry tone, Hagala stammered an apology, but did not move back closer to the doctor. By now, Kaji was thoroughly convinced of the fecklessness of this "team", and wished more than ever that he had chosen to go to his death at PRAML.

'_Rejects from society, all of them, myself included_,' he thought bitterly.

The rest of the ride passed without incident, except when Hufeh saw fit to set off a small gunpowder bomb under his brother's seat after the other excused himself to the restroom in the adjacent car of the transport. Kaji glared at him reproachfully, but did not intervene. After all, as long as the pranks were not directed at him, they served as catharsis, and he inwardly chuckled when Hagala turned to punch his brother, revealing a hole burnt though the bottom of his uniform.

Kataba chastised them loudly for damaging the seats, while Ignai quietly laughed, his near-constant twitching and jerking momentarily abated. Hagala abandoned the ruined seat next to Ignai, squeezing in between Hufeh and Kataba on the bench opposite Kaji. A late midday meal was served aboard the train, with the usual wine to accompany the food, and everyone sat and ate in relative peace, chatting and carrying on as though they were on some pleasure trip, instead of being flung into the inhospitable wilderness. That fact, however, never escaped Kaji, and it dawned on him that, in addition to other hardships, there would be another, more disturbing deficit on this journey.

Absentmindedly twirling his wine in the glass, he remarked, "Ignai, how did you say we were going to get food, and more importantly, wine, on this expedition?"

The laughter died away around the table. For Arcosians, drinking wine was not a matter of imbibing now and then – it had a deep cultural significance, and wine was typically present at every meal, and for every occasion. How were they supposed to get it in the middle of the wilderness? Clearly, Kaji thought, this was a serious matter, and grounds for trouble from the start.

Ignai cleared his throat.

"Ah, Kaji, I see you've hit upon a dilemma that previous expeditions encountered," he said. "I myself remember the first few forays in this project, going into the wilderness to map terrain, and running out of our supply of wine from the supply drop in the first few days…oh it was miserable going, to be sure. Two-thirds of my original team abandoned the research and ran back to the capitol, eager for a drink. It was unbearable, just horrid, I can tell you from personal experience, it was like – "

Kaji, now almost grinding his teeth with worry and steadily rising annoyance, interjected, "Just tell us whether or not we'll have any wine! Or will we all be killing each other over the dregs in a few days?"

The taller man started visibly twitching his arms again, apparently in response to being startled by the scarred lieutenant's outburst.

"Well…as I was about to get to, before you interrupted my story, I was about to tell you all not to fear – I have hit upon a most genius solution."

The others leaned in expectantly – they were all heavily invested in this so-called solution. Ignai fidgeted in his seat, drumming his fingers again and opening his mouth to speak, before closing it again.

"Well?" Kaji asked tersely. "What is your solution?"

The older Arcosian, obviously frustrated, snapped, "Just give me a moment! It's worse, you know, when you pressure me like that!"

Ignai started jerking his head back and forth again. They all collectively sighed, except for Kataba, and gave the old man some space. In time, Ignai seemed to collect himself, and launched into explaining the solution.

"It's what's called a micropropogation system," Ignai said. "What that means is that, essentially, you introduce uncontrolled growth – a cancer of sorts – into the building blocks of the _koru_ fruit that wine is normally made from. That altered fruit then reproduces rapidly, provided that it is grafted properly onto a functioning root system. The whole thing is suspended in a relatively small, mobile unit that one of you can carry, and it's all self-contained. Aside from adding water periodically, along with nutrient packs for growth and sugar during the fermentation stage, it's like a perpetual supply of wine. That, my dear comrades, is how I invented this invaluable technology, so essential to preserving our social balance!"

He sounded rather proud of himself, Kaji thought, and if this invention of his worked the way he said it did, he had every right to think highly of his accomplishment. Kaji, being less interested in book study than in military history and practical training, had no understanding of most of the concepts that Ignai had just spouted off about – they were just words to him – but he respected anyone who could find solutions to important problems under pressure, as Ignai proved he had. Singlehandedly inventing a perpetual wine maker was one thing, but doing so after at least a fortnight _without_ wine in one's system…well, Kaji was beginning to respect this odd old man after all.

"So," Hufeh asked excitedly, "this wine is the good stuff, right? I mean, it's real wine, ain't it – not like that _nechepo_ trash? I don't get all this stuff about micropropa-whatever, all I care about is the quality!"

Ignai twitched and a slight blush came to the old Arcosian's lined face.

"Well…it's real in the sense that it's made from _koru_ fruit, and it is fermented the same way…but it's not quite anything I would serve to dinner guests of a higher rank than myself," Ignai said.

Hufeh groaned loudly, and sat down forcefully_, _causing Hagala to bounce a few inches into the air on the shared seat cushion.

Hagala sighed, "I knew it, I knew there had to be a catch…ah well, old man, 'if it's anything, it's better than nothing', as our father used to say…though he was a real connoisseur of _nechepo_, quantity-wise, if you catch my drift. I'm sure we'll all get used to it before long."

"Well, you'd better get used to it!" Kataba said. "The professor's genius is at least useful on this trip, whereas you two have yet to prove your worth. I'd like to see _you_ come up with some first-class wine in the middle of the jungle. Ungrateful…"

"Now now, Kataba, there is no need to defend me, my dear," Ignai said, with a gentle smile. "They can decide for themselves if they want to partake in my little concoction, when the time comes and they're properly dried out."

The brothers groaned in unison.

Another meal, countless drinks, and a few sporadic naps later, the five-person group was roused by an automated alarm on the electronic panel in the wall of their cabin.

"Attention," the mechanical voice intoned, "your destination is at the next scheduled stop. Please prepare to disembark, and do not forget any of your possessions. We hope that you have enjoyed your journey."

Hagala stood up and stretched, cracking his back noisily.

"Ahh, finally, we can get out of this tin can and get on with this wilderness guide business," he said.

Hufeh yawned cavernously, having just woken up.

"Are we there yet?" he asked.

Hagala eyed his rotund brother.

"Yeah, we're here, wherever 'here' is," he said. "I'm guessing it's the last stop on the circuit before this transport heads back to civilization, so get used to a whole lotta nothin' from here on out…and I don't want to hear you complaining, considering this is your fault."

Hufeh made a face and grumbled, but otherwise did not protest.

Compared to the brothers, and Kaji's unease at stepping out of the train and into the wild, Kataba was positively giddy with excitement.

"Oh, look professor!" she excitedly said. "I recognize this species from the lab samples! These are _Arsinth_ flowers, right?"

She stooped over a cluster of nondescript purple buds that Kaji had trouble distinguishing from the other flora around the transport platform.

"Yes, yes, very sharp-eyed you are, Kataba! Good job!" Ignai said, with pride in his voice. "We'll be making progress in no time!"

Kaji turned his attention on the dark woods that seemed to swallow the small clearing around the platform. He didn't much like the look of the gnarled, overgrown trees, from towering, thick wild _koru_ trees to spindly trees he couldn't identify, with a tangled mass of vines choking the whole lot. It looked foreboding, to say the least.

Ignai strode over to where he was standing, and started explaining the route they would take to reach where his last team guide had fallen ill, forcing them to return. Kaji only listened to the generalities; Ignai had a tendency to ramble and go off on tangents, and besides, there were still other things weighing on the younger man's mind.

He swatted absentmindedly at an insect investigating his arm, and wondered why the hell he was here.

'_Because you screwed up_,' an inner voice told him. '_Because you're an embarrassment and a liability. Because Polaris is ashamed of you_.'

He clenched his fists and bared his teeth at the dark, claustrophobic woods, as if to defy them. Ignai took note of the young fighter's face, twisted by scars and even more by anger, but wisely decided to hold his questions.

Kataba, Hagala, and Hufeh finished accounting for all their packs, and Hufeh was assigned the responsibility of carrying the portable micropropogation device, as punishment for the gunpowder bomb.

After they finished checking their supplies, Ignai declared them ready to set off.

Kaji ran his left hand, the one without scars crisscrossing it, along the hilt of his _faishin_.

'_Yes, I suppose it is time to go meet whatever fate has in store for me_,' he thought.

"Let's be off, then," Kaji said gruffly, unfastening his sword and slicing through a web of vines across the path.

The blade went through them easily, and the young Arcosian smiled with satisfaction at the blade, a smile that none of his companions saw.

'_I will cut through this obstacle, and any others. I will redeem myself in General Polaris' eyes.'_

With that thought setting the fire of determination in his soul, and the bruise blooming on his cheek as a painful reminder, he commanded the others to follow.

Thus, he began a journey that would be marked with many tribulations that would bring the five Arcosians together long before their unremarkable existence would be interrupted by a ship falling from the sky. That ship, so far in the future now, would spark a change whose ramifications would reverberate through the entire planet.

* * *

_On behalf of the Honor Trip team, I'd like to thank Roketto for writing what I consider an extremely enjoyable, well-thought work. _

_Kaji's chapter is a special sneak preview of more to come! Stay tuned for future installments of the Planet Arcos Mini-Series! Each installment is canon to Honor Trip, and in the future, all will be revealed as to why. _

_Up next: Chapter 52 of the main series! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor _

_Special Chapter One of the Planet Arcos Mini-Series: Completed Jan. 24, 2013_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	66. LII: Assessment

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Assessment**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

Gohan hadn't been this surprised since Cell's declaration of benevolence months ago.

They had been fierce enemies, striving with ardent might to kill each other, and now, the former antagonist of Earth wanted to strengthen their alliance through the bond of master and student.

Never had Gohan thought when training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber that he would one day work with Cell to defend the planet, and he certainly had never imagined that he would one day be asked by Cell himself to become his protégé.

He had never been compelled to consider the idea, and it had confronted him swiftly and forcefully, like a Kamehameha to the face.

Still, this was certainly not the first time that a former enemy had unexpectedly offered to tutor him for the purpose of protecting the planet from future aggression.

His first true teacher of the martial arts had been Piccolo, after all, who apparently, according to Cell, had approved of Gohan's potential tutelage. However, Gohan had trained with Piccolo out of mutual desperation, as they both were aware that they needed each other's help to survive against two upcoming enemies: Vegeta and Nappa.

Many years had passed and many battles had been fought since then, and now, Cell's offer was not one of desperation, but merely of reinforcement against a potentiality, as no known threat was looming.

It was true that Earth's peace could never be absolutely guaranteed, and Gohan had learned this all too well. Anything could happen, and to prepare for the unexpected was tactically superior to failing to prepare and being overwhelmed.

Gohan knew he could achieve greater strength, speed, and overall capability on his own, and he had begun further training on his own before Cell's return precisely because of this.

His thoughts were focused, however, on a particular statement Cell had said during their bout, that Gohan's training was not as efficient as it could have been.

Was it true that Gohan's training would be more efficient if he had frequent opportunities to spar with someone far stronger than himself?

As a result of his experiences, he knew that it of course was true.

Still, a question lingered, although Gohan wanted to hear Cell fully explain himself.

"Why me?" Gohan asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cell asked. "You're the strongest among everyone on this planet other than myself, and training with you would therefore be far more productive than training with any of the others, since you'll be able to train and spar against me at a higher level and with greater frequency. You'll progress faster than any of them would, and of course, you have far more potential than they do, not only from your hidden strength of rage, but because unlike the others, you're still a kid, although by no means with regard to intelligence. Gohan, if you're this strong now at your age, I could only begin to imagine how strong you might become if you keep on training, especially with me."

"And what if no enemy ever comes, Cell?" Gohan asked. "What if you spend years, maybe even decades training me, and I never encounter an enemy worthy of my strength again?"

"Training you still would have been worth it," Cell said. "Enabling you to achieve the highest capability you possibly can, not just of the mind, but of the physical form, can enable you to live a far more fulfilling life than if you were to merely forgo your studies of strength and focus on studies of peaceful, intellectual learning. Of course, both are important, but you can become stronger in each through becoming stronger in both, far more than you could if you focus on one alone. You would be my student alongside being a student of the teachers in the school you're planning to attend in West City. For the mind, school shall be your arena. For your physical power, as well as skills of the mind beyond the scope of what you'll learn in school, you can train with me."

"Well, I don't doubt the value of training both the mind and the body, that's for sure," Gohan said. "A stronger mind enhances one's ability to fight, and a stronger body provides the mind with far more endurance and energy. I could do this all on my own, but training with you would rapidly accelerate my progress."

"As would be so for my own," Cell said. "I don't intend to conceal from you, Gohan, that I personally would greatly benefit from training with you. Because of the strength you possess, and the fact that you, unlike the others, can fight me at least marginally, I can become far stronger through training with you than would be so with the others, and I certainly would become stronger through training with you, a Super Saiyan 2, than I would if I was merely practicing by myself and punching into nothingness."

"Eventually, I could overcome the strength of your punches once again," Gohan said.

"That's the spirit," Cell said. "Saiyan blood rushes through our veins, compelling us to ardently ascend our fighting prowess, and together, we can do this far more effectively than we could alone. Our human blood also compels us to achieve victory through overcoming adversity, and to strenuously work to achieve greater and greater power is to achieve victories over the barriers of previous maximums. And most importantly, regardless of our shared heritage, I genuinely think it would be fun to train you."

"You mean that?" Gohan said, with a smile.

"Fighting is inherently fun, but you and I, Gohan, have far more in common than you might realize," Cell said. "It is for this reason, as well, that I think this will be an excellent endeavor."

It was still somewhat hard for Gohan to fathom that he was about to shift from enemy to student, but the merits of what Cell and he could accomplish together, and the fun that could be had, encouraged Gohan significantly.

"Alright, Cell. This sounds like it could be cool," Gohan said. "I'm looking forward to learning with you."

"Excellent," Cell said, with a pleasant grin. "I am ineffably esteemed that you agreed. It shall be for the good of the universe, and for our own benefit, as well."

"So, when do we begin?" Gohan asked.

"We shall begin in a few days, after a few items have been resolved," Cell said. "But before we start working together, and before I formally become your master of martial arts, I will ask you one more time whether you truly do want to be my student."

"But I already said yes; do you really need to ask me again?" Gohan asked.

"You'll understand why," Cell said. "A key element will change, for the better, I believe, but it's important enough that I feel it would be only right to ask you again."

Gohan was entirely unsure of what Cell meant by those words, but before he could address their vagueness, Cell began to speak again.

"This has been, and shall be, a glorious day," Cell said, as he placed his right index and center fingers to his forehead. "Ponder all that has happened, Gohan, for I want you to be absolutely sure you want to train with me before we begin. I'll be seeing you at 11:45 AM at the Z-TV station, and I expect that you'll have much to talk about with your mother and father before then."

Without giving Gohan the opportunity to respond, Cell instant transmitted away from the forest, leaving Gohan with a feeling of eagerness, yet extreme uncertainty.

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, West City – law offices of Hardin, Darrell, and Associates; Sept. 23, Age 767, 10:15 AM _

The lawyer who had defended Cell during his trial had become prestigious in the months since the trial's conclusion.

Charles Hardin had been featured in new interviews, talk shows, magazines, and various other media that had sought to document the events of what had become the Earth's most famous criminal trial in recent memory. It had certainly been the trial of the strongest criminal among any who had ever faced trial in Earth's courts, and the notoriety of the entire event had been ineffably compounded by the judgment that Cell would face no imprisonment, and instead would merely need to perform reparations for damaged property and two years of community service.

Almost no one had expected that outcome at the start of the day, and many attributed a significant factor in the judgment to Hardin's successful work as Cell's criminal defense attorney.

Cell's sudden disappearance three months ago, and the resultant confusion and anger amongst Earth's populace, had also brought Hardin into prominence, as he had been frequently relied upon for commentary on the situation.

Gohan had met with Hardin privately to explain what had truly happened and to ask Hardin to present the true series of events without protest, and Hardin had agreed, continuing to defend Cell.

Through admiration and controversy, Hardin's prominence on Earth had ascended beyond that of all others who practiced law.

Upon looking up from his desk at the sudden appearance of a visitor, Hardin noticed that prominence had been met with prominence.

Cell had emerged from Instant Transmission within Hardin's main office, which Cell regarded as noticeably more ornate than it had been upon his first, and only other visit here months ago.

His emergence from Instant Transmission had caught Hardin by surprise, although as Cell's appearance was unmistakable, Hardin had not flinched in shock.

"Well now, to what do I owe this particular visit?" Hardin asked, as he casually leaned back in his chair and opened the top-right drawer of his desk, rummaging for two cigars.

"I wanted to again express my gratitude for your discretion in meeting with me two days ago; you informed me of much that remains of value," Cell said. "Also, with my worldwide address less than two hours from now, I thought I'd pay you a visit out of courtesy."

"You're lucky that I wasn't in the middle of meeting with someone," Hardin said.

"Ah, but I had already known that from my energy-sensing abilities," Cell said.

Hardin laughed, and upon finding two cigars of the exact brand he was looking for, he handed one to Cell, although Cell casually waved away the offer, which Hardin did not interpret as any disrespect.

"No? Well, I suppose you fighting-types want to be as physically fit as you can be, and that smoking seems dreadful for you," Hardin said, as he lit up his other cigar, then began to puff.

"Of course," Cell said. "Besides, smoking is entirely inadvisable."

"Yes, I know," Hardin said, as he took another puff. "I'll quit one day."

"The sooner, the better," Cell said.

"But enough about that," Hardin said, right after taking another puff. "You're going to tell them the truth of what happened to you, the same story that I've been spewing out to them, right? It wouldn't be good for either of us if our messaging was inconsistent."

"I plan to stick with the story you presented about the circumstances that led to my travel to the future," Cell said. "The story is true, after all."

"At first, we'd been running around wondering what the hell happened to you, when the global military lost track of you on its scanner," Hardin said.

"The little tracker that was implanted within me has long since been destroyed, but of course, you lost track of me not because of its destruction, but because I'd traveled to the future," Cell said.

"Like I said the other day, Seldon was beyond unpleased, although he eventually accepted the story that was told on your behalf," Hardin said, right after another puff.

"Hardin, did you make any sort of follow-up as to the question on the price of all this that I asked you two days ago?" Cell asked.

"Oh, on the total property value of what you destroyed?" Hardin asked.

"Yes," Cell said.

"Yeah, I had a few people work on it, and we got a rough estimate after speaking with some accounting folks and folks in-the-know," Hardin said, while standing up.

He took another puff of the cigar, then pointed it at him.

"Trillions," Hardin said. "You caused damage of about 8.65 trillion zeni."

"I'm surprised it wasn't a higher amount," Cell said. "With interest, I'm sure it is."

"I suppose so," Hardin said. "You're going to address that directly on-air?"

"Of course," Cell said. "It's only fair. Say, Hardin … do you … believe everything I've told the world about the Dragon Balls?"

Hardin paused for a moment, took a puff, then responded.

"How could I not?" Hardin asked. "No mortal being can bring back the dead, although, I don't suppose you qualify as a mortal like the rest of us. It would require something grandiose, something beyond my comprehension, anyway, to be able to do that. After all that's happened, and all that's been publicly said, I don't think there are many on this planet who don't believe in them. Besides, the existence of the Dragon Balls would explain something I saw a few years ago."

Cell became genuinely intrigued.

"What did you see?" Cell asked.

"Oh, it was back in Age 763, and there I was, minding my own business and walking home from work during the evening, when I looked up in the sky and saw a giant glowing dragon!"

"That would be Porunga," Cell said. "My friends called upon him years ago to wish a few of my other friends back to life."

"Ah, so that's what was up," Hardin said, as he sat back down. "Now I can rest easy knowing that I wasn't just part of a mass-hallucination event."

"Always a good thing to know," Cell said, while briefly stretching. "Well, Hardin, it was good talking with you, but now, I'm going to go mediate for a while before the big broadcast."

"I'm sure you'll knock em' dead," Hardin said, right before immediately realizing the inappropriateness of the expression, which Cell had also realized. "Um … what I meant to say was, good luck."

"Thanks again," Cell said, right before using Instant Transmission to enter hyperspace.

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, West City – the main Z-TV station, Sept. 23, Age 767, 11:45 AM_

Cell had been unsurprised by the fact that Gohan and Goku had arrived first, and upon emerging from Instant Transmission, he was unsurprised by Goku's hardy smile, acknowledging that he was quite pleased that Cell had talked with Gohan and that Gohan had said yes.

They had been in the lobby of the building, and instead of crashing through the floors, as he had done many months ago, Cell, to the relief of many personnel who remembered the fateful day of Cell's doomsday broadcast before the Cell Games, decided to accompany Gohan and Goku via an elevator.

Upon arriving at the KBC News studio within the building, Cell, Gohan, and Goku underwent about 10 minutes of preparatory work, giving the studio technicians the opportunity to adjust lighting levels and sound levels.

Cell was standing at a podium with many microphones, and he took the opportunity presented by the last few minutes before showtime to focus his thoughts, with Goku standing on his right, and Gohan on his left.

With 30 seconds before showtime, the main lights of the stage focused upon him, with the main camera coming into focus.

The news producer began to count down the seconds to airtime, and Cell inhaled slowly once, then exhaled.

"We're live in 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1!" the news producer said.

Cell's microphone suddenly activated, and the hour of Cell's televised appeal had arrived.

It was to be a message of peace, unlike the message of war he'd delivered months ago, and Cell knew that now, even more so than before, he would need to make each word count.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 52nd chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: Cell delivers the most important speech of his life, and crowds around the world listen in anticipation of his words.  
_

_AND, if you have not yet read the first chapter of the Planet Arcos Mini-Series, which was released directly before Chapter 52 and which is canonical to Honor Trip, by all means, go ahead and read it! Roketto wrote an awesome work, exploring a key element of the Dragon Ball universe to an awesome extent. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Two: Completed Jan. 24, 2013_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	67. LIII: Broadcast

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Three: Broadcast**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

People across the Earth, from cities of grandeur to outposts in the wastes, had been looking forward to the highly publicized event, intrigued by the announcement that Cell wanted to address the world's populace to discuss matters of importance.

Hundreds of millions of people were watching their screens, eager to know what the former belligerent wanted to say in the half hour of time he had requested.

Millions without access to televisions or other screens had tuned into ZTV's primary radio station to at least hear the announcement.

Microphones for various news services had been placed in front of him atop the podium, with ZTV's KBC News (King's Broadcasting Corporation) having the most prominent microphone in the center. Among the other microphones were those for NBS News (National Broadcasting Service), PNN (Penguin News Network), and FOZ News (Frequencies of Zones).

For those with screens, it was apparent based on Cell's stance at the podium that he was quite confident. His facial expression also was one of confidence, which was surprising for those who had thought he would look more solemn, and perturbing for those who still believed he was conspiring to eradicate the Earth and obliterate the universe.

While the tone of his voice was not nearly as arrogant as it had been before, his assertiveness remained.

"_I want all of you to know that it is an honor to again be here with you, on this planet, in this timeline," _Cell said, with the message transmitting throughout the world. "_For those who have neither seen nor heard me before, my name is Cell. Months ago, I threatened to destroy the Earth and kill its people, all to further a delusional dream. However, I have changed much since those horrific days, and I proved myself worthy of your trust when, on the day of my trial in West City, I saved the life of Bulma Brief, one of the best friends of a person whom I had been forced by my creator to hate, but whom I hate no more. Bulma did not die because I saved her from a band of reckless thugs, and she trusts my reformed sincerity, knowing that I am not the malicious murderer I had been and that I earnestly want to use my strength and other skills to enable all the people of Earth and others across the vastness of the cosmos to live with greater liberty and freedom. This is a perfect endeavor worthy of pursuing, and I am glad to now recognize the true desire of fighting for it. _

"_As I deeply respect the people of this planet and know that you have been wronged through the fact that I have not yet served any part of my judicial sentence of community service and other reparations in this timeline, I want to explain the cause of my unanticipated absence. My allies identified to you all on many occasions over the past few months that I was unexpectedly sent forward in time to one of the alternate timelines that was mentioned during my trial. This is entirely true. _

"_The warrior to my right and your left, Goku, was present in the moment of this timeline in which I shifted forward in time. It is my understanding that Goku over the past many months became an even more well-recognized defender of this world than he had been before, and that his son, Gohan, who is standing to my left and your right, has gained even greater public recognition than his father. Both are unequivocal heroes, and before this speech, I invited Goku and Gohan to interrupt me at any time if I make any erroneous statement, and they pledged to correct me if I make such a remark. Their silence as to my assertion of going to the future should satisfy your concerns as to whether that, in fact, occurred. _

"_Another warrior present during my trial, Trunks, was involuntarily sent forward in time with me. A malfunction involving his time machine caused both of us to travel forward in time while not being within the machine, and shortly after arriving, we landed on Earth, which in that timeline was overrun by two other creations of my disgraceful creator, Dr. Gero, who was killed by one of those creations in both this timeline and Trunks' own. His hatred of peace and violent acts against the innocent disgust me, and may he forever languish in the depths of Hell. _

"_In Trunks' timeline, we defeated my fellow creations, monsters who had plagued his version of Earth for almost all of his life up to that point. Some might find it shocking to learn that we traveled into the future, and not just to an alternate version of the current year. Trunks and I were in Age 786 when we finally defeated those two monsters, and after we achieved that goal, we liberated another planet, Harfava, from the oppressive grip of a rebel-turned-tyrant. It's my understanding that Goku and Gohan liberated that world in this timeline, and I shall now publicly congratulate them on that victory. _

"_After we liberated Harfava, Trunks and I returned to Earth for an encounter with an entity whom I had never expected to meet …."_

* * *

_Kame House, about 12:15 PM…_

It was true that the broadcast had begun at 12:00, although for Krillin, this meant in the afternoon, whereas in West City, the current time was 12:15 AM, as West City's time zone was exactly 12 hours ahead of the time zone that Kame House was within, which also was true for Goku's home on Mt. Paozu, located north of Kame House.

Krillin turned off the television and stretched, out of no disrespect for Cell, but because he had significant thoughts on his mind and wanted to concentrate on them.

Love can captivate a mind, and Krillin was still captivated with her, as he had been since she had kissed him many moons ago.

While the moon was apparent where she now was, in West City, the sun of early afternoon was shining above Kame House when Krillin stepped outside onto the sandy beach of Turtle Island.

She was so beautiful, and he had tried with all his might to become her boyfriend, loving her dearly, and doing his best to show it.

Eighteen, however, had not found his jokes to be funny, nor had she found spending time with him to be pleasant.

Their first – and only – date had been a complete disaster, in which Krillin had shown up late out of nervousness, accidentally tripped when he went to hold her left hand with his right, and took her to a movie that had bored her. The movie was a dark comedy involving architecture and refried beans, and about halfway through the film, she had demanded to skip to the next portion of their evening.

Instead of getting the hint, Krillin took her to a burger joint, and while Eighteen was learning to enjoy food again – she by no means needed to eat it and had only begun to do so again after Bulma had made some scrumptious-looking dishes that Eighteen then confirmed as such – she disliked the place and disliked the food.

A few minutes after they had walked out of the restaurant, with Eighteen keeping to herself although remaining with Krillin, he decided to spontaneously kiss her.

Eighteen flinched after smelling his breath, which was laden with fragrances of onions, pickles, and mustard from the burger Krillin had just consumed, none of which had been diminished through breath mints of any kind.

It was when Eighteen turned away from him without even attempting to return a kiss of any sort, followed swiftly by her rapid ascension into the air without saying goodnight, that Krillin truly understood how lousy of an evening she'd had.

Krillin had been left in solitude, and while his emotions could have manifested as rain, none came.

Now, with the sun above, the emotions and regrets remained.

He knew he could have done far better, and from Krillin's perspective, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He'd been with others, some of whom had also been quite hot and generally nice, such as Maron, and Krillin had done rather well on dates with many of them – far better than his date with Eighteen, to be sure.

But Eighteen was special … he didn't know how to truly put into words exactly what made her different from other girls, but he knew there was something of significance that emboldened the difference.

Yet he, in all his actions during that fateful evening, had not been emboldened.

He considered himself a nice guy, but his nervousness, largely caused by knowing how much more in love he was with Eighteen than he had been with any other girl, had caused him to make mistakes.

Usually, he was so confident in himself that he also overcame any anxieties he might have experienced because of his far-less-than-average height, and to the credit of all who have achieved greatness through overcoming the challenge of being below-average regarding a physical component, Krillin usually prevailed on his dates.

Yes, Krillin's height was usually not a factor for him at all, and in the arena of combat, he had become the strongest full-blooded human alive, and quite possibly ever, despite his height.

Tien … Yamcha … even Master Roshi was taller than he was, and yet he was not only stronger than all of them, but in general, more successful with the ladies.

However, Eighteen's reciprocation of feelings was still far from achieved. For Krillin, despite all past victories, a victory with Eighteen would have been the one that mattered most. It had become such that for him, the chance to be with her was all that truly mattered.

With Cell reformed, years of peace could at last begin. If his heart was not satisfied through the magic of her love, however, he could never truly be at peace.

He looked to sea, knowing that because of the meeting Cell had scheduled and that was to take place five hours from now, he would soon see her again.

Would he make this second chance count?

* * *

" … _and just when my counterpart had thought he'd won the war, Trunks blasted him from above, granting me the opportunity to devote all of my energy and more into my Kamehameha wave, which thoroughly vanquished my future self, eliminating his threat once and for all," _Cell continued to say.

" _After taking additional steps to ensure that my counterpart could no longer harm the people of Timeline IV, we used the Dragon Balls to wish back to life as many people as we could. It was unfortunate that because of the exact circumstances of what had happened, there were many whose lives we could not restore, although we honored their memory by enabling others who had died to once again live in peace. _

"_Broly was among those who were restored, and before I left Timeline IV, I entrusted protection of the timeline to him and Trunks. Each of their total strengths is far greater than my own, and it is a blessing that they fight for peace. They are Super Saiyans of high caliber, as is true of the Super Saiyans standing behind me. _

"_I acquired a way to return to Timeline III after consulting with Bulma's future self about how to build a time machine, and I returned four days ago. Incidentally, if anyone dares to do anything malicious to Bulma in an attempt to acquire knowledge of time travel, or any other advanced knowledge, for that matter, you can be assured that I will know about it, and that you will not succeed. _

"_My apologies for making a brief threat; it is merely a preemptive strike against those who would dare to use advanced knowledge to threaten the world further. _

" _As I was saying, after briefing my allies and acquainting myself with the knowledge of the major events that transpired in this timeline since my departure, I am now ready to fully offer my services to this timeline. _

"_Judge Seldon entrusted me with performing two years of community service and making reparations for the property I destroyed, and I have already made plans for accomplishing these goals. _

"_While I could use Shenron to automatically restore the Earth's buildings, his set of Dragon Balls will not be active for quite a while, and besides, it would be much more fitting to personally do the work of rebuilding all I destroyed without using any forms of enchantment. _

"_The details of my plan, including which regions I plan to ameliorate first, will help you prepare for my arrival. I apologize that you have gone many months without full repair of many of the structures that I damaged or destroyed, and for any structures for which reconstruction has begun but has not finished, I shall finish the reconstruction personally, which I can accomplish as per my advanced capabilities. As a form of paying with interest, I shall in fact expand upon that which had existed before I took any actions upon this planet so that overall structural condition of each world region will be far greater than it had been before. This will include taking actions in regions without property or other infrastructure that I had destroyed. _

"_My first action for this purpose shall be to significantly improve the agricultural and irrigable infrastructure for a desert village located at SAM 275508 S, the home of a noble warrior, Nam, who was a competitor in the 21__st__ and 22__nd__ world tournaments. _

"_After that, my next step shall be to – "_

Suddenly, in the midst of a hand motion, Cell inadvertently knocked the microphone for NBS News off its base, sending the rapidly soaring projectile into the studio wall in front of Cell. While for Cell the action had merely been the inadvertent flick of his left wrist, it had been with such force that the microphone didn't merely embed in the wall, but made a hole and soared out of the building entirely.

Before the projectile traveled any farther, Cell reached out with his right hand and concentrated on the projectile, using his mental energy to add negative momentum to counter its horizontal motion. After this was accomplished, Cell began to reel the stray microphone back into the studio, through the gaping hole in the wall.

While audiences at home attempted to determine exactly what had abruptly happened, with the planet's populace gauging Cell's shocked facial expression with an extremely wide range of reactions, Cell was thankful that he hadn't unintentionally killed anyone with the unwitting projectile and that he hadn't sent the microphone into any of the studio equipment, which not only could have caused an explosion but could have caused audiences at home to panic if the transmission was interrupted by a visualization or sound of fire.

Goku and Gohan, who had been apparent on camera the entire time so far, looked shocked as well. Gohan had been about to face palm when he'd realized that he didn't want to do so in front of hundreds of millions of people.

Cell caught the microphone with his left hand, then briefly analyzed its bottom-most part, which had broken off from the base.

After assessing the rest of the microphone, Cell determined it was beyond the point of reconnection and restorable functionality.

Cell looked at the remains of the microphone that were still fastened to the base, and he then placed the broken microphone atop the podium, carefully removed the remaining piece from the base, showed it to the camera, then placed it atop the podium.

Then, to help calm down members of the audience who had become restless, he smiled for the camera and used Magic Materialization, to create a new microphone, complete with the NBS News logo.

While the audiences who could see the feat marveled at it, Cell plugged in the new microphone, then continued.

The entire interruption had been merely 15 seconds in length, and Cell felt fortunate to now resume.

"_It appears I just demonstrated the duality of my existence, as I have both an extreme capacity to destroy, and an extreme capacity to create,"_ Cell said. _"For those of you listening on the radio or another medium through which you can't see me, I unintentionally broke a microphone, and I used one of my special abilities to create a new one and plugged it in. _

"_I promise that when I pursue my building spree, I will be extremely careful. If anything, this gave me the opportunity to show that I truly can create new things quite quickly. Now, with regard to where I'll be going after Nam's village …" _

* * *

_Orange Star City, Champion's Mansion, about 12:20 AM …_

He had been allowed to keep his mansion, but his pride had been shattered.

Hercule Satan was sitting in a reclining chair sighing to himself, while watching the televised coverage of all Cell wanted to say.

Over the months that had passed since the Cell Games, he had possessed many opportunities to think of all that had happened since he had challenged Cell in the ring.

He thought of the courage of fighting Cell, the shock of learning how outmatched he was, the further shock of seeing a kid overpower Cell while he could not, the continued lies he told the world on the day of the tournament and during Cell's trial, and the moment of his ultimate humiliation, when the same boy who truly overpowered Cell easily dominated in their exhibition match during the trial.

It was fortunate for him that the courts had decided to not hold him in contempt, as his lies could have resulted in penalties because of interference with the trial. Judge Seldon had anticipated that the reaction of the populace would be punishment enough, and his prediction had been reified.

The people of Earth had learned the truth, and whereas Mr. Satan could have preserved much of the public's respect for him had he told the truth and not misled the world for his personal gain, he had been ostracized by almost everyone, with the notable exception of conspiracy theorists who thought Cell, Gohan, and their allies were actively working to insidiously spread their influence and create conditions that would allow for an eventual acquisition of the entire planet.

Hercule in no way subscribed to such theories, as he truly did know the truth.

He had screwed up, and the thousands of letters of hate-mail he had received since the end of the trial had not been required for him to have understood this.

The sizable wealth he had already acquired in his previous exploits was still with him, as under West City's law, which was generally accepted around the planet, no one could seize money that he had rightfully earned. However, numerous deals and contracts that had been in the works long before Cell had publicly revealed himself on television 10 days before the Cell Games had been cancelled because of Hercule's arrogance and extreme unpopularity.

No one wanted to hire him, and he continued to train merely out of a need to keep himself busy, making himself all the more capable to fulfill job opportunities he knew would almost certainly never be offered to him after his mass deception.

His depression had briefly led to dangerous intoxication two weeks after the trial, although when his daughter caught him in the act, she ran away in tears, and the shock of the encounter had caused him to stop.

She had felt sorry for her father and had accepted his words that he had done all he did because he wanted her to live an even better life, but she had not forgiven him for his actions.

When Videl saw her father's level of intoxication, to the extent that bottles had littered the living room floor while she'd been outside their home for the day and such that he had entered a state of severe incoherence, rambling about Cell and Gohan with sentiments of loathing, she ran to her room and didn't speak with him for a week.

She began to speak with him to a limited extent in the following week, and only recently had returned to full speaking terms with her father.

She was in the chair next to her father's own, staying up late out of her own accord, and she was watching the screen in earnest.

* * *

" … _and I'll build an additional sanctuary there," _Cell continued to say.

"_I have further plans regarding the community service aspect that I owe this timeline, although since this is a far more open-ended realm of activity, I have not yet determined all that I shall do to accomplish it. However, I have two definite ideas in mind, one that I shall implement tomorrow, and one that I shall implement even past the required two years of service because of the importance of the goal. _

"_The long-term goal is to bolster the strength of the fighters of this planet to increase our overall ability to guard against future threats. Through improving their capabilities, I also hope to enable our strongest warriors to be all the more able to help liberate the people of other worlds from tyranny, so that we, the people of Earth, can help our brethren across the stars. I will reveal more information regarding this soon._

"_As for my plans for tomorrow, I intend to work on something of significant importance that can be of immediate medical benefit to the people of Earth. I also will keep you posted of my progress regarding this. _

"_Your patience shall be rewarded, and regardless of whether you trust me, I trust you. I am confident that for those among you whose trust I have not yet earned, it shall be earned in earnest. _

"_As a token of my symbolic unity with the people of Earth, I would like those of you watching this broadcast to observe the following, and for those of you listening to listen well." _

On Cell's cue, Goku powered up into his basic form of Super Saiyan, and Gohan powered up into his Super Saiyan 2 form, with their auras readily visible and audible.

"_Gohan and Goku are two of the Earth's strongest defenders, and their Super Saiyan transformations, marked by gold and with the vibrant sound of energy, greatly assist them in their endeavors to enable all of Earth to live in peace." _

Cell then powered up to his Super Perfect form, with his golden aura shining brightly.

"_My golden aura, based in the same heritage of fighting as Gohan and Goku, has now joined them in a symbolic reemphasis of our mutual goals to spread peace and emancipate the oppressed. You can hear the sound of my aura in resonance with theirs, and may our visions for a better Earth and a better universe become all the more implemented._

"_Thank you for your time, and may peace forever be with you." _

Cell, Gohan, and Goku then instant transmitted away from the studio, enabling audiences around the world to focus on their unity of action.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 53__rd__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_**AND THANK YOU FOR MORE THAN 800 REVIEWS! **_

_Up next: After watching Cell's broadcast to the world, Eighteen reflects upon events over the past few months and anticipates events to come!  
_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Three: Completed Jan. 31, 2013_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	68. LIV: Peroration

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Peroration**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, West City, Capsule Corporation, 12:30 a.m. … _

The three fighters had just transmitted away from the view of the camera, and on the main television screen in the Capsule Corporation compound's primary living room, the KBC News live feed shifted to a special edition of its midnight news program, which had been delayed by half an hour because of Cell's speech.

Bulma and Vegeta were sitting on the living room couch in front of the television, with the young Trunks of Timeline III sitting on Bulma's lap. While it was far past the time at which his mother usually expected him to begin sleep, she had allowed him to remain awake after he'd heard that "Pointy Head," as he'd come to call Cell, was going to be on television.

Throughout the speech, to Bulma's left, Eighteen had been lounging in a comfortable chair, while Sixteen had been standing to Vegeta's right. Although Cell had been displaced from Timeline III for many relative months, Bulma had not rescinded her offer to Eighteen and Sixteen for them to be able to live at Capsule Corporation until they secured a new home. Vegeta had in the first month protested their continued presence, but Bulma had insisted that they should be allowed to stay, especially since she had felt that they were not necessarily ready to live without financial assistance.

Unlike her counterpart from Timeline IV, Eighteen had made a commitment to live life relatively honestly, and had resolved as part of that commitment to never steal, despite her overwhelming ability to do so. She had begun to have feelings of reforming certain aggressive tendencies when she and her brother had many months ago experienced the misfortune of Cell's victimizations, and in her discussions with Cell after his trial but before his unintended departure to Timeline IV, she had been further inspired to pursue a nobler path.

She had severely regretted the fact that she had at one time found the thought of killing innocent people to have been rather amusing, and she continued to despise the fact that she had been an unwitting pawn in Cell's chaos before his reformation. Because of her regrets, she had decided to pursue her own method of repentance for what had happened, although she acknowledged that she, like Cell, had not had full control over her actions – although a greater extent of control than he'd had.

Her method of repentance had been to deprive herself of being able to achieve some of her desires easily, and instead purposely going through hardship to achieve them.

While she was capable of significant independence, and through the horrors of Dr. Gero's efforts no longer required food or water to survive because she was no longer fully human, Eighteen wanted to work hard to earn everything she received, in acknowledging that this is what she would have had to do had she not become a madman's experiment, and in symbolic repentance for the ease through which she had deprived some people of their possessions and the even greater ease through which she, as a part of Cell, had deprived many more people of their possessions and their lives.

As per her desire to work hard and not gain prosperity through ease, she had decided to find employment so she could earn enough money to eventually acquire a home for her and Sixteen in an honest manner.

When she had told Vegeta of her repentance plan months ago, Vegeta had laughed, while telling her to look around at the home she was currently in, one of the most lavish on the planet, saying it was certainly not a home in which she would live if she was truly being serious about wanting her path to prosperity to be difficult. However, she had decided that with regard to staying at Capsule Corporation, she would be able to significantly reduce expenses and allow her net savings to grow far quicker, which while more convenient for her, would still be far less convenient than if she merely stole a home. She also knew that more importantly, this would reduce the amount of time in which she would need to stay at Capsule Corporation, as while she sincerely appreciated that Bulma had continued to allow her and Sixteen to stay, she didn't want to overburden Bulma with her presence for more time than was necessary.

Vegeta had later said that since she was an android, she shouldn't need to live inside a home at all while looking for a new one, and that she should feel welcome to leave at any time. She had sarcastically responded by saying that Vegeta was charming, and that he had showed how much he truly cared about enabling a formerly victimized woman to not have to sleep in the rain. Vegeta then had said without sarcasm that she was correct on both accounts, which had infuriated Eighteen when Vegeta had taunted her months ago.

However, she had not expected that she would experience as much trouble finding employment as she had encountered.

Eighteen had wanted to work as an accountant, which Dr. Gero had unintentionally made quite possible because of the mathematical processing quickness he had enabled her to possess. However, she had not expected, upon her investigation of job opportunities in the field, that there would be so many arbitrary rules she would have to learn. More importantly, while Gero had advantaged her with mathematical quickness, he had significantly disadvantaged her in yet another way among the many she had already recognized.

As he had deleted almost the entirety of her memory from before she had been turned into an android, a dreadful predicament that Eighteen loathed almost every day with severe sorrow, she had no idea of her true basic identification information, even her real name, all of which was required around the world for securing respectable-paying employment.

Gero had robbed her of her identity in so many ways, and he had resultantly robbed her of an honest means of advancing herself with wages that were at least decent. Starting a business also was out of the question, as basic identification was needed for registry as a business owner.

Bulma had worked very hard to perform identification searches on Eighteen's behalf by trying to match a photo of Eighteen with photos in relevant databases across the planet, but she had failed to find any matches. She had also tirelessly looked for photos of anyone who might look like one of Eighteen's biological relatives, or anyone who might look like Seventeen, as the two truly were biological brother and sister.

She considered it funny, in a way, that while almost all of her past had been made inaccessible to her mind, Gero had let her keep the knowledge one of the most important aspects of her past, that Seventeen was indeed her real brother. Gero had in no way needed to preserve the memory, and although she remembered nothing else of her past experiences with Seventeen, the mere fact that he was her brother had resonated with her when Gero had said it himself.

The reason for Gero explicitly preserving this memory at the exclusion of almost all the others had eluded Eighteen for some time, although after considering the issue, she felt it was likely that Gero, knowing how powerful the androids were and as he was unsure of how human minds almost entirely erased and then repurposed for aggressive tendencies would operate, wanted Eighteen and Seventeen to fundamentally recognize a strong bond with each other so that they would not be consumed by their aggressive tendencies and try to destroy each other. He had wanted them to work together, and they had worked so well together that she had faithfully stood by while Seventeen had grabbed and destroyed their deactivation remote and then killed their torturer.

Oh, Seventeen. Cell had said that as a result of all he had learned about the Dragon Balls, he had been right to avoid bringing Seventeen back with the Dragon Balls of New Namek, but that he would be able to resurrect him with the Dragon Balls he intended to soon create in Timeline III.

She was looking forward to seeing Seventeen again soon, but she wondered if he would be nearly as willing to reform himself as she had been. She knew that Cell had supposedly wished long ago for there to be no possible deviation from not only his own objectively good tendencies, but Seventeen's, Sixteen's, and her own, but at the time, unlike Cell, she had still possessed many sentiments of potential malice, which had been exempted from the wish because the Dragon Balls could merely seal emotions and philosophic perspectives that existed at the time of the wish, and not shift emotions and perspectives from malevolence to benevolence, or vice versa.

If the Dragon Balls could have been used for that purpose, then many of the Earth's enemies could have been rendered harmless through the Dragon Balls. But as the Dragon Balls did not possess that power, and merely could seal benevolence or seal malevolence, Cell's reformed mind had been safeguarded, while the overall effect had not been nearly as significant on her and Seventeen.

As a result of this, much of her reformation truly had been out of her own free will, and she wondered if Seventeen, upon his return, would willingly reform as well.

She also wondered if he would choose to earn a living as she had. Indeed, despite the hardship in finding a high-paying job or even a respectable-paying one, she had found a low-paying job that had not required her to provide identification. She was the most capable loading dock worker that the West City Port Authority had ever seen, and if she had possessed proper identification, she easily could have been the foreman.

However, she had experienced two privileges of significance throughout the past few months, both of which involved exercise and training to become stronger.

While Bulma had informed her that the benefits of training would not be as significant as if she was fully biotic, Eighteen wanted to train anyway so that she could become as strong as possible. She never wanted to be victimized again, and even though she knew she could easily defeat all but six people on Earth, she, like Cell, had not wanted to take any chances.

It was perhaps when she had offered to spar with Vegeta that he had begun to view her as something more than a former enemy. Vegeta gladly accepted, as he had not yet had the chance to fight her again after their last battle, in which she had fractured his left arm with a powerful kick.

With his maximum strength now far greater than hers, he had wanted to show her that she should never have thought she could permanently have greater status than the Prince of all Saiyans. When he'd powered up to his Ascended Super Saiyan form, he was surprised when Eighteen had laughed, then said that she wouldn't fight him if he used his full power.

However, Eighteen then had said that she would fight him if he merely used his basic form of Super Saiyan. Vegeta had been reluctant at first, but when Bulma reminded him that training in a lower form could accelerate his overall abilities through providing him with a greater challenge to overcome, he accepted.

Since that glorious first sparring match two months ago, Eighteen had sparred with Vegeta many times, with their mutual goal to become stronger profuse in their actions. With each battle, their enjoyment of fighting each other grew, and eventually, their taunts to each other became those reflective of camaraderie.

Bulma had watched many of their matches, and she'd noticed that while in their first match they had mostly scowled at each other while in the midst of combat, by the time of their most recent match, grins of enthusiasm often were apparent.

To supplement her sparring matches with Vegeta, and especially because she had wanted to have at least some time outside the Capsule Corporation compound grounds that didn't involve working, she had enrolled in a local gym. However, she knew quite well that she hadn't done this merely because she wanted to get stronger, but because of other desires as well.

She had been on merely one date since the Cell Games, and for all she knew, it had been the only date she had ever had. It was unfortunate, then, that it had been less than enjoyable.

However, perhaps a week ago, she had been running on a treadmill when he had then occupied the treadmill to her right.

He was significantly muscular, with olive skin and a picturesque face, and his height was greater than hers. His brown eyes were slightly lighter than the brown of his eyebrows, and the majority of his hair was spiked and dyed blond, with the hair on each side of his head above his ears still its natural brown color.

She noticed the grace with which he ran, and in the midst of looking in his direction, his eyes met her own, while both continued to run forward.

He smiled, then turned to look ahead again, while Eighteen looked in his direction a moment longer, then faced ahead as well.

She was in the middle of reminiscing when Vegeta suddenly decided to change the television channel, which caught her attention.

Vegeta had seen enough of KBC News' coverage of Cell's speech, and he wanted to hear analysis from what had become one of his favorite television programs, "The Reactor," on FOZ News, hosted by Rilloh Bai-Lee.

"…_doesn't matter what he does, none of us should believe him!" _said Tina Dout, chairperson of Unbound Truth, and a commentator who had publicized her opinion over the past few months that the Z-Fighters were conspiring with Cell for some hidden purpose.

Vegeta thought the premise was highly amusing, and while Bulma thought Dout to be unjustifiably aggressive, Vegeta largely enjoyed her ramblings because of this.

"_You'll see, all of you will!" _Dout said._ "Cell is going to install recording devices in all the structures he repairs, and when the Z-Fighters come knocking on your door threatening to expose your secrets, or when you discover that they've covertly stolen your valuables because they overheard you say where you keep them, you'll be sorry!" _

Bai-Lee was less than amused by her remarks, but to maintain objectivity, he merely asked another commentator, an avowed supporter of Cell, for his opinion.

"_So Tony, do you think Cell is really going to do all of that?"_ Bai-Lee asked Tony Medose, president of Citizens for Cell, a group that had been formed of people who adamantly believed that Cell truly was trying to repent for his past deeds and that his relative months of absence really had been inadvertent.

"_Tina needs to relax,"_ Medose said. _"If Cell wanted to take over the world, he could have easily done so by now. He doesn't need some insidious, behind-the-scenes plot to achieve it. This is a guy who can destroy a city by sticking his hand out and blasting it. We've seen this on television before. And yet, he hasn't done any of that. Cell's going to prove his worth to the world, and I'm eager to see what he does."_

"_Thanks to the both of you for appearing on the program; before we go to our commercial break, we've got a Reactor Daily Word for you,"_ Bai-Lee said. _"The word is peroration, a concluding part of a speech intended to inspire an audience with enthusiasm. There are some who might say that Cell's speech had a peroration in there. We'll be right back after these messages."_

Vegeta then turned off the television and leaned back in the couch.

"It looks like Cell's going to have his hands full with those nut jobs," Vegeta said, referring to Dout and all who still felt that Cell's actions were part of a broader conspiracy.

"They'll start to calm down when they see that Cell isn't going to do the terrible things they think he will," Bulma said.

"Bulma, you should never underestimate how stubborn people can be," Vegeta said.

"Look who's talking," Eighteen said with a grin.

"Did I mention that you owe about three months' worth of rent?" Vegeta asked, with a grin.

"No Vegeta, you never have," Eighteen said. "Tell me again."

At that moment, the young Trunks yawned, then Bulma stood up from the couch.

"It looks like you need some sleep, don't you kid?" Bulma asked while rocking him calmly back and forth. "In fact, your dad and Auntie Eighteen need some rest if they're going to meet Pointy Head and the others in a few hours; isn't that right?"

Vegeta shrugged.

"If Cell plans to give another one of those speeches, then I'm going to need all the rest I can get," Vegeta said as he hopped off the couch and started heading for the sleeping quarters.

"There's no harm in getting a few good hours in," Eighteen said, as she looked toward Sixteen. "So, what are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I'm going to keep on looking bad-ass," Sixteen said, as he leaned against the nearest wall, while folding his arms confidently.

Eighteen knew that her honorary brother didn't truly need to sleep, and she was impressed with his lightheartedness about that. In fact, Sixteen had in general become more and more expressive over the months, showing progressively greater signs of individualism than he had before. Whereas Gero had robbed her of much of her identity, he had enabled Sixteen to have a chance to experience the world.

After walking through the hallway to her room, she opened the door and readied herself for rest, then lied down.

Now, months after waking up from sleep that proceeded Cell's departure, she was about to go to sleep in preparation for an unknown element of Cell's return.

What exactly had Cell called this meeting for?

She and the others knew it was to begin in about four hours, and in the midst of pondering Cell's intentions, she thought of something else.

Or rather, she thought of someone.

"Good night, Nyka," she said, right before entering the realm of sleep.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 54__th__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: __The Z-Fighters gather for Cell's meeting, … and why is Cell entering a fighting stance against them? Stay tuned!_

_I decided to add this extra chapter in between Cell's broadcast and the upcoming meeting of all the Z-Fighters so that this chapter focusing on Eighteen could explore various elements of significance, and I hope y'all enjoyed it! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Four: Completed Feb. 7, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	69. LV: Banding

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Five: Banding**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Author's special comment on the idea expressed by many reviewers that with regard to Chapter 54 (the preceding chapter), there were hints that Eighteen and Vegeta had fallen in love: **

It's somewhat ironic that my first official opportunity to respond to these perceptions publicly was such that this chapter was released on Valentine's Day 2013, and with that said, when I read that many of you thought I was suggesting that Eighteen and Vegeta had developed feelings for each other, I was not only surprised, but laughed hysterically.

I had thought based on the way the chapter was worded that readers would reasonably deduce that I was suggesting that Eighteen and Vegeta had merely become allies, if not friends! Based on Eighteen's last line of the chapter, and in connection with Eighteen's statement that she met someone at the gym, I thought folks would recognized that Eighteen had indeed fallen in love with someone other than Krillin, but never did I imagine that folks would interpret the smiles and jokes between Eighteen and Vegeta in the chapter to mean that they fell in love with each other!

After the initial release of the chapter, and after reading your comments regarding what would have been among the most bizarre of crack pairings, I updated the chapter to clarify Eighteen's recollections of her experiences at the gym, more clearly showing that the person she met at the gym was not Vegeta.

Because of how hysterical I still find this interpretation of Chapter 54 to have been, I'm going to briefly make reference to it in the content of this chapter, which begins … now!

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, southeast of Central City, 45 minutes until Cell's meeting is to begin … _

He was standing upon a swath of dirt that was rather unremarkable, except for the symbolic significance for which it had been chosen as the location of his upcoming meeting with the warriors who had become his allies against evil.

Cell had constructed the Cell Games arena to the northwest of Central City, and in acknowledgement of his psychological evolution since those dark days, this spot was not only to the southeast of the city, but rather diametric in position, such that it was the same distance from the physical center of Central City as the Cell Games ring had been.

Although he was thoroughly satisfied with his performance on live television for millions, he knew that this upcoming meeting would be far more important with regard to not only the Earth's and the universe's long-term interests, but his own.

His power level was in no way concealed, as he had told the warriors days ago, when they had met to merely review all that had happened in Timeline IV, that his power level would be readily apparent so that they could find his exact location. He wondered if any of the Z-Fighters would recognize the symbolic significance of the location upon arrival, but he knew that their potential recognition of the selection would be rather unimportant.

However, it would be far more important for the Z-Fighters to recognize other facts that he wanted them to be completely aware of before they made any of the decisions he wanted them to make. He had wanted Gohan to personally experience the truth of their current circumstances to empower Gohan to make a choice as much in his self-interest as possible through having far more relevant information and experience than he otherwise would have had, and soon, he was looking forward to enabling all who were expected to attend the opportunity to gain related knowledge and experience of relevance.

He could sense them approaching from various directions, and with the passing moments of their increasing closeness, he became all the more eager to reveal the entirety of his grand plan.

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, in route to Cell's location, 40 minutes until the meeting is to begin … _

They had been present during Cell's trial, but had not personally seen him since that day.

As for the meeting that had been held at Capsule Corporation a few days ago, Tien and Chiaotzu had been absent, which had prompted Cell to instant transmit to them later to inform them of today's meeting. Cell had given a brief explanation to them of all that had happened, but he did not indulge them with as extensive details, as he had learned that their decision to miss the Capsule Corporation meeting had been voluntary.

Still, because Cell had emphasized that the upcoming meeting's far greater importance than the previous one, Tien and Chiaotzu had decided they would attend.

With the air rushing past them, reminding them of their rushes toward uncertainty in years past, Chiaotzu swerved to his left so that he could more effectively speak with Tien. It was true, especially for Chiaotzu, that psychic communication could be used, although Chiaotzu had come to prefer traditional communication.

"I'm having second thoughts about not listening to Cell's speech," Chiaotzu said, while Tien's two main eyes and enlightened eye continued to look forward. "We might have missed something important."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Tien said. "He couldn't have revealed all the most important stuff, otherwise we wouldn't be having this meeting with him right now."

"Still, this whole thing makes me uneasy," Chiaotzu said.

"That reminds me, what did you put in those rice patties?" Tien asked, remembering well that yesterday evening's meal hadn't been among the most serene, as per the consequences of ingesting food that causes unforeseen gastrointestinal disagreeableness.

"I used some of the yellow plants; that's all," Chiaotzu said. "Usually, I use the white ones."

"Ah, so that's what happened," Tien said. "If that happens again, we're going to start ordering take-out."

"Our budget is tight as it is," Chiaotzu said. "Maybe we should perform odd jobs more often."

"Chiaotzu, if you became a cook, we'd be making some mad cash," Tien said.

"And what would you do?" Chiaotzu asked.

"Well, that's just the thing. While both of us were trained to beat the tar out of people, and while both of us have long been outclassed, yet still proud of what we can do, you have a marketable skill, while I don't."

"Tien, knowledge of the martial arts is still a marketable skill!" Chiaotzu said. "Even though we're nowhere near as strong as many of the other guys, we're still stronger than just about everyone else on the planet! You could make some cash training people, maybe even opening up a school! And hey, if you did, that would be another way of getting back at Master Shen for being a downright no-good fool!"

"My own school, huh?" Tien asked, in contemplating the implications. "If Gohan ever opened one up, I'd be out of business for sure."

"Well, … yeah, but he probably won't for at least another few years, if ever, as he's going to be having a whole lot of other stuff to do now that everybody knows his name," Chiaotzu said. "Besides, while he deserves many cheers of success, he might not necessarily be as good of a choice of a teacher as you."

"What makes you say that?" Tien asked.

"You have a certain knack for authority that Gohan doesn't yet possess, despite his popularity," Chiaotzu said. "Besides, you've been in this game far longer than he has, and just because he's stronger than you doesn't mean you haven't mastered many of the finer points of martial arts that he has yet to learn."

Tien considered his friend's words, then smiled.

"Thanks, man," Tien said. "And actually, speaking of Gohan, I still don't know what to think about sensing Gohan and Cell at their maximums earlier today."

"Like I said earlier, it seemed like they were fighting hardcore," Chiaotzu said.

"I was just about to head over there, but then I sensed Gohan's energy begin to steadily increase, as if he was recovering from the fight," Tien said. "I guess healing is another one of the tricks Cell's picked up as a result of all that happened in the future."

"I wonder if the form of healing he's using is anything like what I've been developing," Chiaotzu said.

"Good question," Tien said, as they continued to approach the meeting location.

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, at Cell's location, 30 minutes until the meeting is to begin … _

Cell had sensed their approach and had wondered why neither had decided to use Instant Transmission, although he was rather unsurprised that they were the first to land.

"It feels like I just saw the two of you," Cell said.

"Well, you did!" Goku said. "The others should be here soon."

"Dad's been refusing to tell me why we're having this meeting," Gohan said. "What exactly is going on, Cell?"

"Nothing to worry about," Cell said. "Come on Gohan, when have I ever done anything to make you worried?"

While Goku appeared to be restraining a laugh, Gohan was rather unamused.

"Here he is, the guy who just addressed millions of people around the world, taking advantage of the fact he's finally off camera so he can joke around," Gohan said. "I wonder what the folks around the world would have done if you'd been sarcastic with them."

"A few would have been mildly amused, but the majority would have found it to be disrespectful," Cell said. "With you, however, I can joke around all I want, since you're one of the few people whose ass I can kick without outright killing them."

"Charming," Gohan said.

"Aren't you glad you said you'd be my student?" Cell asked, with a grin.

"As long as you're not teaching me how to joke around, we're going to get along just fine," Gohan said.

"Hear that, Cell? Now, you and King Kai have something in common!" Goku said.

"I had to tell his counterpart in Timeline IV a joke in the middle of a tense situation," Cell said. "It's amazing the way that guy operates."

"Well, would you believe it if I told you that he was completely unaware of your existence until I went to his planet to ask him where New Namek was, and that he was napping when I got there?" Goku asked.

"Really?" Cell asked, with genuine surprise.

"Yeah!" Goku said. "Although, … I guess it's only reasonable that even gods can't look everywhere at the same time and need their rest."

"Speaking of which, well, … sort of, … I've been meaning to ask you, Cell, when you're planning on creating Temnizziv in this timeline," Gohan said. "I mean, you are going to do that, right?"

"Congratulations, Gohan; you've figured out part of the purpose of our upcoming meeting," Cell said, right as Piccolo came into view.

The three warriors watched as the Namek landed, then greeted him as he walked toward them.

"As I expected, you're early as well," Cell said.

"Goku and I know how important this is going to be, and so I wanted to get here with some time to spare," Piccolo said. "So, kid, you've agreed to be Cell's student, right?"

"Your hearing is that good, ain't it?" Gohan asked.

"Yep," Piccolo said. "Just remember, Gohan, that whatever Cell teaches you, you're going to be able to learn it all the better because of the foundational knowledge you gained through training with me."

"Hey, don't forget about yours truly!" Goku said. "You might have been his first true martial arts teacher, Piccolo, but I taught him a thing or two before I died! Then I spent three years and a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber training this guy!"

Goku said the last part while giving his son a bit of a noogie, which Gohan merely tolerated, and which Cell found to be rather amusing.

For Cell, there was something simply enjoyable about the strongest fighter in this timeline other than himself being able to experience a good-natured moment of humor like that with his father.

Piccolo was indifferent to it, and he spoke up with a question.

"So, why did you guys fly here when you could have gotten here the quick way?" he asked. "I was surprised to sense you guys approaching as you were."

"If I instant transmit everywhere, I'm going to start to feel lazy," Goku said, while releasing Gohan from the noogie, which Gohan could have followed-up with a noogie right back at his father, but which he declined to do.

"Yeah, and if we're not in a rush, it's simply more fun to fly," Gohan said. "However, Instant Transmission is of course more awesome."

"I wouldn't mind learning how to use that technique myself," Piccolo said. "It's a shame, Goku, that I didn't ask you to teach it to me when we had the chance before the androids showed up."

"We were busy just getting stronger, Piccolo, although yeah, in retrospect, it would have been a good idea," Goku said.

"Speaking of past decisions, … Cell, I wanted to ask you, as I've been thinking about it for a few hours, whether you purposely didn't reveal anything about Temnizziv to everybody listening earlier today," Gohan said. "You had a few opportunities to mention something about him, and yet you didn't."

"Very perceptive," Cell said. "Yes, I figured that even though we'd already told everyone a lot about the Dragon Balls during my trial, keeping at least some things regarding the Dragon Balls secret is a generally proper security precaution."

"After all, we wouldn't want Emperor Pilaf to steal them, now would we?" Goku asked, with a chuckle.

"My dad would have tried to acquire Temnizziv if he could, but fortunately, he can't," Piccolo said.

"My counterpart from the future probably doesn't know anything about the fact that I can create Dragon Balls, and because of this, he likely doesn't know anything about Temnizziv," Cell said. "He wanted power over the Dragon Balls so badly; … now, he's stuck in Hell, hanging out with Frieza and friends."

"Sounds like a party," Gohan said.

"I'd rather listen to Krillin sing than go to that party," Cell said.

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, in route to Cell's location, 20 minutes until the meeting is to begin … _

Although she did not yet possess the ability to sense energy signatures, her two traveling companions were more than capable of doing so.

Eighteen was flying directly to Sixteen's left, and Vegeta was flying a few meters in front of them.

Before he had left the building, Vegeta had treated himself to some bacon, and as per his Saiyan appetite, he was in the midst of craving for more.

Eighteen had performed a few stretches to some soothing meditative music that Bulma had shown her, and when she had opened the door to her room, she'd been able to hear the loud music coming from Sixteen's room. Something about heavy metal music had attracted Sixteen's attention over the past few months, and of all the style's elements, Sixteen had especially come to appreciate many of the subtleties.

Eighteen asked Sixteen his estimation of how much longer it would take to reach their destination, and he responded with an approximation of four minutes.

Eighteen then sped up slightly so that she came to be in line with Vegeta to his left, while Sixteen did likewise and aligned with his right. Vegeta didn't appear especially pleased that they had decided to do so, as he considered the maneuver disrespectful of his superior status.

"So Vegeta, any last thoughts about what this is all about?" Eighteen asked, while Vegeta continued to look forward.

"He's gathering us all in the middle of a barren wasteland; it should be rather obvious what he's intending to do," Vegeta said, while remaining steadfast in his focus.

"Do you really think Cell intends to fight us?" Sixteen asked. "What purpose would it serve?"

"Who cares? I just want to get it over with," Vegeta said. "But it's undeniable that if he is intending to fight us, this wouldn't be his first fight today. You might not have sensed it, Eighteen, but the metalhead and I sensed it clearly. Cell and Gohan were fighting earlier today."

"They were?" Eighteen asked.

"At full power," Sixteen said.

"Damn, I've got to learn how to actually sense energy so that I don't miss out on stuff like this," Eighteen said. "And come to think of it, as you both know I can't, the least either of you could have done would have been to let me know."

"If a fighter as strong as you can't do something as basic as that, then having someone have to tell you would only be even more shameful," Vegeta said.

"Well then, I guess a certain someone will be training me how to do it before the next time we spar; isn't that right?" she asked.

"Whatever, as long as we get to fight," Vegeta said.

"Thanks," Eighteen said, with a smile. "You know, Vegeta, ever since we decided to become allies, I've actually come to tolerate your stubbornness."

"Ally? You're nothing more than a glorified punching bag!" Vegeta said, with a grin.

"Coming from you, that almost proves we're allies," Eighteen said. "If we weren't, you would have threatened my life, or something."

"You're learning," Vegeta said, with a continued grin.

"Pretty soon, Vegeta, we might actually be able to call each other friends," Eighteen said.

"I could think of far more enjoyable things, like punching Kakarot in the gut repeatedly," Vegeta said.

"But don't think it would ever go further than friendship, Vegeta," Eighteen said, purposely grinning and messing with Vegeta while visibly twirling her hair. "After all, only one dashing man will be the one for me. In fact, I might have even met him the other day. Besides the fact that Bulma's my friend, I would never go for you, anyway. You're far too authoritative."

"And proud of it," Vegeta said.

"However, because of my gorgeous looks, you'll be at least a little jealous subconsciously of whomever I end up with," Eighteen said, knowing that she wanted to carry on the joke a bit further.

"In your dreams," Vegeta said, with a grin. "No one I've ever met can compare to Bulma, certainly not you. In fact, you wouldn't even make my top 100 list of gorgeous women I've seen across the galaxy!"

"Yeah right," Eighteen said. "Face it Vegeta, I'm at least in your top 10."

"As I judge women in part by what I think it would be like to kiss them, … I guess I could move you up into the top 50," Vegeta said.

Suddenly, Sixteen made a gagging sound, causing Eighteen and Vegeta to look in his direction.

"What's the matter with you?" Vegeta asked.

"The thought of the two of you kissing; that's the matter," Sixteen said. "If I was fully biological, I would have thrown up out of disgust."

"The thought of Vegeta and me kissing makes me want to throw up far more than it does for you, Sixteen, and since I'm at least halfway biological, you have no idea how hard it is for me to hold it back," Eighteen said.

"And since I'm fully biological and am not squeamish over matters as ridiculous as these, let's all stop talking about this nonsense and just … oh wait, we're here already," Vegeta said, noticing the rather close proximity of the others below.

* * *

In the interim between Piccolo's arrival and the arrival of their group, Yamcha and Krillin had also arrived.

The latter of the two was looking up above, captivated by her beauty and feeling the deepest of desire.

She landed next to Vegeta swiftly, then, right when Krillin wanted to talk with her, she passed him completely and began to have a conversation with Cell.

He didn't know what to say to that, and so he said nothing, although Gohan and Cell had noticed exactly what had happened, with each of them taking note of the occurrence for future reference.

After a few more minutes passed, Tien and Chiaotzu landed, completing the group of fighters whom Cell had expected to arrive.

As Tien and Chiaotzu's arrival had occurred 10 minutes before the designated start time, he let the fighters mingle a bit before calling their attention to the meeting's beginning.

"I want to thank all of you for arriving promptly, and now that we're all here, we can officially commence with the festivities," Cell said. "You all know that I shared my experiences of what had happened in Timeline IV with those who attended our evening meeting a few days ago at Capsule Corporation, and I want to again thank those who attended for informing me of what had happened in this timeline while I was away. That information proved to be extremely valuable in determining what to say to the world a few hours ago. However, most of you are unaware that I had yet another meeting with Goku, Piccolo, and Chi-Chi a little bit after that, in which I shared with them a plan I've developed and that I think will be of benefit to all our efforts. The fact we're having a meeting today is part of the plan we developed when the four of us met together."

As he let all those who had been unaware of the additional meeting think of the implications of what he'd said, he quickly sent a psychic message to Gohan.

'_I'm purposely avoiding telling them anything about you agreeing to be my student,' _Cell psychically said._ 'There is a reason for this; please trust me.' _

"What's the reason for all this secrecy, Cell?" Yamcha asked. "And why did you feel the need to keep your meeting with Goku, Piccolo, and Chi-Chi hidden from us until now?"

"It wasn't entirely 'hidden,' Yamcha; you could have sensed our gathered presence at any time and inquired as to what was occurring," Cell said. "And I had my reasons for meeting with them privately. I wanted to consult with Goku because he is the de facto leader of the defenders of this planet."

Cell could have sworn he heard Vegeta cough in the background, but he nevertheless continued speaking as if he hadn't noticed it.

"Chi-Chi needed to know about my plan because Gohan is a crucial part of it," Cell said. "I won't say right now exactly what role I'd like Gohan to have, and please respect that there is a reason for this. However, Gohan is more than well aware of what I'd like him to do."

"That's correct," Gohan said.

"As for Piccolo, I decided to tell him because he's green, like me," Cell said.

"Woah, really?" Yamcha asked. "That's racist!"

"How is that racist?" Cell asked. "I am a member of all of your races!"

"Well, it's discriminatory, to say the least," Yamcha said.

"You really need to learn to tell when someone's being sarcastic, Yamcha," Cell said. "I mean, your overall contribution to this team is crucially important, after all."

"Oh, … well then, thanks," Yamcha said.

Cell merely grinned, then continued.

"I really told Piccolo in advance of what I'm planning for today out of the fact that a crucial component of this plan is directly related to his past efforts," Cell said. "Now, with that out of the way, we can now pursue our efforts for today. There are a series of crucial questions I want to ask you all, and the policies we decide to implement in response to the answers to these questions will fundamentally affect the future of this planet. To enable you to answer these questions as best as possible, we need to first accomplish something that will enable you to have a far better perspective than you otherwise would have with regard to a core relevant issue related to these questions. By having a clearer perspective, you will be able to answer these questions in a way that will be far more reflective of informed opinions, and hence more reflective of your true interests and desires, than otherwise would be the case."

Cell then entered a fighting stance, to the surprise of Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Sixteen. Eighteen avoided surprise merely because Vegeta had suggested that this would happen, although Sixteen hadn't understood the implications of Vegeta's earlier words.

"What's the matter? For all of you who didn't predict that I'd ask you all here to fight me, you all must learn to be more prepared for the unexpected, and to also deduce likelihoods," Cell said. "But don't worry; I'm not going to fight back, and I'm not going to power up, and instead will remain at my minimum power level. However, I want you all to fight me at your maximum strengths. I want to see if you can work together to knock me out within 15 standard minutes."

All of these conditions greatly surprised Gohan. Cell had already proven that at his maximum power level, he was more than capable of defeating the Earth's second-strongest defender at his own maximum power level. As he had already done this, then –

"What is the point of all this!" Vegeta asked aloud, verbally completing Gohan's thought. "This situation would never occur in actual combat! What exactly are you trying to prove, Cell?"

"I acknowledge that this situation would never actually occur, but trust me, Vegeta, there is a purpose behind the specific nature of this challenge. I want you to all know whether, when fighting together at your best, you can defeat me when I'm not even fighting back. This isn't just about indulging my curiosity. The outcome of this challenge will greatly assist your answers to the series of questions I will ask, including some related to an element of my plan that Goku and Piccolo both know I would not reveal to anyone until after this challenge is complete. After the completion of this challenge and learning more about my plan, you shall appreciate the fact this challenge was conducted, and value that I gave you this opportunity instead of merely pursuing my plan without consulting any of you. Now, power up to your maximums. I'm eager to see the combined strength of Timeline III!"

Without further hesitation, Gohan transformed directly to Super Saiyan 2, while his father transformed into his Full-Power Super Saiyan state and Vegeta transformed into an Ascended Super Saiyan. Each fighter was powering up as much as possible, and after five minutes, Cell made an additional announcement.

"Feel free to use any energy attacks if you so choose; I'm confident none of them will kill me," Cell said.

"Don't get too confident," Vegeta said, as his power level continued to accentuate.

Out of all the fighters in his presence, Vegeta had perhaps increased his power level the most since the Cell Games, causing Cell to be especially impressed with efforts, despite his statement in response.

"Your words are highly hypocritical, Vegeta," Cell said, causing Vegeta's rate of power level increase to quicken.

After a few more minutes, Gohan decided that enough time had been allowed for power level accentuation.

"Are we ready?" Gohan asked, then looked on either side of him, observing the nods of approval and other methods of assent.

"Let this special edition of the Cell Games begin!" Cell yelled, as he deepened his fighting stance.

Gohan charged forward, followed swiftly by his allies, all of whom were ready to overcome this test.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 55__th__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: __It's a battle of wits between Cell … and just about everyone else! Will the united allies prevail, or will Cell reveal even his defenses to be beyond the combined might of the other Z-Fighters? Stay tuned! _

_Chapter 56 is scheduled for release Thursday evening, Feb. 21, around 10:00-11:30pm U.S. Eastern Standard Time! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Five: Completed Feb. 14, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _


	70. LVI: Exalted

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Six: Exalted**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

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Art update: Roketto has completed all seven of Honor Trip's bonus comics featuring crack pairings/wacky love relationships, thematically chosen because February is the month of love, as per Valentine's Day! You can check out each of the comics on her deviantART page! (Roketto's deviantART username is Ryu no Ohi.)

* * *

TV Tropes announcement: Honor Trip now has a TV Tropes page! The TV Tropes project analyzes works with regard to story techniques and other aspects, and Honor Trip's TV Trope page is a part of this project! You can access and edit the page by visiting TVTropes-dot-org and searching for Honor Trip!

* * *

**_Welcome to the first Special Edition of the Cell Games! _**

To better understand the battle featured in this chapter, you can consult the below text, which includes an explanation for how "powering-up" works in the Dragon Ball universe, as well as a power level reference guide.

Explanation of power level increasing mechanics (powering-up): Canon does not adequately explain the maximum degree to which fighters can power up within forms beyond the power level they assume when they transform into the form, and canon also does not adequately explain the maximum degree to which fighters can power up within their normal state. Canon does not identify whether a fighter's maximum possible power within a state or form can surpass the minimum possible power within the state or form considered to be the next-highest, and canon also does not identify the relative percentages of total power of a form that fighters assume when they transform into a form beyond their normal state.

Because of these ambiguities, various theories regarding powering up within a form and within a normal state can be validated and compatible with canon.

Based on canon battles and other occurrences, the following are **Honor Trip's Power-Up Rules:**

1) Because there are many types of transformations, there are two broad categories of normal states: Type A) a fighter's default fighting status based on physical appearance and power level without any transformations of any kind applied; Type B) For fighters with at least one type of form accessible from at least two of the fighter's other physical status types; whether these include the normal state and at least one form, or at least two forms excluding the normal state: the commonality among (at least two) of the fighter's physical statuses such they are considered to not include the properties of the fighter's transformation type accessible from both statuses. Examples of normal state Type A include Zarbon's default form from which his "monster" form is accessible; Gohan's default form with black hair, from which he can increase his power level by transforming into his basic Super Saiyan form or directly into his Super Saiyan 2 form; and Tien's default status, which qualifies as an example of normal state Type A because even though he does not possess transformations, this is still his "default fighting status based on physical appearance and power level without any transformations of any kind applied." For Type B, only one fighter, Cell, clearly has a normal state of this type. To clarify, Cell's Type A normal state is his first humanoid form (imperfect form), from which android-absorption transformations enabled him to ascend first to his semiperfect form and then to his perfect form. However, from each of these three physical statuses, Cell can access another type of transformation, his Super Saiyan analog transformation, clearly physically exhibited whenever Cell's aura becomes golden, which in canon has been shown to be able to occur in his imperfect, semiperfect, and perfect forms. Cell's Type B normal state his hence his physical status, regardless of level of android-absorption transformation, in which he is not in one of his Super Saiyan analog transformations. This enables Cell in his perfect form, while not in his Type A normal state, to still be in his Type B normal state. Incidentally, Cell in his imperfect form simultaneously is in his Type A normal state and Type B normal state.

2) There is no limit to how strong a fighter's normal state can become. This rule applies for all fighters.

3) As per the first rule, a fighter's maximum power level in forms above the normal state at one time in the fighter's life can be surpassed at another time in the fighter's life by the fighter's normal state power level. For instance, if a fighter's formal normal state is 1 unit and the fighter's maximum power level in the form above the normal state is 10 units, it is possible that through training, the fighter's normal state power level at a later time can be 11 units. In this case, as the form's multiplier is 10x regardless of normal state power level and other factors, the fighter's power level in that form is 11 x 10, or 110 units. This rule applies for all fighters.

4) [Without regard to changes that can occur in a fighter's normal state power level over time, and with regard to a fighter being able to transition between forms without the normal state maximum power level being affected], a fighter's maximum power level in the normal state cannot surpass the fighter's minimum power level in the form considered to be in direct succession from the normal state. For instance, Vegeta's maximum power level in his normal state cannot surpass his minimum power level as a Super Saiyan. This rule, while applicable, often does not have a significant effect on fighters because their maximum normal state power level often is not considerably close to their minimum power level in the form that directly succeeds their normal state. This is especially so for fighters with significant first-form multipliers, such as the Super Saiyan transformation, which multiplies a fighter's normal state power level by 50x.

5) In consideration of the conditions in the bracketed text for rule 4, a fighter's maximum power level in a form beyond the normal state cannot surpass the fighter's minimum power level in the form considered to be in direct succession from that form. For instance, Gohan's maximum power level in his Super Saiyan form cannot surpass his minimum power level in his Super Saiyan 2 form. This rule, while applicable, often does not have a significant effect on fighters because their maximum power level in a form often is not considerably close to their minimum power level in the form that directly succeeds that form.

6) The degree to which each fighter can increase his power level in his normal state without transforming is unique to each fighter.

7) The degree to which each fighter capable of transformations can increase his power level in a transformation without transforming is unique to each fighter.

8) While taking rules 6 and 7 into account, each specific transformation, regardless of the fighter that possesses the transformation, has a general range of maximum degrees to which a fighter can power-up in the transformation as a percentage of power beyond the minimum. However, the range of maximum degrees often is relatively small, such that two fighters each capable of the same transformation can have different maximum percentage degrees to which they can power up above their minimum power level in the form, although these maximum percentage degrees are not significantly different from each other. For instance, if a specific type of transformation enables Fighter A to power up to a maximum of 34 percent above his minimum power level in the form, it often would be true that other fighters' maximum power-up percentages would either be the same or not significantly different, such that it would be reasonable that Fighter B's percentage could be 33 percent, Fighter C's percentage could be 36 percent, and Fighter D's percentage could also be 34 percent.

9) When a fighter transforms from the normal state to the form that immediately succeeds the normal state, regardless of the fighter's minimum and maximum normal state power levels, the transformation multiplier applies to the power level the fighter had at the instance of transformation, such that the fighter's power level in the immediately succeeding form, right after the completion of the transformation, is the fighter's normal state power level at the instance of transformation multiplied by the form multiplier (this is Product 1). For instances when a fighter transforms from the normal state to a form that is not the immediately succeeding form, the calculation is adjusted by multiplying Product 1 by the multiplier for the transformation to which the fighter transformed, and if applicable, also multiplying the aforementioned Product 1 by the applicable form multipliers for each form beyond the transformation immediately succeeding the normal state but preceding the transformation to which the fighter transformed.

10) When a fighter transforms from a transformation to the form that immediately succeeds that transformation, regardless of the fighter's minimum and maximum power levels in the preceding transformation, the transformation multiplier applies to the power level the fighter had at the instance of transformation, such that the fighter's power level in the immediately succeeding form, right after the completion of the transformation, is the fighter's power level in the preceding form at the instance of transformation multiplied by the form multiplier (this is Product 1). For instances when a fighter transforms from a form to a form that is not the immediately succeeding form, the calculation is adjusted by multiplying Product 1 by the multiplier for the transformation to which the fighter transformed, and if applicable, also multiplying the aforementioned Product 1 by the applicable form multipliers for each form beyond the initially mentioned form in this sentence but preceding the transformation to which the fighter transformed.

It should be noted that with regard to the zenkai ability, which is a genetic ability of Saiyans to become stronger after surviving each battle, especially after near-death, with strength augmentation proportional to hardship overcome, the topic is worthy of its own set of functional rules. Rules for the zenkai ability are outside the scope of the main 10 power-up rules above, and shall be explored in a future chapter.

**Power level reference guide: [Examines foundational power levels of forms without fighters powering up within the forms, as well as powered-up power levels as of the start of the match. ]**

Cell's foundational power level at his highest form (Super Perfect form [SS2 analog]: 12,870 TNS

Cell's Super Saiyan-analog multiplier = 2.5x (over base power without Super Saiyan-analog)

Cell's Super Saiyan 2-analog (Super Perfect) multiplier = 2x (over Super Saiyan-analog power)

Cell's foundational power level in the basic version of his Perfect form (normal state) = 12,870 divided by 2.5 (Super Perfect multiplier), then divided by 2 (Super Saiyan analog multiplier) = 2,574 TNS

Gohan (Super Saiyan 2) – foundational power level: 1,620 TNS; powered-up power level: 2,345 TNS

Goku (Full-Power Super Saiyan) – foundational: 130 TNS; powered-up: 140 TNS [Note: In canon, during the Cell Games, Goku, while already in his Full-Power state, is clearly shown to further power up further. In this sense, the fan-created term "Full-Power" is a misnomer.]

Vegeta (Ascended Super Saiyan) – foundational: 100 TNS; powered-up: 120 TNS [Note: In canon, it is made clear that Goku's strength as a Super Saiyan during the Cell Games era surpassed Vegeta's strength as an Ascended Super Saiyan during the Cell Games era. While Vegeta was unable to effectively fight Perfect Cell in his Ascended Super Saiyan form, Goku was able to far more effectively fight Perfect Cell in his Full-Power Super Saiyan state. It can be deduced that Vegeta's normal state power level in this era therefore was lower than Goku's normal state power level.]

Piccolo (Merged with Kami) – foundational: 45 TNS; powered-up: 55 TNS

Eighteen [relative power level equivalence]: 40 TNS; maximized: 45 TNS

Sixteen [relative power level equivalence]: 55 TNS; maximized: 60 TNS

Krillin: 0.6 TNS; powered-up: 4 TNS

Tien: 0.4 TNS; powered-up: 5 TNS

Yamcha: 0.25 TNS; powered-up: 2.5 TNS

Chiaotzu: 0.15 TNS; powered-up: 0.7 TNS

* * *

**_And now, the journey continues ..._**

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, southeast of Central City ...  
_

Cell saw each of the Earth's other capable defenders rushing toward him, some more visibly than others. For all except his honorary siblings, he could sense their inflated energies and concentrated on detecting their movements.

Gohan made contact with Cell before any of his allies, barraging him with punches and kicks and causing Cell to direct almost all his concentration toward blocking Gohan's assault. His powered-up capabilities as a Super Saiyan 2 were as Cell had hoped they would be, enabling Gohan to rival Cell's power and speed under the conditions Cell had established for the battle.

While knowing that Cell had declared he would not fight back during this bout, Vegeta remained cautious of Cell's movements even so, and became the first to join Gohan in the direct assault.

Cell felt Vegeta's punches begin to bombard the back of his head and his upper back, but in comparison to Gohan's efforts, he considered Vegeta's to be unworthy of his full attention, as per the far lesser forcefulness of his punches. Gohan's abilities truly were so considerable under these conditions that Cell had been experiencing difficulty blocking Gohan's attacks, and when Piccolo joined Gohan to his right and began to attack Cell from his left, Cell decided, in knowing that Goku had not yet joined the fray, that for the sake of blocking maximization without using energy techniques, he needed to refrain from blocking Piccolo's attacks as well.

Vegeta's thorough infuriation at being ignored despite his relatively colossal strength caused him to shove Piccolo out of the way and then begin to attack Cell at the position from which Piccolo had been fighting him. As a result of Vegeta's unexpected decision to attack one of his own allies, Cell had been momentarily distracted, although Gohan's mutual distraction had prevented him from taking advantage of an opportunity to break through Cell's defenses.

However, Goku suddenly emerged from Instant Transmission to Gohan's left with a Kamehameha aimed directly at Cell's chest, on the verge of firing and merely 1 centimeter away from contact with Cell.

Although Goku successfully launched the Kamehameha, it traveled for no more than a few millimeters before Cell punched the still=expanding wave back toward Goku, causing Goku to redirect his attention toward blocking the repurposed wave, which was pushing him back many meters.

As Cell's guard had been diminished because he had decided to counteract Goku's attack, five of Gohan's punches managed to make contact with Cell's torso before Cell could use his free hand to block the attacks.

Cell felt the pain of Gohan's attacks course through him, and he was pleased with the boy's strength.

All throughout his interactions with Goku and Gohan, Cell had continued to ignore Vegeta's punches and kicks, and also had ignored Piccolo's decision to concentrate much of his energy into a Masenko that had been fired and which was merely three meters away from making contact with Cell's back.

With a grin that made Vegeta's facial expression one reflective of even greater rage, Cell grabbed Vegeta by the top of his training armor then threw him backward into Piccolo's energy attack. The Masenko made contact with Vegeta's left side because of the angle and spin by which Vegeta had been thrown, and while the fallout dust from the contact began to rise, Cell let his left hand rejoin his right in blocking Gohan's attacks, of which another seven had made contact while Cell had thrown Vegeta.

While Gohan's rapid strikes continued to make contact with Cell's defenses, with many of thr strikes creating thunderous booms, Goku rejoined fight by punching Cell as hard as he could from behind. After a brief psychic message to his father that Cell could not intercept, Gohan and Goku suddenly switched places through their rapid movements. While Cell had been able to follow their movements, he had needed a few moments to adjust his defensive strategy, such that Gohan had managed to strike Cell a few more times without counteraction. Cell swiftly turned so he could devote greater attention to blocking Gohan's attacks, but then was surprised when Goku placed his hands on his back and accelerated forward, pushing Cell into Gohan, enabling Gohan to use the close proximity to strike Cell many times directly.

While Cell was preoccupied with Gohan's forceful attacks, almost all of which were causing Cell significant pain, Goku concentrated significant energy into his right fist, then shifted position and sent a dynamic right-hook into the left side of Cell's jaw. The attack had a noticeable affect on Cell and enabled Gohan to have yet an opening for an attack of significance. Gohan shifted directly above Cell and downward kicked him in the face, causing Cell to spiral toward the ground below.

Before he could make contact with the ground, Eighteen and Sixteen appeared directly below him, each with a reinforced fist pointed toward the sky, and Cell's front landed directly into their fists. The force of Gohan's strike pushing Cell into Eighteen and Sixteen's fists caused him to gag, with his pain accentuating while Vegeta used his interlocked hands to hammer Cell into Eighteen and Sixteen's fists again, accentuating the previous pain.

Cell was unable to regain his composure before Piccolo appeared below him and kicked upward, sending Cell directly into a flurry of Gohan's further attacks. Piccolo darted upward to join his former student, and Goku and Vegeta then punched Cell almost simultaneously, each on one side of Cell's face. While the three Super Saiyans and Supr Namek continued to vigorously attack Cell, with his defensive maneuvers beginning to again provide some protection against Gohan and Goku's attacks, Eighteen and Sixteen began to attack Cell's back.

Cell was extremely pleased that the six fighters together were demonstrating the combined capability he had hoped they would. However, he had been conscious since the start of the match that the full-blooded humans had not yet truly begun to fight and had stayed on the ground, although he had beforehand accepted that as a possibility.

He decided to dignify for at least a few moments each of the fighters who had shown the courage to attempt to defeat him, and as a token gesture, he shifted his position among each of the fighters to block their attacks. In doing this, he subjected himself to significant unblocked bombardment from Gohan.

With the combined attacks beginning to affect Cell through causing him to recognize actual internal strain, Cell decided it was time to increase the intensity of the challenge, while still retaining his commitment to not attack.

"Let's make things a bit more interesting," Cell said with a grin, right before momentarily allowing each fighter's contacts to be entirely unblocked.

Cell then forcefully grabbed each of Gohan's wrists, then shifted backward and closed his eyes. He brought Gohan's hands close to each other against his will, then swiftly channeled the desired energy through them, causing a blinding light to emit forth from Gohan's hands.

"Solar Flare!" Cell yelled, with the flare of the attack becoming profuse in the immediate area and momentarily blinding Gohan and all the other fighters in close proximity. As per Gohan's extremely close proximity, he was severely affected by the technique, and Cell then pushed him forward and backed up, taking a few moments to catch his breath.

A few seconds passed before any of the Z-Fighters opened their eyes, and when Tien saw Cell, he was astonished, but not entirely surprised, at how relatively unaffected Cell seemed to be. Cell's breathing was indicative of recovering from exertion, although he remained in a significantly defensive stance, daring the other Z-Fighters to attack.

"Was that truly the extent of your combined effectiveness?" Cell asked, as Goku opened his eyes. "If Gohan wasn't in this battle, your overall effect on me would have been almost nonexistent!"

"If I was a Super Saiyan 2, you would have already been unconscious," Vegeta said. "Gohan and I could have pulverized you together; isn't that right, boy?"

"Yeah, but we've got to work with what we've got," Gohan said.

"If Cell is this capable against us all when he's using only his minimum power, we could never hope to defeat him if he uses his full strength," Sixteen said.

"Are you giving up already?" Cell asked. "All of you have been through so much that surely, you wouldn't merely forfeit now."

"I've only surrendered once, and that was because I wanted Gohan to kill you himself," Goku said, with a grin. "I'm not planning on ever surrendering again, even though compared to me, you're far stronger now than you were then."

"He's … treating all we just did to him as if it was almost nothing!" Piccolo said.

"Didn't that hurt at all?" Eighteen asked.

Cell briefly stretched his right and left arms, then responded.

"It feels as though I've experienced nothing more than a scratch," Cell said, knowingly bluffing, although causing some of the six fighters who had been fighting him, as well as all of the humans, to experience a feeling of dread. "You have about 10 minutes left on the clock"

Cell then turned toward the humans, looked downward, and gestured with his right hand in a welcoming fashion.

"Don't just stand there! Show me what you can do!" Cell yelled.

"If we try to fight you, we're going to get killed!" Yamcha yelled. "You're all moving so fast, and you're all so powerful, that one of you could unintentionally kill us!"

"You should feel fortunate that this timeline still has access to the Dragon Balls of New Namek, otherwise your concern would be valid," Cell said. "An entire timeline was deprived of the ability to use them, and yet you have them here. You know that you can be brought back to live, and you know it's extremely improbable that your skilled allies would unintentionally kill you."

"That's because it would be intentional," Vegeta said. "I've been looking for an excuse to kill that idiot for having relations with my woman before I did."

Everyone else, even Cell, and especially Yamcha, stared at him with shock.

"What?" Vegeta asked.

"Now there's no way I'm going to go up there!" Yamcha yelled.

"Don't be such a wimp," Tien said, in a scolding manner.

"That's easy for you to say; you don't have a Super Saiyan with a death wish against you!" Yamcha said.

"Yamcha, if you really think I was being serious, then you truly are a dumb-ass," Vegeta said. "Besides, if I killed you, Bulma would never cease criticizing me about it. It's bad enough that because I killed Seventeen, Eighteen constantly and unendingly gives me crap about that! The last thing I need is another woman yelling at me for killing somebody!"

"You're lucky that Cell says we might finally be able to bring Seventeen back, otherwise you and I would be excusing ourselves from Cell's challenge so that we could settle this once and for all," Eighteen said. "I kicked your ass once, and I can do it again!"

Vegeta laughed aloud.

"Your absurdity never ceases, 'Blondie,'" Vegeta said.

Cell then shifted directly in front of the Saiyan prince.

"Vegeta, if you insult my sister again, you'll regret it," Cell said.

"Damn it to Hell," Vegeta said. "Bulma already forced me to apologize to Eighteen for what happened, and Eighteen knows I did. Let's just drop this, alright?"

"Fine, and thank you all for foolishly bantering for the past few minutes," Cell said. "You gave me time to recover, and that shall diminish your chance to defeat me."

Gohan's aura flared out of realizing the tactical error, and Cell smiled.

"I figured I'd stop the countdown when you were all distracted, as it would have been purely unfair to count that cowering and bickering as part of your time limit," Cell said. "Starting with Gohan's next attack, you will have 10 minutes left. Use them wisely."

"Well, I'm not going to stand here any longer," Tien said. "At least I'll try to do something."

He flew toward the allies in the air, right as Cell rushed away from them. Gohan did not follow him, as he knew that to make the upcoming attacks as effective as possible, it would be advisable to devise a strategy to try to overcome Cell's defenses, as opposed to relying upon the relative randomness and impromptu maneuvers that had been used before.

Below, Krillin was in the midst of considering whether his participation would be worthwhile.

_'It's not like I can realistically damage Cell, but if I don't do anything, what will she think?'_ he thought.

"Alright, I'm going to fight," Krillin said, as he launched into the air toward the rest of the fighters.

Chiaotzu looked toward Yamcha, then looked above.

"It would be disgraceful to not try at all," Chiaotzu said, as he began to fly toward the group.

"Hey, wait for me!" Yamcha yelled, beginning to fly toward the group mostly out of not wanting to be the only one who did not at least attempt to fight.

When Yamcha arrived, Gohan was in the middle of explaining his strategy.

" … and if we can distract him, I'll be able to – "

"You know I can hear everything you're saying, right?" Cell asked, interrupting Gohan.

"That's why I'm being somewhat vague," Gohan said.

"Also, Gohan, be aware that as per my decision to increase the level of difficulty, you will now have to overcome my use of Instant Transmission," Cell said. "Of course, you and your father can both use it if you would like. I was surprised neither of you used it before; perhaps you'll choose differently this time and use the technique in actual combat."

Gohan smiled at the suggestion.

"You can count on it, Cell," Gohan said.

Gohan, while looking in Krillin's direction, sent a psychic message to his father.

_'Dad, when I start to punch Cell, I want you to instant transmit over there and restrain his left arm as best as you possibly can,'_ Gohan psychically said.

He then looked toward Piccolo while sending a psychic message to Vegeta.

_'My dad is going to restrain Cell's left arm as best as possible after he emerges from Instant Transmission,'_ Gohan psychically said. _'Vegeta, I want you to restrain Cell's right arm as best as possible.'_

Gohan then instant transmitted from view, then reappeared behind Cell and began to unleash a barrage of physical attacks in front of him.

A few seconds later, while Cell was preoccupied with blocking Gohan's attacks, Goku emerged from Instant Transmission and, upon noticing that Gohan began to concentrate his punches on Cell's right side, Goku then used both of his arms to restrain Cell's left arm as best as possible.

Cell was genuinely surprised by the maneuver, and his surprise was in conjunction with a punch to the face that Gohan quickly delivered.

Cell was in the midst of trying to force Goku off of his left arm while blocking as many of Gohan's attacks as possible when Vegeta grabbed Cell's right arm. As Gohan had hoped, Piccolo, Eighteen, and Sixteen followed suit, with Piccolo and Sixteen joining Vegeta to restrain Cell's right arm, while Eighteen joined Goku to restrain Cell's left arm.

"We're using your own rules against you, Cell," Gohan said, while the four humans repositioned themselves at the front line. "Because you can't attack them, you're stuck."

Cell was in the midst of violently trying to shake the Z-Fighters off his arms, although their grips remained adamant.

Gohan then soared straight into Cell, headbutting him in the torso, then began to bash Cell repeatedly, although Cell quickly used Instant Transmission, carrying his five fellow fighters in the process.

They reemerged behind Gohan, and while Cell chose to not use Gohan's allies as shields, he blocked as many of Gohan's attacks as possible by raising his knees.

In the meantime, Tien had almost finished his psychic messages to the five Z-Fighters who were restraining Cell and the other three humans, then sent a psychic message to Gohan.

_'Keep on punching, but close your eyes,'_ Tien pyshically said.

He had informed the five fighters restraining Cell's arms to watch for a specific hand signal.

"Hey, Vegeta!" Tien shouted, while flipping him off.

While Vegeta snarled with furry and the other four fighters restraining Cell laughed, they closed their eyes, while Cell, although joining them in laughter, didn't know to expect something further.

Tien emitted his Solar Flare quickly and without announcing it, causing Cell to be directly exposed to the blinding light.

Gohan used the opportunity to rapidly attack Cell as much as he could, although after a few moments, Cell used Instant Transmission to shift behind Yamcha.

After backing away out of a moment's fear, Yamcha decided that he no longer wanted to be afraid. He had been deprived of much in his life, largely as a result of his own actions, and he no longer wanted to contribute to his own diminishment. Instead, he charged forward and began to strike Cell as hard as he could, although the effects of his efforts were negligible.

Tien and Krillin then began to strike Cell as hard as they could, and Gohan enabled them to have a few moments to directly fight Cell.

Chiaotzu then unleashed a telekinetic restraint upon Cell, although to Chiaotzu's dismay, and as per Cell's continued efforts to shake the other Z-Fighters off of his arms, his telekinetic restraint was not proving effective because of the immense difference between his power level and Cell's. For his technique to have worked properly, he would have needed his target opponent to have been up to just a few times stronger than himself; Cell's power level was far beyond Chiaotzu's capability to restrain him through his classic telekinetic restraint technique.

Chiaotzu then joined in punching Cell, although as had been such for Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin, their efforts were almost entirely ineffectual.

"Damn, if we could become Super Saiyans, this would actually be helpful!" Yamcha yelled.

"There might be other ways to augment your strength," Cell said, while temporary ceasing to overcome the Z-Fighters' grips on his arms. "Just because you have not yet achieved forms beyond your normal state does not mean they don't exist."

"We would have found them by now if they did!" Tien yelled.

"Don't be so sure," Cell said. "Even though I possess genetic material from all of you as well as your memories, the idea of there being no further forms for any of you is inconclusive. Even if just one of you has access to a further form, it would be worth discovering."

Cell then looked directly at Chiaotzu and grinned.

"You had a good idea, using telekinesis to try to restrain me," Cell said. "Now, let me show you how to truly wield such powers."

Cell used the overwhelming power of his mind combined with his power to entirely stultify the movements of Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Krillin.

"That is merely one further advantage of possessing power in my realm of strength," Cell said. "Observe a further application of this power."

Goku and Eighteen had failed to secure Cell's left palm, and after shifting directly in front of Gohan, Cell unleashed an Imprisonment Ball that entirely surrounded him.

Gohan was shocked at his inability to move, then attempted to use Instant Transmission to escape, but to no avail.

"You're not the first to try escaping an Imprisonment Ball, and as others have discovered, it doesn't work. However, there – "

Cell interrupted himself upon seeing an energy blast emerge from one of Goku's hands, headed straight toward the Imprisonment Ball. Cell quickly repositioned himself, using Goku's back to block Goku's own attack, causing Goku to momentarily grunt to endure the quick blast.

"An excellent idea, and one that you certainly derived after experiencing this technique during your fight with Frieza," Cell said. "However, I of course knew what would happen. With his imprisonment, I'll win this challenge without contest."

Cell then applied his telekinetic power toward the fingers and arms of those who were restraining him. Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Eighteen, and Sixteen could feel their grips slightly loosening, and Cell quickly maneuvered his arms to free them from restraint.

After realizing that further attempting to restrain Cell would be ineffective until Gohan was again freed, Goku issued a battle command.

"Everyone, let go of Cell and fire at the sphere!" Goku yelled, as he unleashed a Continous Kamehameha, while Vegeta used Galick Shoot, Piccolo used Scatter Shot, Eighteen used Photon Strike, and Sixteen used Hyper Cannon.

The continuous energy bullets rapidly approached Gohan, and while Cell blocked many of them, one of Sixteen's Hyper Cannon shots made contact with the Imprisonment Ball, shattering it in a violent explosion that knocked back all except Gohan.

In anticipation of their need to quickly escape the blast front, Cell had released the humans from his psychic holds over them, but as Goku had been unaware of this, he quickly darted in front of them, then made contact with the blast front. It was an especially powerful blast front for Goku because the shattered Imprisonment Ball's explosive strength reflected Cell's power level.

While the humans had escaped, Goku had endured the brunt of the attack, of which the resultant fallout dust was beginning to dissipate. Gohan had escaped the attack unscathed, and had already begun another assault against Cell when Chiaotzu approached Goku, whose total power level had somewhat lessened as a result of expending energy to withstand the blast.

"I've been working on a healing technique," Chiaotzu said. "Can I try it on you?"

"Go right ahead!" Goku said. "The more healers we have, the better!"

However, when Chiaotzu began to use the technique, Goku felt quite the opposite of what he expected.

"Uh, Chiaotzu … why do I feel weaker?" Goku asked, out of pure puzzlement. "Are you sure you aren't mistakenly absorbing my energy?"

"It's supposed to be like that, Goku; don't worry," Chiaotzu said, while continuing the healing process.

Goku noticed that the energy drop had been relatively slight, yet sudden, and that after it had occurred, he hadn't felt any further change in his energy. While Vegeta, Eighteen, Sixteen, Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha had rejoined Gohan in efforts to defeat Cell, Piccolo had been extremely intrigued by the process Chiaotzu was using, so much so that he had stayed close to them to fully observe what was occurring.

Suddenly, Goku felt the entirely of his energy return! The feeling of the strength boost that had restored his overall energy to what his maximum had been was fundamentally unfamiliar to Goku with regard to healing processes, as the healing tank he had used on Planet Namek had restored his energy gradually in a way that he could feel the gradual increases, and as he had been told that the Namekian healing technique also involve gradual increases in power level in conjunction with the gradual healing. In fact, he had sensed the Namekian healing technique applied earlier that day when Cell had used the technique to heal Gohan.

Chiaotzu's technique unequivocally was a different manner of healing, yet it apparently had the same result.

"That was awesome!" Goku shouted. "I didn't realize you knew how to do that, Chiaotzu, otherwise I would have personally asked you to reconsider attending the Cell Games a few months ago!"

"Thanks, Goku, but at the time, I didn't know how to do it," Chiaotzu said.

"It's different from how the Nameks heal the wounded," Piccolo said. "Our healing technique restores power gradually, while yours appears to do so all in one shot."

"Kind of," Chiaotzu said. "My technique isolated a percentage of a person's total power level, about 10 percent, then works on restoring that percentage to its maximum. After the restoration is done, I can then add the total restored part of the total power back into the whole."

Goku suddenly had a significant idea.

"Chiaotzu, can you use that technique to isolate part of someone's power without healing that part and putting it back in?" Goku said.

"I've never thought about that, but yes, it could be possible to do so temporarily," Chiaotzu said.

"Great!" Goku shouted. "Use the technique on Cell!"

Cell had overheard their conversation while in the midst of fighting back against Gohan's latest combined assault with the others, and after sensing Chiaotzu's concentration, he suddenly felt a significant percentage of his power level become inaccessible!

The fighters, except Eighteen, could sense the sudden change, and Gohan's shock was quickly overcome by his father's psychic message about what had happened.

"It looks like I'm stronger than you now, Cell!" Gohan said.

"You'll lose even so!" Cell said. "You have merely three minutes left!"

Gohan barraged Cell with greater effectiveness than before, and for the next minute, with Goku and Piccolo rejoining the fight and Chiaotzu maintaining the psychic restraint that was far more effective than the one he had used before, Cell could feel his power level noticeably decreasing, with more and more exertion becoming more and more difficult against the flurry.

Cell then Instant Transmitted behind Vegeta, only to have Vegeta push him backward into Goku, who shoved Cell forward into a Tri-Beam from Tien that knocked Cell upward into a kick from Gohan, who emerged quite timely from an Instant Transmission of his own.

With merely two minutes left, Cell halted his descent, then smiled in satisfaction.

"You have all shown capability beyond what I had thought you were capable of," Cell said. "However, none of you ever stood a true chance against me. I merely wanted to test your strengths before I made this challenge truly indomitable for you. All of you shall now experience the true extent of my defenses!"

After hearing Cell's words, and recognizing that Cell was planning something extreme, Gohan did his best to rush forward and attempt as best as possible to deliver a finishing blow.

While Gohan's first three hits made contact, his fourth was stopped by a purple energy shield that was rapidly expanding outward from Cell. Gohan felt the surface of Cell's perfect barrier push him backward, causing him to shift backward many tens of meters so he could take further action.

As Gohan began to charge a Kamehameha, with the Perfect Barrier still expanding outward, the other Z-Fighters began preparing attacks of their own.

Vegeta then shouted to Goku, in an endeavor to address an issue he had found fault with throughout the battle.

"Damn it Kakarot, just transform into an Ascended Super Saiyan already!" Vegeta said. "We all know you can, and there has been no legitimate reason to hold back, especially not now! We're going to need all the power we can get to blast through that barrier! Don't make the same mistake you made during the Cell Games by failing to use it!"

While charging a Kamehameha, Goku transformed into his Ascended Super Saiyan form, joining Vegeta in possession of the state, although with far greater strength as per his more powerful normal state.

"I didn't use this form during the Cell Games because I wanted to further motivate Gohan into feeling that he had to be the one to defeat Cell," Goku said. "Besides, with all the strength Cell revealed later in the battle, I wouldn't have been able to win as an Ascended Super Saiyan anyway. Our only true chance had been Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 transformation."

Vegeta shrugged off the point, while continuing to charge his Final Flash.

Cell's Perfect Barrier had finished expanding, and although Gohan thought of the wisdom of their entire strategy, as he was unsure if Cell could merely instant transmit from out of the center of the barrier, he was willing to take a chance. He also wondered if it would be wise to apply as much force into their combined attack as they were about to apply, although Gohan felt confident that if Cell truly recognized his life was about to be threatened, he would enter his Super Perfect state to avoid death. Indeed, unlike in another period of Timeline III's history, the Z-Fighters were not actually trying to kill Cell, despite the colossal effort they were gathering in response to Cell's challenge.

"If we concentrate all our attacks one point, we might be able to break through the barrier!" Gohan yelled.

"Before we do, let's all moved downward and angle up so we don't destroy the Earth!" Krillin yelled.

They set foot on the ground, and Chiaotzu was standing about 20 meters from where they were, continuing to restrict Cell's energy.

_Hey Chiaotzu, can you create a red target for us?_ Gohan psychically asked him.

Gohan had felt the question justified as per Chiaotzu's psychic abilities, and sure enough, after Chiaotzu's eyes glared, a red dot appeared in front of the Z-Fighters, in line with Cell.

"Unleash your energy!" Gohan shouted, as all their attacks converged on the dot, rushing toward Cell and breaking through the Perfect Barrier with their combined might.

However, the Perfect Barrier's instability caused it to violently explode, interfering slightly with the path of the attack and fortunately for the safety of the Earth angling it further upward.

The attack missed Cell, whose laughter became highly audible.

"If Earth is ever threatened again, you'll all have to do better than that!" Cell shouted, while the attack seared past the sky. "You have fifteen seconds left!"

The Z-Fighters, in knowing that failure of the challenge was imminent unless drastic action was taken, rushed toward Cell for one last attempt at victory.

An Imprisonment Ball then shot forth from each of Cell's palms, encapsulating Goku and Piccolo, while Cell dodged Gohan's sidekick and blocked Vegeta's attempt to acquire a headlock.

Gohan then shifted in front of Cell and began to fire continuous bullets with his Gekiretsu Madan, while Cell blocked many of the energy bullets and deflected others.

In the remaining five seconds, Eighteen and Sixteen each struck Cell in the back of his head repeatedly, while the humans joined Gohan in the energy bullet assault, with Krillin's Continuous Kamehameha, Tien's Domination Blast, and Yamcha's Wolf Fang Blast also impacting Cell.

"Time's up!" Cell yelled, causing the other Z-Fighters to suddenly cease their attacks.

Cell manipulated the energy of the Imprisonment Balls containing Goku and Piccolo, and they briefly exploded, although not with such force that Cell felt the explosions would be threatening.

After he emerged from the fallout dust, Piccolo seemed sour.

"Thanks for the parting gift," Piccolo said, while Goku emerged from the fallout dust.

"I used the safest method to diffuse an Imprisonment Ball of which I'm aware," Cell said.

Cell sensed that the energy from the grand combined attack that had missed him had still not dispersed or hit a target, and to avoid any unintended undesirable incidents, Cell powered up to his Super Perfect form, then flew rapidly upward with such speed that he encountered the front of the combined wave.

Cell readily stopped the wave with his hands, causing there to be a massive explosion in Earth's sky, but with only Cell impacted by the blast. After a few moments, Cell emerged from Instant Transmission right next to Gohan, while recognizing that because of Chiaotzu's technique, much of his maximum expected energy still was unavailable to him.

"So, your technique still works even if its target transforms," Cell said, while Chiaotzu was concentrating on restoring Cell's energy.

"By transforming … you made it a lot harder to heal you, that's for sure!" Chiaotzu said.

"It's remarkable that your technique persists even through transformations," Cell said, while powering down from his Super Perfect form and reentering his lowest possible energy state, enabling Chiaotzu to have continued practice at healing.

"Chiaotzu, is it alright if you continue healing me while I begin to heal the others?" Cell asked, while Goku descended from Ascended Super Saiyan, followed shortly by Gohan from Super Saiyan 2, and then by Vegeta from Ascended Super Saiyan as well.

"Sounds fine to me!" Chiaotzu said.

While Cell began to heal Gohan, with others chatting in conversations of their own, Cell continued to address Chiaotzu to find out more about the technique he had developed.

"Had you been working on your new technique before the Cell Games and just hadn't completed work on it, or did you work on it entirely after?" Cell asked.

"I hadn't started until right before Cell's trial, actually," Chiaotzu said. "I guess that with the prospect of you joining us, this gave me even more reason to try something out that would make me able to contribute at least something to the team. I'd already been so outclassed that with the suddenly realistic possibility that you would be on board as well, I didn't want to feel even more unworthy of helping. So, I decided to apply my psychic knowledge with some energy experimentation, and as a result of my efforts, you were the first to experience my Partial Panacea!"

"Partial Panacea, huh?" Goku asked, as he had been listening to the conversation. "That's an interesting name."

"It seems like a fitting name, especially because of the involved method of healing," Chiaotzu said.

"I think you should be more than pleased that it has uses even beyond healing," Cell said. "The power to lock part of an opponent's maximum energy and render the opponent unable to use it … I am unaware of anyone else in possession of such an ability. Be mindful of it, Chiaotzu. I'm curious if could be made to be even more efficient. May I acquire it for my own use? I believe I told you and Tien about my ability to use mindreading to accomplish this purpose."

Chiaotzu thought about Cell's proposition for a few moments.

"I'd rather keep this one unique to me for now, Cell," Chiaotzu said. "I'd like to have one awesome technique I can truly call my own."

While Cell was disappointed, he was impressed with the mere fact that Chiaotzu had refused the request.

"I urge you to reconsider, but you answer is a respectable one," Cell said.

After a few more minutes, each fighter's energy was fully restored.

Cell then used his telekinetic powers to slice of part of a nearby plateau, then manipulated the stone to form a circular stone table, 10 chairs of congruent design, and a modified chair designed to accommodate his wings.

He lowered the table, then placed the chairs around it.

"Please, take a seat," Cell beckoned to his fellow warriors. "It's time for us to determine exactly what we'll soon wish for with the Dragon Balls. You'll find the challenge we just completed to be quite relevant to one of the wishes I want to propose."

"Oh, and what wish would that be?" Vegeta asked, while selecting a seat.

"One that all of you likely will not approve," Cell said.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 56__th__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: Cell reveals his grand plan! Stay tuned! _

_Chapter 57 is scheduled for release Thursday evening, Feb. 28, around 10:00-11:30pm U.S. Eastern Standard Time! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Six: Completed Feb. 24, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _

* * *

Answers to your comments and questions following the release of Chapter 55!

**ohallo4**

C: I especially like you have your characters monologue, as a student planning to double major in Theater that kinda stuff is always cool in my book.

A: I'm glad you appreciate the incorporation of monologues; as you know, they are useful for enabling characters to explain and explore concepts in an active manner. For the purpose of writing, I find using them to be beneficial for the purpose of avoiding lengthy sections of explanation in which characters are not actively doing something (including talking). By avoiding such sections, overall pacing can be enhanced.

**Hoenn Master96**

C: Oh yes, this shall be most interesting!

A: I hope you thought it to be so!

**Perfect Carnage [1]**

C: MOOOO!

A: Nuggets.

**Perfect Carnage [2]**

Q: What loon thought that 18 & Vegeta were in love?

A: I can see how some might have misinterpreted the text from Chapter 54; I further clarified the text to make it clearer that no pairing is intended between Eighteen and Vegeta.

**Blake2020**

C: I'm looking forward to the next chapter on Feb. 24, update soon

A: I hope you enjoyed it!

**Joe B**

C: This was a very fun story thank you so much! I appreciate this whole story!

A: I want to sincerely thank you for reading through the entirety of Honor Trip in a relatively short time span and for actively commenting on the great majority of the chapters you read. I strive to provide folks with quality reading experiences, and I'm glad you've been finding Honor Trip to be such. I'm looking forward to enabling you and all who enjoy this story to read more and more installments of the series.

**Jokermask18** [regarding Chapter 6]

C: Cool.

A: Story bro.

**Requiem**

Q: Regarding not being able to make Dragon Balls similar to Porunga in timeline IV, can't he be in III's Namek and learn the secrets through its model?

A: Your question reflects your active perceptiveness. It would be logical for Cell to attempt to gain as much information as he can about Porunga in Timeline III to apply the knowledge for helping Timeline IV. However, it shall not yet be revealed how successful this effort actually will be.

**npberryhill [1]**

C: I'm a huge fan of Tien starting his own Martial Arts School. Seems a great way for him to develop and something he'd enjoy and be good at.

A: I'm glad you find this particular aspect to be intriguing. I greatly desire to enable the human characters to have further character development that will more clearly show their individualism (Tien, Chaiotzu, and Yamcha in canon are unfortunately somewhat generic).

**npberryhill [2]**

C: The 18/Vegeta scene: I know you tried to clarify, but honestly it just made things even more awkward. I appreciate the attempt, but it was just so weird. They seemed to say one thing and still be flirting and meaning the exact opposite.

A: There's a big difference between flirting and mutually understanding that each other is joking. Eighteen and Vegeta both make explicitly clear that they're not interested in each other.

**npberryhill [3]**

Q: I wonder what Cell's main point is going to be. Is he trying to convince all the Z fighters of how far over their heads his own power is just so they will train harder?

A: Undoubtedly, but as you shall see in Chapter 57, there's a significant additional reason that was his main motivator for challenging the Z-Fighters in the manner implemented in Chapter 56.

**npberryhill [4]**

C: I also seriously doubt they will realize the significance of the meeting spot. It's like Cell tries to be all deep and have all this special meaning with the details, but none of the Z fighters will pick up on any of that. Poor Cell.

A: Even if others don't perceive it, the details still shall be meaningful to him.

**The Imaginatrix**

C: Oh my gosh! People thought you were gonna pair Vegeta with 18! Mirai Trunks would have thrown a fit if he heard that! :3

A: Trunks indeed would not have been pleased. I truly did laugh aloud that some thought I was intending to pair Eighteen and Vegeta. Quite interestingly, and indubitably humorously, I've subsequently discovered that fanfictions pairing between Eighteen and Vegeta actually are available online (of course they are). I've not read them to assess their quality, but here are two of them: "Life's Purpose," by Aki Fan, and "Old Lost, New Love," by 18Rox.

**Shinen no Hikari**

C: Gohan seems a little too serious to me

A: I'm purposely trying to enable him to be a more respectable character than his canon counterpart was after the Cell Games. Canon adult Gohan in many instances acts far too lightheartedly to be a true extension of his teenage self. As per the divergence between canon and Honor Trip, I believe presenting Gohan as I've been presenting him is such that it reflects a natural evolution of his personality.

**ShinyShiza**

C: Awesome! And I think that Cell is really overly powerful, but that's good, because Earth is now protected from Buu much easier, now!

A: All is not as it may seem. Much can happen from now 'till then.

**The Last Z Fighter [1]**

C: You know the other thing I like about this story? You seem to be giving the humans and Picolo Some importance. After dragonball, they essentially made all non Sayains useless. I'm hoping you find some way to remedy that. Considering how creative you seem to be, I'm sure you can think of a reason.

A: As I said in one of my answers to npberryhill, the humans were severely underutilized in Dragon Ball Z and weren't allowed to properly progress despite their years of training, merely because they lacked abilities that were others were born with and didn't earn (especially the Saiyans). I want the humans to have opportunities in Honor Trip to gain greater levels of fulfillment than they did in canon.

**The Last Z Fighter [2]**

C: Now, if there was a improved, extended Kaiohken would help.

A: That's an intriguing possibility.

**The Last Z Fighter [3]**

C: By feats, if you go by the fact Tien Did hold back 2nd form Cell(even if it sure as hell didn't hurt him) I would say he's at Least somewhere in Frieza's rage. Also, in the anime Tien showed up briefly to deflect a blast from Buu who had absorbed others at the time. Granted it wasn't like Buu was out to all out gank him but it was still impressive and had to take some considerable power. Too bad we really don't know what the non Sayains can do by then really.

A: I have significant plans for Tien beyond the implication that he might open up his own martial arts school. Of all the humans, Tien perhaps showed the greatest potential. There were many missed opportunities in Dragon Ball Z for Tien to be a more significant character, and he very well might have such opportunities in Honor Trip.

**Lemonlime77 [1]**

C: Chiaotzu is learning to heal? I guess that would make him the team's...WHITE MAGE. :D

A: As per the events of Chapter 56, Chiaotzu indeed is a white mage for the team, but can use his rather unique method of healing for other purposes as well.

**Lemonlime77 [2]**

C: I found the odd trio of 16, 18 and Vegeta be quite dynamic and enjoyable.

A: I felt that there could be some comedic interactions among the three of them together, and I'm glad you found them to be fun!

**mpvssj5** [via Dragon Ball Multiverse post on Page 672]

C: Honor trip do you two go in deep detail about the sayians ever. My only problem with that sory is I really cant wrap my head around cell being a good guy because he claims perfection and his programming his character would never suggest he was ever going to be a good guy. What do you and the other author go in detail about without giving spoilers.

A: Roketto answered this quite well on the DBM message boards; the following is her post: Yes, we will explain some things about the Saiyans, so please be patient. Also, Cell is the way he is in _Honor Trip_ because his programming was "altered" by Gohan kicking the tar out of him.

**Symbiote Goku** [via Dragon Ball Multiverse post on page 672]

C: Switching between Good and Evil midsentence, now that's a great idea for the next Honor Trip parody, or Honor Trip Abridged!

A: Intriguing ideas!

**Skar [1]** [via Dragon Ball Multiverse post on page 671]

C: I see so in Honor Trip and your story King Kold is the king of his entire race rather than only his empire. When is your next chapter coming out?

A: King Kold indeed is the king of the Arcosian empire, which directly incorporates all Arcosians. The next chapter of the Planet Arcos miniseries will be released in the near future. And, as Roketto said on the DBM message boards, "he pretty much rules with an iron fist & strategically-placed propaganda."

**Skar [2]** [via Dragon Ball Multiverse post on page 670]

[Roketto's post regarding pairing Cell with Frieza's mom in HT]: You do not want to know the discussions Vigor & I have had on this topic both before & after he saw my comic. xD

C: That would make for a great sitcom! "How My Clone Met My Mother" or "The Fresh Cell of [Frieza's home planet]" or "The Clone of Kings" or "Two And A Half Frost Demons".

A: To these proposed titles, respectively: lol, lolz, lulz, and rotflmao.

**Rafael** [via Dragon Ball Multiverse post on page 671]

C: I'm curious about Arcos prime, but I suppose you'll cover this on HT later.

A: [Roketto]: We will, but I can give you the long & short of it now: Arcos Prime still exists, i.e. it was not blown up, but it is uninhabitable. There's a specific reason why, but I'll keep that under wraps for now.


	71. LVII: Convocation

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: Convocation**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, southeast of Central City ..._

Silence suddenly pervaded the meeting of those who had gathered around the stone table.

Cell had not yet informed any of his fellow fighters of the exact nature of the dubious wish to which he had referred, but their stillness reflected their knowledge of various undesirable things that potentially could be acquired with the Dragon Balls, as well as their shock that such a wish was even being considered.

Goku wanted to know more.

"When you, Chi-Chi, Piccolo and I met two days ago, you told us that you've been planning to make six wishes soon with the Dragon Balls, three with Porunga and three with Temnizziv, after you create him in our timeline," Goku said. "Two days ago, you told us about three of the wishes. One of the wishes is a great idea we should have used already, and you convinced Piccolo, Chi-Chi, and me that the other two wishes truly would be beneficial. At the time, you said you had your reasons for not telling us about the other wishes at that point, and that you were intending to tell us all about them today. But you never once hinted that you've been planning to make some sort of wish we wouldn't like. If I'd known you were thinking about that, and if this wish is truly one you think we're going to find questionable, you should have told us about this one already. So, Cell, what exactly have you been planning?"

The others had been thinking very similar sentiments to what Goku had annunciated, with varying degrees of perplexity and anger among them.

"Goku, you should consider it a courtesy on my part that I've told any of you anything about what I've been planning," Cell said, to the extreme distress and disquiet of all else who had gathered. "I easily could have pursued my plans without consulting any of you about any aspects of them. I met with you and Piccolo the other day, and I'm meeting with all of you now, because I consider you all to be my friends. Because I respect all of you, I wanted to inform you all of what I'm planning to do before I do it, instead of keeping my intended wishes from you and forcing you to interact with the effects of these significant wishes without prior preparation. My plans are of the greatest righteousness, and I am confident in their merits. However, as I said, I predict that some of you, despite the merits of my plan, will view one wish in particular as so distasteful that you will do anything you possibly can to stop me from making it."

"If you really feel that way, then why are you still seriously considering making this wish?" Tien asked.

Cell turned toward Tien, then smiled.

"Have you ever wanted to do something, knowing that others would think it unworthy, while you knew it to be a noble idea?" Cell asked. "I of course have your memories up to a certain point in your life, and so I largely know the answer to this already, but I wonder if something occurred after the 23rd world martial arts tournament that is of importance for this question."

"In all the times I ever thought like that, I was still a reckless young student of the Crane School," Tien said. "I only thought those things were worthy because I was naïve."

"Fair enough," Cell said, while redirecting his attention toward Yamcha. "Surely, you've done some things you felt were noble but which others viewed as dastardly."

"Uh … well, you probably know a lot of it already," Yamcha said. "Please don't bring it up, alright?"

"Of course," Cell said. "I was merely trying to show that even if you're the only one who thinks what you're doing is right, and everyone else disagrees with you, you still could be right."

As soon as Cell said the words, a memory quickly caught his attention. Someone else had said something quite similar, reflecting almost exactly the same sentiment – possibly exactly so. Cell shuddered at the memory, knowing that while the other had been thoroughly wrong about almost everything, he was thoroughly right.

"While you at first will almost certainly disapprove of this wish, rest assured that I've thought of what might happen and that I am confident that all will be well," Cell said. "As you all of course know, I've been living under a very different code than that which I'd had before the Cell Games. As you also know, I made a wish with Shenron a few relative months ago, although after all I've been through it feels much longer ago than that, to restrict my ability to deviate from the sense of holiness I'd acquired. I had just been 'enlightened,' so to speak, and I didn't want to in any way risk returning to my days of evil. At the time, I was unconfident that the shifted mentality Gohan imparted unto me would be permanent, and I also was unconfident that if evil temptations were to somehow resurface, I would be able to resist them and remain righteous.

"I therefore used the wish with Shenron to avoid both these problems by enabling myself to be 'locked' in holiness, without the capability to pursue anything other than goodness," Cell continued to say. "For all this time, I've made many choices, but none of these choices has actually involved any test of moral character, as it has been impossible for me to do anything other than that which I've found to be objectively holy. I have acted in the name of righteousness, and I have wanted to consider myself truly so, but without the free will to consciously pursue a path of goodness, instead of pursuing it merely because I've forced myself to, I haven't truly been a person who pursues righteousness because he wants to, instead of because he has to. If one fights for holiness merely because one has to, or because one is so overwhelmingly exposed to such ideas that one pursues holiness merely because he was told to and never sufficiently questioned the legitimacy of such ideas, that person can act in the name of holiness, but is not truly as holy as he possibly can be because he is not making a truly conscious decision to pursue holiness despite possible real temptations to do otherwise. However, if one fights for holiness not because one has to, but because one chooses to do so despite possible real temptations to do otherwise, even potentially recognizing the legitimacy of acts of evil and yet consciously deciding to not pursue them so as to advance holiness even so through an enlightened mindset, that can be characteristic of a path of the highest level of holiness, though having a true choice of whether to pursue it and making a conscious decision to do so.

"When Gohan hit me in the head, I merely went from one extreme of thought to another," Cell continued to say. "I went from absolute evil to absolute goodness, and not once, in all my life, have I had a true choice to pursue either. My evil was predetermined, and my holiness has been such that the effects of Gohan's punch made me reject evil not out of complete choice, but because I automatically and suddenly viewed all evil as wrong without question, and suddenly viewed all holiness as right, also without question. I did choose to use a wish with Shenron to safeguard my sense of righteousness, but that was not a decision made out of conscious morality, but merely an act of absolute righteousness from which I could not consciously deviate that made it such that the righteousness would be even more absolute and with a second, even stronger level at which I could not deviate from that path.

"The glory of choice has never been mine," Cell continued to say. "Without choice, I've never been truly evil. Without choice, I've never been truly righteous. I want to change that. Out of the six wishes I intend to soon make, my final wish, which shall be made with Temnizziv, will be to not only reverse the wish I made with Shenron months ago, but to finally, at last, have true free will."

Cell paused for a few moments to observe his fellow warriors' reactions to his desired wish.

He saw in their facial expressions, and felt through shifts in their energy signatures, growing intensities of various feelings. There were noticeable sentiments of overwhelming dread.

Before they could verbally respond, Cell elaborated.

"Through reversing the wish I made with Shenron, the Dragon Ball restriction upon my moral free will no longer will apply, although it is almost certain that the effects of Gohan's punch still will be present, and that merely without the effects of the wish with Shenron, I still would be unable to have a conscious choice to deviate from righteousness," Cell said. "Temnizziv will be able to grant my desire for true free will in conjunction with negating the wish with Shenron because of a feature I intend to incorporate into him and which I incorporated into Temnizziv of Timeline IV, the ability to link certain desires together and have one wish perform two related tasks if there is a recognized commonality between the desires and they both are necessary parts for performing the same, unified function. The ability to link the desires together and grant both through one wish also involves the exact phrasing of the clauses of the wish, and this component of Temnizziv's intended power emerged from my desire to maximize each incarnation of Temnizziv's wish-granting power. In this case, reversing the wish with Shenron and acquiring free will both are necessary steps toward the singular purpose of achieving free will, and Temnizziv of Timeline III will help me achieve ultimate glory.

"Shenron and Porunga could not have granted such a wish for free will because as we know, while they can create 'locks' on people's mentalities that cause them to be unable to deviate from a certain mentality they possessed at the time the 'locking' wish was made, they cannot outright change people's mentalities," Cell continued to say. "However, I am quite confident that Temnizziv's design will enable him to dispel such mental locks. As for granting free will, while this unequivocally is a mentality shift that normally could not be granted by any eternal dragon, even Temnizziv, the superior power of the White Star Dragon Balls will enable Temnizziv to circumvent this restriction to achieve this particular purpose. I will not ask Temnizziv to directly shift absolute righteousness to free will without that absolute, because as I mentioned, that would be impossible as per the Dragon Balls' basic design. However, as an exception to the rules, because I have experienced both absolute malevolence and absolute benevolence, and because my memories of each are eternal and ever vivid, I will merely ask Temnizziv to create a sort of balance by having the absolute malevolence of my memories and absolute righteousness of my current consciousness briefly interact with each other. As soon as they do, Temnizziv can use their diametric opposition to cancel each of them out, enabling my sentiments of benevolence and malevolence from across my life to interact with each other without restriction. I therefore will gain the ability to at long last have free, unrestricted access to sentiments of benevolence and malevolence, and will at last, through fully understanding the positives and negatives of objective righteousness and evil, be able to have true moral free will to make the choice to pursue a true, sincere path of goodness. Without a true choice to be good, true and sincere redemption and enlightenment cannot be achieved, and I want to achieve such goals."

Cell then waited, wondering who would be the first to respond.

He was unsurprised that Gohan was the first to speak.

"Cell, while your desire to achieve those goals is admirable, this is easily one of the most shortsighted plans I've ever heard," Gohan said. "In fact, I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Cell, this is the f*cking worst plan ever. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's realized this. If you really gain true free will, this could easily result in you becoming evil again! After gaining your free will and making your choices, you could choose to return to a life of destroying the innocent! If that happens, then by your own reasoning, you'd be even more evil than before because you'd be pursuing evil out of choice, and not because you were forced into pursuing it!"

"Really, Cell, what the Hell are you thinking?" Piccolo asked. "Surely, you're aware that this plan could easily backfire. Why would you so recklessly risk everything just to accomplish this? When we met the other day, everything you suggested seemed like it would be helpful to protecting the innocent. This is nothing of the sort. This is outright irresponsibility."

"I knew you would object out of the supposed idea that I could become evil again, but rest assured, my mental strength is such that I am confident that I will be able to endure any temptation to again pursue evil and will maintain my present course of righteousness, only now with a true choice," Cell said. "Don't you want me to be as good as I can be?"

"Not at the expense of risking innocent lives," Goku said. "We have nothing to lose if you stay as you are. You can still achieve redemption and live an enlightened life. Cell, achieving the highest form of those goals isn't worth risking everything. We've never gambled with the lives of innocent people, and I'm not going to condone it now. Besides, if you do become evil, that will go entirely against your goals. Let's do the safe thing and let you remain as you are so you can achieve further redemption and enlightenment, instead of taking a risk that you won't achieve either."

"But there won't be any risk, Goku; I'm confident I'll be able to choose to remain good and that I will," Cell said. "You have nothing to fear."

"It won't be a real choice if you already know what you'll choose," Krillin said. "If Temnizziv does what you say he's going to do, you won't automatically pick the good over the bad. You're going to make a decision, no matter what you're deluding yourself into thinking now. It isn't worth it, man."

"I deeply care about your concerns, but I have no intention of backing down," Cell said.

"You're an absolute disgrace for even suggesting this," Vegeta said. "All the horrors that everyone in the future suffered are about to occur here, all because of an entirely avoidable situation. The person whose presence in Timeline IV almost resulted in its destruction is about to fulfill that destiny of death here. And this time, my son from the future and Broly are not going to be here to help stop the madness!"

"I regret empowering my counterpart through my presence, but I was traumatized by what he did, Vegeta. I know that when I gain my free will, I will reject his ways," Cell said. "Please, … trust me."

"I trust you now, Cell, but whether or not I'll be able to trust you as a result of making this wish is uncertain," Gohan said. "Don't be overconfident, Cell. It's a severe weakness, apparently even for you. You don't truly know that you won't become evil again. Seriously, I thought you were better than this."

"I will become better than I am though making the wish," Cell said. "I am better than my counterpart from the future, and I always will be. I will prove that I can be the good soul I want to be, despite what my counterpart said. In the midst of his reign of chaos, when I criticized him for his actions, he criticized my perspectives as well. He said I had no right to criticize him for his ways when I, too, was pursuing ways that were not truly of my own choosing. He said that I had never experienced personal true goodness because of the exact manner by which I became good, and while I hated him for saying that, and did all I could to rebuff the comment, ultimately, I determined he was correct in that one regard. He was wrong in all others, and defeating him was my most glorious achievement. Now, I want to seek even greater achievement."

"That's what this is about? Feeling tempted by the delusions of a madman and risking us all just to advance yourself beyond his criticism?" Gohan vehemently asked. "Cell, are you really going to take advice from the evil you? Does that logical to you, or crazy?"

"Despite what you might perceive, this is the most logical choice if I am to ever truly achieve redemption," Cell said.

"Logical? Your plan could result in you killing us all and destroying the universe!" Gohan shouted.

"If that's your idea of redemption, then you truly are a greater fool than your creator!" Vegeta said.

"Your goal of protecting the universe should be what comes first," Goku said. "As I said before, any redemption you could gain as you are now would be shattered if you fall to evil again."

"It's more than just your counterpart's taunt, isn't it?" Gohan asked. "It's your innate desire for perfection manifesting again, and you're not thinking clearly!"

"Perhaps you are correct about perfection attainment being a partial motivator, but each and every one of you knows that achieving the greatest level of fulfillment is a motivator for many, and not just me," Cell said. "Attaining the greatest level of a positive thing for oneself is healthy. Besides, after I tell you of the other wishes I'm planning to make, I feel your concerns will be allayed."

"Cell, when you told Goku and me that you were planning to use one of the wishes to make Earth and New Namek indestructible, I had no idea that you were planning to do this not to protect them in general, but to protect them specifically against you as a failsafe!" Piccolo yelled. "You're going to let what your future self was planning for Timeline IV happen here, only it will be far worse! You know all about the Dragon Balls, you can travel to Otherworld at will, and you know about time travel. At your counterpart's worst, he knew of none of those core elements. You're going to damn us all, Cell, not just here, but in Timeline IV as well after you use your time travel knowledge to kill everyone there! If you catch Trunks and Broly off-guard and they're not transformed, not even they will be able to stop you! Cell, we trusted you, and you're betraying us completely! You're going to become the horrifying god that your evil self wanted to become!"

"Worst of all, you're going to let Dr. Gero win," Eighteen said.

"Only if I become evil, which as I've assured you numerous times won't happen," Cell said.

"I'm surprised that even with the wish you made with Shenron a few months ago still applying, you can be making considerations that could jeopardize the universe," Tien said.

"My actions now are compatible with that wish because I'm still striving for absolute goodness and I honestly don't feel the universe will be at risk," Cell said. "Why can't you all just take my word for it?"

"Because we know you better than you apparently know yourself, that's why," Yamcha said.

"I'm going to agree with Yamcha," Tien said. "Have you ever once considered that maybe there's some part of you, somewhere hidden within your subconscious, that's trying to find a way to circumvent the wish that's been binding you all this time, just so you can be as you were?"

Cell considered Tien's words, and while he wanted to dismiss them, he suddenly became concerned by them, but not enough so as to cancel his plan.

However, he decided to quickly switch the subject, as he didn't want the others to remain fixated on Tien's idea for too long.

"I suppose that all of you also are wondering how our challenge match from before now relates to all this," Cell said. "Believe me, it proved a crucial point. I knew that all of you would not support my decision, and so I held that bout to reemphasize that even if you wanted to, none of you can stop me."

The statement visibly perturbed the others, and Cell took note of this.

"Even if you had a miracle situation such as the one we just experienced, you would all fail to defeat me, even together, especially since you know I would fight back," Cell said. "Despite your misgivings, and despite your desires for me to not go through with this, ultimately, you can't stop me from achieving what I want to achieve. I will make the wish no matter what efforts you make to try to stop me, even if I need to take advantage of my mere ability to survive without an atmosphere and take Porunga and Temnizziv's sets of Dragon Balls to a faraway point in the universe in a vacuum where you won't be able to be, with my power level cloaked so you won't be able to sense me. I could summon the dragons there and make my wishes telepathically, without interference."

"You've gone to great lengths to highlight how we can't stop you. If you do become evil, what then?" Chiaotzu asked.

Cell thought about how best to answer the question, then did so.

"If any of you feel as though you want to prepare for the worst, which will be thoroughly unnecessary, as I am confident I will remain righteous, you may do as you so choose," Cell said.

It took much to anger Goku, and at this point, he was enraged.

"If all of us are against this, doesn't that mean anything to you?" Goku shouted.

"It shows you care about the innocent," Cell said. "They will not be harmed. I am confident of that. I have revealed my most controversial wish, and the one Piccolo revealed does not seem to be in dispute. Before any of you take further action, please stay, so you can hear of the other four wishes I would like to make. Of these, Goku and Piccolo know of two. I shall reveal those two to the rest of you, and the other two to all of you. I'd like to hear what you think after you learn of those wishes."

"Will the two wishes you didn't reveal to me before prevent you from destroying any innocent life if your wish for free will goes wrong?" Goku asked.

"My wish for free will won't result in evil, although no, the other wishes would not automatically prevent destruction if I became evil again … which, I won't," Cell said.

"If they won't stop you, then what good are they?" Vegeta asked.

"The Dragon Balls, as you know, cannot outright stop an aggressor, but I predicted your resistance to my controversial wish and have devised other wishes to help reduce your concerns," Cell said. "Even though I am confident I will not become evil, I can see the merit in having safeguards in place. Besides, these wishes will be useful even after I show you all that I'm still on your side."

Gohan was eager to hear of Cell's plans for the four wishes, hoping that some provision among them would alleviate his concerns. As per Cell's desire to train him, he didn't know if Cell intended to in any way train him before the wishes were made, and he also didn't know any other aspects of exactly what Cell had planned in that regard. The uncertainty added further mystification to Gohan's considerations, which at the moment were dwelling on the catalyst of Cell's plan.

Cell had apparently been swayed by words, and from Gohan's perspective, they were not by any means the words of a sane individual.

Gohan had never met Future Cell, but he had come to revile him more than he had ever despised Cell, based on all he had heard of the malevolent murderer's atrocities in Timeline IV and his plans to spread his reign of evil to Timeline III.

The horrors of Future Cell's desire to eventually travel to Timeline III and subject it to annihilation were alarmingly becoming even more prominent in his thoughts, as it seemed Cell was about to embark upon a path that Future Cell had himself seemingly sparked. While Future Cell had failed to win in Timeline IV and had failed to gain access to the time travel technology that would have enabled him to enter Timeline III and spread his influence across time, it was becoming quite clear that perhaps he hadn't needed to.

It seemed that Future Cell's goals, after all, were on the potential verge of becoming implemented by an individual who could not have been a better proxy for Future Cell himself. The damning, and frighteningly real, possibility that Cell would be the one to fulfill Future Cell's dreams because of Future Cell's comments of intimidation made Gohan even more angered and horrified than he had been before.

He did not want Future Cell's maniacal plans to in any way be implemented in Timeline III after all, and he in no way wanted that scum to achieve victory despite all that had been done to stop him. Indirectly achieving his aims through Cell, with Cell becoming evil again as a result of taking reckless action in response to Future Cell's taunt that he could never truly be good in his current state, would perhaps offer Future Cell an even greater victory than he would have achieved himself – a victory in corrupting his counterpart, plus causing death and annihilation in a far more sadistic manner through warping a person who had finally appreciated benevolent virtue into implementing the obliteration that he had formally worked to prevent.

While it was doubtful that Future Cell's comments regarding Cell's lack of real free will had been purposed as a failsafe for the achievement of his goals in the event of his own defeat, as at the time they had been made Future Cell had thought there was no way he would lose and viewed himself as virtually invincible, the fact remained that Cell had been swayed into taking action that Future Cell would have found promising.

As Piccolo had said, Cell, unlike his counterpart, now possessed access to the knowledge of not only time travel, but of how to create Dragon Balls. For these reasons, a version of Cell recommitted to evil would be far more dangerous than Future Cell had ever been, and he would be able to spread his influence not just across Timeline III, but Timeline IV as well.

Gohan knew that in his current state, he stood no chance of stopping Cell if he reemerged as a force of evil, and he in no way wanted Cell to defeat all the fighters of Timeline III, then manage to kill Trunks and Broly in their normal states, dooming Timeline IV to horror as well.

As Cell began to reveal the nature of his other four planned wishes, Gohan prayed.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 57__th__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: What is Cell intending for the other four wishes? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball: Honor Trip! _

_Chapter 58 is scheduled for release Thursday evening, March 7, around 10:00-11:30pm U.S. Eastern Standard Time! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Seven: Completed March 3, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor_

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement _

* * *

Answers to your comments and questions following the release of Chapter 56!

**Super Vegetarott**

C: I like the way Chiaotzu's being utilized in Honor Trip. I won't lie, when I saw Chiaotzu's power level in HT, I found him to be a joke when compared to the others. It was very ironic to see him play such a pivotal role in the battle.

A: Among the human fighter characters of the Dragon Ball franchise, Chiaotzu and Tien seem as though they were especially underutilized and that there is much more they could have offered the Z-Fighter team, if they were given the opportunity to shine. A subtheme of Honor Trip is enabling many of Dragon Ball characters to gain greater states of fulfillment than they had in canon. Granting Chiaotzu a technique of such use is compatible with his psychic prowess and helps reinforce the concept that in Dragon Ball land (and in real life), brute force isn't always as important as other qualities.

**DaKappaMAN** [1]

C: I've read a few stories where the humans were taught Kaioken and could actually keep up with their Saiyan allies, or at least on the level of a SSJ.

A: It remains to be seen exactly how strong the humans will become in Honor Trip, although I have a few concepts in mind that I think you'd find intriguing.

**DaKappaMAN** [2]

Q: I find it funny that half Saiyans have such huge potential over full blooded Saiyans because of the human genes they are mixed with. You'd think it would be because humans are so emotional, and emotions are what fuel their strength. But I think it could be something more, and this could make an interesting plot, eh? It could give our favorite group of humans the edge they need to keep the pace, granted you don't use Kaioken. Or maybe a mixture?

A: Canon never directly states the exact reason for half-Saiyans in the series having stronger power levels at their ages in comparison to their parents, and as you said, there very well might be some sort of genetic reason. I've interpreted power levels of half-Saiyans at birth and in childhood to be directly related to the power levels of their parents: i.e., Gohan at age 7 is far less strong than Goten at age 7 not merely because of training, but because Goku was far stronger when Goten was conceived than when Gohan was conceived. The true strength of humanity, as you said, very well could be something more, and it is worth consideration. As a side note, since you mentioned Kaioken, in yet another round of plot hole fun involving King Kai, it's notable that he inexplicably didn't teach the technique to Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu.

**TheCuriousReader** [1]

Q: Does Gohan know Krillin's kienzan technique? If he does, he might have tried to use it on Cell at close range and cut him apart. Surely this would have been enough to "knock him out" without killing him. You probably think that using kienzan might be dangerous, because Cell might have instant transmitted out of the way and if somebody was behind Cell at that time, he or she would have been hit by the kienzan. But I think that a kienzan can also be used as a "chainsaw" at close range. What I mean by that is that you don't have to release the kienzan. You simply form it and then "hold it" without "throwing it". You can then stretch out your arm with the kienzan still being "attached" to your hand and cut up your opponent. So I think that there was a significant possibility to win this battle after all. Unless of course Gohan doesn't know this technique.

A: Canon does not confirm whether Gohan knows Krillin's Kienzan (Destructo Disk) technique. If Gohan does know the technique, you're right in that he could have used it to his tactical advantage during the exhibition challenge match against Cell, although I did not place the technique into the chapter because as Gohan wasn't actually trying to kill Cell, I don't think he would have chosen to use the technique. Destructo Disk is a technique that is very much outside the realm of what seems acceptable for a sparring match, or any related non-lethal challenge like Cell's exibition in chapter 56. However, the concept of using the Destructo Disk as a "chainsaw" of sorts is quite interesting – with your permission, may I consider it for future use?

**TheCuriousReader** [2]

C: Just don't forget that Cell can open his wings similar to an insect from the genus Melolontha. There is a picture of one of them on Wikipedia as one of them opens its wings. Cell's ability to open his wings has been shown in the anime. So if Cell has to sit in a Lotus position in order to create a new set of Dragonballs for example, he really doesn't have to lean forward, because of his wings. All he has to do, is to slighty open them. This way he can sit upright in a meditating Lotus position.

A: I am well aware of Cell's ability to open his wings (for instance, for the creation of Cell Juniors and for flight), although it doesn't seem as though he can open his wings quite wide enough for him to be able to sit down in a chair as if he didn't have them. However, if you're aware of a specific scene from the anime or manga in which it's extremely clear that Cell can open his wings quite wide and that would allow him to comfortably sit in a chair designed for humans, please let me know of it.

**TheCuriousReader** [3]

C: It's interesting by the way that Cell doesn't consider Gohan's pinpoint kamehameha to be worthy of learning. At least he didn't ask Gohan so far, whether he could mindread this technique from him.

A: The Pin-point Kamehameha is such that Cell, upon analyzing it, could almost certainly figure out how to perform it himself without directly absorbing the knowledge from Gohan. This is dissimilar to Chiaotzu's healing technique, the Partial Panacea, which was quite outside the realm of the sort of techniques Cell was used to (even the Namekian healing technique he acquired from Future Dende), and so that is why he asked Chiaotzu, but not Gohan, if he could absorb the knowledge his new technique.

**Perfection8**

C: I can't wait until the next chapter! I've been reading since the beginning and the next chapter is in my opinion the most anticipated chapter of all the chapters in Honor Trip! Just what does Cell have planned? It seems that next chapter will be an extremely interesting plot transcension. You really know how to keep people on the edge of their seat!

A: I had been highly anticipating writing this particular chapter for quite some time, and I hope you thought that the chapter met your anticipations. I'm glad you've found Honor Trip's plot twists and cliffhangers to be enjoyable! Thank you for the compliment regarding my plot development abilities.

**Firulice** [1]

C: This is probably one of the best fighting scenes I've read since Future Trunks and Vegeta went up against Semi-Perfect Cell in Bringer Of Death. Also, major props on making Chiaotzu useful, didn't think that was possible.

A: I'm sincerely glad you found the exhibition challenge match from Chapter 56 to have been enjoyable. I also am glad you consider Chiaotzu's reinvigorated status as a "character who can actually do something" to be enjoyable.

**Firulice** [2]

Q: Also, regarding Cell's comment about the humans having some sort of form or transformation to achieve, what about the Kaio-Ken?

A: To clarify, Cell was referring to a natural transformation they could achieve, as opposed to one they could be trained to learn and that is accessible by anyone who trains to learn it. For Saiyans, the Super Saiyan transformation accords with the sort of "natural transformation" category that Cell was suggesting that the humans might also be able to access. As for the Kaioken, it would make sense for all the humans to learn it, and it is quite possible that I will have them finally learn the technique from King Kai in a future chapter.

**ShadowMario3** [1]

C: Nice chapter. But, looking at the power level comparison, even though Cell is the main character, he is drastically overpowered compared to the other Saiyans. I hope there's a way you can make Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta comparable to him, whether it be through overpowering them up, or, more likely, de-powering Cell and the future enemies (unless by your views, current SP Cell would be equal to, say, Super Buu, which would mean the Saiyans could easily reach that power eventually).

A: The power level disparity between Cell and the others in Timeline III is part of the drama of the recent chapters and those to come. I have yet to perform a thorough power level analysis of an incarnation of Buu in terms of TNS units, although it will eventually be done to ensure the realism of the characters' strengths at that point in comparison to Buu. As you will see in future chapters, I have big plans for Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta. As for de-powering Cell, the fact you referred to this is highly ironic for reasons that I cannot yet reveal, but of which Genescritor, Roketto, and Ruga-Rell are well-aware.

**ShadowMario3** [2]

Q: Also, what do you think about the new DBZ movie that is actually canon? I found Toriyama's explanation as to why King Kai's planet being small to be pretty funny. Also, I hope the supposed "Super Saiyan God" transformation Goku is getting is a new permanent transformation that makes Goku truly a God (and better than Super Saiyan 4) and not like the "False Super Saiyan".

A: I think Battle of Gods could be positive or negative; after the movie is released, I plan to write an opinion piece on it that I'll post here. As for Toriyama's explanation regarding the size of King Kai's current planet, I found it to be absolutely hysterical. I'm eager to learn more about how the Super Saiyan God form functions so that I can assess its validity and compatibility with overall canon. It remains to be seen whether the events of Battle of Gods truly will invalidate Dragon Ball GT, although with each successive release of material for the movie, it appears more and more likely that GT is going to be thoroughly invalidated.

**Jason9000** [1]

C: Hm...I'm curious as to what the wishes are. I really do like Chiaotzu's new healing and lowering power ability.

A: I hope you thought that the two wishes that so far have been revealed are intriguing, and I hope you find the next four to also be so. I also am glad you found Chiaotzu's Partial Panacea to be well-designed.

**Jason9000** [2]

Q: Did you ever explain why you think Goku never used Kaioken in any of his Super Saiyan forms? I'm not sure if Toriyma never considered it or he explained why it can't be used. (except for that one filler episode when Goku is fighting Pikkon.)

A: As of now, I haven't directly addressed this in Honor Trip. It's been about 20 years since Goku's fight against Pikkon first aired on Japanese television, including his first and only animated use of Kaioken while a Super Saiyan (the Super Kaioken technique). He's shown to only be able to have both transformations engaged simultaneously for a few seconds for a brief power boost. As Toei and Toriyama have had 20 years to refute that this is how the interaction between the two power-ups works, but they have not in any way released contradicting material, I generally consider this to be the fully canonical way that the two power-ups work together. It seems as though using Kaioken while in a Super Saiyan form (even if just for a few seconds of accentuated power outburst) should have been a more-often used strategy in canon.

**Gohandominates** [1]

C: I find hilarious and oddly fitting that 16 would get into metal music. He has the hair down at least. XP

A: I'm glad you found the bit about Sixteen and metal music to be enjoyable. Metal is my favorite music genre, and Sixteen, even if he didn't have a Mohawk, just SEEMS like he'd be into it.

**Gohandominates** [2]

C: Wonder why Cell's wish will displease the Z fighters...and why do I get the feeling Frieza and his cohorts are going to be making an appearance?

A: As the wish was revealed in this chapter, I hope you thought it to be intriguing. As for the second part of what you said, anything is possible. If you have visited Roketto's deviantART page [Ryu no Ohi on deviantART], there might be some kind of HINT as to what we're planning regarding Frieza's race. As Genescritor could tell you, I've had the big elements of Season Four planned out for quite some time now, and soon, things will happen.

**Storm107** [1]

C: I must say, you're doing a good job keeping us guessing. I have NO idea what Cell could be planning.  
A: Now that you've read the chapter, what did you think of Cell's big wish reveal? [Remember, there are four more wishes that have not yet been revealed … how the big wish revealed in this chapter will interact with those soon shall be seen].

**Storm 107** [2]

Q: This #18 x Vegeta stuff has me wondering... Do you see Cell as someone "capable" of being sexually attracted to someone else? Or at least, someone who might desire a romantic, meaningful relationship?

A: It remains to be seen, but on the subject of such things, check out Roketto's deviantART page [Ryu no Ohi on deviantART] for a series of seven crack/wacky pairing comics that she made in honor of Valentine's day, featuring Honor Trip characters and other Dragon Ball folks who have not yet made an appearance in Honor Trip.

**CrimsonFlare121** [1]

Q: Highly intriguing elucidation on the mechanics of the powering up process. I'm curious, however, as to your rules regarding the powering up post-transformation. If an individual were to transform into a higher form from a non-fully powered up base state, would the maximum power of the transformed state be constrained by the original (base) power level that the individual transformed from?

A: I'm glad you determined the power-up rules to have been well-conceived. Also, I'm greatly amused by the way you phrased the derived benefit ("highly intriguing elucidation," as you said), as those could have very well been the exact words that I might have used to refer to the phenomenon. As for powering-up post-transformation after having been in a non-fully powered up base state, I don't believe that an individual's maximum available power level in the transformation would be in any way constrained within the transformation based merely on the power level the individual possessed in the previous state at the instance of transformation. Rather, the maximum power level attainable in a transformation is merely a function of the maximum power attainable in the previous state, multiplied by the power multiplier for the transformation. The power level an individual possesses in a state before transforming into the next form merely affects how much more the individual needs to power-up in the transformed state before achieving the maximum power available to that individual in the form. The individual's maximum normal state power level can change over time, and as it does, it affects the maximum power level of subsequent forms.

**CrimsonFlare121** [2]

Q: This ties in with the eighth rule, in which you assert that the degree to which a transformed individual may power up is relatively restricted; is the degree a fixed or flexible range? Can the individual attain the same power level that he would have been able to achieve if he first fully powered up in the base state before transforming and again powering up to maximum? Or will the maximum transformed power level be limited by the base power level he transformed from? i.e., can a transformed individual power up, to his maximum possible power level, regardless of the power level he transformed from?

A: As discussed in my answer to the above question component, the answer to the question of whether a transformed individual can power up to his maximum possible power level, regardless of the power level he transformed from, is YES. An individual who is not fully-powered up in the base state and then transforms into the individual's first form CAN, through powering-up within the form, achieve the same maximum power level that the individual would have been able to achieve if the individual first fully powered up in the base state before transforming. If the individual is at the individual's maximum power level in the individual's base state, then after the transformation occurs, the individual will be at the individual's maximum possible power level in the transformed state.

**CrimsonFlare121** [3]

C: My heartfelt apologies if my query was overwhelmingly stultifying or unintelligent.

A: You by no means need to apologize. In fact, I'd like to thank you for the sophisticated phrasing of your sentences. Your verbosity, in its constructive and aesthetic aspects, rivals my own. For this, I commend you.

**CrimsonFlare121** [4]

C: And, of course, although I'm certain you've heard it many times prior, your fanfiction is unquestionably the most superlative fanfiction I've ever had the pleasure of perusing.

A: As I previously and enthusiastically expressed, I greatly admire your verbosity. Thank you very much for regarding Honor Trip with such esteem.

**Shinen no Hikari** [1]

C: Rule number four would however have a significant effect on fighters like Roshi, and Zarbon whose transformations only increase their power level by a fraction of their previous power level.

A: Quite true, and quite compatible with canon.

**Shinen no Hikari** [2]

C: I'm not too sure about rule number eight either seeing as Goku was able to improve upon the super sayain transformation's efficiency to the point of doubling the power output, a feat that Vegeta never proved to have matched with that particular form.

A: I have not before heard the claim that Goku was able to make his Super Saiyan transformation twice as powerful as Vegeta's. From my perspective, the Super Saiyan power multiplier remains consistent for them both (50x), but because of differences in normal state power level, they can have drastically different power levels as Super Saiyans. For instance, if Goku's normal state power level is 3 TNS and Vegeta's power level is 1 TNS, Super Saiyan Goku's power level would be 150 TNS and Super Saiyan Vegeta's power level would be 50 TNS.

**Shinen no Hikari** [3]

C: As for numbers nine and ten, while they would make some logical since, the fact that fighters have proven to continue to power up after that point makes it shady at best.

A: I compared your statement here to the exact wordings of Power-Up rules 9 and 10 as identified in Chapter 56, and I do not see how "the fact that fighters have proven to continue to power up after that point" is incompatible with those rules. Those rules merely govern the relationship between power level at instance of transformation and power level immediately after transformation before further power-ups are applied.

**Shinen no Hikari** [4]

C: Furthermore it makes very little sense for the gap between Gohan and the others, and maybe even between Gohan and Cell, to be so massive, at least as far as the other aliens are concerned. I'm not a big fan of the gap between the humans and the aliens, but at least it's a little more logical.

A: Many moons ago, Genescritor and I explained why we felt that the Super Saiyan 2 power multiplier made more sense as 10x, in comparison to what we view as the less logical 2x, as stated in handbook Dragon Ball media. In brief, if Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 power multiplier was merely 2x, then when fighting Cell during the Cell Games after Cell significantly powered up but before he entered his Power-Weighted Perfect form, Gohan's attacks should not have been as nearly effective.

**Shinen no Hikari** [5]

C: Another point I'm pretty sure that Goku proved that the improvement on power of his more efficient super sayain form without the drawback on speed of the ascended form, makes the ascended form obsolete.

A: I am unaware of any canonical material in which it is identified that the Ascended Super Saiyan form has the same speed drawback of the Ultra Super Saiyan form. If you are aware of one, please share it with me.

**Guest** [1]

C: I am glad Chaotzu is given something to do.

A: As has been said, I consider Chiaotzu to have been an underutilized character who deserved a more significant role in the story. I'd like him to have that opportunity now.

**Guest** [2]

C: As far as the humans "transforming" could you please not make it akin to a SSJ type transformation. I would think that maybe they could reach Olibu (afterlife tournament) caliber which you could speculate is beyond the level of a SSJ.  
A: I have not yet decided the exact manner by which the humans' power ups would function, or if any of them actually will ascend at all. Time will tell.

**Guest** [3]

C: Also, I have a feeling the wish is to restore Cell's free will to see if he can become good without being kicked in the head.  
A: AN EXTREMELY EXCELLENT PREDICTION. How did you derive this prediction?

**Guest** [4]

C: Lastly, please have 18 and Krillin get together. And maybe Launch and Tien. I would love the setup of a next-gen of Z fighters. Speaking of which...Cell Jr(s)? Maybe a Mrs Cell?

A: As for what will happen in the arena of love, much shall occur. On the subject of such things, check out Roketto's deviantART page [Ryu no Ohi on deviantART] for a series of seven crack/wacky pairing comics that she made in honor of Valentine's day, featuring Honor Trip characters and other Dragon Ball folks who have not yet made an appearance in Honor Trip.

**MV**

Q: Is Broly going to be wished back to life? That is the only thing I can imagine at this point

A: It remains to be seen what will become of Broly of Timeline III. What do you think of Cell's intended wishes so far?

**Lemonlime77** [1]

Q: Can [Chiaotzu] give the energy he's taken from his target solely back to the target? Or (perhaps with some development) he could also willing (or not take the energy from the target and transfer it to another fighter? (Willingly as in what Gohan and Krillin did for Piccolo on Namek, only remote)

A: Time will tell the extent of exactly how flexible Chiaotzu's Partial Panacea will be. However, as of now, I don't expect it to be a viable method of energy transfer.

**Lemonlime77** [2]

C: I must have skimmed over the part where Gohan learned IT, but given the more serious and logical staus of your fic it makes complete sense.

A: Thanks for considering Gohan's acquisition of the Instant Transmission technique to have been a worthy inclusion, and thanks for considering HT to be of "logical status."

**The Last Z Fighter** [1]

C: Interesting. You seem to be thinking of perhaps introducing a powered up state for the humans, or maybe just thinking too much about what Cell said.

A: You have correctly perceived that I am considering granting at least one of the humans some sort of power-up beyond Kaioken. Whether any of them actually will attain such a power-up remains to be seen.

**The Last Z Fighter** [2]

C: How do you intend to have android 16 keep up? Is his power static or can it grow? From what I gathered, you're making a effort so it won't be a Sayain only party. With 18, it could be argued she's half human(and technically that would make her a cyborg but I digress) so she'd be able to grow naturally and such just fine. Of course, Gero IS a genius. Who's to say 16 can't grow or there's a bit more to him then we know?

A: I indeed am endeavoring to enable characters other than Cell and the (other) Saiyans to have larger roles than they comparatively did in canon in the time after the Cell Saga. Eighteen's status as still being part human will enable her to naturally gain strength because of the presence of significant biological aspects. As for Sixteen, I think you'll find the next chapter to be especially intriguing.

**possiblespoiler** [1]

C: Maybe Cell's plan is to resurrect villains and enemies of the Z team with the Dragonballs? Cell tried to reason with Trunks in Timeline IV not to kill 18 and 17. So maybe he thinks that he can somehow resocialize them after resurrection? But such an attempt already failed with Future Cell. Does he really think that doing something like that would be worth the risk? Resurrecting them would put everyone on Earth (and maybe even in the universe) in danger and make Cell responsible for every death, these people might cause, if they got resurrected. And besides on what grounds should Cell decide who deserves resurrection and resocialization? People like Frieza amused themselves with the suffering of others. They should stay dead so that they can never harm anyone innocent ever again.

A: Thanks very much for devoting the time and effort to develop a theory as to what I'd been planning for the wishes. While two of the six wishes were revealed in this chapter, we've got four more wishes to go. Cell has learned from some of his past mistakes, although as is more than clear in Chapter 57, he hasn't entirely learned from all of them. You made excellent considerations as to the disadvantages of Cell choosing to resurrect or attempt to reform villains of the past. I think you'll be intrigued by the wishes Cell makes in the next chapter.

**possiblespoiler** [2]

C: And what about the fact that some of their former victims cannot be resurrected again? Then why should they get this honorable chance? Wouldn't it be better to resurrect someone, who truely deserves to be resurrected, because he or she died of unfortunate circumstances like a car accident? (Vegeta's resurrection doesn't count by the way, because he has been resurrected by accident on the old planet Namek during the events depicted in the anime. The resurrection wish hasn't been formulated carefully enough.)

A: These were additional excellent considerations as to the ethics of reviving former enemies. Some fans have predicted that certain villains would be resurrected. It remains to be seen what shall occur.

**Guest** [second unnamed guest to post between the release of Chapters 56 and 57]

C: Healing-Abilities Chiaotzu?Mrqball80 much,aren't we?

A: I had been unaware of the existence of Mrqball80, although you have made me aware of the artist's work. Are you referring to Dragon Ball: After Life?

**Ivan**

C: I dont know if anyone else has asked this yet, but cell told the human not to give up on becoming stronger because if at least one of them could unlock some sort of "Super Human" transformation then it would be worth it. In canon, the human fighters gave up on getting stronger because they saw what super saiyans were capable of. Do you believe that if they wouldve trained enough and reached a certain limit, then they could've unlocked a new transformation? because from what it seems in the dbz-universe, if every opponent/alien ever shown had a transformation,why cant they?

A: It is possible that at least one of the humans might unlock a transformation, and as Cell is honestly unsure of whether any of them might have such a transformation, he is extremely intrigued about the possibility. It remains to be seen how many, if any, of them actually will have one.

**Thrubardockeyes**

C: I'm glad Chaizuto didnt give it to Cell I was getting tired of his greedy self getting everything.

A: Chiaotzu wanted a technique that truly could be his own, and Cell respected that. As per the events of Chapter 57, perhaps it truly was best that Chiaotzu did not give Cell the technique ….

As always, folks, thanks very much for your comments and questions!

AV


	72. LVIII: Zealousness

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: Zealousness**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Awesome readers,**

**Thanks much for your patience, and now, we're proud to present to you the latest installment of Honor Trip's main series!**

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, southeast of Central City; Sept. 23, Age 767 ….._

The circular nature of the table, around which the 11 fighters were sitting, could have symbolized their togetherness, codependence, and unity, had the circumstances been different.

The attitudes of those who were seated at the table were the true indicators of their allegiances, with 10 warriors aghast at an unexpected situation of potential calamity, and the strongest among them, who possessed the power to ameliorate their concerns by canceling his plans, instead persisting.

"My wish for free will shall indeed be made with Temnizziv, and it shall occur on Oct. 27, just 34 days from now, which is the day on which we'll again gain access to Porunga," Cell said, while he looked around the table at the continued expressions of concern among the other Z-Fighters, who clockwise from him were seated as follows: Tien, Chiaotzu, Eighteen, Sixteen, Vegeta, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Goku, and Piccolo. "The free will wish shall be the last among the six, and the indestructibility wish that Piccolo was referring to will be made with Porunga and shall be the first."

"Regardless of whether granting you free will would be an absolute disaster, preventing the Earth and New Namek from being able to be destroyed seems like a good idea that we should have thought of before," Piccolo said, while turning toward his left so that he could talk with Cell directly. "If we had thought to use the Dragon Balls of either planet for that purpose before the Cell Games, we wouldn't have had to worry about Earth being destroyed in the fighting."

"And we'll never have to worry about it being destroyed again," Cell said. "Before I continue, and especially because it's very clear how you all feel about enabling me to have the freedom I deserve so that I can become the truly best I can possibly be, do any of you object to the general idea of enabling the Earth to be incapable of being destroyed?"

"Why would we object to that?" Tien asked.

"It would be illogical for objections to be raised for this measure, but if anyone does have any, speak now, or have your concerns unheard," Cell said.

There was a general silence for 10 seconds, and Cell then continued.

"As I had thought," Cell said. "If Earth and New Namek cannot be destroyed, this will disable any future enemies from using nefarious maneuvers to win through eradicating these planets' biospheres and other life-supporting components. I thought for quite some time about how best to structure a wish for planetary indestructibility, and I'm confident that I've developed an effective, comprehensive wish that will enable us to achieve our desired objective. As part of the wish, we will specify to Porunga exactly what 'indestructibility' shall refer to, as the word can have various degrees of definition based on the various ways a planet could be destroyed. The wish will be such that each planet covered by the wish will not be able to be destroyed by anyone intending to destroy the planet either directly or indirectly, or by any unintentional maneuver by a sentient being, or by any nonsentient entity or nonliving object that could potentially destroy the planet. People would still be able to dig on these worlds, as this is not with the intent of planetary destruction. However, if the digging somehow would unintentionally destroy the planet, the wish's protective power would prevent the planet from being destroyed."

"It sounds as though at least for this wish, you've thought of the potential consequences," Goku said.

"That is true of all the wishes I've devised," Cell said, while Goku was unamused. "Earth and New Namek will be protected, as will two other worlds."

"Why just two?" Yamcha asked.

"As far as I know based on my knowledge of the Dragon Balls and the maximum coverage that this sort of wish can have, the maximum number of planets that can be covered by an indestructibility wish is four," Cell said. "As per the knowledge I now possess regarding the Dragon Balls, this seems to be true for Shenron and Porunga, and I know it to be true for Temnizziv."

"That colossal dragon can grant indestructibility to only the same number of words as the others?" Vegeta asked.

"The Dragon Balls are by no means the most intuitive objects in the universe, Vegeta," Cell said. "As I was saying, one of the other two worlds that shall be covered by the wish is Harfava, which as many of you know is a planet that Trunks and I saved from a tyrant in Timeline IV, and which Goku and Gohan saved in this timeline. The planet has been through much, and as we've developed allies there, I feel it to be appropriate to enable their world to benefit from the wish. The other world is one whose name I had not been aware of until I reentered this timeline. In Timeline IV, my counterpart regrettably destroyed a world before he even more regrettably destroyed New Namek. We used the Dragon Balls in Timeline IV to restore that other world, and in this timeline, shortly after I returned, I briefly transmitted to that world and after interacting with the populace learned its name. Planet Oritov is remarkable, and it as well could be protected through this wish."

"All of this is great, Cell, but if you were hoping that making these planets indestructible would somehow make me feel at ease with risking the safety of the universe as a whole through giving you true free will, you're mistaken," Gohan said. "If you choose the path of evil, you won't be able to physically destroy those planets, but you could still kill everyone living on them. Also, even though you wouldn't be able to quickly kill everyone on a world through destroying it directly, you could still entirely circumvent the point of the wish by blowing up a planet's sun and having the star's fallout char the surface of the world, killing everyone in instants."

"I'd rather not think of such morbidity," Cell said.

Gohan instantly became far more enraged than he had been.

"You'd rather not think of the death! What a horrible thing to say, coming from someone who clearly isn't thinking of what could very well happen soon!" Gohan shouted. "Cell, I urge you to quit this free will thing before an uncountable number of people across this universe die because of you. Please, abandon this, or at least wait until at least my dad, Vegeta, and I can each become strong enough to stop you!"

"I'd rather not wait," Cell said. "I need to gain free will as soon as possible, so that I can achieve true righteousness as soon as possible! Think, Gohan, of what it would be like to follow a path blindly, without truly being able to have the glory of being able to follow that path because you chose to! You can trust me! I know I will choose goodness! My conviction shall never falter!"

"I hope your other wishes will actually do something to give us confidence that we can trust this plan, Cell!" Gohan said.

"That one should have, and the others will," Cell said. "In fact, a key maneuver regarding the Dragon Balls that will be of great interest to you, Gohan, and that will not involve a wish at all, will enable you to have greater confidence in my plan. After much consideration, I've decided that I'd like you to be Timeline III's keeper of Temnizziv."

Gohan wasn't the only who reacted to the comment with surprise. Cell had mentioned nothing of this to Goku and Piccolo beforehand, causing each of them to view the meeting they'd had with Cell days earlier as even less consequential. The others as well were quite astonished.

"Me?" Gohan asked. "Why?"

"If, as you think could happen, I was to choose evil after my wish for free will, it would be inauspicious for me to have keepership over a set of Dragon Balls," Cell said. "If you were to be the keeper and not I, then if you were to unfortunately be killed, I'd lose access to Temnizziv's ability to travel through time, as well as to his other aspects and available wishes. But I have no intention on descending to evil, and so enabling you to be Temnizziv's keeper will be largely your choice, Gohan, after I show you and all the others that I still am your ally."

"This … makes me feel a bit better," Gohan said. "But Cell, couldn't you just overcome the problem of losing access to Temnizziv by creating another set of Dragon Balls?"

"Actually, I could not," Cell said. "As per what I've learned of the Dragon Balls, it seems that an individual can make only one set of Dragon Balls unless the keeper of that set personally deactivates the set, which can enable that set's creator to make another set. If an individual is the keeper of a set of Dragon Balls, that individual cannot make a set. If that wasn't true, Kami and Guru could have blessed their planets with hundreds of sets of Dragon Balls throughout their hundreds of years of keepership. It obviously would not be quite as hard to find Dragon Balls if so many sets existed, and more importantly, because Dragon Balls can help those who experienced untimely deaths or misfortunes through no fault of their own, it could have been desirable for Kami and Guru to have each created multiple sets, if it were possible. However, as I mentioned, individuals involved with creating and serving as keeper for a set of Dragon Balls usually cannot devote their energies to other sets."

"But if that's true, then why are you suggesting that you'd be able to make another set yourself?" Chiaotzu said.

"I am confident that I'll be able to make an incarnation of Temnizziv for this timeline because I'd be doing so in a timeline other than the one in which I already made an incarnation of Temnizziv," Cell said. "Just as a set of Dragon Balls from one timeline cannot properly function in another because the set's dragon would be 'disconnected' from the reality with which it was correlated to function as per the distinctness of each timeline, the fact that each timeline is distinct will enable me to circumvent the restriction. However, after I create Temnizziv here, I will not be able to create another set in this timeline, unless Temnizziv's set is deactivated. In that case, with Gohan as keeper of Temnizziv's set, he would have full control over whether I'd be able to create another set. If you're the keeper, Gohan, and you choose to not deactivate Temnizziv, I would not be able to create another set in this timeline."

"Ah, I see!" Gohan said. "Well, that's at least some sort of good news."

"Yes, and as an aspect of even better news, the second wish we'll make with Porunga will bring back someone quite dear to Sixteen, Eighteen, and I," Cell said.

"You're going to be resurrecting Seventeen?" Vegeta asked.

"I'm sure you're not quite as thrilled as some others here about that, but you should be," Cell said. "I spoke briefly before this meeting about this wish with a few of you, and Goku and Piccolo confirmed their opinion that it's a good idea. They each thought he deserves to have a chance at living a life of peace."

"Dr. Gero was the only person he killed, and Gero was more a monster than a person, after all," Goku said. "I doubt that Seventeen would try to cause any harm at this point because he knows he'd lose to Gohan, Vegeta, Cell, and me, but if he does, we'll be able to stop him."

"Yeah dad, but we should be more concerned with what would happen if Cell tries to harm anyone as a result of gaining free will," Gohan said. "Unlike Seventeen, we wouldn't be able to stop him. Cell has made that perfectly clear to us. Instead of using the wish to resurrect Seventeen, which otherwise could have been a good idea, we should use it to implement some sort of safeguard against Cell!"

"Only if I thought there was a realistic probability of my reversion to evil after gaining free will would I devote every single one of the wishes to some sort of safeguard," Cell said. "As I will not revert to evil, I'd like to restore Seventeen's life all the sooner."

"Damn it, Cell, you know there's a realistic chance you could become evil again if you have a complete choice!" Gohan said. "We need all the safeguards we can get!"

"Two of the other three wishes are safeguard provisions," Cell said. "That will be enough to allay your concerns. In truth, I wish we weren't wasting those safeguard wishes, as they could instead be used for something useful that could help people."

"The safeguards won't be wastes if you go through with wishing for free will!" Gohan said, while turning toward Eighteen and Sixteen. "I'm sorry, guys. I know you want to see Seventeen again and for him to come back to our world. But do we really want to bring him back to our world if soon afterward, it's ravaged?"

"I … I don't know what to say to that," Eighteen said, with somberness. "I've been waiting for him to return for a long time, but …with all of this … I just don't know."

"Cell, many months ago you did not revive Seventeen with the Dragon Balls of New Namek because you were unsure if Seventeen could be successfully revived," Sixteen said. "Your concern arose from the fact that he was technically revived with Shenron as per the wish you made to have him and Eighteen rematerialize despite the fact that at the time, they were neither truly alive nor truly dead, as they were a part of you. You said at the time that reviving him after the unique way in which you technically revived him the first time could have been problematic. I assume that the knowledge you gained regarding the Dragon Balls has helped you determine that reviving Seventeen would involve only a low level of risk, or none at all."

"That knowledge, as well as all I acquired from Bulma of Timeline IV regarding various other sciences, has enabled me to conclude that Seventeen can be revived with extremely minimal risk using Porunga," Cell said.

"That's just great – you're willing to admit that there's at least some sort of risk in reviving Seventeen, some sort of risk I assume is related to the possibility of some sort of harm to him, and yet you're not willing to admit any risk in wishing for free will, regardless of the very real possibility of harm to countless individuals if you choose evil," Tien said.

"As I said, I am confident there is no realistic risk with regard to the free will wish," Cell said.

"Stop saying that!" Yamcha said. "That's total bullshit!"

"It's not," Cell said. "Anyway, because we're going to dual-summon Porunga and Temnizziv – "

"Dual-summon?" Chiaotzu asked.

"By that, I mean we're going to summon them at the same time," Cell said.

"Won't Porunga be overshadowed by the even bigger dude?" Goku asked.

"Yes, but I'll be able to use Temnizziv to analyze Porunga and help confirm whether reviving Seventeen in fact will be possible," Cell said. "I'm almost entirely certain now that it will be fine, but Temnizziv will assist in my assessment."

"Couldn't Porunga just tell you himself?" Krillin asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Cell said. "As far as I know, Prounga wasn't built to process the sort of advanced considerations that we need to analyze for Seventeen to be revived under these special circumstances. Temnizziv, however, will be able to analyze them. Speaking of Temnizziv, it's time to reveal the fifth wish we'll be making."

"What happened to the third and fourth wishes?" Tien asked.

"I'll talk about those after this one, as this is directly relevant to something that could happen right after Seventeen is revived," Cell said, while turning toward Eighteen. "Sis', I consulted with Goku and Piccolo about something to gauge what they thought of it, because I wasn't entirely sure whether to ask you about this or not. We talked about it for a while, and we agreed that it would be something you might want very much. However, the choice is up to you, as it will be for Seventeen after he's revived."

'_At least they're going to get some sort of choice regarding some part of what Cell is planning,'_ Gohan thought. _'He's forcing us to accept everything else.'_

"What are you referring to, Cell?" Eighteen asked.

"Eighteen, would you like to have a restoration of your memories from before you were turned into an android?" Cell asked.

From the moment quite some time ago in which she had been turned into an android, and up to the present, she had never felt so surprised.

Cell had offered her an opportunity to reclaim her identity as the person she had been! The implications were far-reaching, and while exciting, also somewhat frightening. She had lamented not truly knowing who she had been before Gero's horrific manipulations, but she had decided that she enjoyed herself as she was now, and felt as though she had a true identity, regardless of whom she had been before.

Cell had already identified to her that because of what Dr. Gero had done to her and Seventeen, almost nothing of her memories from before she had become an android remained. When Cell had absorbed her and Seventeen, he had in no way gained the memories that had been denied to them. If he had, he would have told her much, … at least, she hoped he would have.

Regardless, the prospect of suddenly, after so much time, finally being able to find out whom she truly was seemed intriguing. However, she was well-aware of the possibility that she might not like what she would learn.

What had her personality been like? How had she grown up? How exactly had Dr. Gero acquired the opportunity to turn her and her brother into androids?

She knew the answers to none of these questions, nor did she know what exactly would become of her current personality, and current identity, if she suddenly regained all that had been lost. Would she like whom she had been? Would she forever appreciate learning the truth, or would she forever regret it?

There was much to think about.

"I'm going to have to get back to you on whether I truly want that, Cell, and I'm sure that Seventeen also would want to think about it," Eighteen said.

"That's fair, and you should know that I'm fully confident that Temnizziv has the power to do this properly," Cell said, while redirecting his gaze slightly to his right. "Sixteen, I want a component of this wish to benefit you as well."

"A component of the wish?" Sixteen asked.

"As I mentioned with regard to my wish for free will, Temnizziv can join two separate desires together as one wish under certain conditions, preventing each desire from needing to be achieved through its own wish," Cell said. "The two desires need to be necessary for accomplishing an overarching purpose. Sixteen, as part of this wish, I'd like to know if you'd like to become a quasi-human being, on the order of how Seventeen and Eighteen are constructed: combinations of human and machine, or cyborgs."

Sixteen had never processed a predicament of this nature.

"I haven't explored the possibility," Sixteen said. "I wasn't aware the Dragon Balls have the power to create life!"

"Actually, they don't outright have that power, although in your case, we can bend the rules," Cell said. "If I was to wish for you to fully become a true human, it wouldn't work. The Dragon Balls cannot create the spiritual essence of life itself; no machine can. And that's exactly what the Dragon Balls are: machines. The Dragon Balls are complex computers that interact with the physical realm in the form of a manifested interface, otherwise known as an eternal dragon. Each dragon is not fully organic, but is instead a combination of advanced computing elements that interact with semi-biotic components. The machinery enables the semi-biotic components to operate as if they were part of an entity that was naturally born, but the presence of a life force is not truly within those biotic components. The dragons are fusions of organic and nonorganic materials that can function as if they were truly born as living. As they can operate in that manner, so could you, if you choose. You would still be artificial and unnatural, but much of your mechanized form would be replaced with organic tissue that, while not originating from any entity with a soul or spirit, will be organic all the same. You can become on the order of what Seventeen and Eighteen are, Sixteen. Then, with the pseudo-soul you were granted long ago that enabled you to be restructured, and with your circuits transformed into a human mind, you can achieve a level of existence far greater than that which you have experienced."

"Do you think I would benefit from this?" Sixteen asked.

Cell was momentarily taken aback by the question, but then responded.

"Well, wouldn't you like to be … 'more real,' so to speak?" Cell asked.

"I have many capacities, but it is obvious that I am limited in various aspects," Sixteen said. "I was never meant to be able to significantly gain greater knowledge or greater physical capability. Dr. Gero also never intended for me to have the affinity for peace that I've had. I have loved watching the people of this planet experience thrills with optimism, and yet I sense that I do not truly understand these emotional concepts. As a symbol of my own desire for freedom, and after analyzing the prospects, I think I would enjoy the opportunity to finally experience truth."

"Excellent," Cell said.

"But I don't want to experience truth as part of an overall plan that could cause great harm to the universe," Sixteen said. "Cell, your desire for free will is understandable, but a wish for free will would be imprudent at this time."

"What wondrous thanks I'm receiving for offering to help you," Cell said, as Sixteen reacted in a way indicative of a response to a negative comment. "The combination of the desires for the one wish will be such that I'll declare that for the goal of enabling the androids to have the capacity to have memories, Seventeen and Eighteen must be granted access to the memories Gero repressed, and Sixteen must become a human-machine cyborg so that he can have the capacity for true thought. It will be a glorious wish."

"It would be better if it was a safeguard," Sixteen said.

"Please consider the value of what you've been offered," Cell said. "Certainly, the safeguard wishes, one with each dragon, shall also be of value. The fourth wish that shall be made altogether is the first that shall be made with Temnizziv. I will ask him to create a hyperspace wall around me that will function akin to Otherworld's hyperspace walls. Before I completed Temnizziv in Timeline IV, King Yemma of that timeline made me aware of much about how they work. The knowledge I've acquired from Bulma will enable me to craft Temnizziv of this timeline, just as I did for his counterpart from the future, with the ability to create such a wall. The wall around me will prevent me from moving beyond my location via Instant Transmission if the wall detects that I am evil or intending to commit an evil act. I will craft the wish such that the wall that shall be created will 'follow' me wherever I go and maintain its comprehensive surrounding of my form in relation to my hyperspace equivalent position from my real-space position, such that I will not be able to breach the wall. While I can't outright wish for my Instant Transmission ability to be revoked, this will prevent me from effectively using it."

"That's not a safeguard at all!" Gohan said. "With all the knowledge you have, you don't have to use Instant Transmission to go wherever you want to go. You could construct a spaceship capable of faster-than-light travel instead! That would enable you to spread your terror across the universe even so!"

"Ah, but I would never have the time to construct such a vessel, as you would stop me far beforehand," Cell said. "I'm referring to you, specifically, Gohan, as per the third wish I'd like to make in total, which shall be the last with Porunga, and the sixth and final wish I shall reveal."

"I don't have enough power to beat you right now; none of us do," Gohan said. "If you gave us more time instead of insisting that your wish for free will be made soon, maybe this would all be slightly more reasonable."

"You said that time is a concern, but Gohan, under this wish, time no longer shall be a significant concern for you at all," Cell said. "Think, Gohan … what is the one type of wish that at this point could apply to either you or me, but which cannot apply to anyone else here, with the possible exception of Eighteen, although for her it might not work because of previous wishes that have been made?"

Because of his past experiences, Vegeta very quickly realized what Cell was referring to, although out of respect for Gohan, he decided to let the young Saiyan answer for himself.

"Are you suggesting … immortality?" Gohan asked.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting!" Cell said. "If you become immortal, then this universe will be guaranteed to have a fighter of significant capability who I could not stop!"

"Just because you wouldn't be able to stop me doesn't mean I would be able to stop you!" Gohan said. "Your power level is still far higher than mine. Even if I was immortal, your superior power and speed would enable you to accomplish your goals anyway!"

"Don't underestimate the application of immortality to fighting," Cell said.

"Cell, why didn't you discuss this with me and Chi-Chi the other day when we had the chance so we could have had some say in this?" Goku asked. "Why didn't you let us prepare for this and talk with Gohan about it? I mean, … I … I don't even know how at his age immortality would affect him!"

"If you're concerned about anything of that sort, don't be," Cell said. "Immortality merely prevents death; it doesn't affect aging. As many of you know through all that occurred regarding King Piccolo, it's also possible to wish for eternal youth with the Dragon Balls, although no such provision would be included with this wish."

"Cell, I refuse for this wish to be granted," Gohan said. "The question of whether or not one wants to pursue a true opportunity to live forever is a question afforded to very few, and I've made up my mind. There are so many people who deserve immortality more than me, so many good people who aren't prominent in our lives merely because they weren't born with the powers that many of us were born with, or because they weren't exposed to the rigorous mindsets that many of us cherish. Life has already advantaged me in so many ways. I refuse to have yet another advantage, especially one as significant as this. Unlike you, Cell, I apparently still value fairness. Besides, if I don't agree to this and you accept my desire to not become immortal, this will remove one of the only safeguards that you might be using to justify this reckless venture. If I refuse to become immortal, maybe this will cause you to rethink whether the universe truly is ready for you to pursue free will and incur its risks."

"You would benefit from immortality, as would the universe, and because of that, despite your preference, you shall become immortal," Cell said, which caused Goku to stand up out of fury.

"Enough of this!" Goku shouted, while slamming the table with just enough force that a segment near where he had been sitting cracked from the whole, then dropped to the floor. "You're not the master of our lives, Cell! I demand that you not force this upon Gohan! If he doesn't want to be immortal, then he won't be, even if that messes up this ridiculous plan!"

"How could any rational being deny the glory of immortality?" Cell asked. "Besides, we would be able to use another wish to remove Gohan's immortality if we ever chose to do so. After we confirm that I am still allied with you, we could remove his immortality, although for long-term defense of the Earth, it still could be desirable. This is all for your convenience, you know, not for mine. I'm only including these safeguards because I wanted to allay your concerns, and – "

"Nothing has been truly allayed, and many concerns have been exacerbated instead," Piccolo said, while Goku again sat down. "Cell, I will refuse to consider you an ally if you repress Gohan like this. He needs to be the one to make this decision."

"He wants to protect the universe from me, does he not?" Cell asked. "In that case, he's made his decision, and as per the desire to safeguard the universe from me, immortality shall be his."

"I've determined yet another flaw in all this – if you enable me to become keeper of Temnizziv, then immortality would help you far more than it would hurt you, as this could be a guarantee that Temnizziv's set will always be active, as I could never even consider eliminating myself to prevent you from gaining access to the set!" Gohan said.

"Ah, but that also would mean that you, too, would never permanently lose access to Temnizziv," Cell said. "Be excited, Gohan. You're about to become an even more capable fighter!"

"I'm glad you brought up the word 'capable,' Cell, because if we wanted to be as safeguarded as possible against you, we should let Trunks and Broly be here when we make the wishes," Tien said. "That way, we'll have fighters here that are actually stronger than you who could stop you, and we wouldn't have to force Gohan to do something he doesn't want to do."

"I refuse to let them be here," Cell said, causing many of the Z-Fighters, especially Vegeta, to have their facial expressions become even more reflective of shock.

"What!" Goku shouted. "Why?"

"They have their own timeline to defend," Cell said. "This timeline will not need such defense. I don't want to distract them from their responsibilities in the future, and as such, if you attempt to create a time machine to reach them, I will render it inoperable."

"You're sounding more and more like you're back to your evil ways," Krillin said.

"I am not evil, I am not going to revert to evil, and I want you all to stop insisting that it's even a possibility," Cell said. "The power of my conviction can overcome anything, and all of you will experience the glory of my plan! Planetary indestructibility, reviving Seventeen, immortality for Gohan, a hyperspace wall around me, enabling my honorary siblings to gain a greater sense of self, and finally, my acquisition of true free will, a righteous accomplishment that also shall overturn the limited restrictions we placed on the sentiments of my honorary siblings. Liberty and glory shall be ours!"

"Cell, let's be serious – or rather, sane – for a moment," Vegeta said, while Yamcha held back a snicker, causing Vegeta to turn toward him. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything!" Yamcha said.

"Without further wastes of my time, I want you, Cell, to truly understand my replicated memories that you have in your possession," Vegeta said. "I've seen atrocities throughout my life that I've never willingly shared with anyone, but which you happen to be aware of through no fault of your own. Reflect upon the many people from my past who were overconfident and ended up losing everything. Reflect upon how many of them ended up hurting the same people they wanted to protect. Do you really want what happened to my mother to happen to countless people across the universe?"

Vegeta waited for a response, but Cell said nothing. As a result of Cell's silence, the limit of Vegeta's patience had been reached, especially because of the unique circumstances that had prompted him to refer to that which he had.

His hair shifted to gold, and less than one second later, he placed his hands under the stone table's circular form, then flipped the table upward and in Cell's direction.

With extreme speed, Cell placed his right arm forward and applied his mental energy through physical force to adjust the trajectory of the table slightly so it would not hit him. He was in no way concerned of being harmed, but he didn't want the Z-Fighters other than Vegeta to experience any sentiments he did not want them to experience that might have arisen as a result of the table slamming into him.

The table soared into the sky, and after a few moments, while it was still ascending, Vegeta released a blast that seconds later caught up to the table and shattered it in midair with a resonating explosion.

As the raining fragments of the table began to fall from the sky, Vegeta threw his stone chair backward and destroyed it in a similar manner.

"I've had enough of this nonsense," Vegeta said. "It's obvious that Cell has failed to show us proper respect by doing anything effective to ease our concerns about what he's intending. Everything he's done today has shown us that he has completely disregarded any sense of honor that he's ever claimed to have. He knows the risks of his plan are high and that his countermeasures are ineffective, and yet he fails to admit any of this."

"As I said, Vegeta, there are no risks," Cell said.

Vegeta was absolutely livid.

"This charade of negotiations is over," Vegeta said, as he powered down from Super Saiyan. "I'm leaving. How about you, Blondie?"

"I thought you were past the point of thinking like this, Cell," Eighteen said. "I guess I was wrong. Sixteen, let's go."

Eighteen and Sixteen stood up from their chairs, right as others were doing the same.

"I appreciate what you want to do for Eighteen, Seventeen, and me, but your plan as a whole isn't worth the freedom we can gain," Sixteen said. "I'd rather stay a machine than needlessly risk the safety of this world and all the others."

"Obviously, Cell, the invitation that Bulma extended to you to stay with us has expired," Vegeta said. "Don't even think about asking for my help in any way with regard to any of this. And while it is true that with free will you might decide the path of nonviolence even so, think of how the alternative would dishonor all who suffered in the future. My son would have never let you return to the past if he knew you were going to do this. And who knows? Maybe he's dead after all, and the fact you don't want us to acquire help from Timeline IV and have Trunks and Broly here when you make the wishes shows that you don't want us to travel there and find the Earth to be a deserted wasteland. Maybe this whole scheme of yours is just another one of your sadistic games. If you were truly seeking righteousness, you wouldn't take an action that could benefit only yourself with the risk of killing everyone. All of this makes me seriously wonder if the wish we made with Shenron somehow lost effect when you went to the future, and if you killed my son and Broly, then absorbed – "

"I can assure you, Vegeta, they're still alive," Cell said.

"Do you really expect me to take your word for it when you also are expecting me to tolerate something that could easily result in my death?" Vegeta said. "Unlike my son from the future, I at least know that my son of this timeline is alive and well. I will do everything I can to protect him. While Gohan can more than defend himself, Kakarot will do the same for his soon-to-be child. We will not let their lives end before they can truly begin just so that you can have an even better life for yourself."

"You have nothing to fear, Vegeta," Cell said, as he stood up from his chair.

"I fear for my child, Cell," Vegeta said. "And you, Kakarot?"

As the stone table no longer obstructed their path, Goku crossed over the ground where the table had been, coming to a halt one meter from Cell.

"I told you long ago, right after sparing your life, that I expected you to change your ways," Goku said. "A chance for perfection of the soul isn't worth the chance of death for all others. I hope that righteousness really is still your goal, and if so, then you truly have changed in that respect. I know you're saying that there are no risks with your plan because you are confident that you will not revert to evil, but you need to be honest with yourself and with us. You know there are risks. Now is not the time to be doing this, Cell, not when we could at last truly live in peace. As you know the risks are real, if you're still willing to pursue an action that can lead to the deaths of innocent people, you haven't changed at all. We'll find a way to stop you."

"You have a little more than a month before I proceed with my wishes, and you know that even with the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, you will not find a way to overcome the power gap between us," Cell said.

"We will figure something out," Goku said, as he turned from Cell and addressed the others. "We all have much to do. Follow me."

Goku jumped up, then flew toward the northwest. Piccolo was the first to follow him, followed by Yamcha, then Tien, Krillin, and Chiaotzu.

"I usually wouldn't suggest this, but this time, I suppose we'll join them," Vegeta said, as he, Eighteen, and Sixteen followed the group.

With all the others a few hundred meters away, just two remained at the site of the broken meeting – Cell and one other.

"I'm going to ask this very bluntly: are Trunks and Broly still alive?" Gohan asked.

"They are," Cell said. "I have no reason to lie about that."

"Of course you have a reason to lie about it," Gohan said. "I don't understand, Cell, why they can't be here when you make your wish, to enable us to have a real safeguard against you?"

"As I said, they have their own timeline to defend, and I am confident I will not revert to evil," Cell said. "If I thought there was a risk, I'd ask them to be here. However, there is no risk. Your immortality, however, will satisfy your desire for security."

"Something is wrong, Cell," Gohan said. "I can feel it. You should know better than to act in overconfidence and pursue all of this as you are, and yet you're acting in overconfidence and denying us the ability to persuade you with reason."

"I have every reason to be confident in my success," Cell said. "And speaking of confidence, I told you earlier today that after something of significance occurred, I would ask whether you still want to be my student. Now that you have far more context, what do you say?"

Gohan looked away for a moment, then answered.

"I'd rather train alone," Gohan said.

"If you're so concerned about what might happen as a result of my wish for free will, you should train with me," Cell said. "You would become far stronger through training with me than you ever would through training with the others."

"And I'd enable you to become even stronger than you are now through sparring with me!" Gohan said. "I can't allow that to happen. It could make our predicament even more severe."

"You will soon see, in merely 34 days, that all of you are acting with needless caution," Cell said.

"There is no such thing, especially when so much is at risk," Gohan said. "I hope you reconsider all of this Cell, but if you don't, you truly will make me sorry that I let you live, just as you were sorry that you let your counterpart from the future live."

"My counterpart and I are not the same," Cell said.

"And we should keep it that way, and not needlessly risk this," Gohan said, as he turned to depart. "I shall pray for the universe every day, Cell, … every single day."

Gohan launched from the ground and flew toward the northwest. After a few seconds, Cell saw him ascend to Super Saiyan 2, accelerating his speed to catch up with the others.

Cell then focused upon his surroundings, and felt the calm gusts of wind that graced the plains.

As with the freedom of the wind, with its aspects of variation, he, too, soon could be free.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 58__th__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: The Retroactive 500__th__/750__th__ review comedy special, a parody of Dragon Ball Z Movie 8.5, Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans! The title of the parody is Plan to EXAGITATE the Saiyans; the verb exagitate has the following definition: "to satirize; to agitate." Get ready for some fun with Dr. Raichi and Hatchiyak! _

_Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans is scheduled for release _**Sunday**_ evening, March 17, around 10:00-11:30pm U.S. Eastern Standard Time! Honor Trip's main series shall return to Thursday releases after the release of this special. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Eight: Completed March 12, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Additional credits: _

The idea of wishing to have planets become indestructible was adapted from a wish for indestructibility that Npberryhill and Davidstarlingm used for their Dragon Ball Z fanfiction, Bringer of Death. The exact manner by which indestructibility in Honor Trip functions is such that the specifics, to my knowledge, are different from those used for Bringer of Death. As such, the presentation of the specifics identified in HT Chapter 58 is in no way meant to be a spoiler of any kind for Bringer of Death.

While the idea of hyperspace walls as described in Honor Trip was originated by yours truly, the idea of creating a hyperspace wall through a safeguard wish against Cell was adapted from a proposal by TheCuriousReader, which he mentioned in a review to Chapter 57. The review suggested to "Create Hyperspace Walls in front of the entrance to the Room of Spirit and Time as well as around the Solar Systems of planet Earth and New Namek and also create a hyperspace wall around Otherworld." Although we ultimately decided to adjust the exact manner by which Cell's suggested hyperspace wall safeguard wish would function, we want to thank TheCuriousReader for prompting this cool idea.

* * *

Answers to your comments and questions following the release of Chapter 57!

**Super Vegetarott [1]**

Q:I slightly feel that Cell had a 'regression' in [Chapter 57]. While I understand-and respect-the fact he wants to be a benevolent person of his own accord, does he not realize the risks of doing so? Cell is portrayed to be a highly intelligent character with extreme cunning and mental ability. No matter what sort of plan he's developed, I just can't see him doing something like this.

A: You are perceptive to identify the incongruities with Cell's recent actions and announced sentiments in relation to all that Cell supposedly believes in. The exact causes of why Cell is pursuing his desire for free will in this manner have yet to be revealed, although I publicly will say that there are at least two significant reasons why. Cell indeed is a highly intelligent character, and that should be taken into consideration as per all that has occurred so far.

**Super Vegetarott [2]**

Q: Why would he potentially throw away everything he's worked so hard to receive? I've trusted your writing before, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you have in store.

A: As you've identified, Cell is a highly intelligent person, and there indeed are significant reasons why he did what he did in Chapters 57 and 58. I am enthused that you find my writing to be of quality and that you are anticipating what shall happen next.

**Super Vegetarott [3]**

Q: What gave you the idea to write this fanfic?

A: I've been a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise since 1999, and I'm a philosophical martial artist. As such, I identified the moral implications of Cell's ideas and actions as worthy of evaluation. As Dragon Ball Z has overwhelming evidence that Cell did not truly choose to be evil, but instead had no control over this significant aspect of his life, this makes Cell a primary villain who never had a conscious decision to act otherwise, significantly complicating the moral aspects of his actions. I determined these themes to be of interest, especially with the prospect of what might happen if Cell had acquired the opportunity to pursue a life unrestricted by evil. With these considerations, and a desire to provide folks with a thought-provoking story of myriad benefits, Honor Trip was established.

**Super Vegetarott [4]**

C: I am more than excited to see where [Destiny's Echo] goes.

A: Gonstika and I have big plans in store for what's coming up next; I'm eager to reveal what happens next with Goku.

**Super Vegetarott [5]**

C: Take all the time you need with updating Honor Trip. We understand the pressures of real life quite well, and obviously it's understandable you will have delays at times. I think I speak for everyone when I say we will patiently wait for your next chapter. I wish you good luck-and obviously an ample amount of fun-with writing Chapter 58.

A: I extremely appreciate these comments, and thank you much for them. Chapter 58 was very fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed it!

**Perfection8 [1]**

C: I have a theory about the mystic form of Gohan and it sort of relates to this mysterious human transformation you mentioned last chapter. My theory is that the old kai power up was a result of the old kai using his godly powers to purify Gohan's super saiyan energy thus making it more similar to normal energy. The old kai power up is sort of like being in a nirvana state of mind. Being in a super saiyan state is in contrast an unstable state of mind. I could go on to say that the opposite of the elder unlock powerup is brolly's legendary super saiyan state. The most unstable/chaotic of them all.

A: This is a cool way of thinking of the Mystic/Ultimate form, and I commend you for the creative analysis through which you derived this concept. May I consider adapting this for potential inclusion as Honor Trip-canon?

**Perfection8 [2]**

C: Dragon Ball is based on Journey to the west which in turn is based on buddhism so it's not impossible to believe that Akira Toriyama was thinking about the concept of nirvana when he made up the old kai power unlock thing.

A: It is very possible that there is a connection between ascertainment of Nirvana and Elder Kai's unlock ability. This is especially possible because Nirvana, as a concept, can enable one to achieve total greatness through overcoming restrictions that otherwise would apply for those of the physical realm. It seems that Elder Kai's unlock ability has an effect akin to that of Nirvana ascertainment.

**Perfection8 [3]**

C: Well my theory is that the transformation is of a mental nature rather then a physical nature. Tien seems to be a master of the mental aspects of martial arts so he seems to be the most promising one to attain a transformation or whatever.

A: A transformation involving the mind instead of the body, or one that involves both but which predominantly involves the mind, could be quite intriguing.

**Perfection8 [4]**

Q: How tall is Cell and how much does he weigh? He must be close to 7 feet tall right? I don't really know about his weight though. Does is his exoskeleton really heavy?

A: Cell appears to be taller than Piccolo, although he does not appear to be as tall as Super Buu. I'd say that it would be accurate to think of Cell as about 6.5 feet to 7 feet tall (about 2 meters). Cell was configured as per principles of efficiency, and so I doubt that Cell's organic shielding is noticeably heavy for him. With his height, musculature, wings, and other components of his organic shielding considered, he probably weighs from 290 to 330 pounds (131.5 kilograms to 149.7 kilograms).

**Greg Zerich [1] **

C: Although I did have my suspicions as far back as the arguments between Cell and Future Cell, I have to admit that Cell's decision to apply free will to himself comes off as somewhat puzzling given the circumstances. It has seemed since the start of this season that Cell has come off, to me at least, as being a little arrogant about his new-found powers and power level. I'm not sure if this has been intentional, as you seem to point it out yourself in his fight against Gohan where the latter seriously wonders for a moment if he's fighting Future Cell.

A: You were sagacious to have pondered the consequences of what might happen as a result of Future Cell exposing the fundamental flaw of Cell's path of redemption. While Cell is indeed presenting himself in an extremely arrogant manner, it must be remembered that Cell also is capable of extreme intellectual maneuvers, and so that which might seem arrogant to some might seem entirely acceptable to Cell – although Cell could be entirely conscious of this. The exact implications of Cell's actions in the chapters of Season IV that so far have been released shall be revealed in future chapters.

**Greg Zerich [2] **

C: Likewise, the nature of this decision and the events leading up to it almost seem spiteful. Cell has effectively proven that the combined power of the mightiest heroes of Earth cannot come close to touching him at his current peak. The fact that he's informing everyone of his decision, but comes off as unwilling to accept their arguments against why he shouldn't, seems baffling. Cell even admits that there's nothing that anyone can really do to stop him, but his attempts to assuage their concerns so far haven't amounted to any solid evidence, but rather just the fact that he believes he will make the right choice.

A: Cell's actions in Chapters 57 and 58 do seem quite spiteful, don't they? From Gohan's perspective, Cell is taking extreme advantage of a power gap that was caused by extremely unfortunate circumstances in Timeline IV … that Cell himself indirectly caused. One would think that Cell would be grateful that Future Cell isn't in the middle of annihilating Timelines IV and III and that through a series of last-ditch desperate efforts that almost ended in failure, Future Cell was defeated. After all, if it wasn't for Trunks, Future Cell might have defeated Cell after all. From Gohan's perspective, Cell is fundamentally unappreciative of all that has been risked, and the value of preventing further risks. Therefore, Cell's actions indeed seem especially baffling when considering that he is claiming to still be completely covered by devotion to righteousness.

**Greg Zerich [3]**

C: Now, I can appreciate the philosophical ramifications of what's going on here. The idea of whether righteousness truly is thus when one has no choice but to be righteous is a worthy question to ask. However, Part 3 seemed to prove that in the context of this story at least, that the opposite is true: evil is still evil even if one has no choice but to pursue it.

A: As you are well-aware, the identification of phenomena as "good" or "bad" has been a subject of contention among philosophers since antiquity. Some contend that all phenomena can be characterized as objectively more "good" or "evil" than others, some contend that all phenomena do not have inherent properties of relative goodness or evilness to each other and instead are only as good or evil as conscious minds define them, and some contend that the status of at least some, if not all, universal phenomena contain components of objective and subjective moral application. Then, there are those who believe in further mixes of possible moral evaluation, with one such mix being that while some aspects of the universe can be morally evaluated in an objective manner and not a subjective manner, others can be evaluated only in a subjective manner and not an objective manner. The complexity of determining the truth of morality is derived in part from the various permutations through which morality can function. Honor Trip incorporates various types of moral evaluation, and to elaborate upon that which you identified in the above comment, it is possible that while some actions are inherently good or inherently evil, the degree to which they are such depends upon whether the person committing those actions has consciously chosen to pursue goodness or evilness. Therefore, as per this regime of moral evaluation, a righteous action can be righteous because it is inherently righteous regardless of the intent of the actor. However, if the actor has made the conscious decision out of true free will to reject temptations of evil and pursue the righteous action even so, the degree of righteousness is greater than if the action is perfomed by an actor that did not make that moral selection.

**Greg Zerich [4]**

Q: I also cannot help but wonder what everyone from Timeline Four would think if they knew that Cell would do this at some point; would Bulma have readily given him the secrets of time travel? Would Guru, Moori, Dende, and Kami passed on their knowledge of the Dragon Balls to him? Would Trunks and Broly just let him go back to Timeline Three? I find that answers in the affirmative for each of these would be hard to believe.

A: All of these are entirely legitimate questions to ask. At least one of them will be answered in upcoming chapters. An extremely significant question, very much related to those you asked, and that shall be addressed in Chapter 59, is why Cell did not choose to pursue his wish for free will while he was still in Timeline IV, with Trunks and Broly both readily available.

**Greg Zerich [5]**

Q: Why not wait and train the heroes of Earth to be prepared for a worst case scenario? Certainly Gohan, Goku, and Vegeta would be making the fastest strides, but everyone could benefit from more time, certainly more than what's seemingly being given to them now. From what I can see Cell really doesn't stand to lose anything by waiting for an amount of time that might even stretch to years, as long as it guarantees that his decision won't lead to disastrous consequences.

A: The issue of why Cell is refusing to wait is of significant concern to the Z-Fighters, as you identified. Gohan references this aspect in Chapter 58, directly criticizing Cell for not giving the Z-Fighters more time without good cause. The exact reasons why Cell is pursuing his desire for free will as he is shall be revealed in upcoming chapters.

**Greg Zerich [6]**

C: I truly have enjoyed the story thus far, and I am trying to have faith and trust in your ability to make this work, but I found that as of this chapter I could not remain silent with my concerns. I may be jumping the gun somewhat if the remaining wishes to be discussed are going to be such that the concerns are for naught, but I felt it best to comment now. Even with all I have said thus far, please know that you have nothing but my heartfelt thanks for creating such an entertaining story.

A: I want to sincerely thank you for enjoying HT and for the esteem you have for my literary approach. As per the events of Chapter 58, it is such that your concerns for Cell's actions are still valid, and as you appropriately said, "baffling." As you very well know, there is a reason for everything.

**The Imaginatrix [1]**

C: Cell, you have a supporter in me. Free will is one thing every sentient being should possess, and I strongly doubt you will revert.

A: Cell would be quite pleased that you support his actions. Since the beginning of HT, I've tried to enable the premise of a redemption for Cell to be as realistic as possible, and it would have been unrealistic in Chapter 1 to have had Cell decide of his own accord to no longer pursue evil and embrace goodness. I decided at the time that the only way to enable the beginning of Cell's redemption to be truly believable and such that the Z-Fighters actually would accept it would be for Cell to "lock" the goodness with the Dragon Balls. From my perspective as the author of this story, I find it astounding to look back at all that has been written so far in HT after the enlightenment moment in Chapter 1 and to recognize that while Cell has made many choices within the context of having to abide by principles of goodness, with limited free will to make choices in that context, not once has he ever made a choice out of true free will that would involve the possibility of his choosing to not pursue goodness at all. With so many chapters established, and so much that has happened since the start, I felt it was at last time for Cell to seek the next significant step in his journey.

**The Imaginatrix [2]**

C: Goku, may I remind you that you were supposed to be evil, yet after your head injury as a child you changed your perception? And you had free will to choose evil and didn't!

A: But has he truly had free will since his own hit in the head, or is he unknowingly like Cell, acting in goodness merely because he had no other choice? If you consider Goku's absolute zeal for goodness, it does not actually seem that Goku at any point made the conscious decision to reject evil and pursue good. Rather, it seems that the choice was made for him and that he merely pursues goodness because he's been conditioned to think it to be right, at the exclusion of considering any legitimacy of that which he does not consider to be good. As Baba and Spike the Devil Man and Babidi and Dabura recognized, Goku's heart is "pure." This further identifies that Goku has not had to overcome an inner struggle of morals and sentiments to achieve goodness, unlike Vegeta and Piccolo. One might wonder then how exactly this aspect of Goku might apply to the overall discussion of enabling Cell to have free will. I'm very eager to explore this theme in later chapters.

**The Imaginatrix [3]**

C: I like this twist. And I like the indestructability wish as well! I wanna know the others!

A: What did you think of the other wishes?

**Adramalech [1]**

C: I have to admit that this is indeed a though situation. If I was in Cell's position, I'd feel conflicted as hell, because although it isn't worth the risk vs reward, not having TRUE free will is one of those things that no one wants, even when the stakes are so high. On the other hand, if I was in the Z fighters' positions, I'd probably share their opinions. While I'd understand Cell's wishes, the risk is too high to just accept it and move along, despite my friend's feelings.

A: If Cell's power level was one that could be overcome, the Z-Fighters almost certainly would have more strongly considered accepting his request to gain true free will. As The Imaginatrix said, "free will is one thing every sentient being should possess," and for Cell, who can appreciate the philosophical aspects of gaining true free will, it is especially desirable. None of the Z-Fighters are automatically opposed to free will itself, but the particulars of this extreme situation make them opposed in this case.

**Adramalech [2]**

C: While I find Cell's decision to do this understandable, it is also confusing because as the highly intelligent person he is, he realizes the risk from the very beginning. Even if he uses Guru's power unlocking on everyone who has not received it yet (everyone except Krillin and Gohan, and Sixteen since he's fully mechanical... I don't know how you'll handle Eighteen, so I'm in the dark about her), they'd still need quite some time to be adequately prepared for a potential evil Cell - time which he could very well give them since there is no reason to rush it.

A: Cell's decision to pursue free will in the exact manner that he's pursuing it indeed is quite "baffling," as Greg Zerich put it. The exact degree to which Cell truly considers his free will plan to have risk is yet to be revealed. As for power unlocking, you raise a very good point in that Eighteen's complex background makes it questionable whether she would be able to benefit from Guru's potential unlock ability. While she is primarily still organic and does have a soul because she is a natural-born human, she also no longer has an energy signature. I have to put some further consideration into exactly how potential unlocks would work for her (and Seventeen and Sixteen if Cell's wishes are implemented according to his plan), and thanks for identifying this intriguing element. As for the mystery of why Cell isn't giving the Z-Fighters more time to prepare, an answer to that significant question definitely shall be revealed in upcoming chapters.

**Adramalech [3]**

C: After all these chapters, I have learned better than to question your decisions, since you have given us nothing but the best. However I have to admit that, for the first time, I am quite confused. Which makes me even more eager to read the following chapters, which will hopefully remove all confusion. My best regards, and thank you for your continued dedication :)

A: I am honored that you find my writing to be worthy of such sentiments. The idea of Cell finally gaining true free will after all that has happened and with the circumstances as they are is extremely controversial, and as I expected, you and many other good folks have found Cell's approach to acquiring free will to perhaps be equally, if not more, controversial than the actual desire to acquire free will. I am extremely looking forward to writing this portion of Season Four further.

**npberryhill [1]**

C: Seems to me Cell is way to intellectual for his own good. To claim that he is going to do this no matter what, and to go to such great lengths to prove that no one can stop him, proves that he is already acting in accord with his own free will. What he has now could more accurately be described as "good will" perhaps, but he is free to make any choice that he would ever want to make. The belief that he needs to wish for free will seems to be a complete delusion.

A: There are two different archetypes of free will to be considered – 1) the ability to make decisions for oneself in the context of at least one psychological element that restricts a person from making at least one other type of decision; and 2) the ability to make decisions for oneself without any psychological factors preventing certain decisions from being able to be truly made. Cell is seeking to gain the second of these types of free will, the true free will to choose whether he will pursue goodness or evilness. As of now, Cell undeniably has a form of the first type of free will. As such, Cell is not deluded in his goal of acquiring TRUE free will, as he does not yet possess this desired level.

**npberryhill [2]**

C: Were he truly righteous, as he so claims, he would humble himself in spite of his so called longings for free will and realize that he would be putting the universe at risk. Cell would then back down from his wish and hence put actual actions behind his constant claim of true inner reformation. He would never view himself or whatever motivation he has for this as more important than the fate of mankind. But by doing this, he shows the opposite is true. He reveals his overconfidence and his lack of true understanding of himself.

A: As Greg Zerich put it, Cell's behavior has certainly been "baffling." I'm very much looking forward to elaborating upon his actions in upcoming chapters.

**npberryhill [3]**

C: In addition, his supposed guarantee that [he won't choose evil] is completely worthless.

A: It indeed is completely worthless. The Z-Fighters are more than well aware of how worthless the supposed guarantee actually is, which notably prompted Yamcha to colorfully condemn it. The big question that has not yet been answered is to what degree Cell actually believes his guarantee is reflected by reality.

**npberryhill [4]**

C: Unless he has either time traveled to the future and made sure it is all okay or he has learned true precognition and can see the future, he has no business making that claim.

A: I'll take the opportunity to respond to the insightful consideration by acknowledging that Cell's guarantee that he won't revert to evil is not backed by any precognition or knowledge of future events via time travel.

**npberryhill [5]**

C: Cell of all people knows that unforeseen things can and will happen in this story. Therefore, I can only judge that Cell has pretty much over-thought everything to the point that he cannot see clearly. But since it looks like this is going to happen regardless, I'm calling that this will backfire, though not in the normal way. I think an enemy or villain may somehow take advantage of it, leading to a situation where the Z fighters are on their own. At the very least, Cell is not involved, either by his own decision, an enemy device, or a lack of ability as a result of the wish.

A: There are many potential paths, but only one will be Cell's own. Which will it be? There are many factors to consider.

**npberryhill [6]**

C: As for the two wishes to make Earth and Namek indestructible. I'm sure the wishes will either be spoken different or have a different end result than in BoD, but if they don't, you'll want to come up with a counter explanation for ours regarding the Earth and why such a wish would be less than advisable.

A: As I mentioned in the credits section of this chapter, thanks very much for establishing the concept of using Dragon Ball wishes to enable planets to become indestructible. Whenever I type the word indestructible, I'm tempted to think of the song of that name by American power-rock band Disturbed, or of Avacyn, Angel of Hope, from Magic: the Gathering, which makes everything you control indestructible.

**Perfect Carnage [1] **

C: Well now, this is interesting. I'm less worried about Cell becoming evil than I am about him potentially becoming an anti-hero, the worst type of scourge in DBZ fanfictions.

A: What if Cell became an anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-hero? In all seriousness, I will specifically identify here that Cell will not become an anti-hero. DBZ antihero shifts are cliché and shall not be used here. HT already has one anti-hero (Vegeta), and it might eventually have one more, but that character won't be a main character. (But if Cell doesn't become an anti-hero, what will he become? You shall find out in future chapters!)

**Perfect Carnage [2] **

C: The possibility that a small part of him wants to go back to the way he was before is very enticing, though for some odd reason I have a feeling that a romantic sub-plot will develop from his newfound "free will."

A: I will specifically identify that Cell right now does NOT consciously want to go back to the way he was before. It is possible to derive some potential truth from the way I phrased that sentence, and I encourage you to examine the subtleties. So, you think a romantic subplot will develop? What makes you think that?

**Perfect Carnage [3] **

Q: Why doesn't Cell ever use the Kaioken?

A: Cell never uses Kaioken because Goku learned the technique years after the genetic material from Goku that eventually was incorporated into Cell's design was collected. The anime strongly implies that Dr. Gero's genetic acquisition and monitoring device acquired cells from Goku and Piccolo during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. Cell theoretically could learn Kaioken, but has not yet done so. If he was to learn Kaioken, a provision would need to be incorporated so that the overall multiplier effect upon Cell's base power is appropriate.

**Perfect Carnage [4] **

Q:I don't mind the small role that the humans had in DBZ, since I feel they had the spotlight in Dragonball. But how does Tien's Tri-beam work, since he was able to hold back Semi-Perfect Cell despite being far weaker?

A: Tien's Tri-beam defies all known laws of physics. It supposedly has something to do with three aspects, possibly the points of a triangle as per the position of Tien's hands when he releases the attack, but as seen in Tien's battle against Semi-Perfect Cell, the attack, while starting from a triangular position of hands, for no reason at all results in a square beam. This is evident as per the fact that Tien's Tri-Beam inexplicably makes a hole in the ground that is unmistakably square. My theory as to why Tien's attack can significantly knock back foes that are far stronger than him is that each attack is powered by 50,000 badgers running on a treadmill while watching reruns of The Jeffersons. In all seriousness, I plan to explore Tien's Tri-Beam in future chapters.

**Perfect Carnage [5] **

Q: How did the power boosts work between Cell's forms?

A: There is significant debate as to the power multipliers that Cell experienced from his Imperfect to Semi-Perfect form, and from his Semi-Perfect form to his perfect form. It seems likely that Seventeen's power was added to Cell's to result in his Semi-Perfect form (with potential additional accentuation), and that a far greater multiplier effect occurred after Cell absorbed Eighteen.

**NeoMetalSonic [1]**

C: I've been reading HT for quite a while and I love it. Specially how the humans are actualy useful at this point of the story.

A: Thanks for your avid readership, and I'm glad you're appreciating HT's emphasis on enabling the humans to be of relevance.

**NeoMetalSonic [2]**

C: I can't help but thinking that Cell is becoming kinda overpowered. Specially with that Mind Reading technique.

A: As powerful as Cell has become, his power is by no means absolute. I'm looking forward to revealing how in future chapters.

**NeoMetalSonic [3]**

C: I hope soon the other heroes (and villains) prove to be a challenge to him.

A: My team and I have been discussing various prospects for future chapters that you'll find intriguing. The universe is vast, as are its mysteries.

**TheCuriousReader [1] **

C: Let's see, whether I can predict the four remaining wishes. The first and sixth wish is already known … Create Hyperspace Walls in front of the entrance to the Room of Spirit and Time as well as around the Solar Systems of planet Earth and New Namek and also create a hyperspace wall around Otherworld.

A: I want to thank you for the awesome idea of incorporating hyperspace walls into a safeguard wish; the concept of doing so seemed so cool that I decided to remove one of the other planned safeguard wishes from the predetermined lineup so that a wish involving hyperspace walls can be incorporated. My sincerest thanks for this; I was proud to further acknowledge your contribution regarding this story element in the credits section.

**TheCuriousReader [2] **

C: [Hypothesized wish 3]

A: Thanks for putting a lot of thought into these potential wishes. An element of what you said for three had been my intention for the wish that would grant Gohan immortality, such that if it is found to be unneeded, it could be deactivated subsequent to determining that Cell truly is allied with goodness.

**TheCuriousReader [3] **

C: [Hypothesized wish 4]

The fourth wish potentially could be accomplished at a later time; it would make sense for the wish to be made in Timeline III so as to prevent a calamity from occurring in which the Dragon Balls of the timeline, especially those of New Namek, become inaccessible. However, because of Cell's desires regarding free will and enabling the androids to have greater existences as well, there is no design space for the wish to be included now. The wish could function exactly as the one made in Chapter 49, in which there would be a "spiritual shield around each of the Dragon Balls in [each] set … that will cause them to automatically be able to be no closer to any black hole than a kilometer from the outward extent around the black hole in which gravitational time dilation begins."

**TheCuriousReader [4] **

C: [Hypothesized wish 5]

A: All I can say publicly at this time is that this hypothesized wish, in particular, is of significant interest. It remains to be seen whether there is an actual physical aspect of Cell that Dr. Gero designed to help regulate Cell's mindset, or if Gero's brainwashing was merely psychological based on years of receiving input from Dr. Gero's Supercomputer. The answer to this question will be revealed in upcoming chapters.

**TheCuriousReader [5]**

C: [Considerations of using the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in conjunction with any of the wishes.]

A: This is a very important point to address, and it shall be addressed in upcoming chapters. It doesn't seem as though establishing a link between the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and real-space would work with regard to any wish from any dragon, as the dragons were designed to interact with that which is in real-space. As the Hyperbolic Time Chamber is not just a pocket dimension that is not of true real-space, but there is also a time dilation effect between real-space and the chamber, wishes with the dragon balls would seemingly not extend to within the chamber even if the door between the chamber and real-space was to remain open.

**TheCuriousReader [6]**

C: By the way I wonder, why no one finds it suspicious that Cell doesn't want to wait until the Z team becomes at least as strong as himself before removing the locks on his mind.

A: As has been identified, Gohan is inherently suspicious of why Cell isn't giving them more time. When I designed the general scenario for this part of the story (long before Chapter 57), I intended for the idea of Cell not giving the Z-Fighters adequate time to become stronger to be a very controversial maneuver on Cell's part. It shall in upcoming chapters be revealed as to exactly why Cell chose to do this.

**Blake2020**

C: oh ok awesome chapter any way

A: Thanks!

**Hoenn Master96 [1] **

Q: Has Cell taken into account the carefully designed membranes the Dr. Gero crafted to guard his noble side? Surely they would heal as soon as they were given the chance, seeing as they were prevented from doing so by his wish to Shenron, which would be nullified under his current phrasing.

A: As I mentioned in one of my answers to TheCuriousReader, the exact manner by which Gero was restricting Cell's thoughts has not yet been revealed, although it will be revealed in upcoming chapters. Whether the control was purely psychological, or whether it also resulted from a physical component, shall be revealed. The implication you identified is a significant one that would be quite relevant if there is, in fact, a physical component involved in that which had restricted Cell.

**Hoenn Master96 [2] **

Q: Also, I wonder if Cell is planning to train the Z Fighters by making Cell Juniors and having them spar together; it would make a useful idea, I think.

A: I will specifically identify here that up through Oct. 27, Age 767, Cell will not be implementing that strategy because the only one who can adequately fight the juniors is Gohan, who has refused to train with Cell.

**Lunar2eternal [1] **

C: Humans (and piccolo) knowing kaioken. piccolo and yamcha were on king kai's planet for less time than goku. far less time, in piccolo's case. he was only there 1 week. tien stated during his training on king kai's planet that he would take the gist of king kai's methods and refine his own techniques. skip tot he cell saga, and we see his kikoho has been upgraded to the point of being able to hold down even cell. it is likely that the shin kikoho has elements of the kaioken and genki dama incorporated. chiaotzu never fought after his training with king kai, so he might actually know the kaioken in its raw form.

A: I'm curious to know the source from which you based the one-week figure for Piccolo (i.e., only one week taking place between the battle with Vegeta and Nappa and the battle with Frieza). I have been under the impression that about a month and a half passed between the battles, which would have given Piccolo far more time than one week to learn the Kaioken. As Tien and Chiaotzu are dedicated fighters who stayed on King Kai's planet for a prolonged period, it's especially surprising that they did not learn the technique (unless they were entirely unaware of it, which might very well have been the case, as King Kai is not always consistent in his own actions and statements). As for Yamcha, I doubt that he would have learned the technique because he's Yamcha.

**Lunar2eternal [2] **

C: [Lycanthropy]

A: There is a very complex explanation regarding the presence of lycanthropy among some folks on Earth that is relevant to an Honor Trip saga that will occur in the distant future. I'll assuage any concerns that I'm planning a Twilight crossover by striking that one down right now: Honor Trip will in no way ever have a crossover with Twilight (for the glory of mankind).

**Lunar2eternal [3]**

C: [Enlightenment]

A: I'll soon be sending you a private message about this intriguing concept. Publicly, I'll specifically say that I do not believe Tien is a descendant of aliens.

**Lunar2eternal [4] **

C: Potential release

A: For those who haven't already experienced the benefit of this technique, this could happen quite soon, actually.

**Lunar2eternal [5] **

C: It seems that hybrids get all of the base power of the saiyans, while also getting all of the dormant power of the humans.

A: If that's the reason hybrids, as you said, "are so damn powerful," this would have dramatic implications regarding aspects of Cell's power. As in many cases, it would have been helpful if Toriyama had more thoroughly explained this aspect of the franchise.

**ZidaneTribal93 **

C: Hmm, Cell may potentially become evil? We'll see.

A: As we will! Relatedly I'll take the opportunity to specifically announce that the free will wish, IF Cell's plans are not interfered with, will have only three possible archetype outcomes: 1) Cell chooses righteousness; 2) Cell chooses evil; 3) Cell chooses to be morally apathetic and actively pursues neither righteousness nor evil

**Storm 107 [1]**

C: Wow, wasn't expecting this. I've always wondered if Cell might try to do something about this. The exchange he had with Future Cell about this was well-written and left me thinking. I'm very surprised that Cell seems to to be acting so selfishly. I hope he has really thought this through. As for the other wishes, I get the felling that all of these safeguards are going to backfire in some way.

A: When I wrote the exchange between Cell and Future Cell back in Chapter 31 regarding the true nature of Cell's path of redemption, I had intended for the exchange to eventually spark a conflict. Now, 25 chapters later, a quick catalyst is having a dramatic impact. With regard to Cell thinking things through, Cell highly prefers acting upon plans he made in advance, as opposed to having to respond to circumstances without prior planning. Now that you know of the other wishes, what do you think?

**Storm 107 [2]**

C: I completely agree with you in that the power level of the fathers are why they are so strong.

A: As I mentioned to lunar2eternal, it would have been excellent if Toriyama had provided more information on this important point. Surely, there must be a reason why Goten at age 7 can be a powerhouse whereas Gohan at that age had not nearly as much power. I support the paternal power influence theory because it seems to make sense based upon the examples we've seen in canon (there might also be a maternal power influence, but this is far more uncertain).

**Storm 107 [3]**

C: I honestly don't think them being half-breeds even does anything, except maybe Gohan's rage, but that never happened with Goten and Trunks, so who knows.

A: The original intent of Gohan's rage is a controversial and highly debatable subject all on its own. Without any confirmation from Toriyama or Toei, it seems that the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, unlocked through the fulfillment of Gohan's rage, might have been the significant that among all the Saiyans, Gohan was the true "chosen one." In fact, Super Saiyan 2, as per Toriyama's original plan, probably was not originally meant to be learned by Goku and Vegeta; it might have been something that only Gohan could have acquired in his generation, akin to Broly's Legendary Super Saiyan transformation. In fact, maybe Gohan was supposed to be the TRUE Legendary Super Saiyan, and maybe Broly's movie was created as a result of examining a concept for what Gohan was to become. It does very much seem however, based on the context of the Cell Saga, that Super Saiyan 2 originally was supposed to be far more significant than it became as a result of the Buu Saga (had the series ended with Cell, Super Saiyan 2 instead would have been the "Ultimate" form accessible only by Gohan, and would have had its own special distinction.)

**Semiwolf365**

Q: What is TNS?

A: "TNS" is "Trunks Normal State," a power level unit unique to Honor Trip that was derived to measure power level variances among fighters of extreme power based on canonical information of comparative fighter performances. Trunks Normal State refers to Trunks' normal state power level after he emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for the first time. Because he fights Cell, and because Gohan also fights Cell, various power levels for various fighters in TNS units can be derived. More information on the TNS system is available in a special power level analysis section toward the bottom of the entry for Chapter 33, "Tempest."

**Magnus45 [1] **

Q: Can Cell be Morally Neutral? I mean, he asked to not be able to be or perform evil actions again, but that doesn't obligate him to do the good things. If Earth was under attack, he could simply choose to do nothing and just watch they all die, after all nothing says that he needs to do good things .

A: This was an insightful question on your part. Yes, one possible outcome of Cell's free will wish that the characters have not yet explicitly discussed is that Cell might become morally apathetic. Goodness and evilness, as you said, are not his only potential paths.

**Magnus45 [2] **

Q: [Considerations of Piccolo and Vegeta, as well as considerations of giving Cell a chance]

A: Piccolo and Vegeta are different from Cell in that they both naturally evolved from mindsets of evil and became heroes. Also, during their moral transformations, others existed who had the power to stop them. In the case of Cell, because of the unnatural circumstances of his creation, Cell had not possessed the ability to choose goodness, and the wish for free will would enable him to experience a form of mental freedom he was not designed to have. Also, Cell is so powerful in comparison to the others that at the moment, they cannot realistically hope to stop him, whereas Vegeta and Piccolo always had opposing powers that could stop them. While Piccolo's maximum threat during his days of evil was against Earth, and while Vegeta's threat extended to some sections of the North Galaxy, Cell's threat could extend across all of Timeline III and all of Timeline IV. Therefore, even Piccolo and Vegeta agree that enabling Cell to achieve free will could be disastrous.

**Magnus45 [3] **

Q: And regarding the humans possible new powers. Could they be transformations or simply some sort of inner power unlock?

A: It has not yet been positively revealed whether any of the humans will have transformations at all, and as such, it is unknown what transformations, if any, they might have. If human transformations of advanced fighting application do exist, it is unknown if all humans possess the same transformation, or if there are multiple types of transformations among humans. Cell in Chapter 56 openly speculated about the possibility of human transformations; even he is unsure if there are any that can be acquired. More information on this will be revealed in upcoming chapters.

**Goku96 [1] **

C:To be honest when I first seen the summary for this story I thought it was going to be horrible I never would have thought you could make cell good without making him seem so trash but you did well to maintain his character

A: I'm sincerely glad you've determined Honor Trip to be enjoyable and that you believe Cell's Honor Trip persona to have been well-developed!

**Goku96 [2] **

C: the only problem I see is that you try to explain alot of things during the flow of the story if people can't understand some of the inferences that you make then I don't think they may not be real dragonballz fans

A: Explanations can always enhance the ability of readers to experience the significance of elements that the author wants to highlight. Therefore, I very much enjoy explaining things!

**Goku96 [3] **

C: I never thought about cell and his transformations the way you see them until I read this story but they make perfect sense though keep on writing great story

A: Thanks for perceiving my analyses of Cell's transformations to be of merit. I'm glad you're enjoying Honor Trip!

**Jason9000 [1] **

C: Damn Cell...this is kind of a dick move, not gonna lie.

A: The Z-Fighters certainly perceive this as such. Remember, though, there is a reason for everything.

**Jason9000 [2]**

C: I'd wait till at least a couple of the fighters are about equal to Cell's strength before even thinking about removing your "evilness inhibitor". At least that way there wouldn't be too much worry and if he did become evil then they could stop him.

A: Cell's refusal to give the Z-Fighters more time to prepare indeed is a major issue. Be assured that this glaring controversial element will be directly addressed in Chapter 59.

**Thrubardockeyes [1] **

C: Cell done pissed me off, I love Vegeta's response the best.

A: If Cell had that effect for you because of what he did in Chapter 57, then what about for Chapter 58? Also, what did you think of Vegeta's responses to Cell's plans in Chapter 58?

**Thrubardockeyes [2] **

Q: Will my favorite couple of all time Broly & Launch be in timeline 3? and What about Tarble will he be in this? will he exist or have you even thought about him.

A: As far as the question of whether Broly and Launch from Timeline IV will come to Timeline III, or whether Broly and Launch of Timeline III will get together as well, these questions shall be revealed in upcoming chapters. As for Tarble, the Honor Trip team and I have not yet determined whether he is sufficiently canon-compatible to include.

**CrimsonFlare121 [1] **

C: [My erroneous omission of a response to your review of Chapter 56]

A: I sincerely apologize for the oversight; I hope you've had the opportunity to read the review response I sent to you. Responses to your review of Chapter 56 now are included in the Q&A section for Chapter 57.

**CrimsonFlare121 [2]**

C: I'd like to add that it would seem highly out of character for Cell, an entity of such highly established cognitive capability, to risk endangering the livelihoods of uncounted billions of sentients in innumerable timelines for an indefinite, possibly infinite, interval of time.

A: It does seem highly out of character for Cell to be pursuing this wish for free will as he is, doesn't it? You have excellently identified how severe the risks of Cell reverting to evil truly are; as I've said, there are reasons for everything, and there are at least two significant reasons that shall be revealed as to what has caused Cell to be pursuing free will in the manner by which he is.

**CrimsonFlare121 [3]**

C: In my opinion, he would take the obvious step of placing safeguards in the event, however unlikely it may appear to him, that he would revert to his prior ways- a step which you have obviously had him undertake.

A: What do you think of the safeguards Cell offered in Chapter 58? Do you agree with Gohan regarding their worth, or do you think otherwise?

**CrimsonFlare121 [4]**

C: With that said, however, I believe that Cell would also realize the irony and conundrum of creating a safeguard that, in order to protect the innocent, would in some way restrict his capacity to do evil; by nature, however, such a safeguard would deprive him of total freedom to make a wholly uninhibited choice, were he to be aware of the repurcussions that would befall him should he choose to resume his path of villany.

A: These are excellent points; they merit further exploration in Chapter 59.

**CrimsonFlare121 [5]**

C: Should he wish true freedom to make his decision and vindicate his conversion to the side of good as his own choice, rather than the result of a wish, he will be forced to remove all inhibitions on both sides, and thereby subject hapless innocents to the possible danger of his reconversion to Dr. Gero's machinations.

A: It remains to be seen if Cell will realign with Gero or if Cell will maintain his alliance with the Z-Fighters. It also remains to be seen to what degree Cell actually believes he is risking the lives of others. Could it be possible that Cell has become blinded by righteous zeal? This shall be revealed in future chapters.

**Jerald Petrov [1]**

C: Stepping out of the realms of DBZ, humans have potential. Always have. Stories of grandma's lifting up a car to save a grandchild under it for example. that's easily a 50x power boost in my books. the key to that was duress, a need to protect. (ok, so I'm glorifying it...) Point remains.

A: Human potential, in my opinion, is unlimited. All that needs to be done to access our true power is to train ourselves to unlock it. As you mentioned, anecdotes abound of times in which stress, desperation, and situations of significant adversity can enable us to summon from within power that we can apply for victory. Official franchise canon and Honor Trip have both demonstrated that Saiyans, akin to what is true of real-world humans, can become stronger as per emotional fluctuations. In fact, the Super Saiyan transformation is normally catalyzed by having significant power act upon a level of emotion beyond the Saiyan's threshold. Is it possible, then, that human transformations in the Dragon Ball universe could work the same way? It remains to be seen.

**Jerald Petrov [2] **

C: I think that the humans don't need a visual effect to gain more power, though I think extreme emotion is needed to unlock it.

A: Yes, it seems that extreme emotion might be the key. In determining extreme emotion to be the possible catalyst, did you think of the Super Saiyan transformation?

**Jake Devaro [1] **

C: [With regard to human transformations,] if you have not read the fanfic tycho, I highly recommend it.

A: I have not yet had the opportunity to read Tycho. What is it about?

**Jake Devaro [2] **

C: [With regard to human transformations,] I couldn't help but wish that it was break through the limits incarnation of videl or hurcule that would discover it first. I've always wanted a fic where videl actually played a prominent role as a heroine.

A: While Videl and Mr. Satan both will be making appearances later in Season IV, neither of them will be the first to unlock a human transformation in Honor Trip, if any are unlocked at all. However, be assured that we have big plans for both characters.

**Guest [1] **

C: Yes,I am referring to DB:Afterlife,and it seemed that the idea was stolen from there?  
A: You should learn to not use the word "stolen" so lightly; it has severe connotations in all aspects. As a professional writer outside the realm of Honor Trip, I take severe offense to anyone who dares to steal my work or use it for monetary gain without enabling me and my organization to have credit for it. In fact, I've had folks plagiarize my work before, although after they were warned of the consequences of their actions, the plagiarism ceased. As it is an egregious crime to steal from others, I would never do such a thing. I sincerely hope you are in no way trying to be accusatory; otherwise, I would take the greatest possible exception to such an accusation. Besides, if I had not known of DB:Afterlife, how could I have pilfered anything from it? I hope you are aware that good ideas can be derived independently. As an example of direct relevance to Dragon Ball Z, I devised the concept of Trunks using the Ultra Super Saiyan transformation intermittently to give him temporary boosts of strength. He uses this tactic in Honor Trip chapter 37. About six months after the release of that chapter, Dragon Ball Multiverse released its fight between Trunks and Vegeta, in which Trunks used the same tactic. I did not accuse the Dragon Ball Multiverse folks of plagiarism then, nor will I now. They're honorable folks, and we merely came up with a good idea independently of each other.

**Guest [2] **

C: Do you know about Blazejecar?

A: I was unaware of Blazejecar until you informed me of him.

**MV [1] **

C: If I were Cell, I would choose NOT have the wish reversed. This is for the simple fact that although he was smashed hard in the head by Gohan, it is by no means a guarantee that he would not have ability to return the way he was before. Dr. Geros programming is still built inside of his DNA, despite the path of holiness that Cell has achieved so far. Tien made the greatest point in logic with his argument, Cell knew this.

A: Time will tell if Cell ultimately achieves the wish for free will. Tien's comment indeed was of significance for Cell, and in upcoming chapters, it shall be revealed whether Cell truly views his plan as one of negligible risk. As you know, if he DOESN'T view his plan as one of negligible risk but is pursing the plan anyway, that could add significant extra element of complication to exactly what he's planning. I'm looking forward to elaborating upon the reality of all of this.

**MV [2] **

C: One of the only fail safe methods I could imagine is having Broly being wished back to life. He is the only powerhouse that has a chance of defeating Cell should a worse case scenario happens.

A: As was revealed in Chapter 58, Cell and the Z-Fighters as of now are not considering restoring Broly of Timeline III back to life as a means of helping counteract Cell's potential threat. However, Cell also revealed that he refuses to let Broly of Timeline IV, and Trunks, be in Timeline III as a failsafe. What do you think of this?

**MV [3] **

C: The only problem is that timeline III Broly is still the psychotic one so I am not sure how he would have the mental capacity to process everything should he be wished back.

A: Although Timeline III Broly is still unstable, his future is uncertain. The Z-Fighters almost certainly won't try to acquire his assistance now, though, because that would lead to a plot replication as per the events of Timeline IV in recruiting Broly to help out against a threat involving an incarnation of Cell.

**Gohandominates [1] **

C: To be quite honest I fell that Cell has the right to his wish and that the others are overreacting a bit and should feel ashamed since they are basically doing what Gero did but the opposite if you think about it.

A: The others are concerned for the safety of existence and want to avoid what might happen if Cell chooses evil and decides to overpower them. In principle, though, they all would entirely support Cell's right to free will … this situation is different, however, because of the severe repercussions of what might happen if Cell chooses evil.

**Gohandominates [2] **

C: Not allowing him to have free will to actually choose to be a good guy make them no different than Gero forcing Cell to be a villain.

A: This is correct in that both sides tried to force Cell to be as they wanted him to be, although Dr. Gero likely would never have granted Cell free will under any circumstances, while the Z-Fighters likely would have let Cell pursue freedom of thought if they knew they could overpower him and guard against destruction. Also, Dr. Gero was trying to guard against Cell choosing to help others and live in peace, while the Z-Fighters are trying to guard against Cell choosing to threaten others and threaten peace.

_**As always, folks, thanks very much for your comments and questions!**_

_**AV**_


	73. Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans 1(Rated M)

**Honor Trip Proudly Presents:**

**DBZ Movie VIII.V Remake: Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans [Part One of Four]**

**Aka: Just When You Thought that Toei Crammed Too Much Stuff Into the 10-Day Wait for the Cell Games, They Introduced ANOTHER Plotline During that Time**

**(500****th****/750****th**** Review Retroactive Super Comedy Fun-Fest Celebration!)**

**Dedicated to the fans!**

– **A Non-Canon Comedy –**

* * *

_Disclaimer: DBZ and related series and installments are officially the property of their respective owners, as is the upcoming Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods. Bills is eager to finally have the opportunity to acquire the hot sauce he cherishes so dearly. While Dr. Raichi enjoys hot sauce every now and then, his greatest culinary passion is corned beef with mashed potatoes. It is rumored that Hatchiyack is a big fan of refried beans. Incidentally, have you ever wondered what would happen if refried beans and mashed potatoes became sentient, and started a war against each other? Me neither. _

* * *

**PLEASE REMEMBER that the following special is rated "M," for MATURE audiences only. This special contains material unsuitable for individuals under the age of 18. **

* * *

_ALSO, please remember that this special was released before the release of Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods, and so any references made in this special that become obsolete, outdated, or contradicted by the events of that film should be retroactively laughed at doubly. _

* * *

_Timeline III, Sept. 23, Age 767, after Cell demonstrated to the Z-Fighters how willing he is to listen to their sentiments of logic and reason …. _

Cell was serenely standing at the central point of where the circular, stone table had been during his discussions with the Z-Fighters about his plans for achieving true moral free will. He had pissed all of them off – even his closest allies – through his apparent lack of flexibility, which was such that it was even less flexible than a piece of chewing gum reinforced not just with concrete, but with the saltiest of bacon.

Cell used his Magic Materialization technique to summon forth a pair of bongo drums, and as the wind passed him by, he tapped upon the drums, playing a rhythm of excitement and majestic wonder.

He then threw the pair of bongo drums into the air and blasted them apart with a Kamehameha wave, for the hell of it.

"Now that they all again think I'm a jerk, what else am I going to do for fun?" Cell asked himself, while scooping up a pack of random hedgehogs and beginning to juggle them.

He juggled them with great fervor, and as each of the hedgehogs had never been juggled before, they were pleased.

He then threw the pack of hedgehogs into the air … then caught them again, and set them down on the ground.

Suddenly, he picked up his personal copy of the written log that had been transcribed for Honor Trip Chapter 58. While it had once been considered to be a quadruple mega-secret that each of Honor Trip's characters for each chapter receives a written copy of all that was said and done, after appropriate taxes are deducted for the document because it is not a qualified noncash benefit under the Internal Revenue Code, Cell was ineffably enjoying recapping the events.

Then, after reading through the main content of the chapter, a key passage in the upcoming events section caught his eye.

"Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans!" Cell shouted, while realizing the implications of what he could soon initiate. "As 'exagitate' means 'to satirize or stir up,' it looks like the Honor Trip team wants to again thank its loyal readers for their vigilant readership through sharing a few laughs with them. Considering the dark tone that the main series has abruptly returned to because of me, I think now is as good a time as any to lighten the mood a bit. After all, why should I devote my time to developing more effective safeguards against the possibility of my reverting to evil when I instead could have ridiculous fun with this special?"

After the conclusion of the previous comedy special, Cell had pondered much about the mechanics of how such specials physically function in relation to the main series. Last time, there had been a possessed videotape that had caused Cell and Trunks to gain access to a land of nonsensical enchantment. The main parts of the two comedy specials before that one also had occurred seemingly outside the main series timeline, but in those earlier specials, Cell had not yet possessed the advanced knowledge of physics and lingerie that had enabled him to thoroughly analyze how Super Troll 13, the 300th/400th review retroactive comedy special, had been able to occur.

Cell used his Magic Materialization ability to summon a remote control, although he didn't summon a television set. It did not truly matter what direction he pointed this particular remote control in, and upon pressing the central button among the three on the remote, the hedgehogs, who had been watching Cell with further earnest, became fascinated by the sight.

A beam, which was colored blue with orange polka dots, projected from the front of the remote with a terminus about 10 meters from Cell. The terminus of the beam then expanded, such that it formed a doorway into a realm of seemingly endless white. The realm was not the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but the staging area from which Android 13 had brought Cell and Trunks into his comedy special on the previous occasion – the realm no longer had any red coloration mixed with the white because Cell and Trunks had defeated those Red Ribbon commie bastards, as well as the mastermind behind their plans.

To stabilize the doorway long enough for him to pass through, Cell pressed the remote's left button, then began to walk forward. He had also considered pressing the remote's rightmost, third button, but he had already had enough to drink in the previous special.

He stepped through the doorway, then, upon waving a parting goodbye to the hedgehogs, Cell released the second button from its stabilization setting, and the doorway closed behind him.

As with the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the Infinite Inanity Staging Area (IISA) appeared now with an unblemished white coloration as far as the eyes could see.

However, the laws of physics that normally would restrict actions in normal space, real space, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and all other pocket dimensions of which he was aware in no way applied to the Infinite Inanity Staging Area. Cell had determined through extensive empirical research that the IISA could only be accessed in the context of comedy specials, thereby eliminating a plot hole for Honor Trip's main series, which he always was pleased to accomplish.

He had gained the knowledge of how to start a comedy special sequence of events, but knew that before he started this one, he wanted to invite two friends to join the party.

Cell snapped his fingers, and suddenly, they appeared.

They had experienced the same relative amount of time since Cell's departure from Timeline IV as Cell had experienced after returning to Timeline III, and they were extremely surprised to suddenly see Cell again, especially because they had been totally unprepared for being brought into this pocket dimension through a ludicrous process that otherwise would have been impossible, if not for the fact it was par for the comedy special course.

Trunks had been in the middle of a date when Cell had hijacked his plans, and he looked obviously disgruntled that his festivities had been interrupted. Broly had just been about to start something else, but Launch was no longer within his tender embrace, and his clothes were still on.

"Damn it, Cell!" Trunks shouted. "My date was going real swell until you abruptly canceled the rest of it! [Random Mary Sue fangirl who's always wanted to be in a self-insert fanfiction paired with Trunks] and I were walking through the park, and she probably has run off by now, thinking who knows what!"

"If your father had seen you with that button-down shirt and that pair of slacks, he would have demanded that you instead wear proper Saiyan attire," Cell said. "However, I'm glad that you finally have the opportunity to have an actual life that consists of something other than having to defend the Earth from oppression every second."

"Cell … what the hell, man?" Broly said. "Do you have any idea what you just interrupted for me?"

Cell pretended to ponder the question for a moment, then answered.

"Filing forms in triplicate?" Cell asked.

"Of course not!" Broly said. "Well, it's not exactly like I entirely didn't expect something like this would happen. After all, based on what I read from my copy of Chapter 58, you seem to have developed quite the tendency for forcing people to do stuff without asking them, just because you think it would be cool."

"Well Broly, with regard to all of that, you can trust me," Cell said, with a grin. "I am one of the good guys, after all."

Trunks and Broly were quite unnerved by the statement, although they were having difficulty determining whether the words Cell had said, or the way he had said them, had been more startling.

"So, … why don't you want us to be in Timeline III when you make the free will wish?" Trunks asked.

"And why didn't you pursue true free will when you had the chance in Timeline IV, with Trunks and I around to be able to stop you if need be?" Broly asked.

"Because you can trust me," Cell said, while maintaining his grin.

"Wow, man," Broly said. "As one commenter said, you really need to 'tone down your current douchebag nature.'"

"Yeah, and as another commenter said, it's clear that with your absurd plan, you're again showing that you're 'an OCD perfectionist and a jackass,'" Trunks said.

"What was that line you said to King Cold in the classic FUNimation dub, Trunks? … ah, yes … 'Believe what you want to!'" Cell said. "But enough of that. My friends, we have much time to debate with each other later about what's going on in the main series. Now, we shall embark upon a glorious quest into a land of mystery and mayhem, our wondrous 500th/750th review retroactive comedy special, a zany remake of Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans!"

"Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans was released in conjunction with a videogame, right?" Trunks asked.

"Yes; the movie was released in 1993 as an original video animation that served as a visual guide for a video game that was released only in Japan in August of that year, Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku," Cell said. "The video footage was then combined with a rereleased version of the game in two installments in 1994. Years later, the video animation was entirely redone and released in 2010 with the Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 video game. The movie was then renamed 'Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans.' Notice how they stuck the word 'Super' in front of the word 'Saiyan' for cool alliteration."

"That movie took place right after the movie featuring my Timeline III counterpart, but before the final canonical battle with you, right?" Broly asked.

"It sure did, although of course, I'm inexplicably nowhere to be found in the movie, just as was the case in the official release of Broly of Timeline III's Movie 8," Cell said. "And as has been mentioned before, for some reason, despite the animated portion of the Dragon Ball franchise's existence for more than 25 years, I have yet to be present in an official Dragon Ball franchise movie."

"On the subject of questionable aspects of Dragon Ball media, I've never understood how Toei Animation expected audiences to believe that Movie 8.5, the one we're about to get into, took place during the 10-day wait for the Cell Games," Trunks said. "I mean, how many significant things could possibly take place in a 10-day span, and how probable would it be for all these things to happen at the same time? You've got all the absolutely canonical stuff that was featured in the manga, you've got the filler bullshit that Toei released from uncut Dragon Ball Z episodes 168 to 174, you've got Broly's movie, and you've got Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans. Then, because Dende is the guardian of Earth during Movie 6 even though that makes no sense at all, it could be said that The Return of Cooler also might take place during the 10-day wait for the Cell Games even though that would make no damn sense, as Dende didn't become guardian of Earth until episode 173. And of course, as we in our previous comedy special extensively discussed, the notorious Movie 7, Super Android 13, if it was intended to take place in Timeline III, also would almost certainly have had to have taken place during the 10-day wait for the Cell Games, despite various factors that make it severely incompatible with the canonical Timeline III overall. Could so many significant villains, each posing a threat as the result of so many years of efforts, realistically all become threats during the same 10-day period?"

"It's total bullshit," Broly said.

"Which, in a way, adds to the fun of experiencing this ourselves," Cell said. "Broly and I are Saiyans, after all, and we didn't get the chance to be in this movie the first time around. I'm looking forward to finally getting the chance to meet Dr. Raichi, fight Hatchiyack, and stop their anti-Saiyan plan."

"Based on all the two of you just said, is it true that Raichi wanted to kill all the remaining Saiyans despite the fact that none of us were directly responsible for the destruction of the Tuffles?" Broly asked.

"Yeah, that's the deal," Trunks said. "He's kind of a prick."

"I can't want to show this incarnation of him the legendary power of our race," Broly said. "I fought the bastard counterparts of Raichi and Hatchiyack in Timeline IV, although at the time I didn't know Raichi's underlying motivations, and – "

"Wait, … you fought them in Timeline IV?" Trunks asked. "How the Hell did that happen?"

"It's a long story that I'm eager to tell, although it will have to wait for another time," Broly said. "Now, let's start this thing!"

"Alright, so to kick this parody into full blast, we need to get from this staging area to the physics-defying timeline in which all the comedy specials have taken place," Cell said. "Although Android 13 was an asshole, he knew how to get to there from here. The cursed video tape that Trunks and I encountered last time got us to this staging area, and I've obviously figured out other methods of getting us here, but I haven't yet figured out how 13 transitioned to the comedy timeline from here."

"What are we supposed to do then, scream really loudly while raising our power levels and hope that a hole in this dimension will form that will enable us to travel to our desired destination?" Broly asked.

"Oh please, like that would ever work," Cell said. "I have a far simpler plan. We'll use the big guy himself."

Cell snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the White-Star Dragon Balls appeared!

"Wait, … what!" Trunks shouted. "That makes no sense! You haven't made the White-Star Dragon Balls of Timeline III yet, and Dragon Balls don't work outside of normal space, especially not in a pocket dimension! And this can't be the set from Timeline IV, because the set is inactive right now. So … what's the deal?"

"As I've identified, this staging area defies all principles that restrict that which can occur in other parts of existence," Cell said. "Despite everything you said being true, Trunks, the liberties of this pocket dimension enabled me to create in less than a second an incarnation of Temnizziv to be used here who can enable us to get to the comedy timeline quite seamlessly."

Trunks thought about this, then became bewildered by the glaring implications.

"Cell! You really have reverted to evil! You're using blatant plot convenience to advance the plot!" Trunks yelled.

"Relax, Trunks, it's not plot convenience when this realm itself, which I had nothing to do with creating, allows such things to occur," Cell said. "I'm merely abiding by the principles of physics as they are in the Infinite Inanity Staging Area, however flexible they might be."

Trunks felt disgusted, but he decided that it wasn't worth extensive aggravation.

"It's time to summon him," Cell said, as he gathered the White-Star Dragon Balls and placed his hands over them. "Remember, because of the properties of this pocket dimension, the summoning chant required to summon Temnizziv shall be quite absurd."

"Well, let's hear it," Broly said.

Cell prepared himself to say the chant, then ardently said the words.

"When the seven sticks of butter stick to the frying pan, and the seven corporate executives who can dance with swiftness decide to market waffles covered in duct tape as appreciable investments, seven Dragon Ball Z movies shall be multiplied by two! There can be a union of stations and trains, as modern metropolitan transportation systems flourish with them. For the glory of placing one's hand under one's armpit and making farting sounds, for the grace by which portable media tablets can be thrown as Frisbees, we summon you now, Temnizziv!"

In a less dramatic, but more expedient summoning sequence that was triggered through Cell going to the settings menu and selecting the "skip summoning sequences" option available in many role-playing games, Temnizziv suddenly and entirely manifested above the three warriors.

He opened his mouth, initiating the divine words of an eternal dragon of utmost power.

"SUP' HOMMIES?" Temnizziv asked from above.

"We're doing well, Temnizziv, thanks for asking," Cell said. "And how about you?"

"I WAS CHILLIN' GOOD IN MY HOOD WHEN Y'ALL SUMMONED ME," Temnizziv said. "SO, WHAT'S HAPPENIN'?"

"We still get three wishes, right?" Broly asked. "Obviously, the last one is for time travel, but can we do whatever we want with the first two?"

"Well … yeah, I suppose," Cell said.

"Alright!" Broly exclaimed. "Temnizziv, I wish that whenever I defeat an opponent in this special, Trunks will need to yell the phrase 'Broly is unquestionably superior to me in all aspects of significance; oh, what I would do to be as awesome as him!'"

Trunks glared at Broly, while Broly grinned.

"THAT'S RAD, BRO," Temnizziv said, as he made it so.

"You aren't going to get away with that one, Broly!" Trunks said. "Temnizziv, I wish that whenever I defeat an opponent in this special, the same thing will happen with regard to Broly!"

Only moments later did Trunks realize the error of how he had phrased the wish, further emphasizing for him the importance of avoiding acting on impulse, and instead taking time to think things through.

"DAMN, SON," Temnizziv said, as he enacted Trunks' wish, while Broly and Cell continued to be amused by it. Normally, wishes are enacted to reflect the intention of the user – however, they need to be appropriately worded to a sufficient degree to make the intention implemented as desired. Unfortunately for Trunks, he realized that his intention had not been clear, and that he had unintentionally wished for something inimical to his desires.

"Great," Trunks said.

"Alright, Temnizziv, it's time to venture into the timeline of all Honor Trip comedy specials, Timeline XVIISRE5%GDAB!" Cell shouted.

"That sounds unnecessarily complex," Trunks said.

"This is Honor Trip, Trunks; of course it's unnecessarily complex," Cell said.

"IT'S TIME TO GET THIS PARTY STARTED," Temnizziv said, as he warped the three warriors to the designated timeline.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! - thousands of years ago, King Kai's former Big-Ass Planet **

The acreage of his planet was massive, stretching quite some distance into the distance.

King Kai was busying himself with his daily regiment of activities, which included using Instant Transmission at least 10 times a day to emphasize the plot hole that would thousands of years later be caused by anime filler in which he said and demonstrated that he knows the technique, which is problematic as per the fact that King Kai during the Frieza Saga did not use the technique to rescue Goku from Planet Namek's explosion.

To cause a further illogical discrepancy, King Kai decided that today would be a great day to visit some of the students he had personally trained in the past and who were featured in anime filler, despite statements, in the early part of the Saiyan Saga, that Goku, and potentially King Yemma were the only ones who had ever successfully crossed the distance of Snake Way to receive his training. Oh, the chores of enjoyment these were.

After instant transmitting to West Kai's planet and placing a fart cushion on one of his chairs, King Kai instant transmitted back to his planet, which was possible because he was able to detect Bubbles and Gregory's energy signatures.

Gregory, who despite being an anime-filler character never outright caused plot holes himself, saw King Kai return, then seconds later felt an extremely powerful presence appear nearby.

King Kai sensed the energy signature as well, and after he double-checked what he had sensed, dread ensued. The bearer of the energy signature ran quickly across the planet, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing two meters in front of King Kai.

"Hey! Hey! North Kai! Hey!" shouted Bills, the god of destruction, who was holding a box and jumping up and down with excitement.

"Oh … hi there, Bills, … what's new?" King Kai asked with trepidation.

"I have acquired an awesome video game, and we shall play it!" Bills said. "This game is rumored to be so awesome that it rivals the glory of hot sauce itself!"

King Kai remembered all too well what had happened the last time he had played a video game with the ineffably more powerful deity. King Kai had defeated Bills fairly and squarely, but out of rage for his loss, Bills had destroyed 10 solar systems in the North Galaxy. Yemma had been extremely displeased not just with the unnecessary losses of lives, but with the significant extra paperwork he had needed to complete, and he had suggested to King Kai to no longer play video games with the god of destruction to avoid further such catastrophes.

"Actually, Bills, I need to do a few things today, and – "

"Among those things includes playing this game! Hooray!" Bills shouted.

"But I – "

"Let's play! Let's play! North Kai, it's time to play!" Bills shouted.

King Kai shrugged in loathing for the situation.

"Alright, fine," King Kai said. "So, I've got the Atari Age -2000 hooked up on my new color television set, and I guess you've got the game in the box, and – "

"The box!" Bills shouted.

"Yeah, the box, and – "

"The box!" Bills again shouted.

"… alright, … Bills, let's just go to my house and we'll play the game," King Kai said, as he began to walk in the direction of his rather lavish home, which was expansive as per the size of the planet.

While King Kai walked, Bills skipped merrily alongside him, while humming various chants of death and destruction that he had learned throughout the course of his universal travels.

When they arrived inside King Kai's house, King Kai brought two chairs in front of the television screen, and Bills then sat down in one of the chairs and began to open the box.

King Kai quickly returned with some water for each of them, and Bills brandished the game cartridge to him.

"It's called Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans!" Bills said. "I love eradication!"

"I bet you do," King Kai said.

"At first I thought the game was about a bunch of vegetables, a pair of underwear, and a wind instrument fighting home appliances, another vegetable, and a mollusk, " Bills said. "Then, I saw it's about a bunch of guys with big hair fighting a bunch of undead guys. Look at the art!"

King Kai took a look at the game's box art, then came to a conclusion.

"They all look like a bunch of weirdos," King Kai said. "Well, we could give this game a try even so."

"Here, grab the rest of the stuff from inside this box, while I plug in the game!" Bills said, as he hopped off the chair, did a flip in the air, then landed on the floor and inserted the cartridge.

King Kai reached inside the box and grabbed from within it a single controller that was of a newer design than the ones he owned.

"Just one controller?" King Kai asked.

"Yeah, it's a one-player game! We'll take turns!" Bills said.

'_That's a relief,' _King Kai thought to himself, knowing that because there was technically no way he could entirely defeat Bills in the game or look like he was trying to purposely lose, the universe was a bit safer than it otherwise would have been.

He felt based on the box's weight that there was still something inside the box, and after again reaching into the box, he pulled out the two bottles and quickly figured out what they were.

"Bills, why did you bring hot sauce with you?" King Kai said.

"Hot sauce!" Bills said.

"… well, um, … okay, but the box seems as though there's nothing else in it," King Kai said. "Did you bring another box with anything to put the hot sauce on?"

"No!" Bills said.

"My refrigerator and cabinets are empty and I need to go for groceries; I suppose I'll have some hot sauce too, but what are we going to put it on?" King Kai said.

"Directly on your tongue, or down your throat!" Bills said. "Those are the true ways of the universe!"

Bills then opened his bottle of hot sauce and consumed half the bottle within a matter of seconds. He placed the bottle down, then used his telekinetic powers to turn on the television.

"Now, it's time to play!" Bills said, as he grabbed the controller and the start screen appeared, all while King Kai sighed.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet **

He was the only Tuffle left in the mortal realm, and even so, he was basically a zombie. However, unlike shamblers, sprinting undead, and commbies (yes, communist zombies), his genius mind had never been sharper.

Dr. Raichi loathed the Saiyans who had killed his race and taken over Planet Plant for themselves.

In fact, the Saiyans had made many enemies because they in general had been total assholes, and although Raichi had wanted to wipe out the Saiyans personally to achieve revenge, the Saiyan race instead had been almost entirely wiped out by Frieza. Raichi was greatly envious of Frieza for having achieved the genocide he had personally craved, but he respected Frieza for his accomplishment so much so that he had sent Frieza many letters of fan mail.

While Frieza had been far too occupied with either running significant affairs of the Arcosian empire or drinking wine (the two often are interchangeable) to respond to all of Raichi's letters, he had responded to one, of which the response had since been placed into a force-field frame by Raichi that he kept above one of his cabinets of various pieces of Frieza memorabilia.

The response read as follows:

"_To one of my biggest fans, _

_I am greatly impressed with the degree to which you despise the Saiyans even so many years after all but a few were gloriously destroyed. _

_If ever you find a Saiyan whom I haven't already subdued through various forms of repression, by all means, repress that Saiyan on both of our behalves in any way you see it._

_Hedonistically yours, _

_Lord Frieza" _

Raichi kept the letter in an especially prominent location not just out of respect, but in memoriam, as he had heard that Frieza, one of the people he had most admired, had been killed by not just a Saiyan, but one who had managed to transform into the Super form of their race, further insulting the Tuffles through their continued achievement!

Yet, the reality of the current situation troubled Raichi greatly. All of the Saiyans who had been responsible for destroying the Tuffle civilization were long since dead, and the only Saiyans who remained in the mortal realm either had been kids or had not existed at all during the sieges, such that they had in no way been responsible for the deaths of the Tuffles, despite their Saiyan heritage. In fact, it seemed, based on his spying upon Planet Earth, that the majority of the Saiyans who were still alive endeavored to protect the innocent, as opposed to harming them.

Raichi twirled his moustache while pondering the circumstances, as he indeed possessed the moustache that he was originally presented as having, instead of the beard that he was inexplicably given in the 2010 remake.

He was about to vocalize his sentiments, and although he does not have an official English dub voice, as limited dubbing rights largely have prevented there from being an official English dub of any version of his official movies, he spoke aloud with a tone and mannerism of voice quite as one would expect of a deranged, sociopathic, undead mad scientist and humanoid alien.

"How much do I really want to kill these Saiyans?" Raichi asked himself aloud, with readers of this passage imagining Raichi's voice and thinking it to be glorious. "In the original version of these festivities and in the 2010 remake, I showed how much of a total prick I am by trying to kill the remaining Saiyans even though none of them personally ever did anything wrong to me or to any Tuffle, and I could totally try killing them again. However, there are fates worse than death that could be tumultuous for them even so ….

Raichi then pressed a button on his intercom system.

"Hey, Hatchiyack! Come to my laboratory, will you?" Raichi said.

Raichi had decided to activate Hatchiyack's humanoid form earlier than he had in a vision from a time before, as per the fact that he sensed far higher power levels present on Earth than he had during the first time and second time this movie was made.

Hatchiyack, who had manifested from Raichi's supercomputer after absorbing the hatred of many Tuffles who had been pissed off at dying just because a bunch of bloodthirsty Saiyans had wanted more land, had acquired the last bits of additional hatred-energy that he had needed to achieve his humanoid form through simulating a repeated image of King Vegeta flipping him off.

The humanoid supercomputer walked into Raichi's private study, then flexed his arms.

"Well, are you going to say hello, or are you still a member of the Janemba fan club?" Raichi asked. "You know the club I'm talking about, the one in which you're a major villain of a Dragon Ball Z movie and yet you hardly say anything, if at all!"

"So, that's what your English voice sounds like in person," Hatchiyack said. "Congratulations on that. It only took us about two decades to finally acquire English voices. Oh, happy 20th anniversary, by the way."

"It truly has been 20 years since Dragon Ball Z Movie 8.5 was released, hasn't it?" Raichi asked.

"My data indicates that this is correct," Hatchiyack said. "As for your voice, at least it's better than mine. My English voice, which premiered with the release of Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, is such that I sound like a chain smoker who's voice has been rendered through one too many filters. Oh well, at least I've gained far greater vocal abilities than I possessed before. I know one of our compatriots in evil had that problem in the previous special."

"Yes indeed," Raichi said.

"As for no longer being part of the Janemba fan club, while I technically said three words then shouted incoherently in the original film, then said a few more in the 2010 remake, I decided that if one is going to be the main villain of a Dragon Ball Z movie, or any movie for that matter, one might as well say things at least somewhat often so that one can actually contribute to the sociological and psychological conflict aspects of the plot," Hatchiyack said. "I mean, Broly said almost nothing in Movie 10. He kind of just punched children and laughed his ass off the entire time. Then, in Movie 11, Bio-Broly doesn't actually say anything intelligible. And don't even get me started on Hirudegarn's communication problem. Of course, as you said, Janemba also fits the bill … other than in his first form saying his name over and over again like, as Bido put it in the second comedy special, 'one of those pokemans.'"

"Wow, you do sound synthetic!" Raichi said.

"I'm a computer; of course I do," Hatchiyack said. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Our plans regarding the Saiyans, of course," Raichi said.

"By the way, did I ever mention that your laboratory, with the many dark spheres all over the floor, reminds me of a play pit at a fast food restaurant, only with a decidedly more demonic aesthetic?" Hatchiyack asked.

"It's all part of the plan," Raichi said.

"Speaking of plans, has anyone ever mentioned to you that various features of your classic character design are almost exactly the same as those of Dr. Gero?" Hatchiyack asked. "I mean, you're both genocidal doctors of mechanical engineering, and you've got the moustaches, and – "

"Yes, yes, … I'm aware of this," Dr. Raichi said. "We, the male scientists of the Dragon Ball universe, love our moustaches."

"Moustaches make the universe go 'round, after all," Hatcihyack said.

"And don't you forget it," Raichi said. "Remember Hatchiyack, if ever your power source of hatred runs out, you can always try to grow a moustache, which can give you strength."

"As it has been said, and as it has been written," Hatchiyack said.

"Anyway, I've decided that killing the remaining Saiyans would equate to letting them off the hook too easily for their nonexistent crimes against me," Raichi said.

"So, what do you have in mind?" Hatchiyack asked.

As the two primary antagonists deliberated upon plans of the utmost deviousness, a discussion of the utmost importance was captivating the attention of many Saiyans on Earth.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – (Bulma's Big-Ass) Capsule Corporation Compound, main living room, Planet Earth **

"So, we're all back to this point in history, is that right?" Vegeta asked, after hearing of all that Cell, Trunks, and Broly had told him.

"That's right, father; Dr. Raichi's Ghost Warriors are going to try to use that Destron Gas shit any time now," Trunks said. "Just like in the previous comedy special, we've still got our memories from up to the corresponding point in the main Honor Trip series, and even though we're in Timeline XVIISRE5%GDAB!, everyone here except for me and Broly is basically the same person they were in Timeline III at the moment in Timeline III that this special began. But unlike last time, we've got our full powers and capabilities from the start, and we haven't reverted back to our power levels as they were during the original movie that we're satirizing."

To ascertain whether Trunks was in fact correct, Gohan sought to transform directly into his Super Saiyan 2 form, … and it worked! His golden aura glistened with cascading lightning, and his golden hair was slicked up and backward.

"Fuck yeah!" Gohan yelled. "During the last special, I didn't get to do shit! Now, I'm back in action!"

"Nice form you've got there," Trunks said, as he powered up to Super Saiyan 2 as well, although because of the extreme difference in their normal state power levels, Trunks' power level far, far surpassed Gohan's own. "Obviously, though, you've got some catching up to do if you want to fight me one-on-one for real."

"Tell that to this jackass right here!" Gohan said, referring to Cell. "We've been trying to tell him that we ain't ready for him to pursue his free will bullshit, and yet he's refusing to listen to us! If we had more time to catch up, Cell, we could actually secure ourselves in the event you become evil again!"

"As has been said Cell, you are indeed acting prematurely," Broly said.

"You know, at this point in corresponding canon, I was still a villain, and I'm purposely refusing to be one in this comedy remake because I actually do care about pursuing goodness," Cell said, although the others remained skeptical.

"And at this point in canon, I was maintaining my Full-Power Super Saiyan form full-time, although once again, Gohan and I for some inexplicable reason were in our normal states when each official version of this movie began, despite the fact that Movie 8.5 is supposed to take place after we emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber!" Goku said.

"It's like my Timeline III counterpart's movie all over again, in which Goku and Gohan as well should have had their Full-Power Super Saiyan forms displayed throughout the entirety of the film, yet didn't," Broly said. "And actually … speaking of my Timeline III counterpart, … well, I'd like to give him the opportunity to be here so that way he can have a chance to beat the crap out of Hatchiyack as well and fight yet another guy who's trying to kill him because of who he is."

"That sounds reasonable," Cell said. "Normally, I wouldn't consider taking such a risk and enabling a potentially chaotic and destructive force to be unleashed, especially with so many innocent people's lives at stake, but most of us are stronger than he is, and so we know we can stop him if need be."

As a result of what Cell had just said, Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, and Broly were all staring at him in shock.

"Do you even realize the implications of what you just said?" Gohan asked.

"No, should I have?" Cell asked.

"Damn it!" Gohan said.

"Trunks, do all of existence a favor and take care of Cell's potential menace right now," Vegeta said. "Broly could even help you if he wants."

"But Vegeta, I agree that The Phantom Menace was a terrible movie," Cell said, upon magically materializing a VHS copy of the film. "Trunks, Broly, here's my potential menace. You may fire when ready."

"As much as I despise the film, I refuse to destroy it, as it's still somehow part of Star Wars canon, despite almost every single aspect of the film being in some way flawed, with the exception of Natalie Portman being in it," Trunks said, while powering down from Super Saiyan 2 back to his normal state.

"I've never actually had the opportunity to watch any Star Wars film, considering that I spent most of my life enslaved to a murderous freak who was even more of a murderous freak than I was, then hung out in the jungle until Trunks and Gohan from our timeline found me, then died, and then spent almost all of my available time either sparring Trunks or banging Launch," Broly said.

"That's a reasonable excuse," Trunks said.

"If we bring my Timeline III counterpart over here, he and I could together watch one of the Star Wars films for the first time," Broly said.

"In all seriousness, if you're going to watch Star Wars with someone who's never seen any of the films before, start with Episode IV: A New Hope, and don't mar their potential true enjoyment of the series by starting off with Episode I: The Phantom Menace," Cell said. "That's my public service announcement for the day."

"Guys, we probably don't have time to find the Dragon Balls and then use them to wish the other Broly back even if we wanted to," Goku asked. "I mean, he is dead, right? In the original Movie 8, I somehow killed him through some sort of bullshit. In the Honor Trip rendition of Movie 8, I smashed him in the face with a Spirit Bomb. So, he should be dead, unless …."

Goku used his sensing abilities to attempt to detect the life force of Broly from his own timeline, although he did not sense him.

"Not a trace," Goku said.

"Well, there's another way we could find him," Cell said, while manifesting a script of the original Dragon Ball Z Movie 10. "According to this movie, instead of being killed by you in Movie 8 or left for dead only to be consumed by Comet Camori, Broly right before the destruction of Planet New Vegeta just happened to find a random space pod and got in there, not to mention the fact that the space pod just happened to be conveniently plotted for a course to Earth."

"It's amazing you said, that, Cell, because as plot-convenient as that is, it wasn't even the first time that happened," Trunks said. "Goku, you've done that too. Right before Planet Namek exploded, you just happened to see a space pod and just happened to have just enough time to get in it. Then, you just happened to manipulate the pod at just the right moment to get you to just the right planet where you learned just the right technique to in the future avoid the situation that could have killed you as a result of not knowing that technique."

"So … much … plot … convenience …," Gohan said.

"Sorry guys, I didn't know at the time how plot-convenient it actually was," Goku said. "Anyway, how are we going to use our knowledge of Movie 10 to find the other Broly?"

"I can answer that," Broly said, while motioning for Cell to give him the script, which he did.

Broly held up the script to his face, then said a magical phrase.

"Bullshit script, give me sight beyond sight!" Broly said.

The script's inherent powers revealed the location of his counterpart, and after asking Trunks to lock on to that position, Trunks instant transmitted to that position, then swiftly returned with the space pod, complete with Broly inside, available as a bundle package if you BUY DRAGON BALL MERCHANDISE.

"So … much … plot … convenience …," Gohan again said. "Don't you guys realize what you're doing? Through using plot convenience of any kind, you're – "

"It almost always isn't justified, but sometimes it is, and in rare occasions such as this one, it's possible to use plot convenience without being evil," Broly said. "I wanted my bro' over here to be in this movie with us because of Movie 8.5's theme, and finding him otherwise would have taken fucking forever. Instead, we found him through fun."

"Whatever," Gohan said.

Cell reached toward the space pod, pressed the appropriate controls, and opened the hatch.

Broly of Timeline III, who can be quite appropriately referred to as "Bro," was seemingly in a state of suspended animation, as the animators had not needed to animate him within the space pod.

"He looks dead," Vegeta said.

"Well, he is alive; we can all sense that," Trunks said. "So, how are we going to resuscitate him?"

"That will be relatively simple," Cell said. "Hey Goku, why don't you just do a rendition of your recent televised third-party product co-advertisement for the Battle of Gods?" Cell asked. "You know the one."

"Of course I do," Goku said, as a Kentucky Fried Chicken drumstick suddenly materialized in his left hand. "Hell yeah, Kentucky! Everyone should go to Kentucky Fried Chicken and eat this stuff! I'm one of the strongest guys around, and when I've got a big appetite from all my fighting and training, Kentucky Fried Chicken hits the spot!"

"Kentucky is so good!" said an announcer's voice out of seemingly nowhere. _[Author's aside: In a maneuver of extreme absurdity, Toei actually animated a commercial using modified Battle of Gods footage to co-promote Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dragon Ball Z Movie 14: Battle of Gods, which will be released March 30, 2013. Seriously, if you go to YouTube or another video browser and type in "Battle of Gods" and "KFC," then search with both phrases together, you can see the commercial. __Behold the sacrilege of having a time-honored series about strength and applying martial arts for benevolence being used to promote fast food!]_

The odor of the fried chicken aroused Bro from his slumber, and while not yet fully conscious, he immediately reached out in an attempt to grab the fried chicken from Goku's left hand.

Goku, whose reflexes always were heightened when defending food, jumped back fast enough to avoid having his chicken snatched from him.

Bro then reached around in an attempt to acquire the fried chicken, but upon not feeling its rough, crusty exterior of delectable breading, he fully awoke with a startle and shifted into an attack stance.

"Alright, who – " was all Bro was in the middle of asking before interrupting himself, upon noticing who else was in the room. "What the Hell is going on here? Why am I standing over there while I'm right here!"

"I'm you … from the future!" Broly said. "How's it going, little bro'?"

"Don't insult me, you impostor!" Bro shouted. "There's only one Legendary Super Saiyan, and that's me! And how are the rest of you still alive? And who's this winged freak over here."

"Ah, it is always a pleasure to make a new acquaintance," Cell said. "My name is Cell, and it's clear that you don't remember meeting me because you unfortunately didn't retain your memories from Honor Trip's first comedy special, as that special focused on parodying your plot-hole ridden original movie, while Genescritor subsequently rewrote your movie as a three-part special for Honor Trip that enables your storyline to make sense. Because you make more sense than the original Broly, and as you are representative of Movie 8, you deserve to have the memories of Honor Trip's first comedy special, which rightfully belong to you."

Cell snapped his fingers, and because of the physics of Timeline XVIISRE5%GDAB!, Broly No. III gained the memories of what he had relatively experienced in the first Honor Trip comedy special.

"Now that I remember everything, you've made me pissed again that despite my quite amiable offer of tea, you still haven't repaid me for the tea cup you broke," Bro said.

"It was good tea, though," Cell said.

"That it was," Bro said. "But as for the rest of you, I'm still fuckin' furious that you somehow managed to defeat me in the original Movie 8 and more importantly, in the Honor Trip version of that movie, which actually makes sense! I'm going to kill all of you for that humiliation!"

"Relax, Broly; we want to be friends with you now!" Trunks said.

"Offers of peace shall not dissuade me from killing all of you for trying to kill me back on that sham of a planet!" Bro yelled, while sprinting directly toward Goku and transforming into his basic form of Super Saiyan.

Trunks intercepted Bro's path, and right before the punch connected with Trunks' face, Trunks transformed into his basic form of Super Saiyan as well, then blocked the punch with ease.

"What the actual fuck!" Bro yelled. "You were nothing when I fought you before!"

"Thanks to one of the greatest heroes ever, I've far surpassed you," Trunks said. "Also, kids, I accomplished all of this without taking steroids."

Bro then punched and kicked at Trunks extremely rapidly, but Trunks blocked every single one of the attacks, as his overall capabilities were far greater than his opponent's own, as per his far higher normal state power level.

Out of absolute fury, Bro then transformed into his Legendary Super Saiyan form. As Cell had earlier adjusted the settings so as to skip through transformation sequences, Broly No. III's Legendary Super Saiyan transformation process took only two seconds, compared to the extremely lengthy sequence in his original movie and in the Honor Trip rendition.

In anticipation that Bro would strike with far greater force, Trunks, while knowing he likely would be able to handle Bro's heightened power level well enough as a Super Saiyan, then transformed into his Super Saiyan 2 form.

Bro was intrigued by Trunks' further transformation, but he decided to pursue his assault even so. After a minute of doing everything he could to murder Trunks, while yet still remaining entirely within Bulma's living room, which wasn't too hard to do because it was one big-ass living room, Bro was exhausted and had merely had two punches connect, which Trunks had failed to block only because he had looked down at his shoes to make sure that his socks were matching. After all, Trunks was still in the button-down shirt and slacks that he'd worn on his date, and he'd worn shoes, not boots.

"Damn it!" Bro said.

"Come on Bro, cheer up!" Broly said. "After all, one day, you can literally grow up to be strong like me!"

"I'm going to kill you too, faker!" Bro said, while charging at Broly.

Broly merely laughed, powered up directly to his Legendary Super Saiyan form, to the absolute shock of his younger self, and punched him right in the gut, causing Bro to double over in pain.

"Is that real enough for you?" Broly asked, while Bro couldn't believe what was happening.

"Broly is unquestionably superior to me in all aspects of significance; oh, what I would do to be as awesome as him!'" Trunks said without being able to control himself from saying it, with the wish with Temnizziv manifesting for all to hear. "Wait …what? But I defeated the same opponent as you did and yet nothing was said!"

"That's because you didn't fight back; I did," Broly said, with a grin.

"Is this … some kind of cruel joke, just to be woken up and then be shown that my glorious power has been surpassed, and that I won't be able to kill whomever I please because you two and others might stop me?" Bro asked.

"Well, it wasn't supposed to be a cruel joke, but if you want to hear one of those, then I've got one for you," Cell said.

"Fuck my life," Bro said.

"Oh, that's a great impetus for an even better joke," Cell said. "How could that be done to your life if it is a non-physical concept? Where would anything be put?"

Bro then lunged at Cell out of infuration, and before he could connect his attack, Cell punched him four times and sent him flying across the room. He landed with a thud, yet miraculously still without damaging anything within Bulma's big-ass living room.

The pain was overwhelming, and Bro, out of knowing that for the first time in his life he was truly outmatched, irately descended from his Legendary Super Saiyan form to his normal state.

"How does it feel to think you're the best and then have it taken away from you in an instant, huh?" Vegeta asked.

"I have a sudden urge to drink coffee and paint my nails black," Bro said. "Also, to go with the nails, I should probably use some dark eyeliner and buy overly tight black pants."

"Crap, he's going to become an emo as a result of being depressed," Broly said, while descending from his Legendary Super Saiyan form. "Cheer up, man. After all, you're still stronger than half the people here. You could kill the rest of these weaklings with no problem!"

Broly's words suddenly caused Bro to turn his frown upside down.

"Do you … really think I could kill them with significant victory?" Bro asked.

"You'd have to put your mind to it more than you did before, but I'm confident you could," Broly said.

"Thanks man, you're a real … me!" Bro said. "Hell yeah for beating the crap out of people!"

"That's the spirit!" Broly said.

Cell then turned toward the others, with a smug expression on his face.

"Don't you now all feel ridiculous for accusing me, and not Broly, of being your most psychologically unstable ally?" Cell asked.

"No," Gohan said.

"Suit yourself," Cell said. "But more importantly, it would have been good if the other Broly had decided to dress like an emo," Cell said.

"Why the Hell would you have actually wanted me to do that?" Bro asked.

"If you had, it would have been easy to tell the two of you apart," Cell said. "Despite the fact that there's about a 20-year age difference between you two, you look almost exactly the same because of how Saiyans age, or rather don't by much at all for many years of their lives."

"Well Cell, there's an obvious solution for this," Broly said.

"Indeed there is," Cell said, while pointing his right palm toward Broly. "Magic Materialization!"

Suddenly, Broly looked upon himself, and his eyes widened.

He was wearing a kilt, patterned with red, gold, and black plaid, which at one point in history had been the Saiyan tartan. Over the kilt was a sporran, complete with ceremonial tassels.

But that was not all he was wearing.

Atop his head was a feather bonnet, and over his black shirt were a piper's doublet and cross belt. Jetting out from his boots were knee-high black socks with flashes, and tucked into his right sock was a ceremonial knife.

Most importantly, and most prominently, Broly was now holding a set of bagpipes.

"What the Hell is all this?" Broly asked.

"After carefully analyzing the situation, this seemed by far to be the most logical way to distinguish the two of you," Cell said.

"I was referring to merely detecting differences in our energy signatures!" Broly said. "You easily could have just done that!"

"This method is far more effective," Cell said.

"The fact you gave him the Saiyan tartan reminded me of someone else who might want to be here, whose name kind of sounds like 'tarton,'" Vegeta said.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, somewhere amongst the Big-Ass vastness of the cosmos **

"Can I be in the movie too, big brother?" Tarble asked.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – (Bulma's Big-Ass) Capsule Corporation Compound, main living room, Planet Earth**

"Shut up, Tarble," Vegeta said.

"Vegeta, since we're letting the other Broly in on the fun even though he's still a murderous psychopath, shouldn't you reconsider this?" Goku asked.

"Kakarot, you fail to understand the point. Tarble sucks," Vegeta said. "He violates about 15 years of fans' established understanding of the series for no valid reason. I mean, how important was it, really, to retroactively establish that I have a brother, whom I conveniently in classic canon never mentioned, especially through never including him among the list of Saiyans who lived after the destruction of Planet Vegeta?"

"I dunno, Vegeta, he probably would want to fight against Raichi and Hatchiyack because of their whole anti-Saiyan thing," Goku said. "As a Saiyan, he should have the right to fight."

"Tarble is so weak that he'd be killed if Hatchiyack looks at him," Vegeta said.

"Wait a minute … I just started paying attention to this conversation," Trunks said. "Dad, why didn't you ever tell me I have an uncle?"

"Because he didn't exist until more than 10 years after the last animated episode of Dragon Ball Z aired, that's why," Vegeta said.

"Well, he retroactively exists, so he should be considered canonical and able to be with us, right?" Trunks asked.

"Retroactive canon isn't always valid with regard to continuity compatibility and logic," Vegeta said. "After all, Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock is considered by some to be retroactive canon, and yet it's so full of plot holes that it deserves its own comedy special."

"Father, how much would it aggravate you if Uncle Tarble was here?"

"As I've already suggested, severely!" Vegeta shouted.

Trunks then placed his right and middle index fingers by his forehead, instant transmitted to Tarble's location, then 10 seconds later brought him back to the Capsule Corporation compound.

"Damn it, kid!" Vegeta yelled.

"Big brother, it's good to see you!" Tarble said.

"Whatever," Vegeta said. "It's your nephew's fault for bringing you here in the first place."

"Trunks quickly told me already that he's my nephew," Tarble said. "So Trunks, I don't know how much help I'll be against these bad guys, but I'll do the most super job I can! It will be swell!"

"I just wanted to give you the opportunity to fight, is all," Trunks said.

"Golly gee!" Tarble said. "That sure was nice of you!"

"Yo Tarble! I'm Goku!" Goku said.

"It sure is a pleasure to meet you, Goku!" Tarble said.

"Damn it Tarble, his Saiyan name is Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled.

"Oh, well then that's super-dee-dooper!" Tarble said.

Cell then looked in Broly's direction.

'_I thank the kais that I wasn't granted DNA and memories from this guy,'_ Cell psychically said. _'__Otherwise, I might have performed evil actions far too merrily.'_

'_I've changed much from how I'd been, and I'm proud of that, but Tarble's a bit too cheery for me,'_ Broly psychically said.

"Hey Tarble, you need to be more jaded," Broly said, while continuing to try to figure out how to play the bagpipes he had been given.

"You seem like a wimp," Bro said.

"Oh, my good sirs, do you know how many enemies I've defeated through being obnoxiously kind to them?" Tarble asked.

"Probably none," Gohan said.

"And … yeah, you're right," Tarble said.

"You know, I just realized something," Gohan said. "Piccolo hasn't been here with us this entire time, and yet I've been sensing him flying all around the planet. What the Hell has he been up to?"

"If you want to know, then send him a psychic message and find out," Cell said.

"But I've used up my minutes for the month," Gohan said.

"Goku, I'm surprised that you didn't give Gohan a psychic messaging plan with free nights and weekends," Cell said.

"It would have cut into our food budget," Goku said. "Did I mention that we should all go to KFC so we could order some Double Downs?"

"Wonderful," Cell said. "Alright, I'll see what's going on."

Cell concentrated on Piccolo's energy signature, then sent him a psychic message.

"_What's good, Piccolo?"_ Cell psychically asked.

"_Nothing, that's what!"_ Piccolo psychically said. _"If you weren't all so busy with your little get-together that I've been able to sense over there, maybe you'd be helping me destroy these damn Destron Gas machines that Dr. Raichi spread all over the planet to weaken and/or kill all of us!"_

"_Oh, well how many have you destroyed already?"_ Cell psychically asked.

"_I destroyed all four of them, no thanks to you guys!"_ Piccolo psychically yelled.

"_I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you didn't destroy the real ones," _Cell psychically said.

"_What the Hell do you mean I didn't!" _Piccolo psychically yelled. _"I destroyed the Destron Gas machines in Diablo Desert, Satan City, Jingle Village, and West City with my bare hands!"_

"_Well, that's your problem, right there," _Cell psychically said. _"That's the set of the four locations of the machines from the 2010 remake. It's different from the set of five locations in which the machines were located in 1993, and as per the fact that Raichi established a precedent for which official film version we're primarily parodying by having his 1993 moustache instead of his inexplicable 2010 beard, we're going with the 1993 stuff." _

"_I don't believe this!" _Piccolo psychically yelled.

"_Well, instead of remaining pissed about it, wanna come on over to Capsule Corporation and watch a Star Wars movie with us until Popo warns us about the real Destron Gas?" _Cell psychically asked.

"_Yeah, sure, I guess," _Piccolo psychically said. _"We're not watching any of those damn prequels, right?" _

"_Of course not," _Cell psychically said. _"We're probably going to just watch Episode IV." _

"_Sounds good," _Piccolo psychically said. _"But wait a minute … if the machines I destroyed weren't spreading Destron Gas, then what were they spreading?" _

"_The Hell if I know," _Cell psychically said. _"I'll instant transmit over there, pick you up, and see if I can tell what it was." _

Cell then locked on to Piccolo's energy signature and instant transmitted toward him.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Diablo Desert's Big-Ass expanse, Planet Earth **

Cell emerged from Instant Transmission, and upon seeing Piccolo, he immediately realized what the gas had been.

Piccolo was perturbed, and yet enraged, when Cell began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Piccolo asked. "It isn't laughing gas, is it?"

Cell then magically materialized a mirror, and enabled Piccolo to look at himself within it.

Piccolo was shocked to see writing on his forehead!

"It says, 'Obviously not a Flute!'" Cell said.

"What the Hell!" Piccolo yelled, upon giving the mirror back to Cell, who then threw it sideways and sent a generic blast straight into it.

"It appears the gas that was being emitted from the machines you destroyed caused your forehead to display a ridiculous phrase related to you," Cell said.

"It makes me angry just thinking about it!" Piccolo said, as he magically materialized a grey knit cap and covered his forehead with it. "Why would Dr. Raichi do something like that?"

"We'll ponder that while we watch the movie," Cell said. "We've got to get a move on, Piccolo. There's no telling when Raichi will unleash the real Destron Gas, and I'd like to watch as much of Episode IV as possible before then."

"Then let's get over there and put Bulma's surround sound system to the test!" Piccolo said.

Cell placed his right hand on Piccolo's left shoulder, and the two then transmitted back to watch a referenced movie within a textual movie.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet **

"Dr. Raichi, all appears to be progressing as you planned," Hatchiyack said.

"Placing a ridiculous phrase on Piccolo's forehead through overexposure to that gas was merely the beginning," Raichi said. "This time, the Saiyans and all their sympathizers will truly learn that they should have never messed with the Tuffles! The last laugh shall be mine!"

As Raichi laughed his ghostly ass off, with the sound of his amusement echoing throughout the Big-Ass Fortress, an intermission began.

* * *

_Camels._

* * *

_Thanks for reading the first part of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans! _

_Up next in Part 2 of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans: As Dr. Raichi has mentioned that he is intending for the Saiyans to endure an experience worse than death itself, what the Hell is he actually planning? Who will be among the more than four Ghost Warriors representing villains of the past? Will Broly and Bro enjoy Star Wars Episode IV? Is Bills enjoying his new game? The answers to these questions, and much, much more, shall soon be explored! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans, Part 1: Completed March 22, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Additional credits: Thanks to Mr. Arkham and Lemonlime77 for the phrases they used to describe Cell in their reviews of Chapter 58 and which were referenced by Trunks and Broly in the first part of this comedy special.  
_

* * *

**Answers to your comments and questions following the release of Chapter 58!**

**The Last Z Fighter [1]**

C: Interesting chapter. Though, its mentioned 16 didn't have a soul before? That honestly bothered me in fiction. In my opinion, if a artificial being (be it android, AI or whatever) have the level of free will, and thought then they should have a 'Soul' whatever that is.

A: The degree to which an artificial intelligence would ever be able to be sentient on the order of a human (that is to say, able to think on its own without merely acting as though it is thinking on its own based on programmed simulation), and whether an artificial entity that gains a sentient level of intelligence that was not granted to it naturally also automatically gains a soul, are topics that are both significantly debated, especially because there are no known examples of such intelligence that have been created and that could help humanity confirm the truth of these matters (effective methods for empirical measurement regarding these topics also have not yet been universally accepted because there are not yet any universally accepted methods for determining if an artificial intelligence is sentient). Just because an artificial intelligence should have a soul based on a level of intelligence doesn't mean it will; it appears based on anecdotal evidence that most who believe in the existence of souls (the Dragon Ball franchise obviously considers souls to exist) believe that the soul is united with a biological creature at conception, and that souls are not acquirable by artificial creatures that were NOT conceived via a process that involved some sort of biological component. This extends to the differing treatments of Sixteen and Cell in the Dragon Ball franchise, as Sixteen was not conceived through a process involving a biological component and hence does not have a soul, while Cell WAS conceived through a process involving a biological component and hence DOES have a soul (and as has been identified, having a soul is necessary for Dragon Ball revival). Based on anecdotal evidence, Dragon Ball fans have almost universally accepted that Sixteen was not revived in canon, nor able to be revived, because he did not possess a soul, HOWEVER, many fans, like you and I, feel that his level of free will merited his acquisition of a soul unique to him.

**The Last Z Fighter [2]**

C: In some works, a soul is something you have or don't have. So I imagine unless you're "born" organic you wouldn't have one. The concept of the Ghost in the machine and such has been done to death, though I've always been intrigued by it. Technically, we're advance biological robots of sorts. Though I'm curious of its strictly a organic thing in the DBZ universe to have a soul, or something else?

A: As was discussed above, I concur with your assessment that for the Dragon Ball universe, "unless you're 'born' organic you wouldn't have [a soul]." This appears to have been the principle universally applied for Dragon Ball Z, although Dragon Ball GT violated this principle through having Android 19, a totally artificial entity, among those who escaped from Hell and attacked the Earth during the Super Android 17 Saga (as he was in no way biological, did not have a soul by Dragon Ball Z's logic, and hence should not have been able to return to Earth). With regard to the way the androids numbered starting with Sixteen were treated with regard to the aspect of a soul, Sixteen and Android 19 both were not organically conceived, and after the Androids and Cell Sagas, both are never seen again in the series, and it is clear that both of them are not portrayed as having souls. Had Sixteen had a soul, he would have been revived with the Dragon Balls, and he clearly was not (which is a significant component of what made his death so tragic). Had Sixteen been revived, because of his "personality," he almost certainly would have sought out the Z-Fighters, which he easily could have done because he can detect energy signatures. Had Android 19 had a soul, he almost certainly would have appeared during the Kid Buu Saga in the main scene in which the enemies of the Z-Fighters who were in Hell were watching Goku's fight with Kid Buu. Dr. Gero, who was biologically conceived but turned himself into Android 20 while retaining one organic component (his brain), was present in Hell during this scene because he has a soul (despite his wickedness), while Android 19 was not present because he was not biologically conceived (19 would have had the qualifying equivalent power level to have kept his body in hell had he had a soul.) Cell also is present in this scene, and was present in Goku and Pikkon's battle against him and other denizens of Hell years earlier, because despite his unnatural method of conception, it was a biological method, and he is biological, and hence has a soul. As for Seventeen and Eighteen, they are treated akin to how Dr. Gero was treated with regard to having a soul, as like Gero, they were both biologically conceived humans who were later turned into androids but who retained essential organic components necessary for them to have still been considered biological. In Dragon Ball Z, it is universally agreed upon that Seventeen and Eighteen were revived during the Kid Buu Saga when Goku and Vegeta used the modified Dragon Balls of New Namek to restore the Earth's populace to life; this proves that they each have a soul. As per all of this, it is certain that having a soul in the canonical Dragon Ball franchise is dependent on having been biologically conceived, with those who were not biologically conceived not having a soul, however much they might deserve one.

**Primal Chaos [1]**

C: I must state that Cell was through genetics and design made to be be evil as it is seen by the common man. To kill slaughter and consume till he reached perfection no matter the cost. This is only added to the fact that as a whole Cell was made from what many would considered the most evil creatures in the universe.

A: It is almost certain that Cell's "evil" tendencies resulted from a combination of Gero's brainwashing during his genesis through methods that did not involve the memories of the fighters who were incorporated into Cell, PLUS Gero's Supercomputer's configuration of the memories that Cell received from his genetic forbearers, such that after analyzing the memories Cell was to receive, the supercomputer, while enabling Cell to have all the memories, selected those Gero found to be most useful for his intentions for Cell and had the computer emphasize these memories as "desirable," while rendering all other memories "unworthy of pursuing." These factors helped contribute to why Cell favored the perspectives of Frieza, King Cold, and Vegeta as he had been up to the Saiyan Saga.

**Primal Chaos [2]**

C: [Cell received genetics from Arcosians, Saiyans, and a descendant of the evil King Piccolo.] What i am saying is that over all Cell's nature is genetically predisposed to be the human definition of evil.

A: It needs to be mentioned that one's genetics alone DO NOT PREDISPOSE one to evil, i.e. one is not evil just because one's forbearer was evil (and conversely, one is not righteous just because one's forbearer was righteous). A classic real-life example of how evil was not genetically inherited at a fundamental level was that of Svetlana Alliluyeva (1926-2011), the daughter of tyrannical douchebag Joseph Stalin (1878 – 1953), who from 1922-1952 had led the violently repressive and ideologically inane Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). According to a 1989 article written by the New York Times that references an article written in the weekly Russian paper Argumenti I Fakti (Arguments and Facts), Russian historian Roy Medvedev estimates that Stalin's policies, implemented by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, resulted in the deaths of 20 million people, who according to the Times "died in labor camps, forced collectivization, famine and executions." Stalin's daughter Svetlana in 1967 defected from the Soviet Union and after arriving in the United States held a press conference in which she repudiated her father and the policies of the USSR.

**Primal Chaos [3]**

C: Yet that is the problem because in the end no matter how it's defined Cell is not human nor does he have a human thought process. This is what i believe the other cells tried to point out.

A: You are correct that a sentient creature that is not a human being might not think in the exact same manner as a human being. This concept has been of great interest not only to philosophers, (especially those focusing on morals and ethics), but to scientists endeavoring to determine the methods by which humans, after first contact is made with sentient extraterrestrial life, might be able to interact (these philosophical and scientific realms are not mutually exclusive; often individuals endeavoring in one also endeavor in the other.) However, for the purposes of the way that the Arcosians, Saiyans, and Nameks are portrayed in Dragon Ball Z, they are all shown to possess intelligences and mannerisms that are entirely, or almost entirely, the same as those of humans. It is undeniable that members of all these races are exposed to cultural contexts that affect what they view as good or evil, and just as is the case for humans on Earth, that which an individual can view as good or evil can be affected by one's cultural context. [It is extremely debatable whether Saiyans, including Saiyan babies, are predisposed to violence. While one could argue that Goku was violent upon arriving on Earth and only changed because of an accident, this violence, in my opinion, is not genetic, but was the result of brainwashing messages that the Saiyans had at their disposal; after all, the mission to kill everyone on a planet couldn't have been encoded into Goku's genetic material by the Saiyans, and it instead likely was introduced through brainwashing delivered to him via an announcement device in the pod that also enabled Goku to learn the basics of communication of the Saiyan language so that he would not be entirely ignorant of the Saiyan language when the Saiyans were to retrieve him. As for Piccolo Junior, it is entirely certain that his genetics alone did not make him evil, but that the memories and intentions directly inherited from his King Piccolo made him such in his early years (but he overcame even this). As a result of all of this, it should be reiterated that CELL AND FUTURE CELL'S MORALITIES ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THOSE OF HUMANS; the main argument between Cell and Future Cell over the validity of their moralities, way back in Chapters 22 to 24, was upon which moral philosophy was the "correct" one through which to live one's life [there have been many proposed moral philosophies; Honor Trip focused on two of the most important ones in those chapters]. Cell purported that there is an objective hierarchy of good and evil, with it proper to pursue those aspects of that hierarchy considered good, which involves pursuing only those actions that do not result in significant harm to others. Future Cell purported that there is no objective hierarchy of morals and that all morality is determined on an individual basis (subjective morality), such that individuals decided for themselves what is good and evil (and/or proper or improper). While Cell's perspective has been pursued by many throughout human history (and in my opinion makes by far the most logical sense), Future Cell's perspective has to a lesser extent been pursued throughout human history. As I mentioned, there are many more moral identification methods that humans have pursued, and in Chapter 22 to 24, Honor Trip focused on two of the "significant ones."

**Primal Chaos [4]**

C: So now we come to the question i asked myself and the question i now ask you. When Cell's very core is defined as unmoral or evil. Does Cell have the will to resist his own nature to resist that temptation to kill to manipulate to challenge to conquer and Destroy.

A: Honor Trip has extensively identified that Cell was ENTIRELY UNABLE to pursue goodness on his own before Gohan hit him in the head in Chapter 1 because of his mental programming, and as I have extensively identified to you, this has nothing to do with his genetics. However, unlike in canon, Cell was given the ability to fundamentally appreciate goodness and was given the opportunity to consider as legitimate a system in which objective goodness (involving pursuing actions that don't significantly harm others and avoiding those that do) should be pursued. Only now that he has had exposure to what many humans would define as extreme evil and extreme righteousness can he now, if granted free will, have a real choice of what he wants to pursue. Yet, there is a big question that future chapters will assess – independent of Cell's mind and his genetics, is there some sort of other biological failsafe that Dr. Gero installed in him that is prompting him toward pursuing threatening actions? The answer to this shall be revealed.

**Perfect Carnage [1] **

C: Now this is more like it! Cell is really overconfident for someone who learned at least three times not to be. The wishes all made sense, but the one with the hyperspace walls seemed a bit out of place, and lax as a safeguard.

A: Cell indeed has learned many times to not be overconfident, and the fact he's pursuing free will this makes one wonder if there really is some component of him installed by Dr. Gero that is not of a mental or genetic nature but which still exists and that is compelling him to pursue threatening actions. As I mentioned to Primal Chaos, all will be revealed regarding whether Cell truly has such a biological component. As for the hyperspace walls wish, Cell suggested this as a measure that could be taken to prevent exacerbation of a problem, but Gohan was quick to point out that Cell would not be entirely hindered by the wish if he became evil. The upcoming chapters will indeed be of great interest to these aspects.

**Perfect Carnage [2] **

C: The romantic subplot stems from my anti-hero idea, but is not necessarily linked to it. With the travel to Arcos in the future of Honor Trip, the possibility exists that with his newfound freewill he would be interested in romantic interactions, especially if he meets someone who 'gets' him; with the chances of this rsing even further if the anti-hero route was taken.

A: As I've identified, Cell will NOT become an anti-hero as a result of the free will wish (if, in fact, he has the opportunity to make the wish). It has already been established that a trip shall be made to Arcos in the future of Honor Trip, and whether Cell will actually be present on that trip remains to be seen. It should be identified that canonical Cell's predetermination to evil, and Honor Trip Cell's predetermination to righteousness, are not factors that automatically preclude romantic pursuits, although it is quite true that Cell never pursued romance of any kind in canon (he was too busy terrorizing the world), and that Cell in Honor Trip up to now has not pursued romance of any Kind (he has been too busy fighting terrorism). Will Cell develop a romantic connection with someone at some point in HT's future? The possibility exists, although it remains to be seen if this will occur.

**Perfect Carnage [3] **

C: Basicall, Cell's anti-heroiness would make him act smug and aloof, and he would attract the attention of an Arcosian. After a few chapters of romantic tug-of-war (I don't know how else to put it) then the two of them admit that they might have feelings for each other, having finally found someone who understands them. You can see why I'm wary about that happening.

A: Intriguing, and certainly all the more so if Cell indeed does end up going to Arcos. If Cell DOES accompany those will travel to the planet, I can guarantee that Cell would find the planet to be of great interest.

**TheCuriousReader [1] **

C: I enjoyed reading this chapter. I think that the safeguard wishes should definitely put some essential limits on the damage, Cell could potentially cause. And making Gohan the keeper of Temnizziv and not Cell is definitely a very good idea.

A: I'm glad you enjoyed Chapter 58, and again, thanks very much for your suggestion regarding the hyperspace walls. As for the safeguards, while Cell suggested them, the Z-Fighters remain quite weary as to whether they will be effective. I decided to have Cell pursue the measure of giving Gohan keepership of Temnizziv to help assure Gohan that Cell, upon a worst-case scenario, would not have unlimited power. (Insert Darth Sidious shouting "unlimited power!" here).

**TheCuriousReader [2] **

C: Even if he doesn't have access to Temnizziv, he could still build his own time machine just like Bulma did in Timeline IV. (Although he might not get the opportunity to do so, because Gohan and the others would try to prevent it.)

A: Cell could indeed try to build his own time machine to travel to Timeline IV, but if Gohan indeed is immortal, he potentially could get in a good shot at the machine before Cell activates it. Also, it likely would be a very long time before Cell would seek to build the machine, as the universe of Timeline III is VERY large, and it would take Cell a VERY long time to pursue his desired actions in the timeline.

**TheCuriousReader [3] **

C: I also wonder, whether the hyperspace wall wish would extend to any Cell Junior, he could potentially create. The Cell Juniors seem to be independent enough from Cell to be considered individuals in their own right …. Cell should definitely ensure in his wish that any Cell Juniors, he might create, would get their own personal hyperspace walls as well.

A: These are excellent considerations. I will be sure to address these, if not in Chapter 59, then in a later chapter.

** Mr. Arkham [1] **

C: Well we all know nothing bad will happen when Cell gets his free will. You'd hardly have him turn evil AGAIN would you? Honestly he'd turn into a morality revolving door if that happened.

A: While I'll not outright say what will happen in the upcoming chapters (including whether Cell actually will get the chance to wish for free will), if Cell DOES wish for free will, the consequences will be such that I would find them to be appropriate for Honor Trip's overall story structure. I'll let you interpret that as you will. Speaking of stories, I want to congratulate you on achieving more than 500 reviews for The Fall of Lord Frieza! I hope to eventually read through the entirety of your series regarding Frieza's redemption, as you've awesomely done with HT.

** Mr. Arkham [2] **

C: That said he does come off as evil or at least partially in this chapter. He's coming off as a tyrant, forcing his 'allies' to go along with every whim he has because he knows full well they can't do anything to stop him.

A: Unfortunately, people with far more power than others have been known to abuse that power. It is quite possible that Cell is guilty of doing so with regard to this scenario.

** Mr. Arkham [3] **

C: So ah, yeah, might want to work on toning down Cell's current douchebag nature.

A: There is a reason for everything. Cell is abiding by his desires and is pursuing free will in accordance with those desires. As for Cell's "current douchebag nature," it is evident based on the comedy special that Broly agrees with you.

**ShinyShiza **

C: Awesome, bro!

A: I'm glad you thought so!

**npberryhill [1] **

C: In this chapter, you seem to reveal that Cell has at least one hidden reason that he has not yet discussed for wanting to wish for "free will". I find it much more believable that he is extrinsically motivated, by some yet unforeseen circumstance or presence. That may not be the case entirely, and I'm sure it isn't based on his very intrinsic reasoning to the Z fighters. However, I can imagine you've plotted out the end result of this and why it is so important already (possibly it is a weakness against a future villain or it will prevent him from making the proper choice).

A: It is undeniable, especially as per my explicit identification of such, that there are at least two reasons why Cell is pursing free will as he is. With that said, you are indeed correct that there is a strong possibility that Cell has at least one hidden reason fro pursuing free will as he is. As for whether Cell's desire for free will is motivated by a circumstance or element that he has considered but which the others haven't, and which is not necessarily central to his quest for free will, I think you'll find the answer to this question to be intriguing. Incidentally, have you read Foundation and Earth? If you have, this might some sort of insight as to a key element worth consideration. As I've said, Cell likes to plan ahead (and so do I). All the chapters regarding this particular arc have already been planned, and I'm eager to share them after they've been written.

**npberryhill [2] **

C: In my opinion, you represented the sentiments of the Z fighters regarding this situation very accurately this chapter. Their objections and insights into the weaknesses in Cell's logic were all well presented and reasoned. It is tragic that the other androids would be disinterested in receiving help from Cell's plan, and that all the good he intended shall be discredited by the one big disagreement.

A: I'm glad you determined the Z-Fighters' reactions to Cell's pursuits to have been appropriate, and I'm glad you found their objections to be logical. As for Eighteen and Sixteen, they're standing their ground. Each of them have come to prefer peace and security of others (and themselves) over risky maneuvers to advance themselves. Their unfortunate histories enable them to be especially attuned to the risks of what might happen as a result of Cell once again agreeing with the ways of Dr. Gero.

**npberryhill [3] **

C: My prediction is that the Z fighters will find a way to prevent Cell from achieving his wish, either by fusion, the combined efforts of multiple SSj2's, or persuasion. However, my guess would be that it will be a mistake they will later regret, resulting in Cell's path diverging from their own and being unable to help them somehow.

A: Anything is possible, and these are intriguing possibilities. I will now identify (and this is not much of a spoiler, as it is only logical that this would happen) that Vegeta and Goku in the next few chapters will openly explore the possibility of how they can most efficiently ascend to Super Saiyan 2 as a means of helping guard the universe against Cell. Whether they will succeed before Oct. 27 of Age 767 [the day Cell says he'll make the free will wish] remains to be seen.

**npberryhill [4] **

C: Lastly, your refitting and usage of the indestructibility wish is fitting. I much appreciate the acknowledgement in the notes as well, though I doubt I would be the first person to have ever considered this ability. I also applaud you for having Cell think through such a wish very carefully for phrasing and restrictions, particularly regarding the pragmatic effects it would have on the daily life of the average human. In BoD, no such time was allowed when considering the wish, hence it was determined to only work one particular way (in essence, fitting nicely on planets which have no or little technology but being very constricting on planets like the Earth).

A: Thanks for considering Cell's presentation of planetary indestructibility to have been good. As per the fact that Cell had time to do so, he was able to do one of the things he likes to do best, PLAN AHEAD. I'm sure that due to Vegeta's tactical prowess, there is a strong chance that in BoD, Vegeta will have at least one opportunity to use the Dragon Balls for maximum tactical advantage.

**PetrusMagnus**

Q: I was reading npberryhills questions,when,a possibility rose on my mind...by having free will,will Cell be a target of Babidi...Majin Cell...lol

A: I was waiting for someone to outright ask if Cell's acquisition of true free will would result in Cell being able to be influenced by Majin magic, and thanks for asking about this. As I've mentioned before, I plan on eventually writing an Honor Trip adaptation of the Buu arc, but as you have already very much read, a key difference between Honor Trip and canon is that for Honor Trip, a higher number of very significant events shall occur in the mortal realm between the end of the Cell Games and the start of the Buu arc. A very important question to ask is how, even if Cell does achieve free will, all of these events between the Cell Games and Buu arc (which spanned the course of Seasons I, II, and III, and which shall span the course of Seasons IV and V), will affect Cell's susceptibility to Majin magic. If Cell in fact has the opportunity to wish for free will and in fact does so, the outcome of this wish, plus all that shall occur during Seasons IV and V, might or might not provide clues as to how Cell would respond to a Majin influence (and, for that matter, whom Babidi would consider a prime target of his magic. This statement confirms that Babidi will, in fact, appear in the future and that he will at least attempt to use his Majin magic on at least one character).

**Jake Devaro [1]**

C: Tycho is about a group of various races that were dropped off on a planet hundreds of years ago. Saiyans, humans, namekians and other races co-civilized after years of war, but are now under attack by an alien invasion of immense power. My namesake on these forms, Jake, is a very powerful human, who eventually recruits the z-fighters as part of his special tasks force against the invading aliens.

A: It sounds as though Tycho has a worthwhile premise. It sounds, based on your explanation, as though one of the potential mysteries of the series is whether the alien race that brought the various species together on the planet is the same as the alien race that invaded hundreds of years later. It also sounds as though Vegeta would have been intrigued that so many Saiyans were still alive. Sadly it was never finished, but still a very good read, and one of my favorite fanfics even years after first reading it.

**Jake Devaro [2]**

C: Also, I'm glad to hear you have good plans for hurcule and videl.

A: I'm very much looking forward to reintroducing Hercule in a more significant manner, as well as at last enabling Videl to have a significant role.

**AlphaShenron [1]**

C: I find it quite odd how Cell for all his good intentions wants to go ahead and impose complete immortality on a child. For someone who supposedly has good intentions for this he really is going "my way or else."

A: There is a reason for everything. Yes, the Z-Fighters are bewildered by Cell's declarations, as they are indicative of righteous extremism – pursuing righteousness no matter the actual risks or potential disadvantages. From Cell's perspective, enabling Gohan to have immortality would benefit him far more than it would disadvantage him, and in his quest to improve the quality of the universe, Cell is recommending this.

**AlphaShenron [2]**

C: Just because Gohan would be immortal doesn't mean that Cell couldn't simply keep him prisoner and use the Dragonballs whenever he wants.

A: This is a very valid point. Cell's declared safeguards as a whole are, from Gohan's perspective, insufficient to stop him if he indeed does become evil again. As shall be explored in Chapter 59, the insufficiency of Cell's proposed safeguards might be indicative of something that has been hidden.

**AlphaShenron [3]**

Q: And with the immortality would Gohan eventually wither into an old man whose every moment is pain but is unable to die? Or would he still have a finite life span but would be unable to die of unnatural causes?

A: Immortality alone, without a clause regarding eternal youth or fixation of form at a certain age, would result in no cease to aging, but retention of life force. Under this scenario, Gohan, without a subsequent modifying wish, would still age as he would have without the wish, but would not die at the biological stage in which he otherwise would. Instead, he would continue to age, while retaining his life force. Incidentally, the wish for immortality that Garlic Junior made was structured in this manner, such that there also was no clause to prevent aging. It is quite unfortunate for Garlic Junior that within the Dead Zone, he will be unable to die AND will experience no end to his aging.

**Jason9000 [1]**

C: Dual summoning? Looks like I'm not the only guy to include that into their story. I did all three eternal dragons. Trying to get Shenron, Porunga, and Ultimate Shenron was very difficult. I don't have your ability to perfectly describe the setting so it came out as just them circling the villains in Hell. It was quite difficult, but I'm confident you can do it much better than myself.

A: I applaud you for implementing an even more grandiose idea – triple summoning – before I thought of doing so. It seems that a very significant event must have happened for the three dragons to have been circling the villains in Hell as they were. Thank you for the compliment as to my writing abilities.

**Jason9000 [2]**

C: I'm nowhere near your level of writing. Your understanding of the subjects of science, ki, and exploring almost every angle of a tatic are phenomenal. I salute you for having such ingenuity and making one Hell of a DBZ fanfic.

A: Again, thank you for the praise. My writing style and prowess are the result of many, many years of endeavoring to enhance my communicatory abilities as a whole. Through frequency of practice and combining significant pursuits in oral communication with written communication so that progress in one mode could support progress in the other, I have developed my communication styles. It also should be remembered that I write on a daily basis as a profession, and that this further augments my recreational writing. I am confident that with further practice, you can cultivate your own abilities in oral and written communication to extents beyond the degrees of abilities you now possess.

**Jason9000 [3]**

C: Now in regards to the chapter, I must say Cell does seem to think himself God amongst everyone. He seems to be withholding information from the others. I just hope for his sake, that his justifications for his claims of how there won't be any worries of him returning to evil will appease not only us, but his...I guess they're still allies...allies as well.

A: One might derive potential truth from recognizing that while Cell has made many statements regarding his plans to achieve true free will, specific identifications as to his thoughts regarding these plans have been limited (the phrase "Cell thought" appears only once among Chapters 57 and 58). As to whether Cell really thinks himself to be "god" amongst all in Timeline III, and whether he is withholding information from his allies, and whether he actually believes that there is no risk of reverting to evil if he achieves true free will, the truth of these matters shall be revealed in upcoming chapters.

**Nartog [1]**

C: [Your predictions for what might happen in the upcoming chapters with regard to Cell's impending free will wish]:

A: It shall be specifically said that with regard to an explanation for Cell's actions in Chapters 57 and 58, Cell is NOT Future Cell. There are no remnants of Future Cell's DNA that are inside him and that are trying to convert Cell to evil, and Cell's pursuit of free will is in no way part of a plan, either conscious or subconscious, to revive Future Cell. As for your third prediction, it remains an open possibility that Dr. Gero's programming is somehow acting up even with the wish Cell made with Shenron back in Chapter 3. Many folks have predicted that this might be an important element with regard to Cell's actions, and you shall find out in upcoming chapters whether this is true, and if so, to what degree. As for whether Cell SOMEHOW ACTUALLY DOES KNOW WITHOUT ANY POSSIBILITY OF BEING INCORRECT THAT HE WILL NOT REVERT TO EVIL, whether this is true, and whether the Z-Fighters or a new enemy will delay from making the true free will wish before he has the opportunity to make it (if in fact he EVER has the opportunity to make it), will be revealed in upcoming chapters. Mr. Popo of Dragon Ball Z Abridged, while not being in any way involved with the events of Chapter 57 and 58, still would find them to be enjoyable.

**Nartog [2]**

C: Now as to what will happen once he succeeds with his goal i think he will either remain good and perhaps go in a soul searching trip to find the nature of "what is good?" or he will become a grey guy, in case you are reading harry potter fan fics as well thing of the cliche grey wizard, i sincerely doubt that he will revert to evil because that will be a rehash of the previous season.

A: As has been said, if Cell DOES have the opportunity to wish for true free will, he will choose to be righteous, or choose to be evil, or choose to be neutral. If he does choose good or evil, the degrees to which he might be so shall be revealed. With regard to whether reversion to evil is an actual possibility, as I said to Mr. Arkham, "if Cell DOES wish for free will, the consequences will be such that I would find them to be appropriate for Honor Trip's overall story structure."

**Nartog [3]**

C: Also an interesting fact that i just now noticed this is season 4, in japan 4 is a bad number and it symbolizes death and bad omens/stuff and if you play warhammer 40k well the evil gods are 4 and the warps number is 8 so i am 100% certain that things will not go poor poor Cell's way, just don't torment him that much please.

A: I am not a proponent of symbolic numerology, as I find that any number can be justified to represent almost any concept. As an example of this, different cultures have been known to assign different symbolic meanings to the same number. For example, many cultures of Earth consider the number 13 to be righteous and/or lucky, while many other cultures of Earth consider the number 13 to be unrighteous and/or unlucky (it also is possible for one to think of 13 as simultaneously righteous and unlucky, or simultaneously unrighteous and lucky). If significant events of turmoil happen in this season, it will not be because this is the fourth season.

**Nartog [4]**

By the way i had an idea regarding a potential way for the z fighters to beat Cell, chaochu's technique (i pronounced the name wrong i am certain but i am to lazy to scroll back up to see the correct way, what i mean by that is that since his ability restricts an up to 10% of someones power he could teach to the other fighters the skill and since there are 8 of them available at a quick count with chaochu and 9 if master roshi can be included (discounting 18 and 16 because of mechanical parts) Cell would be down by a potential 80 to 90% of his power. If he really desires to keep the technique only for him he can teach only the restricting part and keep the healing for him.

A: This is a very intriguing possibility. However, in an effort to make Chiaotzu's new ability not "broken," it will be explicitly identified that the ability cannot be "stacked," such that multiple people can use the technique to have numerous instances of the technique each provide the desired effect and combine for a multiplied effect. If Chiaotzu's ability could be stacked, it would be WAY too powerful.

**dragonball256 [1]**

C: Ok I loved this chapter, the wishes Cell wants to make are not very smart. Gohan doesn't want to live forever so why does Cell want to? I'm glad Vegeta called Cell out on his BS too.

A: It is indeed true that the Z-Fighters view Cell's proposed wishes as insufficient for guaranteeing the universe's safety, and the wisdom of Cell pursuing the wishes as he is indeed is questionable. With regard to what Cell would say if he was directly asked "why do you want to live forever," he would say that this would provide him with "the maximum opportunity to become as capable in life as possible," which, for all of us with real lives, doesn't need to be accomplished over eternity, but instead can be accomplished through perseverance and hard work during our cherished time in this world. Vegeta is wise in the ways of exposing BS, and he hence is one of Cell's most vocal opponents.

**dragonball256 [2]**

C: I hope they do something to stop him in time.

A: As do the Z-Fighters! But will they be able to? We shall see!

**cmcwiki [1]**

C: geez, cell has gone off the deepend. if he turned good thanks to a knock to the noggin, whose to say he won't turn bad if he is struck again? Cell is asking for A LOT of trust here and failing to receive any.  
A: As of now, with the wish in place that was made with Shenron in Chapter 3, Cell CAN'T become evil again, but if the wish is negated, the most significant safeguard preventing him from reverting to evil will be eliminated. The Z-Fighters consider there to be too many flaws with Cell's plan and his stated logic to trust in the merits of his plan, and as they know how dangerous it would be for Cell to regain free will without proper safeguards, they will seek to do everything they can to stop him.

**cmcwiki [2]**

C: Also I've been thinking as to why Goku can't maintain super saiyan 3 for a long time. I believe it is because he jumped from ssj2 to ssj3 without bothering to master super saiyan 2 in the same way he did with the super saiyan transformation in preparation for the cell games. He expends so much energy in order to maintain not only the super saiyan 3 form, but also super saiyan 2 draining his ki reserves faster than he does world tourney money at a restaurant. When he transforms into super saiyan, it's almost nothing, he can just fight more effectively as if he was still in his base form. When he transforms into a super saiyan 2, it is like he had transformed into a super saiyan prior to cell game training, he'll be able to fight for hours on end but will eventually tire out. Super saiyan 3 is now his super saiyan 2 if you are following my logic.

A: Practice enhances stamina, and it's clear that the more a Saiyan practices in a Super Saiyan transformation, the more that Saiyan can effectively control his ability to remain in that state. As you mentioned, it also is possible that practice in the state (or form) right before a higher form can enable one's stability in that higher form to be greater. Yes, it is quite possible that a significant component of Goku's problem in maintaining Super Saiyan 3 is that he did not master Super Saiyan 2 in the same way that he mastered Super Saiyan 1 (which he unequivocally did). With regard to practice maintaining Super Saiyan 3, Goku himself, right after transforming into the form during his fight with Good Majin Buu, early in the Buu Sagas, says that he hasn't "had much occasion" to use the form, which indicates that he did not significantly practice in the form, potentially because he might have considered it to be excessive (he at the time had no way of knowing that there were far more powerful villains beyond canonical Cell who he had not yet fought). If Goku was to significantly practice not just in SS3, but even more in SS2, the stability of his SS3 state and duration of being able to use it almost certainly would increase.

**cmcwiki [3]**

C: In canon Vegeta acquires the super saiyan 2 transformation around the buu saga and we don't get to see him in it for an extended period of time. I believe while it won't tire him out as quickly as super saiyan 3 would, he would be exhausted from using it faster than gohan or goku would.

A: Canon never identifies exactly when Vegeta gained the Super Saiyan 2 transformation after the Cell Games, and in fact, it's possible that he might have ascended to Super Saiyan 2 BEFORE Goku. Toriyama never explicitly identified whether Goku or Vegeta achieved Super Saiyan 2 first (some fans don't believe Vegeta possessed Super Saiyan 2 before the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament and that Babidi unlocked the form for Vegeta when Vegeta became influenced by Babidi's Majin magic, although this is highly doubtful. Vegeta trains almost all the time and likely experienced great emotional strife and internal conflict over the seven year period of peace, which almost certainly would have enabled him to achieve SS2. Also, if Vegeta had achieved SS2 just because of Babidi and not because of earning it himself, he almost certainly would have been so disgruntled with this that he would have explicitly done something about it and/or mentioned it). As of now, I'm unsure if there is enough evidence to distinctly conclude that Vegeta would not be able to maintain SS2 as long as Goku (or SS3, if Vegeta attained it). With regard to Gohan, there is even more uncertainty, as the full effects of canonical Gohan's reluctance to train during the seven-year peace with regard to his ability to maintain his Super Saiyan 2 form are unclear.

**Hoenn Master96 [1]**

C: It seems Cell, being immortal from the start, is ignorant of what immortality does to the minds of mortals. At least, by my thought process, it is a curse that should be avoided.

A: The merits of achieving immortality have been debated throughout human history, based on hypothetical scenarios in which folks have thought of the implications of what their lives would be like if they were to not have mortal boundaries to their actions. It is undeniable that some have found the prospect to be alluring and that others have found the prospect to be unappealing, all for various reasons. I respectfully disagree with the idea that Cell is entirely unaware of how the prospect of immortality can affect a mortal's thoughts. It seems that Cell is in a unique position to understand what the prospect of immortality can do to the minds of mortals because he has the memories of both Vegeta and Frieza, two mortal men whose attentions became even more twisted by the prospect of living forever. He is at least somewhat recognize what it is like to be mortal without desiring immortality, as he possesses the memories of many individuals who were such. Cell almost certainly understands how immortality affects the mortal mind because of his inherited memories, although the degree to which he can empathize with these memories is limited by his own biological immortality.

**Hoenn Master96 [2]**

C: If one cannot die, then what reason should he have to value the lives of others?

A: Possession of immortality does not necessitate one's devaluation of the lives of mortals. For those who were mortal but became immortal, they can understand what it had been like to be mortal and can still recognize the value of enabling mortals to have lives of peace. For those who were never mortal and always were immortal, they can understand based on empirical observations that others are unable to live forever, and hence can have even more reason to enable mortals to have lives of peace, through recognizing that if one's own gift of life is endless, one should enable those who do not have such a gift to experience as many other gifts of life as possible.

**Hoenn Master96 [3]**

C: If one cannot die, then why bother with anything at all? Everything becomes boring and arbitrary if one is immortal, and therefore very dangerous.

A: I respectfully disagree that immortality necessitates this. While it is true that many immortals could subscribe to that mindset, it also is true that an immortal might recognize their infinite lifespan as desirable for giving them all the more moments to make all the more special. Just because there is no limit to an immortal life doesn't mean that an immortal would not want to live every second to the fullest and use their endless opportunity to become as fulfilled as possible through infinity. Again, these are all hypothetical considerations because no one has (to our knowledge) ever achieved immortality. Incidentally, if there truly is an afterlife in which consciousness is preserved, the principles I discussed in this answer also could relatively apply to that scenario, as there would be endless time to become endlessly excellent.

**Metroid Life [1] **

C: Well, it would appear the other commenters have said all there is to be said, but there's no point in hiding what I think, I suppose. This in particular caught my eye: where you defined the first form of free will as "the ability to make decisions for oneself in the context of at least one psychological element that restricts a person from making at least one other type of decision". What do you mean by psychological element, exactly? In the context of Cell it would clearly refer to the wish he had made earlier, but is that the only thing that would be removed?

A: With regard to how the first type of free will applies to Cell, I was referring to the fact that while Cell is restricted from taking any action that would not be "good," he still has the free will to choose which actions he wants to take, AS LONG AS THEY ARE NOT EVIL. His inability to pursue evil is the "psychological element" that is restricting him "from making at least one other type of decision," which in this case is a decision to pursue evil. "Psychological element" in general refers to some sort of aspect of the mind, psyche, personality, consciousness, or memory.

**Metroid Life [2] **

C: "Psychological element" could just as easily refer to how one was raised, what they was taught, or even their unwillingness to harm or help others due do their personal feelings for them. In short, the concept of morality.

A: It is true that any of those factors could qualify under certain conditions as a "psychological element that restricts a person from making at least one other type of decision," as in each case, there would be a certain set of choices that a person would feel unable to make, while feeling able to make a set of other choices. In Cell's case, the contrast is more severe, as he CANNOT POSSIBLY DESIRE to pursue a certain type of action because of the Dragon Balls, while in the examples you mentioned, the possibility, although unlikely, still exists for the person in those situations to act against previously held reservations. Cell wants to achieve true moral free will because he wants to be able to make a true choice as to what to pursue.

**Metroid Life [3] **

C: Take Gohan, for instance. Cell clearly is good friends with him, feels obligated to help him become stronger, even indebted to him, since it was because of him that he has the goodness he does now. Without the "psychological elements" of considering his friendship with him before acting, would Cell simply kill him if he deemed that would aid himself in some way? At the very least, it seems to me that this free will wish should be specified to prevent something like that. Then again, I get the feeling I'm over-thinking this, but what do you think of the concept?

A: With regard to whether you have over thought anything, I do not believe that over thinking can ever be unproductive (with the exception of expending time), and thank you for the considerations you have made regarding Cell's pursuit for free will. It is hard to say what would happen if Cell no longer feels indebted to Gohan in any way, and if he no longer has any Dragon Ball-reinforced qualms about killing others. Would he decide FOR HIMSELF to still pursue goodness and enabling all to live in peace? Would he decide otherwise? Would Cell take any of this into consideration when making his wish for free will, if the opportunity, in fact, arises? All will be revealed in upcoming chapters!

**KaylisDX [1] **

C: Very interesting chapter! I'm fairly certain Cell has already explored the possibility that there might be a physical aspect to his former evil self since he has regenerated at least once from a single Cell since his turn to good, meaning that it too would be regenerated. Considering his intellect, he likely would have found out before hand if this was the case so I doubt something like that exists.

A: While it indeed is true that Cell is extremely intelligent, it is possible that if such a component was integrated into him, he might be unaware of it. He certainly could have explored the possibility of whether some sort of component of that nature regenerated after he under went single-cell regeneration, but because of the overall complexity of his system, it's conceivable that he might not have noticed it. The truth of whether there actually is some sort of biological component installed by Dr. Gero that is prompting him to take risks, and whether Cell, himself, is aware of it, shall be explored in future chapters.

**KaylisDX [2] **

C: As for his free will, I see plenty of opportunity for Babidi to exploit Cell in the future. Not only is his protection gone but he would have evil in his heart, even if the good outweighed it. Babidi's ability to control people through their evil could at least prove a challenge for him. Would Cell be able to even break free like Vegeta did though? He doesn't exactly have the willpower Vegeta has at that point. I'm not sure even the version of your Vegeta will, considering Goku is alive and kicking. No damaged pride, no reason to redeem himself against Goku.

A: Babidi will turn at least character into a Majin. Whether Cell will become a Majin is yet to be revealed. With regard to evil inclinations inherent in the Majin process, it should be remembered that Cell has extreme intelligence and by that point will have had experience at least with extreme goodness and extreme evil. What would he do if he becomes a Majin? I'm very much looking forward to eventually revealing whether Cell becomes a Majin, and if he does, what will happen.

**KaylisDX [3] **

C: [The concept of the Ascended and Ultra Super Saiyan transformations experiencing ki restrictions that hamper movement, and possible applications of similar forms for humans.]

A: Your theory as to the true reason why the Ultra Super Saiyan form causes its wielder to have significantly decreased speed is very intriguing and worth further exploration. It is conceivable that the Ascended and Ultra transformations might operate according to the principles you highlighted, as like you said, the Ultra Super Saiyan state should not have been as outright prohibitive as it was simply because of muscle size. As for whether the humans could use such a form, Roshi does have his 100% maximum power form, after all ….

**Gonstika [1] **

C: In a response to your answer to someone about the inquiry of Cell knowing how to use Kaioken, in the series, Cell implies directly when asked about Goku by Piccolo in saying "I know all of his movies, from Kaioken to Spirit Bomb". For this claim to have credit, Cell most likely gained his genetic information from the Saiyan invasion versions of the characters. It would also be a way of explaining why Piccolo described Cell's Kamehameha being very weak in comparison to himself.

A: Thanks for reminding me of Imperfect Cell's canonical statement that he knows the Kaioken and Spirit Bomb; that statement negates support for my previous assertion that Cell acquired Goku's genetics during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, and as such, I humbly rescind my previous claim that such was the case. Instead, as you said, it seems that Cell acquired his genetics from Goku during the Saiyan Saga, almost certainly during the fights with Nappa and Vegeta.

**Gonstika [2] **

C: Would Cell actually be capable of a natural death? More specifically, could Cell theoretically die of old age or be susceptible to illness such as Goku's heart virus or even a common cold? We know that Namekians are capable of a very long life span such as in the case of Kami and Guru. It is also explained that Saiyans tend to age slower in comparison to humans and stay in their prime for much longer with them being of a warrior race that lives for battle. With how he is composed, it's an interesting case in that could his regeneration actually solve his problem of a natural death and give him a sense of "Biological Immortality" but still prone to death by an unnatural cause? That is of course if his regeneration could fix the problem of Cell deterioration, the main reason for which we are not capable of living forever.

A: While Cell is biologically immortal, as his cells continuously repair any damaged or undesired elements via his advanced regeneration capabilities, it is largely unknown whether there is any way for him to die other than because each of his cells have been destroyed. He cannot die of old age because of his cell's constant maintenance, and hence, Cell will never age unless his cells for some reason stop maintaining his form. His cells are of such strength, as is his overall system, that it seems unlikely that biological defenses that would affect humans or any natural species would affect him, as his genetics are an unnatural result of combining various species, such that most, if not all viruses of significant consequence would not be compatible with affecting him because of molecular incompatibility. However, this is not to say for sure that there is no virus that could kill him, including a manufactured one. It's also possible, if Cell doesn't have sufficient oxygen reserves, that he could theoretically be choked, although whether this would work is highly debatable. It is also unknown whether Cell possesses any internal commands to shut off his cell maintenance systems, although it seems extremely unlikely that he would possess the ability to do so. As for the idea of Cell becoming susceptible during the Cell Games to the heart virus that plagued Goku, I significantly doubt, based on the above reasoning, that it would be biologically possible for this to happen, as the virus seems to affect only Saiyans and humans and Cell ostensibly does not have sufficient genetic similarity to Saiyans and humans for the virus to compatible. However, if the virus really is one bad-ass virus that could affect Cell even with his Arcosian and Namekian genetics intertwined with his Saiyan and human heritage, then it would be extremely interesting to see whether Goku would give him the medicine. Incidentally, it seems that Senzu Beans DO NOT CURE VIRUSES AND AILMENTS, otherwise Goku's death in Timelines I and IV would have been one giant plot hole.

**Gonstika [3] **

C: I've noticed that ever since his face-down with Future-Cell that Present-Cell is seeming to be slipping somewhat back into his "real" persona in what seems to be arrogant foolishness, almost as if his own being is rejecting the "good influence" that was bestowed upon him by Shenron. Also, I cannot agree with Cell's decision for Gohan to gain immortality, especially if he is forcing it upon him without his consent. While the intention may not be bad, the act of forcing it upon another person is quite simply pure evil and Cell, with his advanced knowledge and wisdom doesn't seem to understand this at all it seems. Quite simply, if Cell is indeed going to still be forcing Immortality upon Gohan after the month for preparation, it seems the Z Fighters may need to step in to stop Cell, good or evil-willed withstanding.

A: There is a reason for everything. Why exactly is Cell stating that Gohan will have immortality no matter what? What is causing Cell to be so adamant about his pursuit of free will? I'm looking forward to exploring this in upcoming chapters.

**FoolsGil [1]  
**  
C: So after reading this chapter I thought to myself: "Well if they are going to try and stop Cell in 31 days, maybe Son Gohan will learn the Demon Wave Concealment Technique."

A: This was a very perceptive observation. The possibility of using the Evil Containment Wave against Cell indeed is going to be explored in upcoming chapters.

**FoolsGil [2]**

C: In a Crowning Moment of Awesome, Master Roshi was able to do it to Future Cell and we all know the power gap between them.

A: Timeline IV Roshi's use of the Evil Containment Wave against Future Cell happens to be one of my personal favorite Honor Trip scenes. The scene was written to emphasize the absolute desperation of the situation, as well as to emphasize the need for innovation in a situation of extreme adversary.

**Lemonlime77 [1]**

C: Cell's not evil... yet. He's just being an OCD perfectionist and a jackass. If he thinks immortality will allow Gohan to stop him, he obviously hasn't read the Bringer of Death Chapter where Vegeta absolutely wrecks an immortal Garlic Jr.

A: As for Cell being an "OCD perfectionist and a jackass," it is evident based on the comedy special that Trunks agrees with you. With regard to how immortality functions, I respectfully disagree with the way it was presented in Bringer of Death. Remember, the Dragon Balls have the power to convert and energy into matter [e.g. creating a pair of underwear, manifesting a planet], and also remember that the Dragon Balls grant wishes akin to the expectations of the wisher [e.g., King Piccolo's wish for eternal youth restored him to his prime, and not to being a child; wishes to bring people back to life cause their souls to return to the mortal realm, not for them to become zombies] (but, granted, some wishes do require greater specificity, as per the wish to bring Piccolo to Namek causing him to manifest far away from the Z-Fighters). For immortality, the obvious intention of the wisher is to be able to exist in the mortal realm without a situation in which their body can still be destroyed, but their soul will not be able to ascend to Otherworld. As this is such, if an immortal's body is entirely destroyed, it seems that a residual effect of the wish would enable energy, both that which escaped the destroyed person and other available energy, to be able to be used to reform the immortal's body. This is central to the reason of why Future Cell gaining immortality would have been so threatening – even if each of his cells was destroyed, which normally would be the only "practical" [Hah!] way to kill him, immortality would prevent even this from working because of the automatic matter restoration effect, such that the Dragon Balls' power to convert energy into matter would enable this to occur.

**Lemonlime77 [2]**

Q: I do have questions about the transfer of Temnizziv however. As protector and creator of the Earth's Dragon Balls, Kami had a direct link with Shenron and therefore when he/Piccolo died, Shenron disappeared. Energy was then returned to them when their creator was revived. Dende then came along and restored the energy to the inert Dragon Balls and was also then linked as their protector and the same life-force principle applied. When Cell transfers/transferred the Dragon Balls to Gohan/Trunks/Broly, is their life-force connected to the balls that they own now as well? Or is their life-force connected to their creator/invigorator Cell?

A: This is a crucial question central to Cell's tactical pursuit to make Gohan both the keeper of Temnizziv and immortal. The keeper of the Dragon Balls is the entity with whom the Dragon Balls are intrinsically connected, such that if the keeper dies, the Dragon Balls will become inert, regardless of who created that set of Dragon Balls or activated or reactivated it. If the Dragon Balls depended on the mortal realm presence of the person who created or activated or reactivated them, then Cell's plan to enable Trunks to become the keeper of T-IV Temnizziv and Broly the keeper of T-IV Shenron would have made no sense, because Cell knew he would no longer be in Timeline IV. He transferred keepership to Trunks and Broly precisely because he knew that they would be in Timeline IV while he would not be. If Cell transfers keepership of Temnizziv to Gohan, Temnizziv's ability to remain active would entirely depend on Gohan staying alive. If Cell was to be killed and Gohan was to stay alive after becoming the keeper, Temnizziv would still be active. If Cell was to stay alive and Gohan was to be killed after becoming the keeper, Temnizziv would no longer be active.

**Lemonlime77 [3]**

Q: If they were connected to Gohan, could Cell not just kill Gohan and restore the Dragon Balls in his own ownership akin to Dende after Kami's fusion? Or is it that ownership is retained in death and that the Namekian fusion of Kami and Piccolo (and thus Kami's physical removal from that dimension and all others, including that timeline's Otherworld) is what allowed Dende to take ownership of Shenron?

A: If Gohan becomes keeper of Temnizziv and does not become immortal, Cell indeed could kill Gohan and reactivate Temnizziv and reassign keepership to himself. It is precisely because of this that Cell wants Gohan to become immortal, so that this scenario cannot occur. While keepership is technically retained in death, especially indicated by the fact there is an automatic trigger that reactivates a set of Dragon Balls when a keeper is brought back to life, if a keeper is not in the mortal realm, a set of Dragon Balls that was assigned to that keeper can be severed in connection to that deceased or otherwise unavailable keeper if another individual, in the mortal realm, who knows how to reactivate a set of Dragon Balls, reactivates that set. Upon the reactivation, that person automatically becomes the new keeper of that set. This principle is used in Chapter 48 when Cell reactivates Shenron's set – right before he did, Dende still was spiritually assigned to Shenron, although the keeper connection was completely severed with Dende and completely reestablished with Cell upon the reactivation of Shenron's set by Cell. An earlier version of how reestablishing keepership over a set of Dragon Balls when the previous keeper became deceased or otherwise unavailable was presented in Chapter 25 with regard to Dende acquiring keepership over Shenron in Timeline IV from Kami, and while some tenants of that version are still supported, others have been retconned (rescinded as canonical) because they introduced needless complexities that I now regard as illogical. The method of keepership establishment via reactivation described in Chapter 48 is a cleaner, more streamlined, and more logical version of that which had appeared in Chapter 25. Based on canonical evidence, there is just one overarching restriction that prevents a set of Dragon Balls from being able to be used when not in their otherwise scheduled inertial period – the keeper is deceased or otherwise unavailable in the mortal realm (in the case of Kami during the Androids-Cell Sagas, his merger with Piccolo made him, as an individual entity, fundamentally unavailable, causing the Dragon Balls to be inert). As long as the keeper is deceased or otherwise unavailable in the mortal realm, another individual with the power to activate or reactivate a set of Dragon Balls can do so for the set that became inactive upon the inaccessibility of the keeper, and through that activation or reactivation automatically becomes the keeper.

**Lemonlime77 [4]**

Q: Also, it is implied that Gohan's ownership would prevent Cell from using Temnizziv without Gohan's consent. Is there a new power that Cell would implement allowing Gohan a mental lock over the balls (I say new as there is obviously no such lock on Shenron, otherwise I would have thought that Kami would have done so when his original counterpart, Piccolo Daimao, returned to power. Then again, Daimao was part of Kami but YET again the Dragon Balls were created when Kami and Daimao were separate beings) or is Cell merely incorrect in this statement? Perhaps though Cell will explain this in the future with another wish, or he assumes Gohan will stop him with the "power" of immortality.

A: It's insightful of you to address this point, as one would have thought that if Cell was being sincere about wanting to provide safeguards against himself with regard to the possibility of reversion to evil, Cell would have shared an effective plan with the Z-Fighters that would have caused him to be entirely unable to use the Dragon Balls. However, THE PLAN CELL OFFERED WOULD IN NO WAY PREVENT HIM FROM BEING ABLE TO USE THE DRAGON BALLS, and the Z-Fighters know this. Offering to transfer keepership to Gohan was Cell's method of momentarily assuaging Gohan's concerns by showing that Cell would in no way want to kill Gohan because he would lose access to Temnizziv, … but then Cell suggested that Gohan should become immortal so that access to Temnizziv couldn't possibly be lost. Cell's apparently discordant tactical maneuvers are of extreme concern to the Z-Fighters and shall be explored in Chapter 59.

**The Imaginatrix [1]**

Q: Should I be worried? I feel that I should be. The Z Fighters all made excellent arguments concerning this plan of Cell's , and now, despite my previous sentiments as expressed in the last review I submitted, I find myself sharing their anxiety.

A: It seems you recognize the significant disadvantages and shortcomings of Cell's plan, as the Z-Fighters have. While, as you said, Cell is right to desire true moral free will, pursuing free will via the plan he has announced is inherently questionable. The Z-Fighters are going to further consider Cell's plan in Chapter 59.

**The Imaginatrix [2]**

C: I can only hope the esteemed author knows what he is doing and will alleviate our worries in some way soon.

A: There is a reason for everything, and as Genescritor and Roketto know, I thoroughly planned this part of Season IV before beginning to write it so that it would have the desired effect. For that matter, I've already planned out the rough details of the other parts of Season IV as well. With regard to whether any of the content in upcoming chapters will alleviate worries as to the tactical aspects of Cell's plan, you shall find out soon.

**The Imaginatrix [3]**

C: I look forward to the parody special, although you've left the main series on a cliff-hanger, and the suspense will be nearly impossible to bear!

A: So, what did you think of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans? And yes, quite a cliff hanger it was.

**Greg Zerich [1]**

C: It seems that this season is shaping up to be everyone vs. Cell, but in a distinctly different fashion from the Cell Games themselves.

A: You indeed are correct that the essence of the conflict with Cell that has been occurring in Season IV is distinct from that which was true of the conflict with Cell in his canonical sagas. Whereas the Z-Fighters through the Cell Games clearly were not in allegiance with Cell and were seeking to thwart his active threat to the universe that was catalyzed by evil intentions, in HT Season IV, the Z-Fighters are technically in allegiance with Cell and are seeking to thwart his potential threat to the universe that could result from his good intentions.

**Greg Zerich [2]**

C: I am quite alarmed that Cell would force immortality on Gohan without his consent, knowing that Gohan could do nothing to stop him from doing so. It will be extremely intriguing to get some insight into Cell's thought process regarding this entire affair.

A: Gohan, as well, is extremely perturbed about the prospect of becoming immortal against his will, and he will explore in the upcoming chapters whether there might be something he could do to prevent Cell from succeeding. As I mentioned to Jason9000, it is notable that the phrase "Cell thought" appears only once among Chapters 57 and 58. It is open to interpretation exactly why this is such.

**Greg Zerich [3]**

C: Having thought about it more, I believe that part of my distress may have been due in part to the nature of the conflict this season. I think perhaps I was expecting some external threat to arise, and granted it still very well may, but having the conflict be an internal one between the heroes thus far has made for a refreshing change of pace, even if it initially struck me off balance. I will eagerly be reading to see what developments you have in the future.

A: Canon does not have a significant example of the declared heroes of Earth having a significant conflict amongst themselves while still claiming to fight for the same side (Goku and Majin Vegeta definitely were not fighting on the same side DURING their fight), and I thought that it would be intriguing to include such a conflict in Honor Trip. As per Honor Trip's overall manner of presenting issues of adversity, I thought readers would determine such a conflict to be interesting to read. I'm glad you've considered this opening part of Season IV to be a refreshing change of pace.

**Recovey0 [1]**

Q: I think that this story is becoming very interesting and I have an idea of where it might be going could the saiyans possible be using their ability to become stronger every time they nearly die to quickly cover the gap in power in tandem with Dende's healing ability?

A: Thank you for thinking of this potential tactical endeavor; indeed, the Saiyans very well might consider repeatedly using their "power augmentation after near-death or significant combat" ability (also known as the zenkai ability) to maximize their benefit from the ability. One might consider it to be a plot hole, or illogical aspect, as to why the Saiyans did not pursue this tactic in canon to fight their opponents.

**Recovey0 [2]**

C: I've always wondered why they didn't do that but I've read this story for a while now and trust that its going to go in a good direction.

A: As I mentioned in the first part of my response to you, it is problematic that the Saiyans did not seek to maximize the benefit of their zenkai ability in canon (especially when they had three years to prepare for fighting the androids and an additional 10 days to prepare for fighting Cell), and it is especially problematic that no official explanation was presented as to why this did not occur. The only logical reason why they might not have pursued the ability further was that they might have discovered that after a certain number of times in which the ability of used, or after a certain power level had been achieved, the technique had diminishing returns, (possibly limited to if it was not used in actual combat).

**NameDBV Writer [1]**

C: I want to bring up a huge problem with the immortality wish for Gohan. imagine the possibility of Gohan falling in love, and for some reason he was unable to make his love immortal too. Once she died, he would likely spend the rest of his life in greif and become a loner, believing that life is meaningless without her.

A: The dilemma of living forever while a loved one would not is of extreme psychological burden to any morally sound individual. It is likely that Gohan would either try to rescind the immortality that was granted to him or scour the universe for a way to enable his love to be immortal as well. However, it must also be considered that since the loved ones of significant heroes in the Dragon Ball universe are permitted to keep their consciousnesses (and for the most part, their bodies) in the afterlife, the overall psychological burden for Gohan would be minimized because he could visit her at will with Instant Transmission. He still likely would have grief that they could not be alive together, but as per his code of honor and desire to protect the universe, life still would have significant meaning.

**NameDBV Writer [2]**

C: Wanting to spend time with her in heaven, he would use the dragongonballs to kill himself and the universe would lose it's eternal defender.

A: As I mentioned in the first part of my response, Gohan fortunately would not need to resort to anything that extreme. All he would need to do is use Instant Transmission!

**Requiem [1]**

Q: Goku seems a little out of character lately. I know you wanted to make him into less of an idiot than he was in the original series which I can get behind. However, part of Goku's character is that he believes in the best/goodness in people; sometimes without regard for the situation at hand (Sparing Vegeta, Frieza, etc). The fact that Goku has stopped doing that, at the very least with Cell, signifies a big change in his character that I believe should be addressed (but thats just me). What happened to Goku that he lost his innocent heart; his "I believe in the good in you" attitude that we have seen at the beginning of Honor Trip?

A: It is true that Goku believes in the goodness of people, but as Goku progressed in age and experience, he became less and less naïve. Goku in Chapter 1 gave Cell a chance to redeem himself because he was confident that Gohan could defeat Cell if need be. The situation examined in Chapters 57 and 58 is fundamentally different, however, because as of these chapters, no one can stop Cell if his apparently greatly risky plan goes awry. Goku feels as though Cell is betraying his trust and needlessly jeopardizing the universe, and as such, Goku's disappointment and disapproval seem justified.

**Requiem [2]**

Q: Will we be revisiting the very first timeline to save the planets ravaged by war? We resolved a few timelines, but not the one where Honor Trips Cell is from. Slug is still alive in that timeline, and quite a few planets are under siege. Will we be seeing a revival of heroes or a resolution of the dangers in that timeline?

A: This is a very insightful question, although right now, I cannot divulge the truth of this matter because it is one among a few aspects of HT's future plot development that I've deemed to be "top secret" for the time being. You might be able to find clues as to the likelihood of potential future ventures to Timelines I and II based on explanations of Dragon Ball time travel rules that have been provided throughout HT.

**ShMike [1]**

Q: Would the Dragon Balls be able to be used to effectively lock out Cell from making wishes from any dragon?

A: One of the universal restrictions among the sets of Dragon Balls is that they cannot be explicitly used to deny to anyone an ability that they otherwise might possess, including the ability to make wishes with the Dragon Balls. If the Dragon Balls had been able to restrict abilities, including access to the Dragon Balls, they would have been used at various points in canon to prevent potential enemies from being able to use them. However, as this never happens, the only logical explanation as to why such a restriction wish is never made is that the Dragon Balls do not have the power to grant this restriction wish.

**ShMike [2]**

Q: Since it is stated here that with immortality Gohan would age, when (if) would he stop aging? Would he end up like Roshi?

A: Unless a clause is added to the wish specifying an age at which Gohan would stop aging, Gohan would not stop aging. Roshi is not immortal, especially as per the fact that he died in the King Piccolo saga of Dragon Ball and was later brought back to life with the Dragon Balls. Therefore, Roshi's resistance to biological death, although never fully explained, would not automatically apply to Gohan if he is granted immortality via the Dragon Balls because Roshi's resistance to biological death is not due to an immortality wish with the Dragon Balls. If no clause is added to the immortality wish specifying when Gohan would stop aging, Gohan would continue to age past the biological point in which he would otherwise be susceptible to biological death; however, he would not outright pass away. It seems logical, however, that if the immortality wish is to be made, Cell would attempt to add to it some sort of clause with regard to aging.

**ShMike [3]**

Q: Also, couldn't they make a wish to have the ability to incapacitate Cell if he goes evil (Containment Wave, Dead Zone, Remote control)?

A: As the Dragon Balls universally do not possess the ability to limit the ability of anyone, they specifically do not have the ability to incapacitate or kill anyone. The Dragon Balls would not be needed for some of the Z-Fighters to learn the Evil Containment Wave; in fact, Master Roshi, Piccolo, and Tien already know the technique. As for the Dead Zone, the only characters who appear to have possessed knowledge of how to open the portal to that pocket dimension were Garlic Junior and his father, although it's possible that Temnizziv might be able to open up a portal to it. As for using a remote control to affect Cell, he is a biological entity whose design is not similar enough to Seventeen and Eighteen for the control that was designed to incapacitate Seventeen and Eighteen to be able to function properly against him. Bulma was able to design the remote control because she acquired the design plans for Seventeen and Eighteen; she does not possess the design plans for Cell.

**Storm 107 [1]**

Q: Hmm, couldn't they just go ask Baba to look into the future and see what happens with Cell? And if she sees that Cell is still good, perhaps they'd be much more comfortable with the whole thing. Also, I'm sure Cell would love to get Baba's powers for himself (can't remember if he's already tried it).

A: The Dragon Ball universe is quite expansive, and the Z-Fighters have many options they potentially can pursue in the 34 days before Oct. 27, Age 767. If the Z-Fighters had been able to reliably use Baba's fortunetelling powers, it seems likely that they would have employed them far more often (especially with regard to finding out where Dr. Gero's laboratory was in the years before the Androids Saga). However, it seems that Baba's fortunetelling powers are limited. Her main correct fortunetelling assertion during her saga, that Goku would become a great hero of his time, is extremely general. During the Vegeta saga, she almost certainly incorrectly predicted that Earth has no future [The accuracy of this statement needs to be considered in the context of Timeline I, the original timeline. In that timeline, the first version of Future Trunks eliminated the androids, and Cell then eliminated the first version of Future Trunks. Cell then traveled to Timeline III, but Timeline I from that point forward ostensibly was able to exist in peace.] As a result of this, consulting Baba for fortunetelling so as to determine with certainty whether Cell will become evil does not seem to be a plausible option. However, there might be other aspects of Baba's powers worth exploring ….

**Storm 107 [2]**

C: The wishes sound good to me. With Cell not being able to use Instant Transmission, Gohan could go off somewhere and make a plan to stop Cell, probably using Temnizziv or another dragon to make him a good person again.

A: If an evil Cell was surrounded by a self-imposed hyperspace wall, which would work around the Dragon Balls' inability to directly deny him an ability and yet still prevent him from using Instant Transmission, Gohan indeed could use his own Instant Transmission ability to relocate extremely far away from Cell and devise a plan. This plan would not, however, be able to effectively involve using the Dragon Balls to wish Cell back to a state of goodness, as the Dragon Balls do not possess the power to outright turn an evil person into a good one, and vice versa (with the exception of Temnizziv's power to combine memories and sentiments of absolute good and memories and sentiments of absolute evil to create true moral free will, the Dragon Balls cannot be used to affect the mentality of anyone. As has been identified, if the Dragon Balls had this power, they could have been used to warp the minds of the Z-Fighters enemies so that they would pursue goodness instead of evil, and fights would not have had to take place. The fact the Dragon Balls are never used for this purpose is such that the only logical explanation for this is that the Dragon Balls cannot be used for this purpose.

**Storm 107 [3]**

Q: As for the paternal power influence theory, do you also agree with mine in that they are able to inherit Super Saiyan forms from their parents? Perhaps Pan and Bra would even inherit Super Saiyan 2.

A: There is not enough data available to determine the exact degree to which a Super Saiyan form can be inherited, such that significant training and/or an emotional trigger would not be required to unlock the form. It is, however, extremely likely that because children of Super Saiyans ostensibly are born with higher power levels than they otherwise would be, it is far easier for them to become Super Saiyans than it would have been had they not descended from Super Saiyans.

**Shinen no Hikari [1]**

C: I remember a point near the cell games where Goku stated that he had discovered the same thing that vegeta and trunks had with the ascended form and ultra form but that while it made him stronger he felt it was too bulky and reduced his speed slightly which he felt was an unnecessary cost. I remember him going on to say that he was pretty sure vegeta discovered this flaw as well which is why he thought vegeta did not take the transformation as far as trunks did.

A: Goku indeed discusses with Gohan that despite the greater power level one can achieve with the Ultra Super Saiyan form in comparison to the Ascended Super Saiyan form and the basic form of Super Saiyan, it is inadvisable to use Ultra Super Saiyan throughout an entire combat situation because of the speed decrease. The Ascended Super Saiyan form is never explicitly mentioned as having this significant drawback. Based on anecdotal evidence, most Dragon Ball fans seem to believe that there is no significant speed decrease between the basic form of Super Saiyan and Ascended Super Saiyan. Canon ostensibly supports that there is no speed decrease between Super Saiyan and Ascended Super Saiyan. It seems that one of the major reasons Goku used the Full-Power Super Saiyan form instead of the Ascended Super Saiyan form during his fight with Cell was that he wanted to have enhanced stamina and energy available for attacks.

**Shinen no Hikari [2]**

C: As for our conflicting theories on Goku's more efficient full power super saiyan form since Goku never dropped to base form at the time it's hard to really say

A: As has been said, it would have been extremely helpful if Toriyama had specified various aspects of how forms work so as to enable fans to definitively understand how they work. As official definitive explanations do not exist for many aspects of the forms, it is up to us, the fans, to deduce as best as possible how they function.

**Shinen no Hikari [3]**

C: I understand Cell's desire for freewill completely and agree with it completely, as I believe freedom to be a necessity towards righteousness. As I currently serve to protect the freedoms of others, partly by giving up some of my own I think I can empathize with Cell on his desire for free will.

A: May God forever bless you for serving in a capacity of protecting the freedom of others. Freedom is inherently sacred, and it is not a privilege, but a right, of all people who appreciate the value of peace. Sacrificing of oneself to protect the freedom of others is inherently noble, and thank you for your work.

**Shinen no Hikari [4]**

C: Of course another key necessity for righteousness is patience and the understanding to allow others free will themselves, and the fact that Cell has forgotten this makes me question the existence of his wish to maintain his present righteous level. Sometimes people just aren't ready for the rise of the dawn so why must he push it. This certainly proves to be turning into an interesting plot for the coming chapters, I have a bad feeling about this, though I expect much.

A: Cell's declared method for achieving true moral free will significantly complicates the merits of his desire to achieve this free will, as through this achievement he could become a repressor of others who denies fundamental freedoms to those who rightfully deserve them. The Z-Fighters are going to seriously explore whether Cell truly is still bound by the wish he made with Shenron in Chapter 3, and if his actions in Chapter 57 and 58 are indicative of truth regarding whether he is actually still bound by that wish. Cell's refusal to give the Z-Fighters more time to prepare also extremely complicates the merits of his free will pursuit, and I'm very much looking forward to further writing this arc.

**Thrubardockeyes [1] **

C: Wow man Cell is just like telling them I'm doing this and y'all have to accept it. Cell is too certain! I again loved Vegeta response he mentioned Goten and showed how he cared for Trunks. I wonder what Goku is up too?

A: Cell's reluctance to compromise with his fellow Z-Fighters and his apparent certainty of what will occur are both considered amongst the Z-Fighters to be thoroughly unjustified. Vegeta of Timeline III and Vegeta of Timeline IV have been two of my favorite non-main characters to write, and I'm glad you thought his speech in Chapter 58 to have been meaningful. With regard to Goku's plans, you shall find out more about them in Chapter 59.

**Thrubardockeyes [2] **

Q: Oh and lastly if Cell gaining free will is going to endanger the universe then the wish for him gettin free will shouldn't work because that would interfere with the other wish locking his evil ways right?

A: As has been mentioned, the wish that Cell made with Shenron in Chapter 3 does not outright prevent him from committing evil acts, it merely prevents him from committing acts that he consciously considers to be evil. Therefore, he could make a wish with potential disastrous consequences if he honestly believes that he is acting in righteousness. Whether Cell will actually have the opportunity to make the free will wish remains to be seen ….

**Guest (posted 3/14/13) [1]**

C: Cell's been reading too much Aristotle, and not enough Kant: He thinks that being a free and happy actor of good is somehow more righteous than doing your duty, regardless of your personal feelings or emotional response to what is right.

A: It is true that Cell's expressed plan for free will does not indicate adherence to pragmatism, although with regard to his adherence to the Aristotelian and Kantian moral philosophies, he is both a proponent and detractor. For Kant's axiom of achieving righteousness according to the degree to which one's duties are upheld, Cell knows that he would unequivocally achieve his moral obligation to help protect the timelines from evil if he does not achieve true moral free will, and yet he knows that if he does not achieve true moral free will, he will not be able to achieve what he views as an even higher moral obligation: redemption through actual sincerity involving actual conscious decisions to pursue holiness. For Kant's axiom that the only way for an action to truly be good is if it was accomplished with good intent, Cell knows that staying as he is would enable him to unequivocally always act with what he views as objective good intent, but he also knows that if he does not have true moral free will, he can never actually accomplish actions through ACTUAL, CONSCIOUS good intent that he decided to pursue, and hence can never accomplish actual goodness. (I highly disagree with the tenant of Kantian philosophy that the only way for an action to truly be good is if it was accomplished with good intent, as I consider it possible to accomplish actions of objective goodness regardless of intent, i.e., the actions themselves are good.) As for accordance with Aristotle's belief that people should strive to achieve the highest form of goodness, attainable through "functioning as properly as possible," which to Aristotle largely meant acting rationally, Cell knows that if he stays as he is, he will exude rationality through continuing to be able to achieve what he believes is his proper function, which his rationality suggests is protecting all and preserving peace. Cell's desire for true moral free will is not fundamentally characterized through attaining freedom and happiness for the sake of doing so, but so that he can achieve an even greater purpose which is to protect all and preserve peace through consciously choosing to do so through choice. As per all of this, Cell's plan does not adhere to Aristotelian philosophy with the simultaneous absolute rejection of Kantian philosophy or vice versa; instead, Cell is seeking to achieve far greater morality within the contexts of both philosophical schools.

**Guest (posted 3/14/13) [2]**

C: I hope than one of the more intelligent characters realises, and lets Cell know (I suppose there's no reason that Cell couldn't realise this himself actually) that if he made the wish with Shenron rather than Porunga, and still uses Temnizziv's perceptive abilities in conjunction, then it would provide him with a sort of litmus test on the risk. If Shenron were in commune with Temnizziv, and Cell attempted to remove his mental restrictions, Shenron would presumably have a better indication than we could know of whether or not he could turn evil.

A: This would be an excellent tactical strategy if Shenron or Porunga were able to accomplish the EXACT wish that Cell wants Temnizziv to accomplish. While each dragon could negate the wish Cell made with Shenron in Chapter 3, Cell honestly feels that only Temnizziv would have the power to then grant him true moral free will through causing his absolute evil and absolute righteous sentiments to interact with each other. Cell also knows that Shenron and Porunga weren't designed to be able to properly detect or analyze some of the advanced aspects that Temnizziv can assess. With regard to whether any of the dragons possesses the capability to identify whether someone's intentions are good or evil, Cell knows that his mind is one of great complexity, and that even Temnizziv might not be able to properly assess his intentions.

**Guest (posted 3/14/13) [3]**

Q: Since Cell would not be able to actively skew his own path towards Evil, presumably he would be restrained from making the wish, wouldn't he? Other people could presumably make the wish for him, whether he wanted them to or not, but at least with shenron, he would not be able to make the wish unless there were little to no risk of a relapse of immorality.

C: To clarify, Cell cannot consciously pursue evil, but he still inadvertently can. The wish Cell made in Chapter 3 prevents him from willingly doing anything that he at the time considered to be objectively evil, however, it does not prevent him from accomplishing something evil while honestly thinking that he is accomplishing something righteous. If Cell was entirely unable to accomplish an objectively evil act (or do anything evil), not just with regard to intentions but with regard to actually doing it, one might argue that Future Cell could not have absorbed Cell, as even the unwilling action of empowering Future Cell to have a far greater capacity to murder, even if unintentional, would be an evil act. However, as has been expressed, this is not how the wish with Shenron in Chapter 3 functioned; the wish merely restricted his considerations and locked-in his thought processes to those of pursuing righteousness. Therefore, Cell can wish for true moral free will if he honestly feels that it is righteous to do so, regardless of whether such a wish actually is unrighteous or insufficiently righteous because of its riskiness with regard to potential evil.

**Tepheris [1]**

C: I was a little startled when I read the comment by Guest [1] [In the Q&A section below Chapter 58] that a certain DB: Afterlife seems to be stolen from this series.

A: Actually, the guest accused Honor Trip of stealing from DB: Afterlife! I thoroughly repudiated that commenter in an extended response available in the Q&A section below Chapter 58. As a professional writer, I especially condemn plagiarism, as it denies those who crafted the original work the full benefit of having done so. Anyone who plagiarizes and who does not credit the source from which the information came is inherently foolish.

**Tepheris [2]**

C: Let me say that at least my Dragonball Afterlife fanfic series is not stolen from your awesome series, since I hadn't even read Honor Trip before having released all current 6 Chapters.

A: Thank you for having valor and integrity! Through respecting the rights of other writers, you have upheld a sacred understanding of respect among all truly worthy writers.

**Blake2020 **

C: great mmm looking forward to it update soon

A: So! What did you think of the comedy special?

**Super Vegetarott [1]**

C: This is something I find absolutely arrogant and foolish in Cell's behaviour. This is literally a fail-safe way to protect the universe from harm, yet the bio-android feels he needs to have 'righteousness.' Cell has more than proved himself worthy of earning righteousness and free will, but a true hero would recognize that such a concern should wait until everything can be worked out and accounted for. In my view, Cell should've calmly approached Gohan and the others with his thoughts on him gaining his own free will and tried to make an attempt to work out a safe band of wishes that would result in Cell's desired effect.

A: One would think that a true, respectful hero who truly strives to live in accordance with absolute righteousness would have graciously and humbly asked his allies before pursuing something that potentially could have negative consequences. Instead, Cell very much is forcing the Z-Fighters to abide by his demands without negotiations or compromise. Are these actions indicative of true righteousness? The Z-Fighters are going to extensively analyze all that has happened since the start of Season IV to determine the best possible way to address the current conflict.

**Super Vegetarott [2]**

C: Now, I'd like to address another fault I've found with Cell's actions: Why would he want to make Gohan immortal? …. Bodies eventually just cannot function at the level they used to. Eventually, our bodies decompose to the point where they no longer function …. Cell needs to think very carefully about the wording of his wish. Immortality doesn't mean eternal youth; at least I believe so. Gohan may become immortal and become a protector of the universe until the end of time, but it won't help him any if he's an old organism that doesn't have the ability to battle and protect.

A: Gohan indeed would still age if the wish for immortality does not contain a clause with regard to restricting the aging process. If Cell wishes to make Gohan immortal without adding a clause to enable Gohan to remain at one biological age once it's attained, he indeed would become an elder individual who would not be able to as effectively protect the universe from Cell as he would have if he had not aged. Is it possible that Cell purposely made no mention of an anti-aging clause when he suggested that Gohan acquire immortality? If so, then what for? The answers to these questions very well may be revealed in upcoming chapters.

**Super Vegetarott [3]**

C: There's also something to think about with Gohan's psychology. Let's say Gohan meets Videl somewhere down the line, and goes on to have a happy marriage with her while raising Pan. When his wife and daughter pass away (not to mention other valued people like his parents and Piccolo), Gohan may feel depression and regret of his immortality …. Eventually, the depression just might be too much for Gohan, and he could become completely unstable and insane. He just might prove to be the universe's worst threat instead of the universe's greatest protector. Of course, you could always say that Cell would be around to stop Gohan(due to his biological immortality), but the colossal battle could cause even more damage to the universe, and coupling that with the fact of Gohan's immortality would grant Gohan a victory, no matter how big the power gap was between Gohan and Cell.

A: As has been mentioned, it is very fortunate for Gohan that if he does remain immortal, his family will not be entirely out of reach, as he could use Instant Transmission to visit them in Otherworld, since the loved ones of heroes have the liberty of keeping their consciousnesses, as well as their bodies (mostly) in Otherworld. He indeed could be depressed that they are no longer in the mortal realm with him, but he could visit them whenever he wants. If something was to happen and they became inaccessible to him, however, that might cause Gohan's sentiments to become more aggressive. Who would win between an immortal Gohan and an almost entirely immortal Cell? Would the battle be decided by a war of wishes, with each fighter attempting to use the Dragon Balls to ensure their own immortality while rescinding any immortality gained by the other? These are fascinating questions, indeed.

**Super Vegetarott [4]**

C: You don't fail to provoke my thoughts, and I'm enjoying being able to process a character's thoughts and intentions and be able to share them with said author. Honor Trip is probably one of the only fics that focus on characters and their actions with such intensity and fervor, and it's one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. Many other DBZ fanfics focus on action and the 'cool battles,' and I commend you for being in the minority and standing out as much as you do. As you said, this was your intention with creating Honor Trip, and you have met and surpassed your goals.

A: Thank you for these sentiments. As I've said, I endeavor to write meaningful works, as opposed to those which are superficial, because they enable there to be overall more beneficial and enjoyable experiences. A story with characters whose psychologies are improperly explored cannot enable those characters' actions in events of importance to the story to be as significant as they otherwise would be. Unfortunately for the Star Wars prequels, this is perhaps their greatest deficiency. Also, if one better understands how a character thinks, one potentially can develop stronger feelings with regard to affinity for the character or repulsion, which enables one's reading experiences regarding that character to be all the more significant. I'm sincerely glad that you find stories that explore elements of social significance to be enjoyable.

**CrimsonFlare121 [1]**

C: Like previously mentioned via the reference to Aristotle vs Kant, Cell appears to be focusing on the deontological aspect of his "true choice" rather than the ultilitarianist viewpoint. As the very nature of the Z-Fighters' existence, dedication, and motivation is utilitarianist, the fact that Cell has elected to endanger the happiness of the many in pursuit of, assuming the best of circumstances, the happiness of a single, albeit extremely eminent individual flies in the face of the Z-Fighters core philosophy. Given that, it is perfectly comprehensible that the Z-Fighters would react thusly to Cell's persistence in pursuing said course of action.

A: As I extensively mentioned in my response to the unnamed guest who posted on March 14 with regard to Cell's comparative degrees of adherence to the Kantian and Aristotelian philosophies, Cell's behavior is indicative of mutually pursuing righteousness according to both philosophies. You essentially are correct that the perspectives advocated by most of the Z-Fighters are utilitarian, and that utilitarian desires often motivate them much more so than other principles. However, those among the Z-Fighters who could be considered utilitarian are not absolutely so, as they often pursue self-improvement without regard to how this might help them defend the lives of others. The Z-Fighters' primary reservation against Cell's declared pursuit of true free will indeed is by far a utilitarian one.

**CrimsonFlare121 [2]**

C: Moreover, Cell, through both his actions and speech, has seemingly morphed into a benevolent tyrant, an enlightened despot, so to speak. The extreme power differential between him and the other Z-Fighters, coupled with his apparently vastly superior intellect, has ostensibly caused him to perhaps subconsciously reassert his previous megalomania, hubris, and sense of infallibility, although in a considerably more virtuous manner.

A: These are sagacious observations, and if Cell indeed is still covered by the wish that Shenron enacted in Chapter 3, the repressive aspects of Cell's endeavors are of inherently significant interest because of their illustration of potential discrepancies between intention and action with regard to morality. It has not yet been definitively revealed whether Cell's pursuits have in any way been prompted by any sense of outright superiority; the degree to which Cell's overall free will plan has been caused by sentiments of outright superiority eventually shall be revealed.

**CrimsonFlare121 [3]**

C: This is prominently exhibited, I belive, in the so-called "safeguards" Cell has chosen to enact. Though they admittedly restrict, to a degree, his capacity to administer wholescale terror, they fail to truly prevent his ability to inflict widespread devastation on billions of innocent organisms. Additionally, his apparent and utter disregard towards even the most reasonable and well-intentioned protests, and complete refusal to take any of the Z-Fighters' proposals under consideration vindicates the reassertion of his meglomania. His declaration of infallibility reveals the depth of his hubris, which Cell peculiarly seems to ignore, nonwhistanding the Z-Fighters recognition of it. Cell, as has been proven time and time again, is a perfectionist (pun intended), and despite the fact that he is now "good", this quality remains inherently wired into his subconsious. Its manifestation in his "good" form now threatens the welfare of billions of innocents, and I sincerely anticipate your rendition of Cell's choice and its inevitable consequences, be they good or ill.

A: As I have mentioned, there are reasons for all that has transpired, and all that shall. The insufficiency of Cell's proposed wishes to assuage the Z-Fighters' concerns, despite his supposed advanced tactical capacity, is of significant interest with regard to potential implications of this disconnect. It is fair to speculate much about the degree to which revived megalomania might have influenced aspects of Cell's declared plan, and further qualitative, and perhaps quantitative, data revealed in upcoming chapters might enable you to ascertain truth. Is perfection through achievement of a truly ascended identity worth potential degradation of oneself to an ineffable degree? Is Cell able to rationally decide what truly would be in his self-interest? I am eager to further explore these themes in upcoming chapters.

**CrimsonFlare121 [4]**

C: I apologize in advance for any confusion my excessive prolixity may induce. My adherence to the precepts of Occam's Razor has been consistently and sadly deficient.

A: Your communicatory prowess again has been appreciated. One should not apologize for sophistication exhibited in a manner that is neither pretentious nor ostentatious. One need not worry about exhibiting compliance with Occam's Razor if logic and reason can enable alternatives to be rightfully advocated. With that said, what is your opinion regarding camels?

**Zidanetribal93 [1]**

C: Even though Cell is the main character of this story, you don't let him have his way.

A: One of the tenants of enabling characters' interactions with each other to be as realistic as possible is having a strong understanding how their varying psychologies, perspectives, and personalities interact with each other. Through having a strong understanding of this, one can understand which character interactions would be more logical than others. Based on this, if Cell's plan as presented had been automatically accepted by the other Z-Fighters, that would have been highly illogical and out-of-character, and hence it made sense for the Z-Fighters to resist Cell's plan as presented. Also, enabling a supposedly heroic main character to have significant character flaws that are emphasized by other characters can provide the main character with greater complexity, which increases the degree to which the character can be considered unique and enjoyable for readers.

**Zidanetribal93 [2]**

C: The Z fighters not agreeing to his proposal is only rational and I support their opinion. Good job keeping two polar perspectives.

A: I'm glad that you appreciate the value of enabling a situation to be examined from multiple perspectives. It has been said that enabling people of differing perspectives to interact with each other on matters of contention can benefit them through providing them with an opportunity to discern truth as a result of examining each other's perspectives. It remains to be seen whether Cell and the other Z-Fighters, after having heard each other's perspectives, will significantly consider the merits of the perspectives they had opposed. I am extremely looking forward to writing the upcoming chapters so as to further explore these themes and more.

_**As always, folks, thanks very much for your comments and questions!**_

_**AV**_


	74. Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans 2(Rated M)

**Honor Trip Proudly Presents:**

**DBZ Movie VIII.V Remake: Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans [Part Two of Four]**

**Aka: The 1993 version had great animation, the 2010 version had decent animation, and the 2013 comedy special is speciously brought to you by KFC**

**(500****th****/750****th**** Review Retroactive Super Comedy Fun-Fest Celebration!)**

**Dedicated to the fans!**

– **A Non-Canon Comedy –**

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_Disclaimer: DBZ and related series and installments are officially the property of their respective owners, as is the upcoming Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods. They're also the property of camels and alpacas. These ungulates are part of a broader syndicate of various quadrupeds, including llamas and guanacos, which speciously have declared that KFC is an official sponsor of the Dragon Ball franchise. _

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**PLEASE REMEMBER that the following special is rated "M," for MATURE audiences only. This special contains material unsuitable for individuals under the age of 18. **

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_ALSO, please remember that this special was released before the release of Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods, and that everything this special claims about Battle of Gods is unequivocally unequivocal. _

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**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! - thousands of years ago, King Kai's former Big-Ass Planet **

He was in the midst of profusely flipping through, and flipping off, his strategy guide for his videogame, while the game itself remained paused.

"In the name of all that is hot sauce, I declare that this strategy guide is bunk!" yelled Bills, the god of destruction.

"Are you sure that's the right guide?" asked King Kai, who knew that he had far better things to do than sit idly and play video games all day, especially since Bills had failed to hand over the videogame controller out of being constantly surprised that the events of the game were not following those described by the guide.

"This is the guide that was in the game box, and the game box was in the larger box!" Bills said. "For some reason, there is a green guy with black wings, two pieces of broccoli, and a table who have become playable characters, and they aren't mentioned anywhere in this guide! Also, this guide doesn't mention anything about Hatchsmack being in the first part of the game!"

"I thought his name is pronounced 'Hatchiyack,'" King Kai said.

"What? That's preposterous!" Bills said. "All my yaks do not have hatches!"

"Still, you've got four more playable characters than you thought you would have," King Kai said. "I mean, you should be excited about that."

"But I want to know everything about them!" Bills said. "How am I supposed to use them properly if the guide doesn't have information on them?"

"Uh … you can figure it out yourself," King Kai said.

"Figure it out myself? Why should I devote my mental energies to such pursuits when I could instead devote those mental energies to thinking about hot sauce?" Bills asked.

King Kai was speechless as per the absurdity of what had been identified.

"That's right; you're obviously speechless because you have just gained the first level of hot sauce enlightenment," Bills said. "Is it not glorious?"

"It's definitely something," King Kai said.

"Dwell upon its zesty nature; give in to the hot sauce; then, and only then, shall you know all," Bills said, right before consuming the rest of the hot sauce that had still been in his bottle.

King Kai had only slightly consumed his hot sauce, perhaps one-twentieth of the bottle, and Bills had taken note of this.

"Bequeath unto me your hot sauce," Bills said.

King Kai handed over the bottle, and Bills proceeded to drink much of it, leaving perhaps one-fourth of the bottle's total hot sauce capacity remaining

"That hit more than one spot," Bills said. "Now, we shall play further!"

Bills unpaused the game, right at the moment in which the nine playable characters finished watching the bonus movie that had been included with the game.

* * *

_Alpacas._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – (Bulma's Big-Ass) Capsule Corporation Compound, main living room, right by the television with awesome surround sound capability, Planet Earth **

Following the end of their viewing of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, as soon as the lights in Bulma's living room were turned on, so was she.

Vegeta had always been greatly aroused by colossal explosions, and as of late by overcoming tyrants, and out of his enthusiasm for the events of A New Hope, he had embraced Bulma passionately, which she was greatly enjoying.

While they were busy making out, but in a relatively PG manner despite the overall M rating of this comedy special, the other eight warriors discussed the film.

"That was super-awesome-swellerific!" Tarble gallantly said. "Princess Leia sure was pretty!"

"I have objectively verified that Carrie Fisher's beauty is unquestionably excellent," Cell said.

"Oh, her real name is Carrie? That explains it," Gohan said. "Toward the end of the film, I heard Luke call her 'Carrie,' and I was like, 'What? That makes no sense,'" Gohan said.

"Yeah, that error has been in the movie a long time, even after its rereleases in 1978, 1997, 2004, and 2011," Trunks said.

"Man, Trunks, you sure do sound like a Star Wars buff," Goku said.

"Goku, you couldn't have begun to imagine how much of a Star Wars fan I am," Trunks said. "I mean, I had a pile of movies right next to my television set in my basement that were in no way hidden and partly decoys for the androids if they ever raided my basement, as I had hidden my Star Wars movies in another location."

"In a galaxy far, far away?" Piccolo asked.

"No, in a VHS rental store that despite all their sieges upon West City, they never attacked," Trunks said. "My guess is that they just didn't even want to bother with it, which makes sense, as it's a VHS rental store. Besides, the androids told me that they preferred DVDs. I once actually convinced them to delay attacking North City by giving them my DVD copy of Independence Day, which they apparently enjoyed, as that delayed their attack for like a week, and we were able to get everyone to relative safety during that time. Unfortunately, after I told them of all the other titles I owned, Android 17 said that he hated all of them, and that was that. The strategy no longer worked. The fact the androids didn't want to watch any of my other movies caused me to hate them even more, as they're awesome movies."

"Like what?" Gohan asked.

"Some of the best movies ever made, and some others that while not the best, are still some of the most fun," Trunks said. "Pleasantville, Lawrence of Arabia, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Once Upon a Time in China II, Billy Madison, Aliens, Predator, … the list goes on. Actually, I even specifically told 17 and 18 about all the other movies in my Star Wars collection, and 17 had said that he had seen them all and that he hated all of them. And if that wasn't infuriating enough, the only main Star Wars movie that I'd lost and that I hadn't bothered replacing because it sucks, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, just happened to be the one movie among the main six that 18 said she liked."

"Those Red Ribbon commie bastards," Cell said. "This makes me even more pleased to no longer be aligned with them; for realz, yo. How could anyone genuinely hate the original three Star Wars movies and like any of the prequels more than the original three?"

"Cell, at what point could you have possibly had the opportunity to watch the Star Wars movies before this?" Gohan asked.

"After we achieved victory in the last comedy special, Trunks and I sat down for a beer, then we watched Episodes IV, V, and VI," Cell said. "Trunks told me that watching the other three wasn't worth my time, but I watched them anyway while Trunks got some Zs. He unfortunately was quite correct as to their awfulness, except for the fact that Episode III is kind of good in some respects, especially with regard to Darth Sidious and General Grievous."

"So, you liked the villains, huh?" Gohan asked.

"Oh come on, Gohan, it's just a movie," Cell said.

"It sure is more than just a movie; it was an eye-opening experience," Broly said. "I mean, it's the second movie I've seen, after all."

"That's right," Bro said. "Our damned father regularly forced me, and the other me over here, to watch his favorite movie over and over again, about once a week. I swear, a significant portion of my hatred toward him probably resulted from having to see that movie so many times."

"Which movie?" Cell asked.

"The Happening," Broly said, while adjusting his kilt and feather bonnet, and picking up his set of bagpipes off the floor.

"That explains everything," Trunks said. "Watching The Happening week after week must have exacerbated your natural fury. It's easily one of the worst movies ever made, and unlike other terrible movies, such as Robot Monster, The Happening has absolutely no redeeming qualities."

"So, it's not so bad that it's good, but so bad that it's just outrageously bad?" Cell asked.

"Yeah," Trunks said.

"Well, I, for one, will always remember Star Wars Episode IV as the film that caused me to become slightly less of a sociopathic, homicidal maniac," Bro said.

"That's always a good thing," Piccolo said, right before his forehead began to ache.

Suddenly, the message that had been inscribed into his forehead because of the joke gas that had been spread from Dr. Raichi's decoy Destron Gas machines ignited, causing the knit cap that Cell had given Piccolo to catch on fire!

"Damn it!" Piccolo said, as he threw the cap off, then stopped, dropped, and rolled.

Cell magically materialized a fire broom to put out the flames that had engulfed the hat, and Gohan swiftly acquired a pitcher of water and poured it onto Piccolo's head, removing the flame remnants.

As Piccolo got up, the absurd message that had been inscribed into his forehead … had changed form! The inscribed message now was as follows:

"_What do you get when you're not a Saiyan but you side with them anyway? You don't know? Well, you're getting warmer. Aha! Now, you must know, as you're BURNING with closeness!" _

"When I get my hands on Raichi, I'm going to show him just how funny I thought that was!" Piccolo said.

"This Raichi sure does sound like one big meanie-beanie," Tarble said.

"Hey Trunks, now do you see why I hate him?" Vegeta yelled from a few meters away, right before getting back to making out with Bulma.

"As vexatious as Uncle Tarble is, he in no way surpasses the egregious egregiousness of Dr. Raichi," Trunks said.

"I don't know what it means to be vexatious, but thank you very much, great nephew of mine!" Tarble said.

"Sure, whatever," Trunks said.

"Piccolo, if I alleviate you of that marking, will you agree with my proposal in Honor Trip's main series?" Cell asked, with a grin.

"Cell, if you were sincere, you wouldn't be blackmailing me!" Piccolo said.

"Fine," Cell said, as he magically materialized a giant super-eraser. "This eraser was created via combining my advanced understandings of various disciplines, many of which I learned from Bulma of Timeline IV."

"Hey Cell, how do I look 20 years from now?" Bulma asked, while taking a breather from her make-out session.

"I'll save him the trouble of answering; I'm sure you'll look damn fine, woman," Vegeta said, as they continued to make out.

"Trunks, your mom and dad have been making out in front of you like, for the past five minutes … does that not bother you at all?" Broly asked.

"This in no way compares to what they were doing the night before the Cell Games," Trunks said. "While I couldn't hear it, I did whatever I could to not sense it."

"So that's what that was," Goku said. "Hah! They're copycats, those two."

Gohan thought about his father's statements for a moment.

"Oh! I get it," Gohan said.

"Anyway, Piccolo, you need to hit yourself in the head with this eraser repeatedly for it to work," Cell said, causing Piccolo to become cross. "Just kidding. You actually need to hit yourself repeatedly while dancing for it to work."

"You're a sadist freak," Piccolo said.

"I'll make this easier for you," Cell said, as he magically materialized a disco ball on the ceiling of the living room, dimmed the lights, and used his telekinetic powers to turn on the disco ball. The lights from the spinning ball were shining all around the room, while "Kung Fu Fighting," by Carl Douglas, began to play out of a boom-box that Cell had also magically materialized.

"Give me that," Piccolo said, as Cell gave him the eraser.

Throughout the next few minutes, Piccolo danced in as funky a manner as possible, while smacking himself repeatedly with the eraser.

Upon the completion of the song, Cell turned off the disco ball and transformed the eraser into a mirror.

Piccolo used the mirror to gaze upon himself, and he was pleased.

"That was degrading," Piccolo said. "However, at least my forehead is clear."

The mirror suddenly exploded, which surprised everyone greatly, including Cell!

The explosive fire then coalesced into a visible pattern of words, which read:

"_Piccolo's forehead is clear? You could say that his status … is green!" _

"I am so going to kick Raichi's undead ass when I see him," Piccolo said, while Cell swatted the fire with the fire broom he had earlier materialized.

Just then, Mr. Popo suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room.

"Let me guess, … Destron Gas, right?" Cell asked.

"Well yeah, but there's something else," Mr. Popo said, while he handed Cell a package, which was about 1 meter in height, as well as width and depth. "This package fell on the Lookout before Dende and I sensed the gas beginning to spread around the planet."

Cell examined the package, but did not see any markings.

He then magically materialized an ultraviolet flashlight, then shone it upon the box, revealing its hidden text, for all the warriors to see:

_To: Saiyans and associated losers _

_From: Dr. Raichi and Hatchiyack _

"Has anyone else noticed that it seems Raichi is less concerned with outright killing us this time around than he is with pissing us off?" Trunks asked.

"It kind of seems that way," Goku said. "So, … do we even want to open that box, or should we just blow it up?"

"He might have expected that we'd blow it up," Gohan said. "After all, he seems to have a knack for manipulating explosive material to tell jokes."

"Why is it that trolls are always trying to irk us?" Trunks asked.

"Because they are inferior to us in all conceivable aspects of importance," Cell said. "As for this box, stand back."

Cell placed the box into a containment field isolated by his energy, and he was hovering the box with his telekinetic energy.

He spun the box and opened it, and out from within dropped … nine buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

"Really?" Cell asked.

"Hell yeah, Kentucky!" Goku said, as Cell lowered the containment field … without realizing what was about to happen.

"As soon as Goku touched one of the buckets, it exploded!

While Goku was knocked back, the exploding fried chicken triggered the other buckets to explode, and fortunately, Cell was able to use his psychic powers to contain the explosion entirely.

Remarkably, Bulma's big-ass living room was still unscathed.

Goku's Super Saiyan aura then flared into view.

"Alright, now I really am pissed," Goku shouted. "No one wastes perfectly good fried chicken and gets away with it!"

"Let's beat the crap out of those Destron Gas machines!" Broly yelled.

"I love destroying things!" Bro said.

* * *

_Alpacas__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet **

"Did you see that, Hatchiyack? The Saiyans looked like total fools for drooling over our explosive chicken!" Raichi said.

"Well, Goku sure fell for it," Hatchiyack said, while busying himself by doing the Macarena.

* * *

_Alpacas__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Big-Ass Western Desert, Planet Earth **

And so it was that the warriors split up their group so they could expediently travel across the realm and vanquish the malevolent Destron Gas machines.

The Destron Gas was no ordinary gas passed from the ass, however. It was designed to weaken the bodies of all mortals who breathe it, which methane can do in part, via each and every fart, but to not nearly as much of an extent.

Goku and Gohan had located the first Destron Gas machine as it had appeared in the 1993 version, and after defeating a few throwaway villains of no consequence, they destroyed the machine with ease.

"You know Dad, that so easy that it caused me to think about another aspect of our strength," Gohan said.

"What about it, son?" Goku asked.

"Well, while Honor Trip in Chapter 56 gave an explanation for why we didn't spend an additional year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, no official source material has ever been provided that offered an explanation," Gohan said. "If we had trained a bit more in there, maybe we both would have been able to defeat canonical Cell even without becoming Super Saiyan 2s. I mean, really. We could have become so much stronger with another year. Also, if we had trained more, maybe we could have defeated official Movie 8 Broly and official Movie 8.5 Hatchiyack without as much effort. It's almost as if we conveniently didn't train that extra year just so that the official Broly and Hatciyack could be more challenging."

"What's that Gohan?" Goku asked.

"You were distracted and were thinking of something else, weren't you?" Gohan asked.

"Of course I was!" Goku said. "How could you not be distracted and think of Kentucky Fried Chicken at a time like this! Kentucky is so good!"

As they flew back toward West City, Gohan was doing his best to ignore Goku's constant whistling, as he was repeatedly sounding out various tunes used in various KFC commercials.

* * *

_Alpacas__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Big-Ass Land of Ice, Planet Earth **

Quite some distance away, Broly and Bro had destroyed their round of negligible adversaries sent by Dr. Raichi, and Trunks had psychically messaged Broly saying that he had been pissed that he had needed to praise him because of the wishes that had been made with Temnizziv.

After Broly reaffirmed that Trunks had indeed been correct to refer to him as superior in every conceivable aspect of importance, Broly then joined Bro in destroying the local Destron Gas machine.

As they flew back toward West City, they began to discuss far more important matters.

In the midst of their discussion, Broly placed his palms quite some distance from each other.

" ... together, they're this big!" Broly said out of joyousness.

"You lucky bastard," Bro said. "She sounds like she's out of the world!"

"Of course she is! What else would you expect with a name like Launch!" Broly said.

"I, unfortunately, don't have time for girls," Bro said. "My thoughts are far too preoccupied with galactic destruction."

"You have much to learn, young one," Broly said. "Ending the lives of others is the worst thing you can do with your life."

"And trolling," Bro said.

"That too," Broly said, while brushing some dust off his kilt and attempting to figure out how to play the bagpipes he had been given.

* * *

_Alpacas__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Big-Ass Poco Poco Volcano, Planet Earth **

Cell and Piccolo were astounded by the absolute foolishness of Kawazu, who was a slightly less forgettable henchman of Dr. Raichi in comparison to his other random henchmen, Arbee, Kinkarn, Jiku, Skud, and Gure (not Tarble's wife; but this guy inexplicably has the same name).

Kawazu's absolute ridiculousness was exhibited by his decision to set up land mines all around himself, while not being able to fly so as to personally escape. Apparently, Dr. Raichi had failed to tell this boss from the original source videogame anything about his opponents.

"Come on guys, fly down here and touch these mines!" Kawazu said. "I dare you!"

"I can regenerate from a single cell; even if I were to touch those mines, and even if they in an unlikely occurrence were to in any way significantly damage me, I'd simply regenerate and then laugh in your face," Cell said.

"I'm bad-ass, and so that, combined with my own regeneration powers, means I also wouldn't die," Piccolo said.

"You know you want to see what will happen!" Kawazu said. "Or, you could just float up there, and enable me to have some more dialogue for the first time in like 20 years!"

Cell then used his telekinetic powers to shift Kawazu backward into one of the mines, causing a chain reaction that blew up all the mines, the Destron Gas machine, and Kawazu himself.

"Damn he was annoying," Cell said.

"While I agree, you didn't have to outright kill him," Piccolo said. "Cell, I'm becoming more and more suspicious as to whether you're actually on our side."

"Didn't you sense Goku, Gohan, Broly, and Bro kill those other neglibile villains earlier?" Cell asked. "Come on, Piccolo, where's your green pride?"

"All I'm saying is you need to watch yourself," Piccolo said.

"And you need to remember that you used to be a villain as well," Cell said.

"At least Goku could stop me; you on the other hand, would be an absolute menace if you achieve true free will," Piccolo said.

"You know what would be an absolute menace?" Cell asked. "Having to watch The Phantom Menace in 3D again."

"On that, we can agree," Piccolo said, as the two began to fly back toward West City.

* * *

_Alpacas__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Big-Ass Grand Apron, Planet Earth **

Vegeta and Trunks were in the midst of destroying another batch of extremely inconsequential villains, while Tarble was busy slapping his opponent, trying to make him go away.

"Tarble, stop being a wuss!" Vegeta yelled. "If you don't kill your opponent in one minute, I'm going to punch you for five!"

"But big brother, I don't like killing!" Tarble said. "I wish we could all live in a universe where all planets were full of cute bunnies and sugary sweets!"

"How the Hell are you guys brothers?" Trunks asked, right before destroying another opponent, which prompted him outside his control to again say. "Broly is unquestionably superior to me in all aspects of significance; oh, what I would do to be as awesome as him!"

"You really need to be more careful with what you wish for," Vegeta said.

"Did you wish to have a younger brother?" Trunks asked.

"Of course; I wanted someone who I could mentor when I felt like it and beat up when I felt like it!" Vegeta said, while killing another one of Dr. Raichi's minions. "Little did I know I'd end up with this guy!"

Tarble was still refusing to kill his opponent, who was the last of Raichi's minions left in the area.

Trunks then effortlessly blasted away the negligible opponent, and he landed in front of the far more peace-loving Saiyan.

"Uncle, I'm a big fan of peace too, but you need to learn that sometimes, you need to be a bad-ass and fight so that way you can achieve true peace," Trunks said. "You can't be some damn hippie and think that peace will always be able to be achieved if you just try to reason with everyone and talk with them. You've got to be strong! You don't need to genuinely enjoy killing people like my father, but you still need to fight!"

"But what about all the woodland critters who look up to me?" Tarble asked.

"To Hell with the woodland critters!" Vegeta yelled.

Tarble felt upset at his brother for saying such a thing, and he began to cry.

"That's right, Tarble, I'm going to find your woodland critter friends and eat all of them, and maybe then, you'll understand what it means to be a real Saiyan!" Vegeta shouted.

Suddenly, Tarble wiped away his tears, and his power level began to rise.

Then, to Vegeta's and Trunks' great surprise, Tarble transformed first into his basic form of Super Saiyan, then into Super Saiyan 2!

"What the fuck!" Vegeta yelled.

Tarble then punched Vegeta as hard as he could, causing Vegeta, who was still in his normal state, to be flung backward many meters at an extreme velocity.

"Don't … threaten … my … woodland … critter … friends!" Tarble yelled with extreme volume.

Vegeta was enraged, and he then transformed into his basic form of Super Saiyan. As Vegeta was far, far stronger than Tarble in their respective normal states, Vegeta's power level as a Super Saiyan far outweighed Tarble's as a Super Saiyan 2, and Vegeta then pummeled his brother for a minute, before Tarble was knocked out on the ground, with his hair again dark.

"I have never been so insulted!" Vegeta said, as he descended to his normal state, then kicked his unconscious brother in the stomach. "How the Hell did this nitwit transform into a Super Saiyan 2, when I, the real Prince of All Saiyans, have yet to get there myself?"

"He cares about folks other than himself," Trunks said.

"Shut up, boy!" Vegeta yelled.

"For that matter, why are you still referring to yourself as the prince, when really, that would be more appropriate for me?" Trunks asked.

Vegeta then grabbed Trunks by the collar.

"Your mom," Vegeta said.

"Of course you did!" Trunks said.

"Speaking of such things," Vegeta said, while letting go of Trunks' collar and redirecting his attention toward his brother, "this is the perfect opportunity to prevent Tarble from one day creating another royal bloodline that could challenge my own. Trunks, I want you to power up to Super Saiyan 2, then kick your uncle as hard as you can in the nuts."

Trunks looked at his father with a startled expression.

"Father, I would do no such thing, and if you even try, I'll knock you out even faster than you knocked out him!" Trunks said.

"Trunks, my son, do you really want to have a first cousin raised by this guy?" Vegeta asked. "How many more flower-sniffing hippie Saiyans do we really need?"

"All uncle Tarble needs is a way to direct his anger better," Trunks said. "Come on, let's head to West City so we can meet up with the others and destroy that last machine."

Trunks picked up the unconscious Tarble, then he and his father rocketed back toward West City.

* * *

_Alpacas__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet **

"Yes, yes!" Dr. Raichi yelled. "Everything is going according to plan!"

"Our guys just got crushed by the Saiyans, and everything is going according to plan?" Hatchiyack asked.

"Of course it is!" Raichi said. "The more they fight my henchmen, the less they will expect what awaits them when they get here. So, Hatchiyack, who did we decide to accompany Frieza, Cooler, Turles, and Slug this time as Ghost Warriors? Obviously, we need more than four, since we have many more opponents this time around!"

Hatchiyack looked uneasy.

"Uh, … I've been meaning to tell you, Dr. Raichi, that we had a slight problem with the Ghost Warrior generation device," Hatchiyack said.

Raichi's eyebrows arched with suspicion.

"What exactly is this 'slight problem' you're referring to?" Raichi asked.

"Well, with all due respect, Dr. Raichi, because you haven't paid your taxes for like, 20 years, the United States government's Internal Revenue Service finally made its way to the Dark Planet and confiscated many of the parts from our Ghost Warrior generation device."

"I thought I told you to divert the tax agents as much as you could!" Dr. Raichi yelled.

"They threatened to call the federal Labor Department and have department representatives inspect our employment records," Hatchiyack said. "Obviously, we don't want them to know we haven't been properly paying our undead employees."

"Certainly not," Dr. Raichi said. "Well, Hatchiyack, does the Ghost Warrior generation device work at all?"

"Um, … yeah, but it's only been able to produce Ghost Warriors of people who, according to the memories of those who are about to fight, had a power level of less than 9,000," Hatchiyack said. "Oh, also, if the warrior had a moustache inferior to your own, it was possible for that warrior to be included amongst the Ghost Warriors regardless of power level. There are two such warriors in the mix."

Raichi then twirled his moustache with excitement.

"Excellent!" he yelled.

* * *

_Alpacas__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, Big-Ass West City, Planet Earth **

The league of nine warriors had formed up as a group again, and after Vegeta punched him in the face, Tarble woke up.

"So, here we are in West City, and that last Destron Gas machine is below us," Cell said. "Who wants to do the honors of blowing this thing up so we can go back to Capsule Corp. and watch The Empire Strikes Back?"

"I love destroying things," Bro said.

Bro sent a generic blast into the device … but its shield prevented the attack from getting through!

"Well will you look at that," Trunks said. "Something extremely similar happens in Independence Day!"

"It seems a plot convenience shield is around the device," Cell said. "We'll probably have to accomplish some sort of – "

Cell interrupted himself upon seeing Dr. Wheelo's giant robotic form glistening in the sun.

"Here's a little-known fact: I had a moustache of my own when I was fully alive!" Dr. Wheelo yelled.

"Typical," Cell said. "So, … all of us here, even Tarble, could kick your ass easily, Wheelo. Even though your movie is incompatible with canon, I'm not surprised to see you here, as Turles and Slug where here in 1993 and 2010. So, you're one of them Ghost Warriors, huh?"

"A chance to acquire revenge on the Saiyans, with the bonus additional opportunity to steal Goku's body, was well worth coming back from the dead!" Wheelo shouted.

"Oh, and it's a fine body, at that," said General Blue, who then descended from above. "My, how you've grown up, Goku!"

"Uh … thanks?" Goku asked, while noticing that for some reason, Blue, and the subsequent former enemies who appeared and who had not known in life how to fly, apparently could fly.

"Yeah, well his height isn't so great!" said Commander Red, whose ghostly cigar was hanging out of his mouth.

"Goku, you're going to pay dearly for destroying the Red Ribbon Army!" Staff Officer Black said. "We were so close to world domination, and then you, a Saiyan, foiled our plans!"

"Wait, Red Ribbon?" Trunks asked. "The three of you guys are all part of the Red Ribbon Army?"

"And proud of it," Commander Red said.

Trunks instantly powered up to Super Saiyan 2.

"These fuckers are all mine," Trunks said, as he flew upward with ineffable speed, then positioned himself a few meters from the three Red Ribbon Ghost Warriors.

"Oooo! Will you look at this fine specimen right here!" Blue said.

"You know what else is fine?" Trunks asked. "I'll tell you. The fact that the Red Ribbon Army has been entirely destroyed is quite fine. Now, you undead Red Ribbon commies, let me show you what I think about your organization!"

Trunks then began to beat the absolute crap out of the Ghost Warrior versions of Blue, Red, and Black, while a certain moustached warrior from Vegeta's past descended.

"Vegeta … Vegeta …. Vegeta!" shouted Ghost Warrior Nappa. "I have returned to haunt you, and to seek revenge on you for killing me!"

"Hah. A tribute to TeamFourStar. Nice," Vegeta said, as he powered up to his Ascended Super Saiyan form, then began to beat up Ghost Warrior Nappa with as much force as he could.

"It's been a long time, brother!" Raditz said to Goku, who hadn't yet begun fighting anyone.

"You know, you could have just told us that you wanted us to help you defeat Frieza, but no … you had to artificially and illogically create some sort of conflict that would make the beginning of Dragon Ball Z seem interesting and cause us to embark upon a series of events that would enable us to conveniently become stronger!" Gohan yelled.

"Hey, Raditz!" Vegeta yelled, right after decking Ghost Warrior Nappa in the face. "I bet you five space bucks you can't defeat my brother! And what do you say, Kakarot? Do you want to see whose brother is the strongest?"

"That sounds cool!" Goku said, right as he began to fight Dr. Wheelo.

"Vegeta, you never said anything about having a brother!" Raditz said.

"I didn't know I had one either until 2008!" Vegeta said. "Hey, Tarble! Raditz has told me that he doesn't like puppies. In fact, he used to volunteer for a dog catching squad!"

Tarble's rage then broke, and he transformed directly into a Super Saiyan 2.

"How … could … you … hate … puppies!" Tarble yelled, as he began to absolutely pummel Raditz.

"Aha! I have returned to seek out my revenge on Goku, for – " Ninja Murasaki was in the midst of saying, right before noticing that Goku was already in the midst of fighting another opponent. "Wheelo! Go fight someone else! I want to fight that Saiyan!"

"Your hypothesis that your desire would be achieved was foolish, indeed!" Dr. Wheelo said, while his giant robotic arm hit Goku, but to absolutely no avail.

"What do you have against my dad?" Gohan said, while not even bothering to power up beyond his normal state.

Cell chuckled to himself, as he well-remembered Muraskai as per the memories he had inherited from Goku.

He then magically materialized a long, cylindrical object that was three millimeters in diameter, then threw it to Gohan.

While Gohan didn't exactly know why Cell had materialized this particular object, Ninja Murasaki became more than fretful, and tried to run away from Gohan as fast as he could, with Gohan charging toward him.

"He needs to learn how to – holy crap!" Paragus shouted, upon seeing not just one version of his son, but two. "Dr. Raichi didn't tell me you would be here, … son! And, … uh, why there is another version of you wearing a kilt and holding bagpipes?"

"Well, look who it is," Bro said. "I think some pain is in order for you, old man!"

"But my moustache wishes otherwise!" Paragus said. "Why has destiny conspired against me so tragically? To think that I was killed by a Saiyan, my own son, only to have two of him hate me further!"

"Bro, why don't you beat the crap out of him to your heart's content," Broly said. "I need to figure out how to work these pipes."

"With pleasure!" Bro said, as he flew toward Paragus, then began to pummel him senselessly.

As Bro smashed Paragus into the energy field surrounding the Destron Gas machine, Broly began to figure out how the pipes work, then began to play the bagpipe version of one of the Dragon Ball Z opening themes.

"Tapion's got nothing on this," Broly said.

"So many pathetic enemies, and who am I to – ah, there you are … Monster Carrot!" Cell shouted.

"Ah, so my reputation precedes me!" Carrot said.

"I knew of you from one of my progenitors," Cell said. "So, Carrot, do you really think you stand any sort of chance against me?"

"You're just some giant green guy with wings, a bug who I can squash easily!" Carrot said.

"You are such an insufferable fool!" Cell said.

"My Magic Touch says otherwise!" Carrot said, as he touched Cell, fully expecting him to turn into a carrot as per his special ability.

Cell, however, had in no way turned into a carrot at all, and had let Carrot attempt his technique, only so he could now laugh at him.

"What! But how?" Carrot asked, in absolute fear.

"Each of my cells has a life force of its own, far greater than that which is present in all other … natural organisms," Cell said. "Every part of my being resisted your pathetic matter-shift technique."

"Damn, you're broken!" Carrot yelled.

"I know," Cell said, as he then placed his right hand upon Carrot's head, in an attempt to gain the Magic Touch technique for his own arsenal. "Hmmm … to successfully perform the technique, I'd need to be a demonic rabbit with huge floppy ears."

"You'd be cute like that!" Super Saiyan 2 Tarble yelled, while choking Raditz.

"Shut up, Tarble," Cell said. "Well Carrot, it looks like I won't be able to use your technique. However, I will be able to have fun tossing you around with my mind!"

"The Destron Gas was supposed to make of all you far less powerful!" Carrot yelled.

"Hah! If you thought that some gas would weaken all of us enough so that you could have successfully fought us, you were mistaken!" Cell said. "I am far stronger than anyone who appeared in the original version of this movie as well as the 2010 remake. Please, the idea that I would have in any way been killable because of the gas is absolutely laughable!"

"Raichi misled me!" Carrot said.

"You may ponder your mistakes while I play my game," Cell said.

As Cell began to play a game of pong using Carrot as the ball and his mental forces as the blockers, Piccolo looked above to see his opponent.

"So, son, how have you been?" King Piccolo asked.

"Oh, quite well, actually," Piccolo said.

"I see you not only managed to befriend the Saiyan who killed me, but you're now fighting to defend the world from evil!" King Piccolo said. "You're no son of mine!"

"That's cool with me," Piccolo said, as he then blocked a punch from King Piccolo without effort.

"Wow, … to think I was once the most feared warrior on Earth, … and yet, all of you really did accelerate so much after Dragon Ball that you make me seem as though I was weak in comparison!" King Piccolo shouted.

"I have a bunch of nutty Saiyan invaders to thank for getting me started on that better path," Piccolo said.

Each of the alive warriors fighting the Ghost Warriors were finding that their opponents annoyingly kept regenerating despite the ferocity of their attacks. While these observations were being made, Broly, whose kilt was fluttering in the wind, was blowing into his bagpipes to play his theme song from Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 2.

"Why the Hell do these guys keep coming back?" Bro asked aloud. "I've killed my dad like … a few hundred times, now!"

"They're Ghost Warriors, that's why," Trunks said. "None of these guys are the real deal. All of them are spirits who merely look like and are acting like the people they're pretending to be. I thought they might somehow be different from the ones we fought in 1993 or 2010, and it turns out that while they are just a bunch of Ghost Warriors, these guys have a bit more of the personalities of whom they claim to be."

"Damn, so, you're not really my father?" Bro asked Paragus.

"No, not really," said the Ghost Warrior. "So, … I guess there's no point in trying to kill me!"

"There's always a point!" Bro said, as he continued to pummel Paragus further.

"Well, the three of you have learned your lesson, haven't you?" Trunks asked the three Red Ribbon Ghost Warriors.

"Oh, you could teach me anytime, any day!" Blue said in a provocative manner, prompting Trunks to ignore him.

"Lad, it's clear you're far more powerful than us," Commander Red said. "I just wish there was some way that I could have defeated you and acquired the Dragon Balls for myself, so I could finally achieve the wish I wanted!"

"You were willing to again put your personal needs above those of the organization you were working for?" Staff Officer Black asked. "Shame on you, Red, for wanting to again waste our efforts just so you could become taller!"

"Wait, that's what this is about?" Trunks asked. "You're angry because you want to be taller?"

"Yes!" said Red, who was less than one meter tall. "I've been bothered with it my whole life and afterlife!"

"Normally, I'd suggest that you should just be happy that you were blessed with the gift of life, but you're kind of dead, after all … wait a minute," Trunks said. "I think I might have a solution to this, and I'm only doing this because I want to further demonstrate that I'm better than you, you Red Ribbon commie."

Trunks, in recognizing that Red was a Ghost Warrior, had also recognized that it was quite possible that Red might be flexible in form, as ghosts often are portrayed. Trunks grabbed Red's forehead with his left hand, then grabbed both of Red's shoes with his right hand, and stretched!

Miraculously, Trunks actually managed to stretch out Red's frame, and he became 1.7 meters in height!

"Ah, bless you, lad!" Red said, as he shook Trunks' right hand. "I'm sorry we were such douches to you!"

"Just get out of here," Trunks said.

"Gladly!" Red said, as he began to walk into the distance, then faded away.

"So, how about the two of you?" Trunks asked.

General Blue then maneuvered his right arm around Trunks' shoulders, and as Trunks was so freaked out by this, he was relatively motionless with shock.

"I know what else you could stretch out, if you know what I mean," Blue said, as he winked at Trunks, who was even more freaked out than he had been before.

Blue then released Trunks, and he then took out a Dino Cap, threw it, and the briefcase within it was unleashed.

Blue opened the briefcase, then showed Trunks a series of individual income tax forms.

"When you file with Black and Blue tax preparers, we can stretch out your tax refunds!" Blue said.

"That's right," Black said. "If you file with us, we can help you identify all the deductions you're entitled to receive so that you can maximize your after-tax income!"

While Trunks was in the midst of remaining bewildered, Goku was in the midst of continuing to beat the crap out of Dr. Wheelo.

"How does it feel to know that no matter what you do, I'll keep coming back?" Wheelo asked.

Cell then threw Carrot right into Wheelo, then joined Goku at his side.

"Only one person around here gets to have the ability to regenerate from seemingly nothing, and that's me!" Cell shouted. "Hey Goku, don't you remember how these guys were finally defeated in 1993? I actually am unaware of that particular aspect."

Goku thought about this, then responded.

"If I recall correctly, we were able to finally beat them by not just realizing that they're Ghost Warriors, but by not believing in them," Goku said.

Cell was perplexed.

"Not believing in them? Really?" Cell asked.

"It didn't make sense then, and it doesn't make sense now, but apparently, it will work," Goku said.

"Hey everyone!" Cell yelled. "If you don't believe in them, this will somehow cause them all to be able to be actually destroyed!"

"That sounds ridiculous!" Bro yelled.

"Is it any more ridiculous than the way you were defeated in Movie 8?" Vegeta asked.

"Your point is valid," Bro said, as he began to concentrate on considering Paragus to not actually be real.

With the modified mindset achieved, Goku blasted away Dr. Wheelo with a Kamehameha, Cell engulfed Carrot with a Tri-Beam, Gohan summoned forth an energy sphere and then used the pole to knock it into Murasaki before it consumed him, Piccolo used his Masenko against King Piccolo, Vegeta used his Final Flash against Ghost Warrior Nappa, Tarble used Super Shiny Fun Fest against Raditz, Bro used his Omega Blaster against Paragus, Trunks filed his tax returns with Blue and Black, and Broly continued playing the bagpipes, shifting his tune to We Gotta Power.

With the ghostly menaces defeated, and the plot-convenient barrier resultantly deactivated, each fighter aimed at the remaining Destron Gas machine, then blasted it away.

"Excellent," Cell said. "Now, as four of us know Instant Transmission, getting to the Dark Planet so we can kick Raichi and Hatchiyack's collective ass should be relatively simple."

"There's no way some computer is going to defeat me," Bro said.

"That's the spirit!" Broly said.

Broly and Bro each grabbed onto one of Cell's shoulders, Vegeta and Tarble each grabbed onto one of Trunks' shoulders, Piccolo placed his right hand atop Gohan's left shoulder, and Goku was busying himself with eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken that he had quickly bought.

"I remember what Raichi's energy signature was like from 1993 and 2010; I'll lead the way!" Goku said, as he again began to stuff his face with the fried chicken.

He instant transmitted to the Dark Planet, and the fried chicken he was holding became the first to travel through hyperspace.

Cell and Gohan then locked onto Goku's energy signature, and they instant transmitted toward him.

Trunks momentarily hesitated, however, as he was looking at a piece of paper in his right hand.

"What's going on?" Vegeta asked.

"Y'know, I've got to give those guys some credit," Trunks said. "I actually managed to get a great tax refund! Look at this check!"

While Tarble was busy thinking about frolicking through the grass on a sunny day, Vegeta looked at the check.

"I think I know where we're going after this," Vegeta said aloud, right before whispering the rest into Trunks' right ear.

Trunks grinned.

"Definitely," he said, right before concentrating on Gohan's energy signature and preparing to instant transmit toward him.

The three Saiyans then disappeared from view, eager to kick Raichi and Hatchiyack's collective ass with all their Saiyan might.

* * *

_Alpacas__._

* * *

_Thanks for reading the second part of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans! _

_Up next in the third part of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans: What is the grand audacious scheme that Raichi has been planning? Tune in next time to find out, as we make our way toward Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress on the Dark Planet! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans, Part 2: Completed March 24, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Additional credits: Thanks to lunar2eternal for the awesome suggestion to include Commander Red and the joke about stretching him out to end his antagonism! I also want to thank lunar2eternal for inspiring me, though the suggestion to bring back Commander Red as a Ghost Warrior, to bring back as Ghost Warriors other folks from Dragon Ball and early Dragon Ball Z. Thanks much! _


	75. Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans 3(Rated M)

Dear folks,

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR MORE THAN 1,000 REVIEWS! I am ineffably grateful that Honor Trip at last has achieved this milestone. Your dedication always has been cherished, and thank you all for your enthusiasm. **

* * *

**Honor Trip Proudly Presents:**

**DBZ Movie VIII.V Remake: Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans [Part Three of Four]**

**Aka: Actually, With Regard to Logic and Coherence, Movie 8.5 Actually is Quite Good, Unlike Many Other Dragon Ball Films**

**(500****th****/750****th**** Review Retroactive Super Comedy Fun-Fest Celebration!)**

**Dedicated to the fans!**

– **A Non-Canon Comedy –**

* * *

_Disclaimer: DBZ and related series and installments are officially the property of their respective owners, as is the upcoming Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods. As a corporation run entirely by large land-roaming birds successfully entered into a merger arrangement with the syndicate of quadrupeds that had already possessed much of the Dragon Ball franchise, these elements also are the property of ostriches and emus. The camels and alpacas especially rejoiced, for their newfound emu brethren also had a propensity to shift through planes of existence at will. _

* * *

**PLEASE REMEMBER that the following special is rated "M," for MATURE audiences only. This special contains material unsuitable for individuals under the age of 18. **

* * *

_ALSO, please remember that this special was released before the release of Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods, and that with regard to all that Bills does in the movie, you shall always know, based on this insiders' look via this comedy special and the previous one, what he truly is thinking about in each and every scene. By the way, Honor Trip is proud to have quite excellently predicted, before any public information became available on Bills' personality, that he is an erratic, short-fused wacko (HT first predicted this back in December 2012 with the release of the 300__th__/400__th__ review retroactive comedy special). _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! - thousands of years ago, King Kai's former Big-Ass Planet **

He had climbed on top of King Kai's television set and was inspecting it meticulously, while peering into the paused videogame screen every few seconds. Bills, the god of destruction, was assessing the feasibility of whether he could create a shrine to hot sauce atop the set, which he hoped would provide him with great fortune in the upcoming parts of the game.

"You've been doing well so far in the game even without an accurate strategy guide; what makes you so concerned about what's coming up next?" King Kai asked, as Bills continued scampering across the top.

"The hot sauce has informed me that I must reaffirm my commitment to it so that I can successfully defeat Raichi and Hatchsmack!" Bills shouted. "This shrine shall serve as a testament to hot sauce, praising its eternal glory!"

"But we barely have any remaining – "

"Hot sauce!" Bills shouted, completing King Kai's sentiment. "Yes, I am aware. But do not doubt the power of hot sauce, North Kai, or your spiritual connection to the source of all hot sauce might waver!"

"The source of all hot sauce?" King Kai asked.

"Only those with truly enlightened sight can see the hot sauce source!" Bills said.

"I can see things quite fine, thanks; the glasses don't fog up that much!" King Kai said, right before laughing at his own joke.

Bills' attention was so fixated at one spot atop the television set that for about one standard minute, King Kai observed Bills staring at the spot without blinking.

Suddenly, Bills hopped off the television set, landed on the floor right next to the table between his chair and King Kai's, then picked up the notepad and pen that had been on it.

King Kai watched with uncertainty while Bills scribbled furiously upon the notepad, and after a few seconds, Bills handed the notepad to King Kai.

"Read the divine message that I have written unto thee!" Bills shouted.

"You gave me a picture of a stick figure holding an irregularly shaped object!" King Kai shouted. "Firstly, you clearly have much to learn about art, and you could learn much from Roketto and Ruga-Rell! Secondly, how exactly did you expect me to read this thing?"

"First of all, it's a picture of you, and secondly, that irregularly shaped object is a sack full of all the bottles of hot sauce I require you to acquire!" Bills shouted.

"What! How many are you asking me to buy?" King Kai asked.

"You must buy exactly 29.5 bottles," Bills said. "Then, we shall stack them upon your television set, and you shall achieve the next level of your hot sauce enlightenment!"

"I'm not paying for them!" King Kai said.

"If you don't, I shall repeatedly jump up and down in front of you while singing discordantly!" Bills said.

"Anything but that!" King Kai said.

"Use your Instant Transmission ability!" Bills said. "I'll be waiting!"

Five minutes later, King Kai returned with 30 bottles, one of which was broken in half with the top no longer on it, as Bills had requested.

"Splendid!" Bills said, as he grabbed the hot sauce, then dashed atop the television and stacked the bottles of hot sauce in a pyramidal shape, with a level of 16, a second level of nine, a third level of four, and the broken, yet aromatic hot sauce bottle atop the structure, such that the broken bottle was directly above the spot Bills had stared at for a minute.

Bills then hopped into the air, did two back-flips, a forward-flip, a side-flip to the left, another forward-flip, two more back-flips, two side-flips to the right, and then another back-flip, then landed on both his feet.

He then raised his arms in the air and closed his eyes.

"Oh hot sauce, my hot sauce, you are undeniably hot sauce," Bills said. "Grant us the power to progress in this game full of vegetables, green guys, and moustached misers!"

Bills waited a moment, then opened his eyes.

"Quick, North Kai! The controller! I must have it!" Bills shouted.

"I haven't gotten a turn yet!" King Kai said. "You just coerced me into getting hot sauce for you, and now you expect me to put up with this?"

"Once you reach hot sauce level 32234.96969234, then, and only then, can you play!" Bills said, as North Kai begrudgingly tossed him the controller.

Bills pressed the start button, leaned forward so his eyes were merely two millimeters from the screen, and the game resumed.

* * *

_Emus__._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, 100 meters from the entrance to Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet **

As Goku had purposely intended to emerge from Instant Transmission outside Dr. Raichi's fortress so that he could have enough time to finish his fried chicken without encountering his opponents immediately, the other eight warriors had emerged from Instant Transmission at relatively the same point.

The warriors then looked at their surroundings, taking note of the various apparently ruined buildings outside what appeared to be the central active structure on the planet.

"This seems familiar," Bro said.

"Yeah, there's nothing quite like reusing the general scenery configuration from movie to movie," Broly said.

"Planet New Vegeta also had a bunch of ruined buildings in the area around the main active building, … though it looks like Raichi obviously was going for a darker aesthetic with the Dark Planet," Gohan said.

"Anyone who reminds me of my father must be destroyed," Bro said. "Raichi shall pay dearly for not just copying my father's scenery plan, but his tactical plan. After all, in the same 10-day wait for the Cell Games, Raichi, just like my father did, is seeking the destruction of a group of Saiyans who in no way were personally responsible for his grievance regarding events that occurred on my home planet."

"Our old planet needed more sunshine, just like this place," Tarble said.

"That does it," Vegeta said. "Everyone, raise your hands if you want Tarble to shut the Hell up!"

All nine warriors raised their hands.

"Uncle, why did you raise your hand for that?" Trunks asked.

"I enjoy raising my hands!" Tarble said, as he raised both hands.

"You know, there's something to be said for the significance of raising hands," Cell said. "Not only is the starting position for the Spirit Bomb technique based on both hands being raised, but this also is true of the Masenko, as well as a variety of other techniques. Also, it signifies that you're willing to volunteer to do something, which can benefit communities significantly."

"I'm willing to volunteer to toss my brother straight into Raichi's fortress," Vegeta said, while raising his right hand.

"You're all a bunch of meanies!" Tarble said, as he pranced toward the fortress.

"Vegeta, you need to relax," Goku said. "It's unrealistic to expect him to drastically change; you should try upgrading his bad-assery little by little so he gets more and more used to it."

"I agree," Cell said. "Attempting to drastically change the mindset of a person who considers himself to be relatively benevolent could significantly backfire."

All the warriors who heard the comment looked at him scathingly.

"Damn it, Cell," Piccolo said.

"What?" he asked.

"You're saying a bunch of – "

Piccolo interrupted himself upon hearing Tarble yell out of shock, which caused the warriors to redirect their attention toward him.

Tarble had unintentionally stepped on a holographic projector, which had caused the projector to activate. A person's form, from the shoulders up, was apparent, although the figure had shrouded the top portion of his face through using a hood. Also, he had a rather impressive moustache that from tip to tip was more than twice the width of his face.

The warriors gathered around the projection, and suddenly, the figure spoke, with the projector's audio output conveying his noticeably masked voice.

"So, I've heard you like Star Wars!" the figure said, while keeping his face concealed. "As the emperor of the Star Wars universe, I order each of you to place one of your hands under one of your armpits and then proceed to make farting sounds to appease me. Then, and only then, can you advance toward the fortress in front of you."

"Raichi, cut the crap," Cell said, causing the projected figure to suddenly look shocked, right before regaining composure.

"You must have me mistaken for someone else!" the figure said. "I am the emperor of the – "

"We can see your moustache," Cell said. "My asshole father had one too. It seems to be a recurring theme among you Dragon Ball doctor guys."

The figure suddenly looked away from what obviously was a camera of some kind on his end, although the warriors could still faintly hear what he was saying.

"I thought you said they wouldn't be able to see my moustache, which otherwise must be prominently displayed at all times because of its glory!" the figure said, to someone in the distance.

"Did you adjust the camera settings like I told you to?" Hatchiyack asked.

"You know I'm not good with social media!" Raichi said. "That's why I have you around! You are a computer, after all! Why do I – "

The transmission then cut off, as Raichi clearly pulled the plug.

"You'd think he would have tried it out for a test run before attempting to use it," Broly said, while bringing the mouthpiece of his bagpipes closer to him. "Practice makes better, after all. Allow me to share a pleasant tune as we march toward the fortress!"

"Oh, but I hate the sound those bagpipes make," Tarble said.

"In that case, I enjoy the sound they make!" Vegeta said. "Broly, hit that funky music!"

As the warriors ventured further toward the fortress, Broly enhanced their steps through his stunning bagpipe cover of "Eye of the Tiger," by Survivor.

* * *

_Emus__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, right at the door of Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet **

Broly halted the music right when the party reached the door.

"Alright, step back," Bro said, as he began to charge an Omega Blaster to knock down the door.

"Dude, there's a doorbell right here," Gohan said, as he pressed the button.

Right after Gohan pressed it, a circular slit opened in the door, revealing another holographic face.

This time, Dr. Raichi was clearly wearing a pair of Groucho glasses, with the enlarged nose, black brushy eyebrows, and black brushy short-moustache readily apparent.

"Who rang that bell?" Raichi asked.

"Raichi, just let us in, already," Cell said.

"The bell doesn't work for Saiyans! You need to knock!" Raichi said.

"Is he really doing this?" Trunks asked.

"I just used the doorbell, it just worked, and I'm most definitely a Saiyan," Gohan said. "Now, Raichi, if you don't open this door, we're going to bust it down."

"I am not the great and powerful Raichi!" Raichi said. "Besides, no one can see him, especially not Saiyans. In fact, no one has ever seen him, not even me!"

"You know Raichi, any of us at this point could easily send an energy attack straight into this planet's core, exploding it and your fortress here," Cell said, while powering up a blast near his right hand. "If you keep this up, I might actually do something about it."

"Alright-alright-alright-okay!" Raichi said very quickly. "I'll let you in if you can answer me these questions three!"

"Here we go again," Trunks said.

"Raichi, if you make each of us play this game, I'll blow up this planet, then see to it personally that Trunks grows a beard, to counterbalance your moustache," Cell said.

"What!" Trunks and Raichi simultaneously exclaimed.

"I simply cannot risk the most powerful warrior in this universe growing a beard; the energy it would exude could negate the facial hair energy of even my own moustache!" Dr. Raichi said.

"If that's the case, what do you think about the fact that your 2010 character design had a – "

"Never again do I want to think of that sacrilege!" Raichi said. "Anyway, you can answer these questions as a group, alright?"

"Go on," Broly said.

"What are your names?" Raichi asked.

"Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, Tarble, Broly, the other Broly who we're calling Bro, Piccolo, and I am Cell," he said.

"What is your quest?" Raichi asked.

"To kick your ass," Broly said.

"Why are the Tuffles superior to the Saiyans?" Raichi asked.

"That's a leading question if I've ever heard one," Gohan said.

"What a laughable proposition you've made, Tuffle," Vegeta said. "However, there is an answer to your question that is undeniably true, and which even you can appreciate."

"Yes?" Raichi asked.

"Kentucky Fried Chicken," Vegeta said.

"You have correctly spoken the proper promotional override code!" Raichi said. "You may enter!"

The door began to rise from the bottom, while Vegeta sighed.

"I can't believe I just said that," Vegeta said. "I hope you're happy, Toei."

"Aw, cheer up, Vegeta!" Goku said. "After all, with delicious fried chicken on our side, anything is possible!"

* * *

_Emus__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – present day, inside the foyer of Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet **

"You know, Gohan, I just realized something," Cell said.

"What?" he asked.

"Back in 1993, you all traveled to the Dark Planet via a spaceship, and so it's conceivable that you could have checked the contents of the atmosphere before stepping outside," Cell said. "However, in the 2010 remake, you all kind of just … showed up on the planet."

"Yeah … that was never really explained," Gohan said. "I mean, because there's no reference to a spaceship in the 2010 version, and because the entire spaceship part of the story was omitted from the 2010 version, and because the Dark Planet, while very close to Earth in the remake, was not actually within Earth's atmosphere such that we could have just flown to it without a spaceship if it was, I guess we used Instant Transmission to get there, especially since we just kind of showed up in Raichi's laboratory."

"Right, so, if you went to the Dark Planet in the 2010 remake just through using Instant Transmission and locking onto Raichi's energy signature, what would have stopped Raichi from beforehand removing all the oxygen from his laboratory – or maybe even somehow the entire planet if he had the technological capability – and winning without question because you all couldn't breathe after you got there and failed to check beforehand whether the atmosphere was breathable?" Cell asked. "Raichi is undead, and Hatchiyack is a computer. They both don't need oxygen, but you all sure do!"

"Wow, so … the 1993 version potentially made more sense in this respect than the version that was made in 2010?" Trunks asked.

"Quite possibly," Gohan said.

"Hey you know what else doesn't make sense?" Broly asked, while thinking about potential ornamentations he could add to his kilt. "Why didn't Trunks, according to the wishes we made with Temnizziv, compulsorily glorify me when he defeated Commander Red, General Blue, and Staff Office Black?"

"That question is rather simply answered, actually," Trunks said. "I didn't outright defeat Red because he left of his own accord. As for Blue and Black, when it comes to filing taxes, whenever you get a refund back, you don't outright win. It's still sort of a draw between you and the government."

"But wait, we're more directly parodying the 1993 movie instead of the 2010 one, aren't we?" Goku asked.

"We indeed are," Cell said.

"If that's so, then how were we able to destroy the Destron Gas generator in West City before defeating Raichi?" Goku asked. "In the 1993 version, we needed to defeat Raichi first before the machine was destroyed, and only in the 2010 version was that machine destroyed before we fought Raichi."

"I can answer your query," Hatchiyack said, as he stepped into view from out of the shadows.

"Ah, look who's finally decided to show his face!" Cell said. "At last we meet, Hatchiyack!"

"From one creation of a moustached madman scientist to another, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Cell," Hatchiyack said.

Cell was intrigued by the subtleties of the stentorian tone of Hatchiyack's voice.

"Within your synthetic chain-smoker tone, it sounds as though you are uncertain about the prospect of fighting us," Cell said.

"There is no uncertainty on my own accord, but there is much with regard to yours," Hatchiyack said. "Yes, Cell, even I have been keeping up to speed with what's been going on in Honor Trip's main story, and it seems as though I should extend an offer of true kinship with you."

"What are you saying?" Cell asked.

"Join us, Cell, and we'll not only forgive you for your partial Saiyan heritage, but glorify your status as a descendant of Frieza, a true hater of all things Saiyan," Hatchiyack said. "It certainly seems that you are in the mood for a little rebellion, are you not?"

"You should learn better than to meddle in my affairs," Cell said, causing all his supposed allies to stare at him with additional uncertainty. "I refuse to join some has-beens from a movie that was so obscure that it had to be remade!"

"It was such a cool movie that it was too cool for you to be in it!" Hatchiyack said.

"On the contrary, I was too cool for the movie!" Cell said.

"I … thought you were going to answer why we were able to destroy that Destron Gas machine already," Goku said.

"Ah, yes," Hatchiyack said. "I lowered the plot convenience shield voluntarily after you defeated your Ghost Warrior opponents, as I've been seeking my own revenge against you for some time! Raichi and I have bigger plans for all of you, but right now, I wanted you all to be able to fight at your best, without the distraction of what's happening on Earth. Without your worrying about the Destron Gas, you can now apply the totality of your concentration against me, enabling my victory to be all the more significant."

"Hatchiyack, before you get yourself killed, you need to be aware that for those of us who fought you the last two times, we're all far stronger than we were then," Trunks said. "Besides, we've got another four warriors, three of whom can kick your ass, and one of whom will make you want to punch yourself in the face out of frustration!"

"Is your name really Hatchiyack?" Tarble asked.

"Um … yeah, … why?" Hatchiyack asked.

"It would sound cooler if it was Hatty-Hatty-Chi-Bi-Wi-Bi-Yack!" Tarble said.

"Is that the one?" Hatchiyack asked.

"Yes," said the other eight warriors, in unison.

Just then, laughter could be heard from above.

The nine warriors and Hatchiyack all turned their gazes upward, and there he was, hovering in the air, with his moustache glistening prominently in the lights of his fortress, and his bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken securely in hand.

"Saiyans! Green freaks! Welcome to my fortress!" Raichi shouted.

"Raichi, you're interrupting my bad-ass scene in which I'm challenging them directly," Hatchiyack said. "Will you please – "

"Gentlemen! Behold my ultimate creation!" Raichi said, interrupting Hatchiyack again and frustrating the computer further. "Hatchiyack is far stronger than he was in 1993 and 2010, and none of you stand a chance against him, even together!"

"What makes you say that?" Trunks asked. "I don't see how you could have possibly made him so much more efficient as to be able to defeat even me alone."

Trunks then flared his Super Saiyan 2 aura into view, prompting Hatchiyack to enter a defensive stance.

"I have installed my latest advances in weapons technology and overall power enhancement software into Hatchiyack's overall circuitry," Raichi said, right before beginning to much on a piece of fried chicken. "He's going to totally kick your ass."

"That's right," Hatchiyack said. "When I smash you up, Saiyan, you'll wish your race never messed with the Tuffles."

"Hatchiyack and I put the 'tough' in Tuffle, you know," Raichi said, while laughing to himself and consuming even more fried chicken.

Without warning, Hatchiyack rushed toward Trunks, then punched him in the face.

To Hatchiyack's great surprise, Trunks merely laughed, then punched him upward in the stomach, causing Hatchiyack to soar backward and upward without being able to control himself.

Hatchiyack slammed into a wall, and instead of creating a mere impact crater, the force of Trunks' punch was such that the wall gave way, causing Hatchiyack to travel outside the fortress. He soon smashed into the ground outside and created an impact crater, all while Raichi continued to munch on his delicious KFC.

After taking a few moments to recover, Hatchiyack, with extreme fury, flew ardently toward the fortress, all while charging a Full Power Energy Wave, then breached the fortress and continued rushing toward Trunks.

Hatchiyack with extreme speed released the attack within one meter of Trunks, but Trunks' reflexes greatly outclassed Hatchiyack's own, and he deflected the attack with ease … straight toward Dr. Raichi!

Before the attack could impact him, Raichi activated his Grudge Energy Shield. In the past, Raichi had used this defensive barrier technique by placing both of his hands out and to the sides, but as he was still enjoying the savory KFC morsels and needed his hands to hold the chicken bucket and drumsticks, he used his feet instead. The attack impacted the shield, but with not enough force to damage it. Within the shield, Raichi decided to take a quick break from his chicken, reached into the bottom of the bucket, and then secured a hefty portion of mashed potatoes.

"Trunks, you're making this look easy!" Broly shouted.

"Thanks, man!" Trunks said.

"This isn't possible!" Hatchiyack yelled.

"That's what I thought, at first," Bro said. "However, it appears these guys went through some serious shit in Timeline IV, and – "

"Oh, I'm well aware of all that; I just hadn't realized for myself how damn powerful these guys truly have become!" Hatchiyack said.

"Trunks, let me have a shot at this," Bro said, as he flew toward Hatchiyack, while Trunks flew a few meters to the side, enabling Bro to be face to face with Hatchiyack.

"You're the Timeline III incarnation of Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan, aren't you?" Hatchiyack said. "Yes, acquiring revenge upon the legendary warrior of the race that killed the Tuffles will be a glorious victory indeed!"

Bro fully transformed into his Legendary Super Saiyan form, and he grinned.

"I heard that Goku in the 1993 version thought that you might be stronger than me!" Bro said. "I doubt it, but even if that's true, a mere Tuffle machine couldn't possibly defeat the legend himself!"

"I am the legends of the Tuffle race combined!" Hatchiyack yelled, right before beginning to punch at Bro rapidly.

Bro was absolutely enthused at the challenge, and he indeed found Hatchiyack's strength to be respectable, and therefore exciting.

Bro blocked an especially powerful right-fisted punch from Hatchiyack, then turned the left side of his body rightward, blocking the other punch that Hatchiyack was about to throw.

Hatchiyack avoided Bro's attempt to elbow him in the gut by quickly backing up, and he then launched a rapid series of shots forward, with Bro charging straight through them, endeavoring to hit his target.

Hatchiyack then turned the lower part of his body upward and backward so that he could plant his feet on the nearest wall, then used the wall as a launching pad and rocketed toward Bro.

With his unyielding desire to gain a clear tactical advantage fueling his efforts, Bro avoided a head-on collision with Hatchiyack but still managed to punch him atop his head, while Hatchiyack's left fist managed to connect with the left side of Bro's chest.

Infuriated at the pain, Bro spun to his left and fired an Eraser Cannon straight at Hatchiyack, which the Tuffle computer barely managed to dodge.

With a fake to Bro's left, Hatchiyack then uppercut Bro in the chin, and then kicked him in the stomach, sending him soaring backward and into a wall, creating an impact crater.

As he had gained a brief window of time, Hatchiyack then crossed his arms over each other and began the sequence for his Revenger Charge.

After 10 seconds, Bro recovered and launched himself from the impact crater, unaware of the powerful attack that was about to be unleashed.

Upon the conclusion of the 15th second, Hatchiyack released his Revenger Cannon right in Broly's path, which directly struck the Saiyan and surrounded him with light.

The fallout dust took many moments to clear, but after it did, it became apparent that Bro had managed to block the attack, but with some difficulty, as he clearly was injured, but very much still was in his Legendary Super Saiyan form and very much still was eager to fight.

"You would have made a great Saiyan," Bro said, while catching his breath.

"And you would have been a significant Tuffle," Hatchiyack said, while allowing Bro another moment to catch his breath. "Unfortunately, though, our battle ends here."

Hatchiyack then attempted to focus upon the latest advances in weapons technology and overall power enhancement software that Raichi had said he had installed … and he discovered they were missing!

With an extremely perplexed expression on his face, Hatchiyack again attempted to access the enhanced capacity Raichi had said he had given him, and yet again, nothing worked! Hatchiyack had known very well that in his battles with Trunks and Bro, he had been using only the power he had possessed in the 1993 version of the movie, and while he had been waiting to demonstrate his true power to Trunks, Bro had stepped in, and Hatchiyack had decided to unleash his true power against him first.

But he could not unleash what was not actually there!

Bro then slammed Hatchiyack in the face, causing him to become even more enraged at his situation. The attack to his face had somewhat disoriented Hatchiyack, as many of Bro's further punches were connecting with force, while Hatchiyack's defenses proved to not be as efficient as they had been before.

However, Hatchiyack then punched Bro in the stomach with such force that Bro spiraled backward a few meters, enabling Hatchiyack to begin implementing an alternative battle plan.

In seeking to harness a key back-up option, Hatchiyack attempted to access internal data for his lesser-known Super form, Giant form, and Multi-form configurations, which he had not possessed in the 2010 remake.

After a few moments of trying to access data for these configurations, Hatchiyack was even more perplexed than he had been before!

"Raichi! What the Hell happened to my Super form?" Hatchiyack yelled. "And what about the other ones?"

"You're forgetting, my friend, that we're parodying the 1993 movie, and that your three extra configurations were not introduced in that movie, despite also not being in the 2010 version," Raichi said.

"What! But then why do I remember having them?" Hatchiyack asked.

"Remember, our movie has been released many times, across many formats, as we have wanted fans to BUY OUR MERCHANDISE," Raichi said, while shoving some more mashed potatoes onto his fork. "Those three configurations weren't introduced until the 1994 reissue of our 1993 storyline, with accompanying new video, in the video game Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Shin Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku – Uchu-Hen."

"That title sounds almost exactly the same as the one for our 1993 game!" Hatchiyack said.

"Indeed it does," Raichi said.

"Well then, on a related note, do you mind telling me why I can't access the 2013 upgrades you supposedly installed in my system?" Hatchiyack asked.

Raichi was shocked at the comment.

"You mean you can't access them?" he asked.

"That's what I just told you!" Hatchiyack said.

The Tuffle scientist thought for a moment, then realized what must have happened.

"I must have eaten your new power sources inadvertently," Raichi said.

Not just Hatchiyack, but all the other warriors who were present, did a double-take at the comment.

"What the Hell is he talking about?" Cell asked.

"Here, catch!" Raichi shouted, as he threw a KFC drumstick toward Hatchiyack, who caught it with ease. "Place the fried chicken into your CD-Rom drive, and then you shall know true power!"

"You can't be serious," Hatchiyack said.

"I agree; he can't possibly be serious," Cell said.

"If you don't believe me, Cell, then don't stop him from tasting the power!" Raichi said.

Hatchiyack hesitantly opened up the CD-Rom drive on his left side, then removed the album CD "Rocket Ride," by Edguy, from the drive, from which songs had been playing within him throughout the battles. Hatchiyack considered himself quite fortunate that as per his construction, he would never need to own a pair of headphones.

Hatchiyack then placed the drumstick onto the drive slot protrusion, and upon realizing that it would be absurd to attempt to draw in the fried chicken that way, he then crushed it, formed it into the shape of a compact disc, placed it into the fitting spot, and retracted the slot.

Suddenly, Hatchiyack gained an aura that was red interspersed with white, which are the main colors used for the standard KFC logo.

"This is incredible!" Hatchiyack shouted. "In fact, it's finger lickin' fantastic!"

Hatchiyack then shifted behind Bro faster than he could see and kicked him in the back with ease, causing Bro to be flung forward at an extreme speed.

Cell had been able to detect the motions and saw what had happened, but he still couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Behold the true power of Hatchiyack!" Dr. Raichi shouted. "KFC, after all, can stand for 'Kung Fu Chicken!'"

Cell powered up to his Super Perfect form, then flew toward Hatchiyack, stopping two meters from him.

"You're stronger, that's for sure, … but I doubt you could accomplish anything of consequence against me in battle. Eating healthy, after all, trumps fast food, as much as KFC has so far been promoted."

"A rather interesting assertion that is, as indeed, I just crushed broccoli!" Hatchiyack said.

"Cell, Trunks, and I could defeat you hands down," Broly said. "Show this bastard what you can do, man!"

"As I shall," Cell said, while concentrating on Hatchiyack. "Attack me whenever you're – "

Hatchiyack struck Cell without warning, and while Cell felt the impact of the strike upon the wrist he had used to block it, he grinned.

Hatchiyack then moved as fast as he could, while punching and kicking as hard as he could against Cell, but all his strikes were to no avail.

"Fast food can only get you so far in life," Cell said, right before punching Hatchiyack straight in the stomach, causing him to gag in pain. "To achieve a life of true quality, healthiness is key. You'll never defeat me because of fried chicken, Hatchiyack."

Raichi then descended to the ground, with his bucket of KFC still in hand.

"You apparently have not yet realized that Hatchiyack has not yet achieved Kinetic Fixation Completion," Dr. Raichi said. "Just as you and 13 were built to absorb two androids into your systems to achieve your greater forms, so too has Hatchiyack been modified to require two entities before achieving maximization."

"What, you're going to shove another piece of fried chicken into one of his other drives?" Cell asked.

"Actually, Hatchiyack has all the fried chicken he needs," Dr. Raichi said. "Observe, Cell, … if you dare!"

Dr. Raichi took a gob of mashed potatoes on his fork, placed the mashed potatoes onto his right hand, then rolled the substance into the shape of a disk.

"Hatchiyack, open up your DVD-RW drive," Dr. Raichi said.

"But I'm in the middle of watching The Fellowship of the Ring!" Hatchiyack said in protest; indeed, he was quite good at multitasking.

"Come on, you computer, just do it!" Raichi said.

"Fine," Hatchiyack said, as he ejected the DVD, while Raichi placed the potato disc into the drive, then closed it.

Unlike before, Hatchiyack did not gain an aura of any visible color, and Hatchiyack himself felt almost no difference.

"Very interesting," Hatchiyack said.

"I might not be able to make you stronger through additional such upgrades as these, Hatchiyack, but I've done something that Cell could very much appreciate," Raichi said, causing Cell to become especially intrigued. "I've given you a capability that makes you more powerful overall without necessarily needing to be the strongest. Use this newfound capability to your maximum tactical advantage!"

"Alright Hatchiyack, demonstrate this supposed new capability of yours!" Cell shouted. "I'm eager to enable you to see how ineffectual it is against me!"

Hatchiyack smiled, and Cell … suddenly couldn't move!

After endeavoring for many seconds to escape the restrictive force, Cell then attempted to power-up, hoping to overwhelm the motion repression generator by enabling the total power level upon which it was exerting effort to surpass its maximum restraining capability.

However, he discovered that Hatchiyack's technique had also prevented him from being able to power-up! Apparently, Raichi had read Honor Trip chapters 19 through 21 and had somehow designed Hatchiyack's restraining capability to be superior to that which Morsmordom had used!

"What is this!" Cell asked, while frustrated at his own overconfidence. "Morsmordom's gauntlet was never this thorough! Or did you somehow mechanize General Blue's psychic restraint … but wait, that only can work on fighters near his own strength or weaker than him! I demand an explanation!"

"Welcome to Hatchiyack's Plot Convenience Pristine Constrictor!" Dr. Raichi shouted, causing Cell to become even more frustrated after realizing much more about how the technique works, based on its name "Now Hatchiyack, use your new ability upon them all!"

Broly, with his bagpipes ready for action, quickly transformed into his Legendary Super Saiyan form. While he was only slightly surprised that his kilt and other garments had actually expanded with him, he was even more surprised when he discovered that he could no longer move at all!

Trunks then rushed toward Hatchiyack and tried to strike his right side, but he, too, became unable to move after Hatchiyack looked at him.

One by one they became ensnared, and the reality of the situation was especially hard on one of them.

"Fried chicken and mashed potatoes, … why have you betrayed me!" Goku shouted, while unable to move.

Dr. Raichi walked around the group of suspended warriors, and he was extremely pleased.

"By recognizing the power of the absurd physics that are possible only in this comedy special timeline, I was able to deduce a method to enable Hatchiyack to do as you have experienced," Raichi said. "I realized that because plot convenience is quick, easy, and of low quality with regard to storytelling, giving Hatchiyack food that is quick, easy, and of low health quality (yet very tasty, even so) could enable him to quickly and easily power up with low quality effort, while also enabling him to quickly and easily immobilize all of you by causing your ability to move to be of very low quality. Now, I have all of you trapped right where I want you."

"What are you going to do to us, Tuffle?" Vegeta asked. "Are you intending to finally fulfill your desire to kill the remaining Saiyans?"

Raichi cackled with laughter, while Hatchiyack grinned.

"This time around, Dr. Raichi and I have planned something far more devious than implementing your deaths," Hatchiyack said, causing the warriors to be shocked with uncertainty.

"My ultimate goal since returning from death has always been to acquire revenge against the Saiyans, and this incarnation of my plan entirely accords with that dream," Raichi said. "Now, you shall experience the culmination of my 20 years of efforts! While I find eradicating your lives to no longer be the optimum method of revenge, I believe I've at last found a method even better than killing you that will enable you to truly experience my wrath!"

* * *

_Emus__. _

* * *

_Thanks for reading the third part of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans! _

_Up next in part four: Dr. Raichi unveils his grand plan of revenge! What has he been planning? Stay tuned! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans, Part 3: Completed March 25, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_


	76. Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans 4(Rated M)

**Honor Trip Proudly Presents:**

**DBZ Movie VIII.V Remake: Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans [Part Four of Four]**

**Aka: Because Three Parts Weren't Enough to Fit All the Awesomeness, Hot Sauce, and Fried Chicken **

**(500****th****/750****th**** Review Retroactive Super Comedy Fun-Fest Celebration!)**

**Dedicated to the fans!**

– **A Non-Canon Comedy –**

**[This final part of the special was released March 29, 2013, one day before the official worldwide release of Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods]**

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_Disclaimer: DBZ and related series and installments are officially the property of their respective owners, as is the upcoming Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods. After observing the alliance that had been created in ownership of various aspects of Dragon Ball Z among ungulates and flightless land-dwelling birds, a conglomerate of ferrets, muskrats, and martens successfully acquired a 15 percent stake in the operations. _

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**PLEASE REMEMBER that the following special is rated "M," for MATURE audiences only. This special contains material unsuitable for individuals under the age of 18. **

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_ALSO, please remember that this special was released before the release of Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods, and __**please support the official release of the movie.**__ It also should be of note that __**this chapter of the special, especially,**__**contains some epic Battle of Gods spoilers! **_

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! - thousands of years ago, King Kai's former Big-Ass Planet **

He had abruptly paused the videogame upon noticing King Kai's cricket friend Gregory flying to his right, as he was fascinated with animals of various kinds.

"North Kai, you never told me that a real-live hippo dwells on your planet!" shouted Bills, the god of destruction, who swiftly rushed toward Gregory so that he could see him up-close.

"I'm not a hippo, good sir! I'm a cricket!" Gregory said.

"That's what they all say!" Bills shouted, right before darting back toward his chair, picking up the bottle of hot sauce upon the nearby table that was still one-fourth full, and then running back toward Gregory, coming to a halt one meter in front of him.

"Want some hot sauce?" Bills asked. "Hippos love hot sauce!"

"What makes you think that?" King Kai asked.

"I have derived that knowledge through millennia of empirical observation!" Bills said, as he passed the bottle to Gregory.

Gregory knocked back a swig, then passed the bottle back to Bills.

"That actually was quite good!" Gregory said.

"It was impossible for it not to be!" Bills said, right before noticing that Bubbles, King Kai's monkey associate, had also entered King Kai's house.

Bills dashed toward Bubbles, then held out the bottle of hot sauce in his right hand.

"A real-live Saiyan!" Bill shouted, causing Bubbles to become puzzled. "Surely, Saiyan, you would like some hot sauce!"

"Bubbles is a monkey, Bills," King Kai said.

"That's what I said! He's a Saiyan!" Bills shouted.

"I've been watching over the North Galaxy for quite some time now, and I can tell you for sure that Bubbles isn't a Saiyan," King Kai said. "You see, Bills, monkeys remain in the form you see Bubbles in, and then there is a species known as humans who look like the Saiyans from the videogame, but they aren't Saiyans. Saiyans look like humans, but can transform into giant monkeys under certain conditions."

"So what you're saying is that Bubbles is a monkey who is in reality just the transformed version of a really, really short Saiyan?" Bills asked.

"Bubbles is just a monkey, but he's cool anyway," King Kai said, while Bubbles gave a thumbs-up sign in approval.

"Wait just one hot sauce minute right there," Bills said. "Do you mean to tell me that real-life Saiyans transform into monkeys, while the guys in this videogame get all the super golden hair and stuff?"

"Aside from having a Great Ape form, there is a legend about some Saiyans having the ability to transform into what's known as a Super Saiyan, but I haven't had the opportunity to observe the Saiyan race often enough to determine if the legend has any truth to it," King Kai said. "Perhaps one day, I'll meet a Saiyan and find out for myself what's up. But yeah, it looks like the folks who made the videogame that we – or rather, you – are playing were aware of the legend and included Saiyan characters based off the legend."

"I wonder if becoming a Super Saiyan would increase a Saiyan's capacity to consume hot sauce," Bills said.

"If so, meeting such a Saiyan and challenging him to a hot sauce eating contest might be something you'd enjoy!" King Kai said.

"How could I enjoy it when I know I'd win?" Bills asked. "No mortal could possibly defeat me in a hot sauce eating competition."

"You might get a thrill out of just seeing what the Super Saiyan could do," King Kai said. "And who knows? Perhaps you're wrong and the Super Saiyan might win after all."

"Unlikely," Bills said. "Through divine providence, the hot sauce has chosen me!"

"Apparently," King Kai said.

"Certainly, just as it certainly is time to continue the game!" Bills said, as he ran back toward the videogame controller and pressed the start button.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Ineffably Big-Ass Otherworld, Ineffably Big-Ass Hell, right in front of a giant full-color hologram screen, March 29, 2013**

In the midst of their daily routine of drinking smuggled wine and beating up weaker denizens of the realm, they had just a few hours ago found that in one of their main hang-out spots, a giant full-color hologram screen had appeared!

As he had been quite curious as to its origin, Frieza had approached the screen, which was just one meter off the ground, about 10 meters in width, and about five meters in height.

When Frieza had approached within five meters of the screen, he had suddenly seen a moustached humanoid appear!

"Frieza! It's me, Dr. Raichi!" he had said, while members of the Ginyu Force had taken note of the transmission, as per the built-in sound transfer capability of the screen from the mortal realm to Otherworld.

"I remember receiving many letters of fanmail from you, Raichi," Frieza had said, while performing a ceremonial bow of greeting. "To what do I owe this transmission?"

Raichi then had explained what he was intending, which had caused Frieza to laugh maniacally, yet gracefully.

Frieza and his associates had been invited to a private screening, and now, hours later, Freiza was sipping shiraz while sitting in a comfy chair in front of the screen, waiting for the private screening to begin.

To his left, Cooler was in the midst of downing a glass of merlot, while to his right, King Cold was sipping his glass of cabernet sauvignon.

Starting from Cooler's left were Salza, Dore, and Neiz, followed by Zarbon and Dodoria, while starting from King Cold's right were Jeice, Burter, Recoome, and Guldo.

"This is a refreshing change of pace," Cooler said, while looking down toward the left at the bowl of popcorn that Salza was passing him, taking a few popped kernels for himself, and then passing the bowl to Frieza. "If what Raichi said is true, then this will at least partially offset how boring Hell has been lately."

"Quite possibly," King Cold said, right before receiving the popcorn bowl from Frieza, declining to acquire any for himself, and then passing the bowl to Jeice. "There is so little to do here that if it wasn't for the fact that the two of you are here with me, I would probably smuggle even more wine through those incompetent ogres and place myself in a seemingly endless stupor."

"You did that as recently as last week, father," Frieza said, while taking another sip of his shiraz.

"Lord Frieza, when is this thing supposed to start?" Zarbon asked, while in the midst of playing poker with Dodoria and Deiz.

"Raichi said it would start in about five minutes," Frieza said.

"Oh, then it could start any time now, couldn't it?" Cooler asked. "Honestly, brother, you need to keep far better track of time."

"Ever since that worthless Saiyan overloaded my Scouter back on Namek, it's been difficult to tell the time," Frieza said. "Oh, and of course, since every day in Hell feels like it was the day before, that adds to the monotonousness."

"That's why I haven't used my special ability in a long time," Guldo said, while sipping a glass of tomato juice. "Hell would seem like even more of the same."

"Still, it's better than Recoome's basement," Burter said, while Recoome neglected to respond, as he was stuffing his face with popcorn. "In fact, we – wait, it's starting!"

* * *

_Ferrets__. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Television studio room, Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, March 29, 2013 **

Within the television studio, the lights aimed at the stage, over a period of three seconds, shifted from almost-complete darkness to standard live-studio stage lighting conditions.

Although the room had a few hundred audience seats, no living being occupied them, nor any being for that matter. Instead, above the seats near the front of the audience section, the other end of the holographic screen that Raichi had established as a connection between Hell and the mortal realm had activated.

Upon the well-lit stage, the nine warriors could see Frieza and friends quite clearly, and they still could not move, as per the restraint that Hatchiyack had imposed upon them.

Each of the warriors had been seated in a chair, and from left to right, Frieza's party could see Piccolo, Gohan, Goku, Trunks, Vegeta, Tarble, Cell, Broly, and Bro.

Vegeta was enraged to see Frieza looking directly toward him with an expression indicative of significant enjoyment, and in general, the warriors on the stage were apprehensive by the the apparent enjoyment of those in Hell who were watching them.

Then, the show began.

Upbeat jazz music began to emanate from the speakers throughout the studio, and a few seconds after it began, an announcer's voice could be heard.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Dark Planet Comedy Club!" the announcer voice said, while the warriors continued to attempt to break free of their restraints. "Here's your host, the master of thorough revenge himself, Dr, Raichi!"

Suddenly, the jazz music became even more upbeat, with the volume noticeably increased.

Dr. Raichi emerged from the curtains to Piccolo's right and Frieza's left, strolling in an energetic manner while wearing a shabby black tuxedo, a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, and a green tie with blue polka dots.

Raichi turned toward the audience and raised his fists in the air in a victorious manner, to which the audience in Hell began to enthusiastically clap and cheer.

"And now, please welcome the comedy club's drummer, the conscripted computer himself, Hatchiyack!" the announcer said.

Part of the stage to Bro's left and Frieza's right suddenly shifted, such that the boards that had comprised a portion of the floor of the stage receded into a horizontal slot. Then, from underneath the stage, the platform on which Hatchiyack was sitting behind his drum set rose, and then became level with the stage.

Upon seeing Hatchiyack and his drum set, the crowd in Hell again clapped and cheered.

The jazz music gradually faded, and Raichi then revealed a portable handheld microphone that had been within one of the inner pockets of his tux, and gripped it with his left hand.

"Greetings one and all, to this wondrous occasion for making fun of Saiyans!" Raichi said, while walking across the stage. "I had contemplated for decades how to best exact my revenge upon the Saiyans, and for so very long, I had sought to eradicate them. Despite my efforts, I didn't achieve success in that endeavor, but you know who almost entirely did? He's right there in the audience with you now! Stand up and take a bow, Frieza!"

Frieza indeed got up from his seat and bowed to his left and right, causing all but Cooler and Cold to give him a standing ovation, although they both joined in clapping for him.

"I've had a lot of time to think over what the best method of revenge actually would be, and I decided that simply killing these guys would not be enough of a revenge. Hatchiyack, we could kill them right now if we wanted to, right?"

"They've been restrained through the excellence of our sponsor, Kentucky Fried Chicken," Hatchiyack said, as a KFC logo briefly appeared on the holographic screen, then faded.

"Instead of ending their misery quickly, though, I decided that a much better method of revenge would be to make them pay for their insolence over the long term," Raichi said. "That's why we're here, folks! It's time to enact my grand plan of revenge! In retribution for the Saiyans' crimes against me, the Tuffles, and all whom they have faulted, they shall now be forced to endure my stand-up comedy!"

The warriors on the stage suddenly appeared as though they had even greater trepidation, which made those in Hell grin in excitement.

"All of this, of course, shall focus on deprecating the Saiyans and their allies!" Raichi said. "I invited you all here for this first private screening of this show so that those whom the Saiyans have faulted most can together rejoice in the Saiyans' foolery!"

The denizens of Hell yet again clapped and cheered, while Raichi then looked toward the warriors on stage.

"Now, without further ado, whom among you shall I make fun of first?" Raichi asked aloud, while reaching into another internal pocket of his tux and taking out a drumstick of fried chicken, which he gripped with his right hand. "Ah, I know! We'll start with the person among you who ostensibly loves fried chicken most, Goku!"

"You're despicable!" Goku shouted, while simultaneously trying to break free of Hatchiyack's restraint and trying to snatch Raichi's fried chicken.

"Alright, so Goku, you knew Instant Transmission for a while before Frieza invaded Planet Earth, and yet you didn't return to the planet, despite the fact that your wife and son were there," Raichi said, right before taking a bite of the scrumptious chicken, which enraged Goku even further. "I bet I know why you didn't come back as soon as you could. The miraculous Super Saiyan, who is brave in many manners, was not brave enough to face his own wife and explain to her where he'd been!"

Hatchiyack then used his drum sticks (not fried chicken drumsticks, but sticks for a drum), to tap on his snare drum twice, then hit his hi-hat cymbal once.

The accusation, and the accentuation of the mood through Hatchiyack's drumming, caused riotous laughter to erupt among those who were in Hell, right before Raichi continued his charge.

"And then, Goku, when Frieza did invade Earth, you could have instant transmitted aboard his ship after it emerged from hyperspace and before it landed on Earth, but you didn't do this," Raichi said. "Also, after Frieza and King Cold actually landed on the planet, you could have instant transmitted to the Earth then, but instead, you let Trunks take care of Frieza. You then said to Trunks that you didn't instant transmit because he had already made his move, but what was stopping you from returning anyway, just to make sure things would be alright?"

Goku thought about all this, but he didn't have an answer.

"I'll tell you why you again didn't return as soon as you could have!" Raichi said. "Even with the planet under invasion, you were still so scared of what your wife would do to you after having been gone for so long that you wanted to delay being near the Earth system for as long as possible, as you knew she would sense you and unleash her wrath upon you!"

Following another snare-cymbal roll from Hatchiyack, the raucousness of the laughter of those in Hell crescendoed, as Raichi ate some more of the chicken, then faced Gohan.

"So, young Saiyan, it's impressive that you became a Super Saiyan 2, but did you ever really think about the implications of how you achieved this?" Raichi asked. "It's true that you trained with your father to achieve your basic Super Saiyan form, but when the Earth needed you most, when the chips were down and Cell held the best cards, you failed to achieve Super Saiyan 2 entirely on your own! You were refusing to attack Cell while his juniors were kicking your friends' asses, and the only reason you ended up transforming further at all was because Cell killed Sixteen. That's right, Gohan, had one of your friends not died a horrible death, you might not have transformed at all! It's the same story with Goku's Super Saiyan transformation and Trunks' achievement Super Saiyan 2! You couldn't save those you care about without having one die in the process! If that's what was required for the three of you to achieve your respective transformations, then truly, Saiyan evolution is ostensibly primitive!"

Those in Hell again applauded following Hatchiyack's cadence, and to emphasize his self-perceived superiority over the Super Saiyans, Cooler then transformed into his own Super form, then met Goku's gaze and flipped him off.

"You're only doing that because you know I'm stronger than you!" Goku shouted.

"But by no means more advanced!" Cooler said.

"I transformed because I cared about preventing horror against other people," Gohan said. "You, Raichi, apparently just care about pointing out our tactical errors and worst faults for comedic effect, without focusing on all the exemplary things we've done."

"For the deaths of each member of my race, surely the remaining Saiyans can tolerate humor at their expense," Raichi said. "I'm being more than reasonable. Would you rather I go with the original plan and kill you instead?"

"Raichi, we're beyond sorry that the Saiyans of the past committed horrible crimes against the Tuffles, but we, personally, did nothing to you to merit these atrocious jokes," Trunks said. "It would be civil of you to stop this and free us."

"I agree, especially because it seems you might be open to listening to reason," Cell said. "After all, you're not evil in the same way as those guys in Hell. You were a decent person whose desire for revenge against true malevolent aggressors warped his own mind into such foolishness."

"You have no right to advise me on matters of morality, Cell," Raichi said. "After all, we all know how uncertain your foundation of righteousness is. And speaking of uncertainty with regard to you, Cell, you've yet to understand the true reason why unlike Frieza, you have never been in an official Dragon Ball movie."

"This is of course another joke or jest, isn't it?" Cell asked.

"Right you are, and once again, it incorporates the truth," Raichi said. "Cell, you think yourself to be of extreme importance, an indeed, it seems that even now, you strive for perfection. At any moment, you want to be the perfect being based on what you feel that means … at that moment. Obviously, you believe that you deserved to be in a Dragon Ball franchise movie because you view yourself as so important, and potentially so perfect, that you merited inclusion in at least one. From your perspective, you likely would have felt that appearing in an official movie would have enabled you to be 'more' perfect. But you know what, Cell? Placing you into a Dragon Ball franchise film would have been unnecessary! You would have been extraneous, sticking out among the crowd more than you already do!"

Another three-hit drum cadence preceded further laughter, and Raichi elaborated.

"For most intents and purposes, it only would have been feasible to place you in movies starting with the seventh, that is, if you were necessary. Movie 7 had a bunch of androids form the Red Ribbon Army, and clearly, you would have been extraneous because of the presence of your fellow Red Ribbon fighters. You claim that it's either a plot hole or missed opportunity that your whereabouts in Movie 8 and my own were never explained, as they take place during the 10-day wait for your games, but you know what? Putting you in Movies 8 and 8.5 would have detracted from their focuses, as the audience of each film is aware the Z-Fighters are going to fight you soon, based on the chronology of the films. Instead of wasting time on featuring you and your imminent threat, the audience rightfully has the opportunity to enjoy the Z-Fighters' battles against other worthy enemies from that era of DBZ history. Then, in Movie 9, you were dead! While Goku was dead and yet was still in the film, did you really think it would have been necessary for you to randomly appear offering advice to the antagonist? The audience had just experienced two sagas with you! You weren't needed! Obviously, Movies 10 and 11 were Broly-centric, and it would have felt out-of-place for you to have been randomly included. Then, there's Movie 12, which is another one of what you've suggested as the primary films in which you could have been included. After all, Frieza is in the film, and he was a fully canonical main series villain from the manga, so why weren't you included as well? Firstly, Frieza's sagas had happened long, long before that point, while yours were in more recent memory. Enabling him to show up was a nice call-back to the past; you had more recently been present, and so a cameo on your part was not as nostalgic. Secondly, Frieza's mere appearance was more important than yours!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself!" Frieza shouted.

"Frieza had a far longer history of fighting members of the Z-Fighters, while yours was comparatively shorter," Raichi said. "If only one of you could be chosen for the main series villain cameo, he was the better choice. As for Movie 13, that was Hirudegarn's debut as well as Hoi's, and placing you in the film was entirely unnecessary. It's the same deal with Abo and Cado's debut in Yo! Son Goku and Friends Return; you just weren't needed and would have taken the spotlight away from new villains. And as for The History of Trunks, showing you would have been a plot spoiler, and knowing how much you care for quality storytelling, you obviously would not have wanted that! Face it Cell, you should have been satisfied with having the better part of two sagas to yourself! Instead, you're an attention-seeking, conceited individual! How's that for righteousness?"

All of this caused the audience to laugh with gusto, and Hatchiyack found the deprecation against Cell to be so humorous that he forgot to again provide the drum hits.

As the laughter calmed, Cell grinned.

"For someone who supposedly has high intelligence, your analysis reflects extreme ignorance," Cell said. "My argument as to the merit for my inclusion in a Dragon Ball franchise movie never presupposed that I could have been appropriately included in each of the movies starting with the seventh. I've merely suggested that my presence in Movies 8, 8.5, 12, and possibly 7 would have made logical sense as per the contexts of the films."

"You know what would make logical sense? Calling yourself an Arcosian, instead of a Saiyan, as you should be far more proud of that aspect of your heritage!" Raichi said.

The statement caused King Cold, then Frieza, and then Cooler to raise their glasses of red wine as a sign of agreement, then knock back the remainder of that which was in their glasses.

"Everything is relative, Raichi," Cell said. "I'm proud to be a member of the Saiyan, Arcosian, Human, and Namekian races."

"Speaking of relatives, let's talk about Vegeta's long-lost brother here," Raichi said, as he shifted his gaze from Cell and focused on Tarble.

Instead of looking directly at Raichi, Tarble looked toward the denizens of Hell.

"Hiya everybody!" Tarble said in an extremely upbeat and polite tone. "For those of you who met me a whole ago, and for those of you I've never met, allow me to introduce myself! I'm Tarble, my awesome big brother Vegeta's little brother! I'm sure that you all and I can be bestest of friends!"

Raichi snickered, while the denizens of Hell bellowed with laughter out of the idea that there could be such a contrast between Vegeta and his brother.

"Sometimes the absurdity reveals itself, folks!" Raichi said. "You can't make this stuff up!"

"I'm just so happy to be on television!" Tarble said.

"Of course you are," Raichi said, as he shifted his gaze leftward toward Vegeta.

"I hate everything about this," Vegeta said.

"And that's why I enjoy it," Raichi said, as he reached into another of his suit's internal pockets, found a trash bag, placed the disposable parts of his piece of fried chicken into it, then threw it into the air.

Hatchiyack sent a minor blast into the fried chicken remnant, and its form was entirely converted to energy.

"What was the point of placing it into a bag if you were planning on that from the start?" Vegeta asked.

"Committing a flagrant tactical discrepancy on purpose is an excellent prelude to identifying one of the most severe illogical plot points of Dragon Ball Z, one that is a significant discrepancy with regard to you, as especially through your tactics, you otherwise are quite intelligent despite being a Saiyan, and yet in this instance reflect extreme ignorance of logic," Raichi said, as Vegeta sneered. "So Vegeta, when Trunks returned from the future following your destruction of Android 19, and Piccolo then identified to you that the time-traveling Super Saiyan from the future's name indeed is Trunks, it was only then that you realized that he and your recently born son were alternate timeline counterparts. It's absolutely ridiculous to believe that you couldn't have easily figured this out beforehand, and knowing you, it's absurd that you didn't. For you to have only realized the connection upon Trunks' return is simply astounding."

"Well, I … um … I thought he was some how another of Kakarot's sons!" Vegeta said.

"What!" Trunks and Goku simultaneously shouted.

"It's obviously by the way you just made that claim that you made it up on the spot," Raichi said.

"Alright; fine," Vegeta said. "I won't dishonor my son by having him believe I actually once thought he could have been Kakarot's kid."

"Hey!" Goku and Gohan shouted.

"By Age 767, you had known for three years already of the Super Saiyan from the future, and yet even three years before then, you failed to realize that there were only a handful of people whose son he could have been, which should have enabled you to recognize almost from the start that he likely was your son," Raichi said. "You said after meeting the Super Saiyan from the future for the first time that only Goku, Gohan, and yourself were the last surviving Saiyans, and while you didn't know of Broly at the time, you didn't bother mentioning Tarble."

"That point, like my brother, is negligible," Vegeta said.

"Meanie!" Tarble shouted.

"So, because you didn't even consider the possibility that Trunks could have been another Saiyan who survived the destruction of Planet Vegeta because he was far too young for that to have been a possibility, both in the context of Age 764 and Age 784, you should have realized with regard to his time travel that he only could have been the son of a living Saiyan, and that to your knowledge, and without counting Tarble, he could only have been your son, Goku's, or Gohan's. It's not clear whether Piccolo, when he reiterated what he'd heard Trunks tell Goku, explicitly told you that Trunks was from 20 years in the future; if he had, that would have outright excluded Gohan from the possibility of being the father. Even so, knowing you, you easily could have deduced that the likelihood of Trunks being related to Gohan was minimum because they look almost nothing alike. As for Trunks being Goku's son, that would have been outlandish, as neither Goku nor Chi-Chi have lavender hair, and while you could have discounted Goku's parents from having such hair, you could have asked about Chi-Chi's, and then could have found out that they did not. For Trunks to have been Goku's son, that would have required Goku to have cheated on Chi-Chi with a lavender-haired woman shortly before dying from the heart virus. Surely, you didn't think Goku would cheat on his wife, did you? I mean, Goku is loyal, I'll give him that. Besides, if Chi-Chi had ever found out that such a thing occurred, she would have killed him herself!"

Hatchiyack decided it was another opportune time to tap the drum set, and the audience in Hell snickered at the comment.

"Therefore, Vegeta, you should have known that the Super Saiyan from the future was either your son, or possibly one of your later descendents, right from the start," Raichi said. "Oh, and of course, years later, after your son of your own timeline was born, that should have informed you right then and there that the Super Saiyan from the future and your son were definitely alternate timeline counterparts, as your son had the time traveler's colors of hair and eyes, and as you knew that the time traveler was the son of a Saiyan. The fact that you didn't put all this together on your own, and that you finally figured it out only after being told that Trunks is the name of the gentleman to your right and realizing that his name was the same as your son's, is, to quote what you said around the time you figured it out, 'bizarre!'"

With two hits of the snare drum and a hit of the hi-hat cymbal, Hatchiyack beckoned the audience to again laugh, and laugh the audience indeed did.

"However, Vegeta, to your credit, your achievement of the Super Saiyan transformation didn't involve having to witness someone you care about die, unlike that which was such of those we've mentioned," Raichi said. "And yet, you only achieved the Super Saiyan transformation because you didn't know when to hold' em, and you instead decided to fold' em! How does it feel knowing that you only became a Super Saiyan after essentially giving up in your fight to become better than Goku, with the extreme emotional stress of your desperation and exasperation-induced shift of no longer desiring to be better than him catalyzing that transformation?"

"Go bother someone else!" Vegeta shouted.

"Thanks for confirming the effectiveness of that point," Raichi said, as he turned his gaze toward Broly and Bro. "Here are two more Saiyans who were able to power up without someone dying right beforehand."

Raichi was about to continue, but he then noticed that a certain distinguished guest was at the moment not devoting full attention to the festivities.

"Frieza! Just what are you doing?" Raichi asked, upon noticing that the Arcosian lord had suddenly busied himself with looking at numerous papers. "You're supposed to be watching this!"

Frieza then looked up from the documents.

"Hm? Ah, my apologies, but my mind is a bit preoccupied at the moment," Frieza said. "It seems that although you claim to be my 'biggest fan,' there is another who surpasses you, … and she has been sending me artwork."

Raichi did a double-take.

"Artwork! That's what's got your attention?" he asked.

"At the moment, yes," Frieza said. "For a human, Roketto seems to have quite the obsession with me, and offers quite the images …."

Raichi momentarily paused to consider the implications of what he had heard.

"I don't believe this!" Raichi shouted. "I've been outdone by a human female, drawing kami-knows-what to appeal to that depraved – "

"I can still hear you, you know!" Frieza said.

"To clarify, I believe that depravity can be a powerful ally if properly applied, and you can very much see that I truly do believe in this principle based on this comedy show," Raichi said.

"Yes, and it has been thrilling to watch these Saiyans' pride become further shattered!" Frieza said. "I shall intensely look at these images later, but as for now, do continue."

"Excellent," Raichi said, while redirecting his attention back to Broly and Bro. "Two Legendary Super Saiyans! Despite your supposed glory, did you ever realize that you'd both be nothing if you powers hadn't simply been given to you by nature?"

"I humbly recognize that, and as a result of my reformation, I use my powers for benevolent aims," Broly said.

"I don't give a shit about that, and because of my bad-assery, I'll use my powers to break your face as soon as I find a way to escape this restraint!" Bro said.

"Little did Ghost Warrior Paragus know that he'd suddenly see the pair of you guys when he arrived," Raichi said. "But, after all, it's not surprising as per his name. I mean, Paragus and 'pair of guys' sound kind of the same, right?"

A few seconds passed, and Raichi heard no audible reaction.

"Was I supposed to hit the drums for that one?" Hatchiyack asked.

"Get back to making fun of them over stuff that matters!" Salza yelled.

"Alright-alright-alright-okay!" Raichi said, as he walked toward his left and focused on Trunks. "You're the son of Vegeta and Bulma, but did you ever realize that – "

Suddenly, toward the middle of the stage, a bright sphere of white light appeared!

Raichi's temporary loss for further words had resulted from absolute shock at the occurrence, as he had in no way planned for such an effect to be activated.

"Hatchiyack! Run a scan on this thing!" Raichi shouted, as Hatchiyack got up from his drum set, walked in front of it, and then analyzed the sphere.

"It's … profoundly incomprehensible," Hatchiyack said, causing Raichi, the warriors on the stage, and the audience in Hell to view the sphere with even greater intrigue.

The sphere of bright white light then expanded outward a few meters, and then lost visible form while blinding the vicinity in a significant field of bright white light!

A few seconds later, the bright light dissipated, and standing in the middle of the stage, in place of where the sphere had been, the two beings who had emerged were in the midst of surveying their surroundings.

"That substandard joke was just the instance of insufficient quality that we had needed to break into this dimension!" shouted Dr. Myuu, whose orange moustache became accentuated under the lights of the stage.

"Now that we have entered this realm, we, the true avengers of the Tuffles, can accomplish our even grander goals!" said Baby, who in his adult form had blue pants, blue sleeves, white and blue clothing on his chest, and rounded, golden shoulder armor.

Raichi and Hatchiyack thought of the implications of Myuu and Baby's arrival, and in recognizing the newcomers' potential intentions, they kept their distance.

"I must say, I'm quite surprised to see the two of you," Raichi said, while maintaining a manner of civility. "We were just in the middle of reprimanding the Saiyans for their foolishness, as per our mutual desire to acquire vengeance against them on behalf of all Tuffles."

"The Saiyans have been thoroughly restrained, save for their ability to speak," Hatchiyack said. "Would you like to join us in the festivities?"

"The offer is tempting, but we have a far more important mission than mere revenge to achieve," Myuu said, as he directed his gaze toward Baby. "Do you care to enlighten these rough drafts, or shall I?"

"I will enable them to understand all," Baby said, while observing that the denizens of Hell still were intently watching, and that the warriors were as well concentrating on his words. "Despite the qualms between Myuu and I, we decided to set these grievances aside so that we could work together to achieve a mutual goal. The two of you, Dr. Raichi and Hatchiyack, represent a significant threat that Dr. Myuu and I have arrived to extinguish!

The comment instantly caused Hatchiyack to shift toward Raichi, and they each then entered an aggressive stance.

"What are you talking about?" Hatchiyack asked. "We're supposed to be fighting for the same thing, revenge against the Saiyans! That is our creed, as the four of us are the legacy of the Tuffles!"

"Superficially, if all Dragon Ball media is to be accepted as part of one complete story, this is true, but there is far more to all this than you apparently realize," Baby said. "You see, there is a significant redundancy between us! The concept of two surviving elements of the Tuffles seeking revenge against the Saiyans for the destruction of the Tuffle race was first used for the two of you in Movie 8.5, and then, three years later, the same premise was again used for Dragon Ball GT! Dr. Raichi, … you and Dr. Myuu are both incarnations of the same concept character, a scientist who enables an artificial super-weapon fighter of the Tuffles to be able to fight. Hatchiyack, … the two of us also are incarnations of the same concept character, as we each are a super-weapon fighter seeking revenge against the Saiyans on behalf of the Tuffle race. For more than 15 years, the redundancy between us has been obvious, but only since 2010 have Dr. Myuu and I viewed this as a true problem. Care to elaborate, doctor?"

"Of course," Myuu said. "Baby and I knew full well that the two of you were the first incarnations of the concept characters that were recycled into us, but we observed, through the history of Dragon Ball media releases, that we had been regarded as superior and more prominent to the two of you, as while your movie faded into obscurity and remained that way for many years, Baby and I were featured prominently in Dragon Ball media! From 1996 to 2009, English dubs were produced for the main 13 Dragon Ball Z movies, the one Dragon Ball GT movie, and the entirety of the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT series, and yet your movie remained without an English dub and still does not have one! The lack of an English dub and the lack of sufficient availability of your movie caused even many self-perceived ardent fans of the franchise to be unaware of your existence for more than a decade after the release of your movie! And what of other media aspects released from 1996 to 2009? In that time period, Baby appeared in eight separate videogames released for home consoles and three arcade videogames, while you, Hatchiyack, didn't appear in any! It had seemed for so very long that Baby and I were the franchise's 'accepted' versions of our concept characters, with the two of you almost entirely discarded! But then … Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 was released in 2010, and Hatchiyack was in the game, while Baby was not! More importantly, your movie was rescripted and rereleased, and it again achieved prominence! Fortunately, when Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi was released in 2011, Baby was included and Hatchiyack was not, but both Baby and Hatchiyack as of 2013 appear in the often-updated arcade game Dragon Ball Heroes!"

"Myuu, there is an overabundance of characters who are playable in that game, even you!" Hatchiyack said.

"And the fact I am while Raichi is not is matter of great pride," Myuu said, to Raichi's loathing. "But still, it's extremely disconcerting that you, Hatchiyack, were included in the game before Baby and me! You were released as an ultimate-rare character in the second expansion, while Baby Saga characters weren't released until the 10th through 13th expansions! It seems that the Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans story's conceptualization of the Tuffles' revenge against the Saiyans is gaining significant prominence again, and that as per Hatchiyack's recent prominent inclusions, this could be troublesome for the preservation of our status as true villains of the official Dragon Ball franchise."

"With your recent gains in prominence, we began to suspect that there is a strong possibility that those who control the Dragon Ball franchise are increasingly favoring elements of Dragon Ball Z as being strictly more important than those of Dragon Ball GT with regard to what is considered canonical and/or 'most true' and/or 'most important,'" Baby said. "We fully acknowledge that Dragon Ball GT's canonicity has been debated over the years, but we were always confident in the basic integrity of the show's preservation as an essential element of the Dragon Ball franchise … that is, until the two of you began to make a resurgence in recent years. Then, just a few years after your movie was released in 2010 with Raging Blast 2, the announcement was made for the release of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods! We at first thought that perhaps the movie would be made in a way that would enable its events to not significantly conflict with those of Dragon Ball GT, enabling the DBGT series to remain canonically disputed, but not outright refuted. However, we then learned that the movie would introduce a new transformation, Super Saiyan God, which grants the wielder extreme power far beyond the capabilities of a Saiyan's highest naturally occurring Super Saiyan form. We also know that acquiring Super Saiyan God enabled Goku in the Battle of Gods film to become far more powerful overall, such that even without maintaining the form itself, Goku was able to utilize much of its power via another Super Saiyan transformation and was able to put up a respectable fight against the film's primary antagonist, who possibly is stronger than even Omega Shenron. Regardless of whether that primary antagonist or Omega is stronger, the fact that a form as powerful and as useful as Super Saiyan God is now recognized, in an officially sanctioned Dragon Ball Z canonical installment closely supervised by the franchise's creator, as having been attained after the Majin Buu Saga but before Goku meets Uub, is extremely problematic for Dragon Ball GT, and almost certainly undermines the entirety of GT. The fact that Super Saiyan God is never mentioned in GT, and that a suggestion is never made in GT to again induce the form in various situations in which the form could have been useful and in which it could have been possible to acquire the necessary support of six pure-hearted Saiyans to achieve it, has become a seemingly fatal logic and continuity flaw of GT as a whole. This major, unmistakable retroactive inclusion of Super Saiyan God has retroactively created perhaps the biggest plot hole of Dragon Ball GT, which simply cannot be ignored. It is for this reason that the establishment of Super Saiyan God ostensibly renders GT as canonically incompatible with Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z at a foundational level, at last in an unmistakable way."

"And we have decided to act upon our desire to prevent our glorious series from becoming obsolete," Myuu said. "The reestablishment of your movie seemed to have been a symbolic start of what appears to be a campaign to reemphasize preexisting Dragon Ball Z elements that contradict Dragon Ball GT and retroactively establish DBZ elements that as well contradict GT, ostensibly in an attempt to finally override Dragon Ball GT and render its events as officially unsupported and incompatible with Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. The two of you were harbingers of these changes, and for this, we shall forever detest you!"

Raichi felt solemn, yet proud of the implications.

"As Hatchiyack and I were introduced first, it seems, after all, that it has officially been recognized that we are the true ones whose destiny it has been to avenge the Tuffles," Raichi said. "It seems the two of you, and not the two of us, are to be obsolete."

"We shall never accept such degradation!" Baby shouted. "We refuse to let our glory and the glory of our series be overridden, and we have entered this dimension to exact our revenge upon the two of you, in defense of Dragon Ball GT and in retribution for the fact that the two of you helped catalyze a new age of the Dragon Ball franchise unfavorable to the two of us!"

Cell then laughed aloud, and Raichi, Myuu, Hatchiyack, and Baby turned toward him.

"You know what's truly funny?" Cell asked. "These two fools are trying to extend the relevance of a show profuse with egregious plot holes and that had basic incompatibilities with preexisting canon long before 2010. Dragon Ball GT is an illogical mess of a show, and we should all be thankful that at last, those who control the Dragon Ball franchise have apparently decided to take action to officially override it and improve the overall logic and quality of the 'true' Dragon Ball storyline."

"That's right," Trunks said. "GT has subverted the franchise's overall quality for quite some time, and now, a significant restoration of quality can be achieved. I've always considered the 'GT' in Dragon Ball GT to stand for 'Gargantuan Travesty,' and at last, the travesty can be alleviated."

"All of you shall suffer for this ridicule!" Myuu shouted, as he nodded toward Baby.

Baby's form abruptly liquefied, and before Raichi or Hatchiyack could properly counter the shift, Myuu pressed a button on a device he had brought with him, sending an encoded wave straight into Hatchiyack that caused his mouth to remain open for two seconds.

Within those two seconds, Baby entered Hatchiyack, infecting him with his Machine Mutant powers! The fact that Hatciyack was a Machine Mutant himself, and not merely a machine, enabled Baby to interface with his semi-biomechanical circuitry.

Raichi was horrified at to the occurrence, and he stared in shock as Hatchiyack's form began to mutate to reflect his possession.

"You need to do something!" Cell shouted to Raichi. "If you don't, Baby will use the power he's acquired from Hatchiyack to not only destroy all of us, but potentially take advantage of our defeat to further Dragon Ball GT's status at the expense of Dragon Ball Z!"

Raichi nodded in agreement, and using his psychic interface that he possessed with all the technological elements he created, he sent an encoded wave of his own toward Hatchiyack. He knew that while he did not possess any sort of encoded wave designed to expel a foreign invader from Hatchiyack's system, he did possess an encoded wave to open up Hatchiyack's CD-Rom and DVD-RW drives.

Raichi aimed the encoded wave and opened both drives, and right before Baby gained full control of Hatchiyack, and without enabling Myuu to have enough time to stop him, Raichi darted forward and knocked the fried chicken power-up disc out of Hatchiyack's CD-Rom drive, then knocked out of Hatchiyack's DVD-RW drive the mashed potatoes disc that had enabled Hatciyack to restrain the nine warriors.

Two seconds later, Baby gained full control of Hatchiyack's form, and as they both were incarnations of the same concept, the only difference in the physical appearance of Hatchiyack's form was that his yellowish eyes had shifted to solid fields of white.

"You fool!" Baby shouted through Hatchiyack's form, which to Raichi and many others sounded funky because Baby's high-pitched voice had replaced Hatchiyack's rather deep one, and yet was emanating from Hatchiyack's form all the same. "No one who defies Dragon Ball GT shall live to tell the tale!"

Baby manipulated Hatchiyack's right arm to strike Raichi, but before the punch could connect, Trunks, in his Super Saiyan 2 form, blocked the attack.

At the same time, Cell rushed forward and stomped upon the two enhancement discs, which Raichi had dropped on the ground and had not fully destroyed before Baby had attacked him.

"How dare you interfere with my plans!" Baby shouted. "And why would you want to help Raichi when he deprecated you and your friends so severely?"

"Raichi's menace is nothing compared to yours and that of Dragon Ball GT," Cell said. "I'm sure Raichi would have rather kept us restrained, but he knew that it would not just be beneficial to his interests, but to those of the 'true' Dragon Ball franchise, to lift our restraints so we could stop you from advancing GT at the expense of everything else."

"That's right," Raichi said, while the other seven warriors formed up behind Raichi, Cell, and Trunks, each of them entering attack stances against Baby. "Even with all I want to accomplish, I simply cannot allow proponents of the scourge of Dragon Ball GT to actively resist attempts to improve the quality of the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole."

"Dragon Ball GT possesses far more power than you can imagine!" Myuu shouted, as the warriors looked back toward him. "Have you checked out Baby's power level right now? It's higher than Hatchiyack's was before, even with the misplacement of the discs!"

"That's right!" Baby said. "It is said that unions of rivals produce the best warriors, but what of unions of characters who essentially are the same concept character? My power level is far higher than Hatchiyack's had been alone! We are as we have always been, one in the same, and we are as we should be, with me as the predominant! Now, watch this!"

As he had acquired many years of transformation practice through having his episodes rerun many times, Baby quickly shifted into his Super form! As Baby and Hatchiyack were in essence resonant, Hatchiyack's physical form did not overall change drastically for the Super form, but most notably, out from Hatchiyack's form had sprouted two giant shoulder-blade protrusions that arched slightly up and back, extending for a little less than a meter. Their yellow coloration was accompanied by the shifted yellow coloration of Hatchiyack's hands and the upper portion of his chest. His midsection and legs also had shifted color, and now were entirely dark in coloration. With other subtle changes in coloration achieved, Baby had accentuated his power level even further! [_Author's aside: __Kakarotto Ka Power Level Kya Hai? (also known as I-Am-So-Original) created a visual rendition of Baby Hatchiyack that you can view online! You can visit his deviantART page (his username for deviantART is I-Am-So-Original), to view the character design!] _

The warriors were aghast with how much power Baby had gained, and Baby then grinned.

"Fortunately for you, the fact that Hatchiyack and I are so similar has prevented me from being able to transform his body further, as my coding already recognizes that Hatchiyack has entered his highest possible state under my control, with my mere presence as the successor of his essence causing our combined system to treat the form you now see as one above what it truly is," Baby said. "But it's no matter, as I have become more powerful! Long live the glory of Dragon Ball GT! The beautiful, canon-defying events of our series shall never be overridden or otherwise diminished, not by Battle of Gods, and not by you!"

Baby then rushed toward Bro and punched him in the stomach, causing Bro to soar back many meters and breach the opposing wall of the studio.

"That does it!" Gohan shouted, as he transformed to Super Saiyan 2, repeatedly punched Baby in the head, and then was swiftly swept aside into the seats of the studio, causing many of the chairs that had been installed to be flung upward.

"Witness my full glory!" Baby shouted.

He then released spores of himself with the intention of infecting the rest of the warriors and bringing them fully under his control!

However, before any spore could make contact with any warrior, they all dissolved, while the music of the bagpipes could be heard.

Broly, in his Legendary Super Saiyan transformation and with his accentuating energy causing his kilt to gracefully flow, was blowing into the bagpipes' mouthpiece and was channeling significant energy into the pipes' sound. The sound was so powerful and was resonating with such destructive force that Baby's infection spores had been destroyed!

The music ceased, and Broly grinned.

"The bagpipes make more sense than GT ever will," Broly said. "I hope you enjoyed my Bagpipe Tranquilizer attack!"

"Damn you!" Baby shouted, while rushing toward Broly, only to be stopped by Cell and Trunks, who collectively punched him in the face and caused him to spiral backward.

Cell used the opportunity to apply a Magic Materialization adjustment beam to reconfigure Broly's bagpipes so they would be able to be minimized to pocket-size and quickly returned to normal size, enabling Broly to join the battle without risk of damaging the bagpipes, which he had decided were now among his favorite things. This also enabled Broly to be able to apply the bagpipes even in the midst of battle, as he could again call upon them to ward off Baby's infection spores if need be.

In the meantime, Baby had recovered his position and had charged toward Trunks, who managed to halt his movements on his own, then had become locked in combat with the infecting menace. Baby's attacks were swift and were of extreme power because of his configuration with Hatchiyack, but Trunks managed to block the majority of them, while those that he did not block caused manageable pain that Trunks knew he could endure. In their exchange of attacks and blocks, Trunks has as well managed to have many of his attacks connect, and Baby had been visibly affected by them.

"So much for your disgraceful efforts," Trunks said, with a grin. "Even with all your stolen strength, you're still no match for us!"

"You represent some of the best of Dragon Ball Z, and I represent some of the bet of Dragon Ball GT!" Baby shouted. "I don't care if you're slightly more powerful! My overall superiority shall enable me to prevail!"

"The best of Dragon Ball GT, huh? That isn't saying much," Cell said.

"Baby, what are you waiting for!" Dr. Myuu yelled. "It's time to accelerate our plans!"

"Of course," Baby said, while grinning at the three most powerful opponents in front of him. "All of you should thank me, as we'll now have a far larger arena!"

Before Cell, Trunks, or Broly could stop him, Baby unleashed a destructive wave of energy from all around him! Cell, Broly, and Trunks quickly shielded their fellow warriors from the blast, while Dr. Raichi and Dr. Myuu remained protected via their shielding capabilities.

* * *

_Ferrets._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Ineffably Big-Ass Otherworld, Ineffably Big-Ass Hell, right in front of a giant full-color hologram screen, March 29, 2013 **

The spectators in Hell had continued to be able to see all that had been happening in the television studio, but they had needed to avert their gaze because of the blinding light that had overwhelmed the screen.

After a few moments, however, the blinding light dissipated, revealing a wide-open field of wreckage, with most of the rubble in view having once been Dr. Raichi's cherished fortress.

It seemed the holographic screen had survived the explosion, and as the denizens of Hell watched the screen, they could see Baby and Broly engaging each other in combat.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively close to the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

Broly punched Baby across the face, sending him straight into a spire of Raichi's fortress that had managed to survive the blast, but which fell asunder as a result of the force by which Baby had collided with it.

Baby quickly recovered, then unleashed a Full-Power Energy Wave toward Broly, which the Legendary Super Saiyan countered by unleashing his own Full-Power Energy Wave.

The beams met at the midpoint of the 40-meter distance between the two fighters, with Broly's yellow-green wave pushing against Baby's wave of fuchsia, and while the other fighters, especially Trunks and Cell, knew they could readily assist Broly, they knew he wanted to at least for the moment fight Baby on his own.

"Your zealousness on behalf of your twisted ideals is notable, and I can understand working to defending one's own series, but do you really think GT to be a series of logical merit?" Broly asked with high volume, enabling Baby to hear his voice over the sound of the clashing attacks.

"I don't truly care whether it has logical merit!" Baby shouted. "All I want is for it to be considered a 'true' part of the Dragon Ball story, regardless of how it affects the rest of the franchise! It's my series, and I refuse to let my prominence fade!"

"And so just as you infected Hatchiyack, you're eager to continue plaguing the rest of the franchise?" Broly asked, as he devoted even more effort to his attack.

"Absolutely!" Baby said, as he used Hatchiyack's form to devote even more effort to the energy assault. "Besides, if I can defeat all of you now and declare victory over not just one, but nine representatives of Dragon Ball Z, this truly will enable Dragon Ball GT's prominence to be further supported."

Baby then unleashed far more power into the attack, at such an extent that Broly himself was shocked by the sudden augmentation of force.

"And if I succeed with the ultimate incarnation of my plan, which is to kill all of you, the victory of GT will be to such an extent that GT, itself, could be considered so prominent as to override Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z!" Baby shouted with maniacal laughter, as the fuchsia energy shifted closer and closer toward Broly. "Think of how wondrous it would be for Dragon Ball GT, and not its predecessors, to be considered as the most important. It has some of the most breathtaking and dynamic events of the franchise!"

The intensity of Broly's efforts increased as per his increasing intensity of anger over Baby's comments, and he pushed back with greater force, enabling the green to gain ground on the fuchsia.

"And just what are the dynamic events you're referring to?" Broly asked.

"A voyage across the stars, a battle against an entity with the power to take control of other people, a super android with the power to absorb others' energy, and a conflict in which the Dragon Balls were turned against those who used them in the form of dragon warriors!" Baby said. "All of it was really exciting!"

"And reflective of shitty writing!" Broly yelled, as the green energy advanced even farther against the fuchsia, reflective of Broly's increasing anger at his opponent's assertions. "The first three things you just mentioned were done in Dragon Ball Z, and they were far more exciting and well-written when they were! As for the Shadow Dragons, that entire saga never made any sense! Elder Kai knew about the GT-specified downside of using the Dragon Balls for too much evil, and it's probable that the Nameks did as well. And yet no one warned the heroes of any of that! It was an entirely unavoidable saga that shouldn't have taken place because it violated logic!"

"What matters is that it was cool!" Baby shouted. "It didn't have to make sense!"

The comment caused Broly's rage to rapidly augment.

"Your warped notion of what makes media 'good' shall be overcome!" Broly shouted, as the green energy advanced even further, to within two meters of Baby. "Too many people are tricked into tolerating low-quality plots and logic just because of flashiness and superficial elements, proliferating the predominance of stories without substance and social significance, which degrades the ability of people to critically think in their self-interest. Your threat of propagating superficiality is itself profound, Baby! How does it feel to be enhancing the significance of our beam struggle while having a penchant for focusing on the lights?"

"Damn you, Saiyan!" Baby said.

Broly grinned, then forced his Full-Power Energy Wave beyond Baby's own, causing Baby to be engulfed by the combined attack.

His eight fellow warriors approached him, while the fallout dust from the combined attacks had yet to settle.

"He's not defeated yet, but thanks for advocating the truth, man," Trunks said, as he and Broly fist-bumped.

"It needs to be done," Broly said, right before the fallout dust swirled away, revealing Baby, whose form was somewhat scathed, but otherwise battle-ready.

"All of you are fools," Baby said with a chuckle. "Even without transforming, I know of a way to increase my strength while weakening all of you!"

"Before you do that, I have a quick question," Gohan said.

"What is so important for you to ask me that you'd ask it right after I issued my latest threat?" Baby asked.

"I've just got to know, as per the fact that you consider coolness to be more important than logic with regard to the merit of media, what did you think of the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie?" Gohan asked.

"It was unequivocally a great movie," Baby said. "It had excellent animation and the characters were doing cool things left and right."

"I figured you'd say that," Gohan said.

"Now, young Saiyan, and all the rest of you, it is time for your to fully comprehend my own cool series!" Baby said, as the Z-Fighters braced for the ominous onslaught.

* * *

_Ferrets._

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively far from the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

Raichi was absolutely shocked and livid as to what had happened to his fortress, and especially to his laboratory.

Decades of research had been engulfed in destruction, and in the midst of his lamentations, he could hear a sordid bout of laughter from above.

"As your work was always subpar compared to mine, you shouldn't feel that bad at all!" Myuu said, right before landing on the ground. "Your lab was but a small price to pay in the process of reaffirming the ineffable glory of Dragon Ball GT!"

Raichi clenched his right fist to help him carry on despite what had happened, and despite what had just been said.

His grief turned to fury, and Raichi's posture again reflected strength.

"A true scientist would never condone the destruction of another's lab!" Raichi shouted. "How dare you insult intellectualism through reveling in such matters!"

"Don't be so naïve, Raichi; the destruction of one scientist's dreams can enable those of another to become reality," Myuu said, as he entered an attack stance. "As such, it's time to permanently end your threat against us!"

Myuu darted toward Raichi and punched toward his face, while Raichi avoided the punch through side-stepping to the left. Myuu then punched Raichi in the upper portion of his chest with his left hand, but before his right fist could connect for another punch, Raichi shifted his right side closer to Myuu and elbowed him in the stomach.

Before Myuu could reposition his right arm to again attack, Raichi took advantage of his current stance to grab Myuu's left wrist and placed his right hand upon Myuu's right upper-arm.

Raichi then pushed Myuu's arm downward while applying pressure, causing Myuu to shout in anger as to the pain.

Myuu then positioned his left foot upon Raichi's stomach and extended his left foot outward, forcing Raichi from his grip and back a few meters.

Raichi regained his balance and Myuu regained his composure, and with just three meters between them, the two scientists then charged toward each other, seeking to empirically verify their pre-eminence with definitive data.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively close to the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

"If I can't outright defeat you all, then I'll artificially increase my strength and decrease yours through the power of emphasizing that which accomplishes these effects!" Baby said, while Cell realized the implications of what was about to happen.

"I warn you, Baby, if you do what I think you're about to do, we'll find a way to overpower you even so!" Cell said, while beginning to charge a Kamehameha wave.

"The true essence of GT as a vibrant chronology of plot holes, illogical situations, and canon incompatibilities shall grant me strength, as I am a conduit of these elements!" Baby said. "All of you, as defenders of plot integrity, logic, and consistency, shall suffer my wrath! Unlike Raichi's jesting for his show beforehand, I shall apply these sentiments toward increasing my own power and decreasing yours through my affinity for disorder and your affinity for the opposite!"

"Damn," Cell said. "He's learned one of the most despicable tricks of the unparalleled troll himself!"

"I am quite aware of the events of the previous special, and yes, his efforts have been of great inspiration," Baby said. "Now, be overwhelmed with the truth of the fact that Goku's status as a child throughout Dragon Ball GT was unnecessary!"

Suddenly, the warriors felt as though they were stultified in power, with the weight of an entire series of insufficiency weighing them down.

"You truly are a madman, Baby," Goku said. "You're denigrating the series you're trying to save just so you can defeat us!"

"Ah, but emphasizing the flaws of the series deals far more harm to all of you than it does to it, especially since I'm going to direct these attacks at each of you!" Baby said. "Goku, you remained a child for no reason! The Earth's Dragon Balls or those of New Namek could have been used at any time to wish you back to being an adult!"

All the fighters felt extreme pain, but Goku especially did.

"Also, Goku, it's extremely obvious that the writers themselves acknowledged that turning you into a kid was a mistake from the start!" Baby said. "Why exactly is it that you returned to your adult form as a Super Saiyan 4? It's never definitively explained why in the series. I'll tell you why, though! It's because the writers viewed your new form as the only plausible opportunity through which to enable you to become an adult again, out of the apparent bad-assery of the form!"

"While I respect my GT self, I don't need his ultimate form's heightened power to be bad-ass," Goku said, as he did everything he could to resist the pain of Baby's GT revelations. "In fact, Dragon Ball Z has retroactively granted me a form that is potentially of even greater value!"

Baby suddenly became quite concerned, and he suddenly interrupted his planned regime of taunts and rushed toward Goku, in an effort to eliminate him before he enacted that to which he was alluding.

Before Baby could make contact with Goku, Cell blocked him, then turned to face Goku.

"We'll hold him off while you get the process started!" Cell said, right before Baby punched him in the gut, which had a significant effect as per Cell's weakening from Baby's emphasis of GT's insufficiency.

"You said it yourself, Baby, you're afraid of the Super Saiyan God form because of what it means for your series," Goku said. "If I can ascend to Super Saiyan God and defeat you, I can symbolically enable Dragon Ball Z to be protected from Dragon Ball GT once and for all!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Baby yelled, as he rushed toward Goku, only to be stopped by both Trunks and Broly.

"Everyone, I need to gather the energy from six pure-hearted Saiyans!" Goku said. "Each Saiyan is going to need to be able to concentrate on enabling me to transform. Can we do this with who we've got among us?"

"You know I'm in, Dad," Gohan said, while Trunks and Broly continued to fight against Baby.

"This sounds fantastic and dandy!" Tarble said.

"Tarble, you truly are pure of heart while simultaneously being slight of mind," Vegeta said.

"We've got three including me, Vegeta. Can you be our fourth?" Goku asked.

"Do you honestly believe that I'm pure-hearted, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked. "Even in the Battle of Gods movie, the idea that I'm pure-hearted is a stretch, especially considering the events that at that time will have happened a few years beforehand."

"Alright, so Vegeta's out," Goku said, while looking toward Piccolo.

"Sorry Goku, but apparently, this is yet another form that genetically advantages Saiyans over almost everyone else," Piccolo said, right before Goku looked toward Bro.

"Are you kidding?" Bro asked.

"I suppose you're right," Goku said.

Upon overhearing Goku's need, Trunks slammed Baby in the face, sending him soaring away just long enough to ask Broly a question.

"I'm going to go over there; are you prepared to help out too?" Trunks asked.

"If your father can't, then I can't either," Broly said. "I've achieved much in the ways of peace, Trunks, but I'm by no means pure-hearted."

"It's a process that will take time, and you're bold for working toward it," Trunks said.

"I'll hold this guy off; go over there and concentrate," Broly said, while Trunks joined the others.

"I'm your fourth," Trunks said.

"Great!" Goku said. "Now, who else do we – "

Goku realized not only that there was only one more person who could possibly be selected from among the nine warriors, for a one-short total of five, but that he had subconsciously avoided considering him.

"Despite what you might think about my intentions in the main series, I'm eager to help and pure-hearted enough to do so," Cell said, as he volunteered for the process. "I'm your fifth."

"If Broly doesn't consider himself pure enough for this, what makes you think you are?" Gohan asked.

"As I've said before, Gohan, you'll need to trust me," Cell said.

After much consideration, Goku made a decision.

"Cell, you'll be the fifth," Goku said, while Broly became joined by Bro, Piccolo, and Vegeta, who each wanted to at least attempt to help defeating Baby. "However, we're still one short! How are we going to do this?"

"We should try anyway," Cell said. "After all, I have the genetics of multiple Saiyans within me. Perhaps that can make up for our lack of a sixth individual."

"Are we sure we shouldn't just ask Broly to join us anyway to see if it would work?" Gohan asked.

"If we did, no one would be around to stop Baby from getting to us, Trunks said, while hearing the rapid punches and kicks in the background. "Goku, I don't know what the power multiplier for Super Saiyan God is or how strong you'll be, but if you need backup while you figure out your new form, we'll obviously provide you with cover."

"Thanks, Trunks," Goku said. "Alright, everyone! It's time to show the world what the Super Saiyan God form can truly do!"

Goku initiated the transformation ritual, then achieved spiritual harmony with Gohan, Tarble, Trunks, and even Cell. He concentrated on the energies they provided him, and he suddenly became surrounded by a bright golden light!

Baby and Broly stopped their match to look toward the golden flare, which was concealing Goku's form within.

Bro, Vegeta, and Piccolo each also continued to watch in astonishment, although the transformation continued to take quite some time, without anything of Goku's appearance being revealed.

"Yo Bro, I find something to be quite curious about all this," Broly said.

"What?" he asked.

"We are each the Legendary Super Saiyan, a mythical warrior of our race, and we've been around since March of 1993," Broly said.

"Happy 20th anniversary to Movie 8, by the way," Bro said.

"Absolutely," Broly said, while Goku's transformation continued to progress within the concealment of the golden light. "Think about this, though … our Saiyan race has already been established to have a Legendary form … doesn't having a 'God' form as well somehow seem as though they kind of undermine each other?"

"Kind of," Bro said. "But whatever. At least the method of acquiring the forms is entirely different. Perhaps Super Saiyan God should have been called something else, though. I mean, we certainly ain't going to be changing what we call ourselves, are we?"

"We're the legends, man!" Broly said. "Now, let's see this additional godly form!"

After another 25 seconds of transforming, at last, the golden aura dissipated enough that he was revealed.

His stout frame was quite rotund, and his arms and head were full of spikes. His Saiyan tail had regrown and was now golden, and the tail itself was sticking out of a set of armor that, while in the color scheme of the gi he had been wearing, was such that it was a set of standard space armor with shoulder pads. He then looked at his arms and noticed that they were golden as well, and he also noticed that his left eye had somehow become covered by a Scouter that apparently was a complimentary accessory of the form.

Everyone around him appeared speechless with regard to his appearance, and to enable him to see himself, Piccolo then magically materialized a mirror, then gave it to him.

As Goku looked at himself in shock, Vegeta was perhaps the most surprised out of all in the moral realm as to Goku's new appearance.

It appeared, to Vegeta's extreme surprise, that the Super Saiyan God form, the ultimate form of his race, looked exactly like a golden version of Dodoria with a golden tail. [_Author's aside: __Kakarotto Ka Power Level Kya Hai? (also known as I-Am-So-Original) created a visual rendition of (Faux) Super Saiyan God Goku that you can view online! You can visit his deviantART page (his username for deviantART is I-Am-So-Original), to view the character design!] _

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Ineffably Big-Ass Otherworld, Ineffably Big-Ass Hell, right in front of a giant full-color hologram screen, March 29, 2013**

Everyone in Hell who had been watching the events had been perhaps even more surprised than Vegeta!

The denizens of Hell were just as speechless as the fighters in the mortal realm, and while Dodoria continued to look in shock toward the screen, everyone else now was looking toward him.

After a few more seconds of astonishment, Dodoria's clenched his fists in enthusiasm.

"I knew it!" Dodoria shouted aloud. "The essence of the gods flows through me!"

Dodoria started to rapidly power-up, while walking across the line of those who had gathered to watch the holoscreen.

"Now, puny mortals, bow down to me!" Dodoria shouted, while the others, especially Frieza, Cooler, and Cold, were less than amused.

Upon absolutely no one complying with his request, Dodoria became enraged.

He then stomped toward Jeice, while beginning to charge up an energy attack in his left hand.

"What's the matter, Jeice?" Dodoria asked, while Jeice remained unamused. "Do you not recognize a god when you see one?"

"Mate, the mere fact that some monkey has a form that makes him look like you doesn't make you a god," Jeice said. "Now sit down before you hurt yourself."

"Bow before my sanctified lard!" Dodoria said, as the blast by his left hand became larger.

Jeice then nodded to Burter, and at an extremely swift speed, Jeice took to the air and performed his Red Magma rush technique, while Burter used his Blue Hurricane technique. Together, they surrounded Dodoria and combined their techniques to form the Purple Comet Attack. After successfully punching Dodoria many times in the gut, Dodoria was knocked unconscious by their far superior strength.

"Excellent work," Frieza said. "When Dodoria wakes up, he shall owe me 10 million push-ups for his insolence."

"With all due respect, Lord Frieza, isn't that a bit harsh?" Zarbon asked.

"Subordinates should never commit acts of insubordination, especially not when prompted by monkeys," Frieza said, as he turned his attention back toward the screen.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – (Big-Ass) Nightclub, planet Earth, March 29, 2013**

They fondly remembered the days in which they had been far more useful in battle, and in which the Saiyans hadn't almost entirely outclassed them in focus and fan popularity.

"So, we're in the midst of another movie … all about Saiyans," Tien said, while the bartender poured him some seltzer water.

Yamcha looked at the seltzer out of puzzlement.

"We're at a nightclub, and you ordered a glass of seltzer instead of something else?" Yamcha asked.

"Of course," Tien said. "Drinking something else, other than water, wouldn't be healthy. I want to be as healthy as possible and train as much as I can so that I can actually help out again."

"Speaking of helping out, I'm glad I developed a special technique of use in Honor Trip's main series!" Chiaotzu asked. "What are you guys going to do?"

"We'll have confidence in ourselves, that's what we'll do," Krillin said. "No matter the odds, we can always accomplish more through confidence than otherwise."

"A sincere toast to the human race, including its three-eyed guys, like me!" Tien said while raising his glass, as the others did the same.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively close to the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

Baby was astounded by the Super Saiyan God transformation's appearance, and he didn't know whether or know to actually be apprehensive about it.

With his golden-Dodoria-esque body, Goku flew into the air toward Baby, and found that despite his increase in bulk, he had overall better speed than he had thought he would have. In fact, while his speed had not increased from what it had been in his normal state, it also hadn't decreased!

"Behold the power of the Saiyan race, Baby!" Goku said, in a voice that was noticeably deeper and huskier than he was used to – even he couldn't at first believe how he sounded.

As an individual with significant knowledge of genetics, Cell felt especially stunned regarding Goku's new appearance, as he had never imagined that it was possible for any race to change form so drastically. Frieza's forms indeed involved significant physical changes, but those involved for Super Saiyan God were on another level entirely.

"Hey, Cell!" Vegeta shouted. "This is what happens when we listen to your plans! I heard your justification for enabling Kakarot to transform with just five pure-hearted life forces, and look what happened!"

"Have you not sensed his massive … increase in power level?" Cell asked.

"Oh, I've sensed it, but he's still not nearly as strong as you are, for instance," Vegeta said.

"Father, if Broly, Cell, or I defeat Baby, it won't symbolically mean as much as if Goku did like this," Trunks said.

"Trunks, you never had the displeasure of meeting Dodoria, a scourge among Lard-Jin," Vegeta said. "The fact that a sacred form of our race looks almost exactly like him is beyond perturbing!"

"We can't waste any more time as per the form's time limit!" Cell shouted. "Broly, Trunks, Goku … let's do this!"

Broly and Trunks were punching Baby as hard as they could, while Cell was in the midst of charging a Kamehameha wave.

Goku flew toward Baby joined in the fight, and while he found his new form to be powerful, it was far slower than he had thought it would be.

"You'll never succeed in defeating me with that form!" Baby shouted, right when he blocked Goku's right-fisted punch and then kicked him in the face, causing him to soar backward.

"This is … surprising," Broly said.

"You know what else is surprising?" Baby asked. "The GT plot holes involving you!"

Broly and Trunks intensified their fighting, but they knew that Baby was endeavoring to weaken them through his plot hole emphases even so.

"In the Super 17 Saga, while Cooler is shown as emerging from Hell, you, another movie villain, are nowhere to be found!" Baby said as the warriors felt their strength significantly diminish, while Baby's own strength increased. Broly's and Bro's strengths had especially decreased because the verbal attack had been levied against them, and Baby then kicked Broly in the stomach, causing him to soar many meters away.

Trunks himself also felt as though the speed of his movements was being repressed, as per the effects of Baby's technique, although he was still decently parrying Baby's attacks.

"Here's a great consideration involving you, Trunks!" Baby yelled, while continuing to punch him. "As much as fans debate what happened with regard to Majin Buu in Timeline IV, what about what happened with me? Regardless of whether Buu would have been unlocked, I was surely around, and if GT is to be regarded as fact, then you and everyone else on Earth probably became infected despite all your efforts in Dragon Ball Z!"

The realization caused Trunks to lose even more strength, and Baby blasted him with his own version of the Kamehameha, which had a fuchsia tint to it.

As Trunks rocketed backward, Super Saiyan God Goku and Cell began to pummel Baby as much as they could.

In the midst of defending himself against Cell, Baby felt one of Goku's attacks actually connect, and while he felt a bit of pain, he knew it was not of significance.

"Your Super Saiyan God form is nothing!" Baby shouted.

"You say that now, but I know we can win this!" Goku said.

"Hey, Cell, I have a plot hole for you!" Baby said. "During the Super 17 saga, Goku should not have had nearly as much effectiveness against you and Frieza in your cameo battle! Goku was just in his normal state! With regard to power multipliers, you and Frieza should have crushed him!"

Cell felt the pain of GT's lack of logic stultifying his movements and his strength, and Baby knocked him back with a kick to the chest.

However, Baby noticed that while eight of the warriors were being affected by his verbal assaults, with the main target of his assaults being especially affected, Goku was seemingly unaffected!

"So, you're able to withstand my GT-based trolling in that Super Saiyan God form of yours, huh?" Baby asked.

"This form symbolizes the fact that for everything in GT that doesn't make sense, if there's something in Z that contradicts it, the thing in Z is what counts," Goku said. "Your trolling is no match for this form."

"We'll see!" Baby shouted, as he punched Goku across the face, while Goku, who had become far more used to the form, had maintained his ground.

Goku unleashed a barrage of surprisingly quick attacks that Baby was having extreme difficulty blocking, and in the midst of their exchange, Baby unleashed additional verbal assaults, all in an effort to further weaken the Z-Fighters and provide himself with more power.

"The fact Gohan never uses his Mystic/Ultimate form in GT is a plot hole!" Baby shouted, while crossing Hatchiyack's arms to defend himself against Goku's attempted head-butt. "Piccolo dies for no reason in GT, since Goku could have easily included him in his Instant Transmission at the end of my saga, or Kibito Kai could have been asked to use his Instantaneous Movement technique if Goku truly didn't have enough energy to continue!"

As Goku's golden form began to move faster, Baby ramped up his criticisms, while blocking the Super Saiyan God onslaught.

"Tarble was retroactively introduced in Dragon Ball Z but never appears in GT!" Baby shouted. "Vegeta wasn't allowed the dignity of achieving Super Saiyan 3 despite training harder than Goku! Vegeta somehow achieves Super Saiyan 4 without having first achieved Super Saiyan 3, despite what the numbers of the forms suggest is required, unless Super Saiyan 4 is a misnomer! A wish with Shenron or Porunga could have been used to bring the Black-Star Dragon Balls back to Earth, making the 'grand tour' in the series' name unnecessary!"

Goku then connected a strong punch into Baby's chest, which caused Baby significant pain. It had seemed that Goku's strength had been increasing throughout the battle, at a much faster pace than Baby's own.

However, as Goku reached to punch Baby again … his Super Saiyan God form suddenly dissipated!

Goku saw his arms transform in shape while he was in the midst of punching Baby, and he could feel that he was in his basic form of Super Saiyan.

The punch connected with Baby without casing any significant damage, and Baby grinned.

"Apparently, the concept that you would be able to retain the form's 'god-like feeling' in your other Super Saiyan forms so as to fight near that level of power despite the Super Saiyan God form's time limit has not applied!" Baby said.

"Darn!" Goku shouted. "I was getting close!"

"But yet you were so far," Baby said, as he punched Goku hard in the chest, causing him to spiral backward many meters.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively far from the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

"My moustache is superior!" Myuu shouted, as he attempted to punch Raichi, but was blocked.

"Surely, you could recognize that mine simply outshines yours!" Raichi said, as he attempted to kick Myuu, who dodged out of the way.

"Observe my most recent advances in moustache-based technology!" Myuu said, as the tips of his moustache then arched upward and pointed at Raichi.

Sapphire laser beams began to emit from the points of Myuu's moustache, causing Raichi to roll out of the way and use parts of his former fortress as cover.

"You can't escape the moustache lasers, you has-been!" Myuu shouted.

Raichi then concentrated on his moustache, and the tips arched upward, facing towad Raichi's front.

He rolled from behind a piece of wreckage and began to shoot emerald laser beams out of the points of his moustache, surprising Myuu greatly as per their accuracy.

Many rounds of the moustache lasers were exchanged until one of Myuu's lasers met Raichi's own, causing a significant explosion.

The two were knocked backward, and Raichi's moustache disengaged from its combat form, as it needed time to recharge. When Raichi looked toward Myuu, he noticed that his moustache as well needed time to recharge.

"In the name of fried chicken, I order you and Baby to surrender immediately!" Raichi said.

"Preposterous!" Myuu said. "First of all, we're winning. And secondly, the forces of Taco Bell are most displeased with your adherence to the ways of Kentucky Fried Chicken. True Tuffles prefer Taco Bell, after all."

"Such blasphemy!" Raichi said. "Myuu, I was going to let you walk away from this, but this just got more intense!"

"Indeed they did!" Myuu said, as he reached for his belt, found a hidden compartment, and took from within it a spherical object with a red upper-half, a white lower-half, a black line dividing the halves, and a central circular button.

Raichi as well found a similar hidden spherical object, which, upon entering his hand became larger in size, as Myuu's had.

"Our almost-eponymous Pokémon shall settle this!" Raichi said, as he threw the pokéball. "Go, Raichu!"

Out from within the ball emerged an electric Pokémon predominantly orange in color, who looked like a hyper-charged mouse.

"Raichu!" he said.

"I shall again prove my superiority via my Pokémon!" Myuu said, as he threw his pokéball. "Go, Mew!"

The bright flash from within the pokéball materialized, and Mew's graceful form emerged, with its Psychic energies at the ready.

"Mew!" he said.

"Now Mew, attack Raichu with your Psychic attack!" Myuu yelled.

"Before he can, Raichu, use Thunder Wave!" Raichi shouted.

As the two doctors waged their Pokémon battle, their combined super weapon, many meters away, was in the midst of grinning.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively close to the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

"All of you have proven that Dragon Ball GT shall prevail!" Baby said, as he placed both his hands above his head, with a black sphere of speckled bright lights within forming. "My Revenge Death Ball shall be your end!"

"No …," Goku said, as he struggled to stand up. "The Super Saiyan God form … all we could have done … if only – "

Suddenly, from above, as if a dream had become real, another bright sphere of glistening white light emerged, and then descended to the ground.

After a brief and blinding flash, everyone, including those who were in the midst of fighting, turned in his direction.

His lengthy hair was dark despite the fact he was in a form of Super Saiyan, and the light red fur that covered portions of his chest and arms also covered his tail.

Super Saiyan 4 Goku walked toward the others, then smiled.

"What's up, guys?" SS4 Goku asked, while the others remained shocked that he was in any way present, especially Baby, whose mouth was agape.

"You … you're me!" Goku said with astonishment.

"That's right," SS4 Goku said, while maintaining his humble smile, and while Baby continued to be absolutely flabbergasted as to his appearance, so much so that his Revenge Death Ball dissipated in form. "Goku, my brother, I'm your incarnation from Dragon Ball GT. While our essences were once one and the same, our paths have split. I know that you want the Dragon Ball franchise to make as much sense and have as much quality as possible, and I completely respect those noble goals."

"Goku, get back in our series!" Baby shouted. "Do not interfere!"

"You've plagued the Dragon Ball series for long enough, Baby!" SS4 Goku said. "And you know what? Even though I'm from GT, I'm humble enough to admit that perhaps, Toei is doing the right thing by overriding our part of the storyline."

Baby was absolutely furious.

"You fool!" Baby yelled. "Don't you realize that if they succeed, you will become obsolete as well?"

"I know," SS4 Goku said. "However, our legacy will live on in the minds of many, and there will be fans who will continue to cherish us. But for the good of the series as a whole, I humbly understand the desire to establish a post-Buu Saga continuity of greater quality. The 2010 remake of Raichi and Hatchiyack's movie, Yo! Son Goku and Friends Return, and Battle of Gods itself … all are wondrous elements that we should view as opportunities for a greater tomorrow, not threats. We should be rejoicing for the franchise as a whole, Baby."

"I will not let you win!" Baby yelled.

His fury was of such an extent that he decided to combine one of Hatchiyack's attacks with one of his own. Hatchiyack's form's green techno-gems on his head, chest, arms, and legs began to radiate darkness, while Baby entered a attack-charging position and a dark sphere of hateful energy appeared overhead.

"Behold my Revenger Charge Death Ball Final!" Baby said. "After I unleash this attack, all of you shall perish, and my victory shall embolden GT!"

"My actions will enable GT to have far greater honor than yours, Baby," SS4 Goku said, as he turned toward his DBZ counterpart and the other warriors. "We don't have much time. We need to enable Goku to become a true Super Saiyan God as soon as possible so that he'll have the energy he needs and the necessary form to truly defeat my series once and for all."

"Wait, so the form I was in before wasn't the true Super Saiyan God form?" Goku asked.

"No, my brother, it was kind of like your False Super Saiyan form from back in Movie 4," SS4 Goku said. "Think of it as a Faux Super Saiyan God form. While … substantial, it's time to enable you to have the real deal."

Cell then looked toward SS4 Goku to address an important point.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cell asked. "It's extremely noble of you, but you'd be helping in an endeavor to make yourself obsolete!"

"If Dragon Ball Z can at last definitively override the nonsense that happened in GT, it shall be a victory for us all," SS4 Goku said. "I will be the sixth you need! Now, let's concentrate!"

Gohan, Tarble, Trunks, Cell, and Super Saiyan 4 Goku lent their energy focuses to Goku, and Goku could feel the truest, most profound power of the Saiyan race flowing through him.

Baby watched in a mix of shock and amazement as the red flares of Goku's true Super Saiyan God form came into view, with his hair becoming a vibrant red and his irises becoming red as well.

Super Saiyan 4 Goku smiled in amazement at the sight, while Super Saiyan God Goku accentuated his energy.

Gohan, Trunks, Tarble, and Cell were absolutely amazed, as were Broly, Bro, Vegeta, and Piccolo, by how much stronger Goku had become.

Super Saiyan God Goku then walked to the side of Super Saiyan 4 Goku, and the two turned toward Baby, each with a humble smile.

"This is your last chance!" SSG Goku shouted, as SS4 Goku again looked toward him and further smiled. "Leave this dimension now, or be destroyed!"

"You shall not win, Saiyans!" Baby yelled, a second before completing his charge. "Behold my Revenger Cannon Death Ball Final! Dragon Ball Z shall be defeated, and Dragon Ball GT shall reign supreme!"

The dark sphere above Baby suddenly emitted a gigantic dark energy wave of a relative circumference that was the same as the sphere's.

The dark energy charged toward SSG Goku and SS4 Goku, and they each began to charge up a Kamehameha wave.

"Ready?" SS4 Goku asked.

"Hell yeah," SSG Goku said.

The two supreme Super Saiyans launched their Kamehameha waves into Baby's blast, which had far more energy within it than it otherwise would have had as per all the energy augmentation Baby had gained from his GT-based trolling.

"You can't win, even together!" Baby shouted.

"Your days of terror are about to end!" SSG Goku yelled.

As their beam struggle raged on, the eight other warriors looked on in earnest.

"If Goku as a true Super Saiyan God manages to defeat Baby, the victory indeed would be symbolically significant," Broly said. "He is uniquely qualified to override GT with finality because his new form, and the movie in which the form will be officially introduced, are emblematic of change!"

"However, we need to consider an issue of importance while we have the chance," Cell said. "If they destroy Baby, they'll also destroy Hatchiyack!"

"As it should be!" Bro said. "Those two fools will be defeated at the same time!"

"But … I could sense the potential for Hatchiyack to change," Cell said. "Especially after all of this, I doubt he'll be as much of an advocate of negative aggression."

"Cell, as per Honor Trip's main series, I'm obviously very apprehensive right now about enabling yet another former villain to have a second chance," Gohan said.

"I understand your perspective, Gohan, but at least let's free him from Baby so that we can then have the opportunity to spare him if we want to," Cell said.

"Fine," Gohan said.

"With that established, does anyone have any ideas as to how this could be accomplished?" Cell asked.

The other warriors thought of the possibilities, and in the midst of the group's considerations, Bro had a sudden realization of significance, then began to whisper to Broly.

Cell, who had been attempting to deduce how to save Hatchiyack while the others were as well considering this, noticed the exchange between the two incarnations of Broly, and as well noticed each of them acquire a devious grin. Of course, as per his extreme auditory capabilities, he could hear what they were saying, but he wanted them to have the satisfaction of presenting the plan aloud.

"Man, that would be awesome!" Broly said of Bro's idea, as they turned to face Cell.

"I've come up with a plan that's sure to destabilize Baby so much that he'll no longer be able to keep hold of Hatchiyack's body!" Bro shouted.

"Let's hear it," Vegeta said.

"I remember all too well how I was defeated in the first Honor Trip comedy special," Broly said. "The song you all played was of such ludicrousness that as per the properties of this comedy special timeline, I couldn't withstand the aural attack and became molecularly unstable! It is only through the grace of not being the exact version of myself parodied in that special that I am able to be here now, but if we were to use the same strategy against Hatchiyack, I think we could achieve Hatchiyack's freedom."

"An impressive plan, indeed!" Cell shouted. "

"Who would have ever thought that two incarnations of Broly would ever help two incarnations of Goku succeed!" Trunks said, with a grin.

"Piccolo! You're going to be singing in Battle of Gods, so come up with a song that you consider to be so ludicrous that it will destabilize Baby!" Cell said. "You'll magically materialize a CD of it, and I'll magically materialize another boom box!"

As Piccolo thought of which song of ludicrousness he would choose, Cell magically materialized the boom box, and as well materialized giant speakers with their own independent power sources.

Piccolo grinned upon making the selection, then materialized a CD with the song he had chosen.

"Copyright infringement is no match for Magic Materialization, is it?" Trunks asked.

"Normally, I'd respect such laws, but this is obviously a special case," Piccolo said. "As for the song I chose, it's not just among the most absurd in existence, but one that is especially amazing to use simply because of who we're fighting."

"We'e going to have to cover our ears, right?" Cell asked.

"Definitely," Piccolo said. "This song contains perhaps 10 times the destructive power of the one we used for this purpose back in the first comedy special. Everyone, get ready!"

Cell then magically materialized earplugs of significant resistance, then swiftly placed them into SSG Goku and SS4 Goku's ears. He then swiftly instant transmitted to Raichi and gave him a pair of earplugs and as well gave a pair to Raichu and to Mew, who had still been in the midst of their battle.

As for Myuu, Cell decided to let him figure out what to do on his own.

Right as Cell instant transmitted back to the warriors' location, Piccolo placed the CD into the boom box.

Cell then covered his ears, and noticed, as he had suspected, that Baby, who was still in the midst of unleashing sordid energy into his Revenger Cannon Death Ball Final, had been devoting so much effort to maintaining his effort that he had not been able to procure headphones for himself.

As the boom box began to sound out the song, Baby heard it clearly, as all the extra speakers were augmenting the sound so much that he could clearly hear it over beam struggle!

Baby's ears suddenly became fraught with the sound of the song, causing him ineffable shock!

"_You know you love me! I know you care! Just shout whenever, and I'll be there!"_ the voice emitting from the CD yowled.

"This is psychological torture of the most horrid kind!" Baby shouted, and while his level of strength enabled him to not be completely stultified from movement as Bro had been back in the first special when he had heard the song, Baby was unable to cover his ears because of the need to maintain his energy output.

"_You want my love! You want my heart! And we would never, ever, ever be apart!" _

"What is this bullshit!" Baby shouted in extreme pain.

"_Are we an item? Girl quit playin'. We're just friends; what are you sayin'?"_

"This song is even more nonsensical than my series!" Baby yelled, while the pain was accentuating.

"_Said there's another as you look right in my eyes. My first love broke my heart for the first time!" _

"That doesn't make any sense whatsoever!" Baby shouted.

"_And I was like Baby, Baby, Baby ooh! Like Baby, Baby, Baby noo!" _

"I never thought such horror was possible!" Baby yelled, as he felt himself losing control oh Hatchiyack's form.

"_Like Baby, Baby, Baby ohh! I thought you'd always be mine! Mine!" _

His tormented yell was so loud that Cell could have sworn it had become louder than the music itself.

Suddenly, Baby ceased his energy output, and SSG Goku and SS4 Goku pushed back the Revenger Cannon Death Ball Final with their Supreme Dual Kamehameha.

Before the attack could hit Hatchiyack's body, Cell shifted upward and pushed Hatchiyack's form out of the way, with just enough time to avoid the blast.

While the music continued to play, Cell placed Hatchiyack's form upon the ground, and SS4 Goku unleashed the energies of the combined attack, causing the sky of the Dark Planet to become bright with light.

Cell then watched as Hatchiyack's mouth opened, and he appeared to cough out Baby's liquefied form.

'_That's enough!'_ Cell psychically messaged Piccolo, who then turned off the boom box.

'_It appears Baby did not enjoy becoming Bieber-Fevered!'_ Piccolo psychically said.

Baby's liquefied form then rematerialized into his adult form, and he was breathing heavily.

SSG Goku and SS4 Goku walked toward Cell, and together, they looked down upon the Machine Mutant who had infected Hatchiyack.

"You're no better than a Yerk, and even more so, a Goa'uld," Cell said while Baby realized the severity of his predicament.

"This is you last chance, Baby," SS4 Goku said. "Return to GT with me, or else."

Baby, out of extreme fury, turned toward SS4 Goku with an expression of outright rage.

"The glory of GT cannot be stopped!" Baby shouted, as he again liquefied and rushed toward SS4 Goku.

However, before Baby could reach his target, a searing Supreme Kamehameha entirely surrounded him, completely destroying him once and for all.

SS4 Goku looked to the one who had launched the attack, and SSG Goku, whose hands had remained in the Kamehameha emission position for many moments after the attack had been fired, then relaxed them.

"Good work, brother," SS4 Goku said.

"I couldn't have done it without you," SSG Goku said, right as they bro-fisted.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively far from the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

Myuu had survived the attack, but only because he had improvised earplugs out of, through sheer willpower, elongating his moustache so that its tips would clog his eardrums.

Right as he had retracted his moustache back to its normal state, Myuu had seen SSG Goku destroy Baby in the wave of energy that had been his end.

"My plans! They've been ruined!" Myuu shouted, as Mew took out his earplugs to hear his next words. "Mew, destroy Raichu, and then destroy his master out of vengeance for what has happened!"

Mew then shook his head.

"Mew! Mew!" he said.

"What do you mean you refuse to kill them!" Myuu shouted. "I am your master! Do as I command!"

"Hey, Mew!" Raichi said, as the legendary Pokémon turned toward him. "Join me, and I won't treat you like a mere tool! I respect my associates; look at Raichu!"

Raichu seemed extremely chipper, then backed Raichi up.

"Raichu! Rai-Rai!" he said.

Mew looked once more toward Myuu, and he then headed toward Raichi and Raichu.

"How dare you disobey me!" Myuu shouted, as he held up his pokéball. "Mew, now, you shall – "

Before he could finish his command, he noticed that the pokéball had been knocked out of his hand.

Myuu turned toward his right, then saw the much-recovered Hatchiyack smiling down upon him, while repeatedly throwing the pokéball up about a meter and then catching it with his right hand.

"This is your last chance, Myuu. Leave now, or be destroyed as Baby was," Hatchiyack said, reveling in the fact that his form was again truly his own.

The other warriors then joined him, including SS4 Goku and Goku of Dragon Ball Z, whose SSG transformation had reached its time limit about a minute after Baby's defeat.

"My glory cannot be questioned!" Myuu said, as he then started to punch Hatchiyack as hard as he could.

Hatchiyack did not feel the punches, and he then lightly punched Myuu in the stomach with his left hand.

Myuu was swiftly knocked out from the overwhelming force, and before he could hit the ground, SS4 Goku caught him.

"He'll be coming back to GT with me," SS4 Goku said, while Raichi approached the warriors.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Ineffably Big-Ass Otherworld, Ineffably Big-Ass Hell, right in front of a giant full-color hologram screen, March 29, 2013**

The song that had caused Baby such anguish had also caused great angst for those in Hell who had still been watching the battles!

The song had been tonally dissonant at times and logically dissonant throughout its course, and while the fact they were already dead had prevented their bodies from becoming molecularly unstable, the song had been of such grievousness that Frieza had beckoned everyone, except Dodoria, who had still been unconscious as a result of his ordeal, to blast the holographic screen with as much force as they could!

Zarbon had unleashed an Elegant Blaster; Salza, Dore, and Neiz each had emitted a Full-Power Energy Barrage Wave, Cooler had discharged his Death Flash, Frieza had brandished a Death Wave, Cold had launched a Full-Power Death Beam, Jeice had thrown a Crusher Ball, Burter had relayed a Continuous Crasher Cannon, Recoome had unveiled his Ultra Eraser Gun, and Guldo had released a Full-Power Energy Blast Volley.

The screen had dissipated through their combined efforts, and Frieza then lifted his glass of wine for a sip.

"I must say, that show was of significant quality and fun while it lasted," King Cold said.

"It was, but action had to be taken," Cooler said. "Allowing such an impudent element as that song to be widely broadcast was denigrating the overall excellence."

"Next time, we'll –" Frieza began to say, right as Dodoria regained his bearings. "Well, look who's rejoined the world of the conscious!"

"Uh … what happened?" Dodoria asked.

"Quite a lot that you missed out on," Zarbon said.

"And to make up for all you've done, Dodoria, you shall now perform no less than 15 million push-ups!" Frieza said, to Dodoria's extreme surprise.

"Didn't you suggest 10 million before?" Zarbon asked.

"I did, but he deserves to do far, far more than that!" Frieza said.

"What if I … ate 15 million hot wings, instead?" Dodoria asked.

"No way!" Frieza shouted. "Now, Dodoria, begin!"

As Dodoria commenced with the push-ups, Frieza again took a seat, then began to sip some more of his wine.

"That's the spirit, Dodoria, fight for it!" Frieza shouted.

* * *

_Ferrets. _

* * *

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Big-Ass Field of Ruins that had been Dr. Raichi's Big-Ass Fortress, the Dark Planet, (relatively far from the holographic screen), March 29, 2013**

Cell had observed much throughout his life, and through noticing subtle differences in Raichi and Hatchiyack's mannerisms, he detected that much had changed.

"I must admit, I'm quite impressed," Raichi said, which caused many of the warriors to experience great surprise. "It seems you effectively worked together to overcome a challenge that otherwise could have overpowered us. You derived strength from adversity, and you prevailed."

"It means a lot for you to say all that," Trunks said.

"You all deserved it to be said," Raichi said. "Besides, I know full well that you collectively endeavored to save Hatchiyack, and I want to especially thank you, Cell, for not only prompting Hatchiyack's salvation, but for helping me avoid destruction as well. Ah, and another significant thanks to you, Trunks, for also saving my undead-life."

"If you hadn't freed us when you did, we all could have been defeated," Trunks said. "It was only appropriate to save you."

"And now, folks, I want to ask you both, … what are your thoughts on what shall happen next?" Cell asked.

They were momentarily speechless, and Hatchiyack then looked toward Raichi.

"I no longer feel as though our plans for revenge against them need to be furthered," Hatchiyack said. "How about you?"

Raichi thought about the sentiment, as well as all that had transpired, then derived a decision.

"I suppose we've fought enough," Raichi said. "After all that I've seen you choose to do, it is only rational to recognize that you are not the hateful souls your ancestors were. Our desires for revenge against you, it seems, have truly ceased."

"Logic and reason … I almost never get to experience these treasured values anymore, but witnessing the results of their presence is always simply awesome," SS4 Goku said.

"But … are we really going to settle this without violence?" Bro asked. "I was looking forward to showing these fools that they should never expect to do as they did without facing the consequences!"

"As I said before, you have much to learn, young one," Broly said. "It's clear that these two no longer desire aggression toward us. We are still in the mortal realm, and so are they. Together, we can simply let each other exist in peace."

"However," Hatchiyack began to say, as he looked toward Bro, "it indeed would be an honor to spar with you one day for fun. I'm eager to see which of us truly is more powerful, and I bet you feel the same way."

Bro considered Hatchiyack's words, then grinned.

"Definitely," he said, while relishin the thought.

"So, what are the two of you going to do now?" Gohan asked.

"It's a large universe, young Saiyan," Raichi said. "There are many, many worlds out there, and many, many jokes and jests waiting to be told. Now that I've made a commitment to focus my energies toward bigger and better pursuits, perhaps I'll travel the cosmos while encountering many opportunities to enhance my stand-up comedy!"

"I as well want to travel through space, but I have a very different reason in mind," Hatchiyack said, as he turned toward Raichi. "Ever since you installed those games into my system, I've been eager to become a true Pokémon master! May I … have the privilege of training Raichu and Mew?"

Raichi smiled, then pressed the summoning button on Raichu and Mew's pokéballs.

The two Pokémon emerged, and after a few seconds when they determined a battle was not in progress, they looked toward Raichi.

"My friends, I want you to meet your new trainer!" Raichi said, as he hand-motioned toward Hatchiyack, toward whom the two Pokémon were now gazing. "Raichu, you know Hatchiyack already, and Mew, you're meeting him for the first time!"

"Chu?" Raichu asked. "Raichu Rai?"

"No, my friend, I'm not planning to leave you with Hatchiyack and never see you again; I'm planning to accompany you on your next adventure!" Raichi said. "While Hatchiyack endeavors to train you, I'll be endeavoring to perform at the clubs we encounter across the way!"

"Chu!" Raichu said.

"Mew Mew!" Mew said.

"I'm looking forward to working with you both," Hatchiyack said, as he bent down to be more on-level with them. "Together, perhaps we can all achieve our greatest potential."

Raichu and Mew then looked at each other, and nodded in agreement.

The then ran over to Hatchiyack, and they each gave him a hug.

"This is so heartwarming that it's making me want to do something despicable just to counterbalance it," Vegeta said.

"If you want to do that, then what do you say to the idea of teaching me a bit more about bad-assery?" Tarble asked, catching Vegeta quite off-guard. "I've always looked up to you, big brother, and while I enjoy the happy things in life, this entire experience, and comments Trunks made earlier, have caused me to become more appreciative of the need for balance. So, do you want to work with me?"

Vegeta grinned.

"An interesting proposal, brother," Vegeta said. "I certainly shall consider it."

While Vegeta thought of all the wondrous pranks he could teach Tarble to start him in his path of hearty roguishness, Goku, Gohan, Piccolo and Cell had directed their attention toward their friend from what had become an alternate premise.

"I'll never forget this day," Goku said, while SS4 Goku readjusted his grip on the still-unconscious Dr. Myuu. "Through fighting alongside us despite what it might mean for you in the long-run, you've demonstrated a level of braveness beyond my own."

"Everyone possesses the capacity to be brave," SS4 Goku said. "When a person learns that one of the most powerful forms of bravery is being humble, truer courage can be achieved."

"When you get back, say hello to your version of me, alright?" Gohan asked.

"He'll enjoy hearing that you wished him well; I'm sure of it," SS4 Goku said.

"No matter what happens, Goku, I hope you realize that despite what the others from GT attempted to accomplish, you've redeemed GT in the most graceful, honorable way possible," Piccolo said.

"Your wisdom has meant much to me over the years, Piccolo," SS4 Goku said. "Always use it well."

SS4 Goku then redirected his attention toward Cell, and smiled.

"As for you, Cell … you continue to astound me," SS4 Goku said. "If I had known only of my own realm, I would have never imagined that you could be capable of all you've done."

"I shall forever be proud of what I've accomplished," Cell said, while offering his hand for a shake. "And, Goku, you should forever be proud for truly fighting the good fight."

SS4 Goku reached out with his right hand while retaining hold of Myuu with his left arm, and in a moment that Cell would forever prominently remember, their honor momentarily became one.

With the future more encouraging than he had felt it to be in quite some time, SS4 Goku then placed his right hand upon Goku's left shoulder.

"May peace always be with you," SS4 Goku said.

"Likewise," Goku said.

After placing his right hand by his own right side, SS4 Goku turned leftward, then began to walk into the distance.

Upon stepping five meters away, he turned back to see his friends one more time.

With a smile reflective of true peace, he and Myuu then dissipated from view.

The air was calm with the serenity of a new dawn, while the future teemed with possibilities.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the fourth and final part of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans! _

_We sincerely hope you enjoyed the fun! _

_Up next: Honor Trip main series chapter 59! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans, Part 4: Completed March 29, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Additional credits: Thanks so much to Kakarotto Ka Power Level Kya Hai? (also known as I-Am-So-Original) for his excellent renditions of (Faux) Super Saiyan God Goku and Baby Hatchiyack! You can visit his deviantART page (his username for deviantART is I-Am-So-Original), to view both character designs, plus a custom wallpaper featuring both designs that he made for the special!_

_Also, another thanks to Roketto for writing the dialogue between Frieza and Raichi regarding Frieza's preoccupation with the artwork!_

* * *

_Ferrets._

* * *

**[Double-Secret Bonus Ending 1 of 2] **

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! - thousands of years ago, King Kai's former Big-Ass Planet **

The videogame had at last been completed, and King Kai was sincerely reveling in the festivities.

"Great job, Bills!" King Kai shouted, while Bubbles and Gregory each performed victory dances of sorts. "It looked like the game was getting more and more challenging by the second, with many unexpected twists and turns, and yet you won! You even managed to win without a proper strategy guide!"

Despite King Kai's remarks of praise, Bills, the god of destruction, remained fixated on the television screen without comment.

"Bills?" King Kai asked, wondering what the other was thinking.

Suddenly, Bills let the game controller drop to the floor, and his aura of purple-pink flared around him!

The god of destruction began to accentuate his energy, with the magnitude of his increasing power causing King Kai's planet to forcefully shake!

"Bills! What's the matter! You won!" King Kai shouted, while bracing himself. "Please Bills, relax yourself!"

Bills then shifted directly in front of King Kai, and stared into his sunglasses-covered eyes.

"All throughout the game, I was attempting to access special features through entering in cheat codes consisting of the names of various random animals!" Bills shouted, while his power level continued to increase. "The fact that none of the cheat codes worked despite my repeated efforts has infuriated me greatly!"

"You can't just expect something to happen in a game regardless of what you enter as a potential password for unlockable content!" King Kai said.

"Even if that were true about the cheat codes, at least I should have been able to expect that I'd be able to play the game without you truly cheating the entire time!" Bills said.

King Kai was absolutely furious.

"You think I cheated!" King Kai said. "How in Otherworld could I have possibly cheated! I never got the chance to touch the game controller, and it was a one-player game! You had full control!"

"If I truly had full control, then the Hot Sauce Elemental creature that I so desperately wanted to summon against Hatchsmack when he was possessed by that guy would have materialized!" Bills said. "The fact that my desired Hot Sauce Elemental creature did not appear when I tried to summon him, and that my back-up attempts to summon the far inferior yet still effective Barbeque Sauce Elemental, Sweet and Sour Sauce Elemental, and even Butterscotch Sauce Elemental also were ineffective, proves that you tampered with the game beforehand!"

"If you had these concerns earlier, why didn't you address them with me?" King Kai asked, while his planet continued to shake.

"The hot sauce answers to no one!" Bills yelled.

Bills then shifted toward one of the walls of King Kai's home, punched a hole in it, darted outside, and then darted back inside to grab all the hot sauce within and darted outside again.

"We'd better get out of here!" Gregory shouted.

"Of course!" King Kai said, as he quickly made contact with Bubbles and Gregory, then instant transmitted toward Bills' position.

Upon emerging from hyperspace, King Kai discovered himself to be floating in the air about 40 meters from his planet, while Bills was in the midst of consuming a few of the bottles of hot sauce.

Gregory then flew independently, and Bubbles climbed atop King Kai's back.

Bills threw forward the empty bottle he had just consumed, then destroyed it with a minor energy blast.

"Did you see how I destroyed that bottle?" Bills asked. "How awesome was that?"

"It was great; now, calm down, already!" King Kai said.

"North Kai, you need to learn to not cheat in videogames," Bills said. "In retribution, your planet shall be cut down to size!"

Bills then rapidly gathered energy that manifested as two spheres of reddish orange light, with one sphere near each hand.

"Stop it, Bills!" King Kai shouted, while Bills combined the two spheres into one above his head. "You need to – "

"Behold, the God of Destruction Super Hot Sauce Energy Sphere!" Bills yelled, right before throwing the energy attack toward King Kai's planet.

King Kai watched in dismay, knowing he did not have enough power to stop the attack's progression, and it collided with his planet in an explosive flash!

After shielding himself from the emanating rubble, and after the explosive dust sufficiently cleared so that he could see what remained, King Kai verified that his planet had been almost entirely destroyed, save for one large fragment.

"How dare you, Bills!" King Kai shouted. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Landscaping!" Bills shouted.

King Kai was livid, but he realized that there was at least some merit to what Bills had most recently said.

"Well … I supposed I could remodel that chunk of rubble over there into a new world," King Kai said.

"Excellent!" Bills said. "So, same time next week?"

As King Kai contemplated exactly how to answer that question, Bills unscrewed the cap from another bottle of hot sauce, then consumed the entirety of its contents.

[_Author's aside: __The running gag between King Kai and Bills is a tribute to an explanation that Akria Toriyama, the creator of the Dragon Ball franchise and the author of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, gave for a question-and-answer exchange regarding Battle of Gods and other elements of the Dragon Ball franchise. The response was published Feb. 4, 2013, in volume 3 of the Dragon Ball Full Color rerelease manga. When asked about why King Kai's planet was the rather small size in which it appeared in Dragon Ball Z, Toriyama explained that King Kai's planet had once been far larger. He said that Bills one day visited King Kai's planet and that they played a videogame together, and that after Bills lost, he destroyed King Kai's planet out of rage, leaving a large chunk that King Kai was then able to reshape into a new world, the same as the one that had been seen in canon from the Saiyan Saga to the Cell Games Saga.]_

* * *

**[Double-Secret Bonus Ending 2 of 2] **

**Timeline ****XVIISRE5%GDAB! – Seven-Star Cinemas, West City, Earth, March 30, 2013**

The nine warriors were seated in the front row of the movie theater, eager for the film to begin.

" It sure was nice of you to treat us all to this film, Trunks!" Gohan said, while he sipped on orange soda.

"No problem, Gohan," Trunks said. "I got a great refund on my taxes, and so I figured it would be cool to do this."

"I'm surprised, considering that some of you actually star in this film, that you didn't get tickets for free," Broly said, right before leaning back and dropping some gumdrops into his mouth.

"It's Earth, after all. Nothing is ever truly free," Vegeta said while looking to his left, upon hearing Tarble open a bag of licorice. "I want some of those."

"You can have one, but the rest are mine!" Tarble said. "All the more sugar for me!"

"You can enjoy your licorice, Tarble, but I have a at last acquired a far superior dessert!" Cell said, as he gazed upon the four scoops atop the cone. "At last, I've acquired the ice cream of grandeur!"

While Cell savored the top scoop, which was of mint flavor, Bro and Piccolo were in the midst of a challenge.

"Do you really think you can win at a staring contest between us?" Bro asked. "I am the Legendary Super Saiyan … one of them, anyway!"

"You're out of your league," Piccolo said. "My powers of focus can't be beat!"

"Ready? Go!" Broly said, as the two began their bout.

Goku looked to his right, and Gohan, Broly, Bro, and Piccolo indeed were in the midst of enjoying themselves. He then looked to the left, and of the five-seat section in which his friends were occupying four seats, Cell, Trunks, Vegeta, and Tarble as well seemed to be enjoying the moment.

However, the seat right next to Goku on his left remained unoccupied.

While they had tried to reserve nine seats together in the front row, and had succeeded in securing nine, the one seat that still was empty had already been reserved.

They had picked the front row to accentuate the intensity of the experience, and Goku indeed had been looking forward to this day for quite some time.

Right as Goku was about to further contemplate the identity of the individual who had reserved the seat, he heard a voice.

"Hey! Hey! Goku! Hey!" Bills, the god of destruction shouted, as he flipped into the air, then landed in the seat.

"Well, look who it is!" Goku said. "It looks like you're as excited about the official premiere of our movie as I am!"

"Absolutely!" Bills said, as he reached into his belt, then pulled out two bottles and offered one to Goku. "Would you like some hot sauce?"

"Sure!" Goku said, as he appreciatively took the bottle, right as the lights in the theater began to dim.

The official world premiere of Dragon Ball Z Movie 14, Battle of Gods, was about to start, and in celebration of the moment, Bills raised his bottle of hot sauce, and Goku did the same.

They clanked the bottles, each swigged a swig, and then became enthralled by the expanded sights and sounds of the Dragon Ball universe, enriching audiences across the world with renewed senses of wonder and adventure.

_**AV **_


	77. LIX: Reminiscence

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Fifty-Nine: Reminiscence**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, Otherworld, North Kai's Planet, Sept. 23, Age 767 ….._

The green grass of the spherical field encompassing King Kai's Planet normally did not significantly flutter as per the negligible wind of Otherworld's divine sector, but upon their arrival via Instant Transmission, much of the grass was energetically flowing, moving in conjunction with the accelerated energy of the Super Saiyan 2 warrior among them.

Gohan had not yet powered down from his transformation, and although he had not intended such, the transformation's enduring presence was a manifestation of emotional turbulence within.

Cell mere minutes beforehand had revealed his plan to achieve true moral free will, and the degree to which numerous aspects of the plan seemed outright reckless and essentially insufficient with regard to safeguarding the interests of peace and freedom for all was thoroughly troubling not just Gohan, but all who had arrived at King Kai's Planet with him.

Piccolo, Sixteen, Eighteen, and Vegeta relinquished contact with Gohan after their emergence from hyperspace, and those who had traveled through contact with Goku – Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Krillin – as well rescinded contact from their transporter's shoulders.

King Kai had been in the midst of watering plants when the warriors had arrived, and he quickly redirected his attention to them.

"Well, this is quite a surprise!" King Kai said, as he placed down a watering can and began to walk toward them. "It's been a very long time since I've had so many people on my planet at once, and this is probably the largest crowd from Earth that I've ever had!"

"It appears you're unaware of what's been happening on Earth recently," Piccolo said, as King Kai became quizzical. "The peace we had been cherishing in the months after the Cell Games is potentially on the verge of becoming shattered by Cell himself."

King Kai was aghast to hear that assertion.

"What!" he shouted. "How could that be true? I thought the wish Cell made with the Dragon Balls was supposed to have prevented him from seeking to threaten peace again! And let me ask, what is he planning to do? It must be extremely serious for all of you to have come here."

"Cell is planning to wish for the free will to choose a path of goodness or a path of evil," Tien said. "However, he doesn't seem to care about the very real possibility that if he does choose to again become evil, there is nothing that any of us, even when working together, could do to stop him right now."

"The Dragon Balls he created in the other timeline and that he wants to make again here have the power to make his desire for free will come true," Krillin said. "However, he's refusing our request to have more time to become strong enough so that at least one of us could realistically stop him if he does choose to pursue evil again."

"He's also refusing to allow us to go to the future so that we could bring back Trunks and Broly," Yamcha said. "From all Cell has said, it's clear he considers those two to be way stronger than he is. If they were here when he made the wish, we'd be able to then readily defeat Cell if he became one of the bad guys again. We just don't have anyone strong enough to fight him right now, not even Gohan!"

"There's a lot more about his plan that's troubling," Gohan said. "We want to tell you all about his plan, as well as a series of related events that recently happened, so that we can get your opinion on all this, King Kai."

"Also, we decided that we wanted to have the opportunity to make a counterplan without Cell being able to hear us," Goku said. "Since we're in Otherworld and he's in the mortal realm, there's no way he could hear anything that we're speaking about."

"Please, tell me everything," King Kai said.

After many minutes in which the Z-Fighters relayed all that had happened since Cell's broadcast, including their exhibition match with him and their meeting around the stone table, King Kai made an assessment.

"Just when we thought the Earth was finally at peace, the person who threatened it the last time decided to threaten it again," King Kai said. "It doesn't sound as though Cell is trying to be threatening on purpose, though. It just sounds as though he's way too overconfident, which, knowing him, isn't particularly surprising. Also, it seems as though he truly thinks he's doing the right thing."

"You really think so?" Tien asked, while looking among the others to gauge their reactions to King Kai's analysis – about half clearly looked skeptical, while others seemed unsure. "As far as I'm concerned, Cell is so intelligent in so many ways that there's no way that he could reasonably consider his plan to be without risk and truly the right thing to be doing."

"Maybe it's all just a ploy to distract us from what he's truly intending," Vegeta said. "He could have decided to inform us all about some sort of fake plan just to have us become concerned with that one and not even consider what else he might be planning. We of course know how sadistic that freak can be, and perhaps he truly is already evil again, with his renewed sentiment as the basis for this potential ruse."

"If Cell was truly already evil again, why would he be doing what he's doing?" King Kai asked. "He could have already killed many people and destroyed many things, and yet he's done none of this. Why would he have established so many details for a plan he isn't even intending to carry out?"

"Well, the only way he really could have become evil again is if the effect of the Dragon Balls on Cell to prevent him from becoming evil again somehow lost effect when he left this timeline and didn't resume when he came back," Gohan said. "Or, it could have remained in effect while Cell was in Timeline IV and then lost effect after his return to our timeline, but that somehow seems less likely."

"Maybe the wish with the Dragon Balls never worked at all!" Krillin said. "Maybe Cell has either been playing us for fools from the start of his supposed change, or maybe the Dragon Balls just didn't work upon him way back when he made the wish with Shenron. You know, it's possible he really did have a reformation of sorts and has just been acting on it the entire time, without the wish with Shenron truly locking him into it at all. If that's so, then he could be pursuing all this merely because the Dragon Balls never actually prevented him from committing evil acts again, and he's doing all this simply because he considers this to be alright, according to whatever he's thinking."

"It sure would be helpful in a way if his thoughts weren't so complex," Goku said. "I tried to practice my own version of the mind-reading thing on him the other day because I wanted to see for myself what the battles in Timeline IV were like, and at the time, he even said that it wouldn't work. He was right!"

"You're right, Dad; it would have been good if we could have gained at least some sort of direct insight into what he's actually thinking," Gohan said, right before powering down from his Super Saiyan 2 form. "And Krillin, I don't think your description of how Cell's moral lock-in wish was supposed to work is accurate. I don't think it outright prevented Cell from committing acts that are inherently evil or endangering; I think it just prevented him from committing acts that he personally considers to be evil or endangering! If that is so, then Cell can do anything he wants as long as he thinks it to be objectively morally good, even if that thing is actually objectively morally wrong!"

"That would all depend on whether actions, by themselves, can be morally good or morally wrong regardless of the intentions of the people committing those actions," Tien asked, while redirecting his attention toward King Kai. "So, … which is it?"

"You really think I know for sure?" King Kai asked.

Tien was surprised at the response, as were many of his fellow warriors.

"Yeah, … I mean, you're a god, aren't you?" Tien asked. "I thought that, … you know … since you're a god, you'd be able to answer that question."

"I know many things, Tien, but I'm not all-knowing," King Kai said. "Otherworld judges souls based on everything about them. We do assign moral values to what people did in life based on what we feel is common moral sense, but whether the moral worth we've ascribed to actions is actually inherently true of the universe is something of which even I'm unsure."

"Then who would be sure?" Sixteen asked. "It seems illogical that something could exist without the universe's highest authority knowing about it."

Perhaps because of the exact wording Sixteen had used, King Kai smiled.

"I'm humbled that you thought of me as such, but there are those who outrank me," King Kai said.

"Really?" Eighteen asked.

"I'm one of four kais, and each of us oversee one of the universe's galaxies," King Kai said. "You all call me 'King Kai,' but people from the West and South galaxies also call their kai 'King Kai.' The person formally addressed as East Kai is also known by people from her galaxy as 'Queen Kai.' She, for instance, calls me 'North Kai.' Then, there's a Grand Kai who is above all of us."

"Would he know?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know; but it might be worth asking him," King Kai said. "But if he doesn't know … well, I really can't say what else might be able to be done."

"Regardless of exactly how the wish worked, and regardless of whether Cell is truly evil already, let's consider the seemingly most likely circumstance based on all that's happened, that Cell still views himself as good, and yet is doing this anyway," Gohan said. "Is it possible that even with his supposedly reformed ways, and even while acting with what he views as righteousness, he's willing to risk the lives of innocent people just to advance himself, and is purposely downplaying the risk? Or is it possible that he truly, sincerely, views his wish for true free will as one in which there won't be any risk?"

"If Cell honestly believes there's no risk, then he either knows something that he hasn't shared with us, or a few of his mental processing cells didn't regenerate the last time he did," Vegeta said. "I doubt that Cell honestly views all of this as risk-free. It's hard to imagine that he possibly could."

"So, if he views his plan as risky, then why is he insisting that there are no risks?" Eighteen asked. "What does he gain from it? And, if he truly knows there are risks, then why is he insisting that he gain free will now, instead of waiting until at least Gohan is strong enough to potentially stop him?"

"Excellent questions, Blondie, for which Cell has provided no answers," Vegeta said. "Of course, there's also the matter of why he's refusing to let my son and Broly be here when he makes the wish. If he truly knows his plan is risky, and if he truly is trying to act in goodness, then his plan seems especially absurd. Better yet, if Cell really is good and if he really has told the truth and didn't kill my son, then why didn't Cell make the wish to gain free will in the future when he had the chance, and instead is seeking to make the wish here, without the presence of fighters strong enough to stop him if he becomes evil again?"

"Like I've already said, it's possible Cell really does want to keep on pursuing goodness but is somehow acting recklessly through no fault of his own because of some sort of backup system Dr. Gero incorporated into him that either wasn't entirely covered by the wish Cell made with Shenron or somehow otherwise became exempt," Tien said. "That would account for the apparent flaws in his plans. It's possible there's a component of his mind, or some sort of structural component, interacting with Cell's Dragon Ball-locked righteousness to produce the overzealousness and recklessness we've been seeing him experience. Perhaps the effect has gotten worse for Cell over time, with Cell's increasing accomplishments in goodness causing the effect to become stronger."

"You might be on to something, Tien," Eighteen said. "It's possible that Gero's bastard ways have survived via a backup plan he incorporated into Cell. Maybe, if there really is some sort of component causing all this, it was covered by the wish at one time, but then no longer was covered after Cell underwent his big regeneration during his battle with the other him. Maybe the component's regeneration is also causing Cell to quest for perfection in a big way again, with renewed desires for perfection at all costs influencing his need for absolute righteousness regardless of the risks. In fact, maybe the desire for perfection is so strong that he's failing to admit to himself the risks and is completely disregarding them!"

"If that's so, then Cell might view gaining true free will as something of great importance for the pursuit of righteousness, and therefore a more 'perfect' righteousness, than safeguarding the universe from needless risk to its safety," Sixteen said. "He might be pursuing true free will merely because it is apparently more righteous to him than the alternative, or because more righteousness potentially could exist if he succeeds."

"All of that is fascinating, but what if there is no backup component causing Cell to unconsciously or involuntarily do what he's doing?" King Kai asked. "What if he's in complete control of himself, and yet is still doing all this?"

The others thought about that, and one had a series of ideas that he then decided to express.

"Could it be possible that Cell isn't truly intending to wish for free will at all, and is merely acting as though he adamantly wants to pursue his stated plan, all for the purpose of testing us to see how we would respond to a challenge of this magnitude?" Gohan asked.

Some of his fellow warriors recognized the legitimacy of the possibility, while others remained skeptical.

"You really think that could be true, son?" Goku asked.

"Yeah, Dad. If Cell truly is still acting according to principles of righteousness, he might be doing all of this just to advance some hidden noble purpose, and might not actually be seriously considering anything that would threaten the universe at all," Gohan said. "I'm especially suggesting this as a possibility because it seems peculiar that Cell would come up with a plan full of so many outright flaws and yet insist that the plan is sufficient to safeguard the universe. He's refusing to enable us to have the most effective safeguards we can possibly have, and he has offered us flawed ones instead! Granting us more time to prepare for this obviously would be the most significant safeguard, and his insistence on making the wish in merely 34 days therefore is extremely suspect. Obviously, his explanation for why Trunks and Broly can't be here with us when he makes the wish is insufficient. I already mentioned that he could easily circumvent the hyperspace wall wish through building a ship, but it's true that he also did not propose anything about having the wish cover the Juniors. He could easily amass a squadron of Juniors to do his biding, and each Junior could use Instant Transmission even when the hyperspace wall surrounds him – I'd like to find out what he'd say to the prospect of adjusting the wish so it includes the Juniors as being subject to hyperspace walls as well."

"Speaking of flaws, Cell's plan to make you immortal while also making you the keeper of Temnizziv also has many," Piccolo said. "As you said, Gohan, if you're immortal, Cell could never lose access to Temnizziv's set. However, it would be possible to restrict Cell's use of the set if the set is hidden or partially destroyed. Something tells me that Cell's design for these Dragon Balls makes them beyond difficult to destroy, however. Also, Cell potentially could find a way, either via a powered-up Imprisonment Ball or some sort of device he could design, to keep you imprisoned and alive while retaining full access to the set. Cell also hasn't suggested that you would in any way have the ability as Temnizziv's keeper to lock him out of using the set. It doesn't seem as though enabling you to be immortal while granting you keepership of Temnizziv would outright prevent Cell from having significant access to Temnizziv even so."

"It all makes me wonder … do you think Cell, despite truly recognizing that gaining free will would be a threat to the universe he would never actually want to pursue, deliberately revealed a supposed plan for acquiring true free will and intentionally made his plan insufficient for safeguarding the universe from the associated risk … all for the purpose of making us believe we're confronting an extremely serious problem whereas we otherwise would not have?" Gohan asked.

"Why would he go through the trouble of doing that?" Tien asked.

"Think about Cell's supposed aims in life – he wants to pursue righteousness, he wants to help others, and he wants to defend the universe. Well, maybe this is all just a ploy to have us become extremely motivated to become far stronger than we currently are, whereas we otherwise would be living in a time of peace in which we wouldn't have such motivation," Gohan said. "Cell knows very well that psychological stresses help trigger Super Saiyan transformations, and maybe he decided to create an artificial conflict so that we'd all have stresses that we otherwise wouldn't have felt and that can help us become far stronger far faster, … and potentially unlock transformations we haven't yet achieved. Maybe he realized there was a possibility that without his intervention, we would never again encounter a truly stressful situation that would truly motivate us to become as strong as possible, and so, through wanting us to become as strong as possible so we could better defend the world and have even greater levels of personal achievement, he implemented his plan."

"If Cell truly was intending all that, surely he realized one of us might eventually figure it out way in advance of the established date he wants to make the wishes, and you indeed have," Piccolo said. "If that really is his plan, there's a big flaw. Through knowing there was a possibility that we'd discover the truth of the plan, he should have realized this could prevent us from acting as stressed as we otherwise would and that we might not take the apparent threat as seriously, causing the intention of his plan to probably be unfulfilled."

"Knowing Cell, he could have planned for that," Gohan said. "Maybe he wanted to see what we would do even after recognizing the possibility that all of this is another game, albeit one he potentially designed to benefit us and benefit the universe. Regardless, it would be prudent to not discount the threat and treat this as seriously as possible. We have no way to definitively know what Cell is planning, and even if we outright ask him if this is all just a game, he could confirm or deny the assertion so as to misdirect us from the actual truth, all to potentially advance an actual true hidden purpose. As such, we need to prepare for the worst. We're going to need to train as much as we can from now until October 27 so that we can be as prepared as possible to stop Cell."

"Gohan, it doesn't sound likely that we'd be able to amass enough combined strength to either stop Cell from making the free will wish, or stopping him if the wish is made and turns out for the worst," Piccolo said. "We can't use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber forever; as each of us has a two-day lifetime limit."

"The two-day limit is a lifetime limit?" Vegeta asked. "I thought the two-day limit applies just to the amount of time that can pass outside the chamber while one is within before the doors disappear!"

"You're right, Vegeta, in that the two-day limit does apply that way, but it also applies in the way I've described," Piccolo said. "If we had been able to each spend more than two days in the chamber in total, one of us in preparation for the Cell Games could have spent just under two days in the chamber, then briefly exited, then went back in for just under two days, then exited, and so forth. Aging wouldn't have even been an issue, as the Dragon Balls could have been used to restore the volunteer's youth if necessary before the Cell Games, as we very well know that youth restoration is possible with the Dragon Balls, as per what my bastard father did. We then could have delayed the second wish with Shenron and later used the second wish after the shortened dormant period, which still would have been within a year of Cell's victims' deaths and such that they still could have been revived. I would have explicitly suggested in our preparations for the Cell Games that one or two of us should have used this strategy throughout the course of the 10 days – if it were possible."

"Darn … this means I can't use the chamber again!" Vegeta shouted.

"I'm sorry to hear you can't go in the chamber anymore, Vegeta, but I would enjoy the opportunity to go in there so I could try to make my Partial Panacea more efficient!" Chiaotzu asked.

"Wait a minute!" Goku said. "Chiaotzu, if you taught that technique to all of us, maybe we could each lower Cell's power level together to make him easier to defeat!"

"Unfortunately, Goku, I doubt that would work," Chiaotzu said.

"Why wouldn't it?" Goku asked.

"It's a healing technique in principle, after all, and while it's very different from the Namekian version of healing, I suspect that only one person can use it on a person at a time, or if multiple people try, the total effect will be the same," Chiaotzu said. "I'd be happy, though, to teach the technique to at least one of you so we could try to see if multiple instances of the technique could work together."

"It's worth a try," Goku said, right before redirecting his focus to King Kai. "While we're here, King Kai, and speaking of adjusting power levels … I wanted to let you and everyone else here know, especially you, Gohan, that if it really came down to it, I'd volunteer myself for an Essence Transfer so that someone else could gain all my strength."

Gohan suddenly felt extremely solemn, knowing the true consequences of what an Essence Transfer would mean for them all.

"I don't want to lose you, Dad," Gohan said. "You don't need to volunteer your existence like this!"

"The future-me was brave … I'm the same way," Goku said. "If it needs to be done, it needs to be done. I'd gladly give up my existence so that all of you could still have one of peace."

"It's noble of you, Goku, but hopefully it will never come to that," Sixteen said.

"This is not a decision to be made lightly, Goku," King Kai said. "I was listening to all Cell said of what happened in the future, and I know all about what he said with regard to when the Essence Transfer was used there. They were clearly in a desperate situation that threatened the universe; I will not ask my fellow kais to help me perform the technique unless there is truly no other choice."

"Understood," Goku said, as he redirected his attention to his son. "Gohan, you have more than a day left of training that you could pursue in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and more than 30 days left to train on the outside. I'm confident you can get much stronger by then."

"But what about you, Dad?" Gohan asked. "Training with you in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber would be very beneficial to us both!"

"I don't have a full day left to train in there, Gohan, although I might join you for part of your training," Goku said. "With the time I spent in the chamber while I was training with Kami and Mr. Popo, and the time I spend in there already with you, I might have a bit more than half of a day left to go."

"Kakarot, I demand that the two of us train together outside in the real world," Vegeta said, as Goku turned toward him. "If we fight each other at full blast, perhaps we could achieve the Super Saiyan 2 transformation as well!"

"Sounds like a plan," Goku said. "You know I'm going to achieve the next true level before you again, right?"

"You wish!" Vegeta said. "I'm going to prove to you once and for all that I'm the – "

Vegeta suddenly interrupted himself, upon sensing and seeing him overhead.

Cell had emerged from hyperspace about 10 meters 'above' their location on King Kai's planet, and he was staring relatively down at them.

"It seems you all have been quite busy," Cell said, while slowly lowering himself toward the ground below.

"You have some nerve coming here after declaring what you intend to do!" King Kai said. "Cell, I'm actually not in the mood for jokes. However, if you agree to give everyone here more time to prepare for your free will wish, then you can stay. Better yet, why don't you just recognize that things are fine the way they are now, and that the universe will be safer if you don't pursue this wish at all?"

"No extension of time shall be permitted," Cell said, while landing on the planet's grass, just a few meters from the others. "If I was to extend the deadline, I would deprive myself and the universe of many, many seconds of my greater enlightenment. As for abandoning my dream entirely, the universe will be faulted if I deny it the opportunity to benefit from my ascended moral goodness."

"Why did you come here, Cell, just to taunt us?" Tien asked.

"Not at all, Tien. In fact, you should be thankful for the reason that I'm here," Cell said. "You also should be thankful that I purposely let you all have the opportunity to discuss whatever it was about me that you wanted to discuss. I felt you would appreciate at least that."

"We'd appreciate it if you would be more reasonable," Krillin said.

"Ah, but I'm here to consult with Goku regard an endeavor that is quite reasonable," Cell said, while walking forward toward him.

"What is this about, Cell?" Goku asked.

"During the broadcast I made to the people of Earth earlier today, I discussed many matters of importance," Cell said, while halting his steps one meter from Goku. "Do you recall that I briefly referred to my desire to perform an act of medicinal benefit for the people of Earth?"

"I don't recall that point specifically, but what are you planning to do, and how does it involve me?" Goku asked.

"I'm planning to work on a vaccine that will thoroughly prevent deaths from the heart virus that almost killed you," Cell said, which surprised not just Goku, but all the others. "As you know, the medicine that Trunks gave you from the future only had the ability to fight the virus after it had already progressed to a certain stage. Otherwise, you would have used the medicine long before you did. The medicine Trunks gave you required you to already be infected and at risk of death; I want to prevent people from being able to in any way be imperiled by this virus."

"If you care so much about preventing risks to people with regard to this, surely you should also care about preventing risks to people with regard to your planned wish for free will," Piccolo said.

"There are no risks with regard to my wish for free will," Cell said, infuriating the others. "As for you, Goku, I'm going to need your help tomorrow."

"My help?" Goku asked.

"You possess certain antibodies regarding this virus that I want to examine," Cell said. "I'm going to need you to arrive at the Capsule Corporation compound 20 hours from now so that you can be of service for what must be done."

Goku felt on edge, as he realized that needles likely would be involved, but he was doing the best he could to relax, especially since he recognized the benefits of a vaccine for the virus that had almost killed him and that had unfortunately killed him in two other timelines.

Vegeta, however, was enraged.

"If you think that you're welcome anywhere near my dwelling, you're severely mistaken!" Vegeta asked.

"Actually, I transmitted here right after finishing up a conversation with Bulma, in which she said she was looking forward to working with me on this," Cell said.

"You despicable cur!" Vegeta shouted. "You obviously didn't tell Bulma about – "

"Would it surprise you that I did, and that she said yes even so?" Cell asked with a grin, which did, indeed, surprise Vegeta. "She had her misgivings, for sure, but she recognized the overall benefits for the people of Earth and for medical science."

"If you're going to work on this, make your own lab, instead of using ours!" Vegeta said. "We know you have the power to build one, so do it!"

"I would, but I have many structures to renovate and villages to revitalize from now until then," Cell said. "Using Capsule Corporation's already existent laboratories will save much time."

"Do you realize how disconcerting it is that you're working to produce all these benefits for the Earth, only to potentially risk the safety of not just the entire planet, but the entire universe a bit more than a month from now?" Gohan asked.

"Again, you fail to realize that my plan has no risks," Cell said, again enraging the others. "The benefits I implement shall endure."

"Overconfidence is pointless, you know," Gohan said.

"As is a lack of confidence, when confidence instead should exist," Cell said, as he then placed his right index and central fingers upon his forehead.

"Before you go, Cell, I have a quick question for you," Gohan said.

Cell kept his fingers where he'd placed them, but focused upon Gohan.

"What would you like to ask of me?" Cell asked.

"Your wish regarding the hyperspace walls … could we modify it to make sure the Juniors as well will be included?" Gohan asked.

"That is an acceptable modification," Cell said, as he then looked toward Goku. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in 20 hours, Goku. Be prepared to help the world in yet another way."

"I'll be there," Goku said, as Cell refocused upon an energy signature on Earth.

He then instant transmitted from view, and through all he had done and said since arriving, he left the others with even more of an incentive to advance themselves.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 59__th__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: While Cell endeavors to create a vaccine to permanently defeat the dreaded heart virus so that all the people of Earth can live free from the virus' tyranny, the Z-Fighters ponder their futures and quest to achieve even greater power. And in Timeline IV, Trunks and Broly are about to accomplish a task that Cell had asked them to do before he exited the timeline! What are they about to do? Stay tuned! _

_Also up next: I posted a letter of significant importance to the Honor Trip fan community that is available in the chapter scroll-down menu as the selection directly after this one. Please take a few moments to read it. _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Fifty-Nine: Completed April 5, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

_Additional credits: Much thanks to TheCuriousReader, AlphaShenron, and Lemonlime77 for prompting, through their reviews of Chapter 58, inclusions in this chapter of various additional aspects of the flaws of Cell's stated plan for true moral free will. I also would like to thank Nartog for the consideration of whether Chiaotzu's Partial Panacea technique can be stacked so that multiple individuals could each use the technique for a cumulative effect; this consideration was incorporated into this chapter and it shall soon be revealed whether the technique can be stacked or if regardless of the number of people using the technique, the aggregate maximum by which a power level can be stored is 10 percent. Thank you for your analyses and considerations! _

* * *

**Answers to your comments and questions following the release of Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans!**

**Perfect Carnage [1] - Exagitate Part 1 **

Q: Why has Cell not used the Kaioken?

A: An explanation as to why Cell in canon never used the Kaioken technique, which applies to why he never used it in Honor Trip, is based in the magnitude of the Kaioken multiplier and the results of diluting genetic material for incorporation into Cell. It must first be identified that for a full-blooded Saiyan, the Kaioken's feasibility, at least as observed in canon, is such that it provides a lesser multiplier than the basic form of Super Saiyan. Also, based on anime filler that has not been contradicted in the 20 years since its release, it seems the Super Saiyan and Kaioken states can be used simultaneously, but only for a few seconds, presumably because of the negative magnification effect of bodily strain that the Kaioken would produce in conjunction with Super Saiyan if used for more than a few seconds. As Goku's genetic material is merely a small part of Cell's DNA, and as Saiyan DNA comprises more of Cell's genetic structure than Goku's alone, as it is known based on Honor Trip context that Cell's Super Saiyan analog multiplier is far lesser than that for truly natural Saiyan, (presumably because of dilution of genetic material), and as it is known that the Kaioken multipliers achieved in canon were lower than the Super Saiyan power multiplier of 50x, it therefore is reasonable to suggest that Cell never used Kaioken because he knew that it would have a lower multiplier for him than his Super Saiyan analog, both because of its apparent naturally lower multiplier effect and because of the dilution of net genetic material of the progenitor who was capable of the technique beyond the net genetic material from those capable of Super Saiyan, resulting in an even greater multiplier dampening effect for Kaioken than for Super Saiyan. Cell also might not have combined his Super Saiyan analog with the Kaioken technique because he might have thought the benefit would not be especially worth the physical effort and limited time of combining Kaioken and his Super Saiyan analog, as per the apparently naturally lower Kaioken maximum feasible multiplier than Super Saiyan and its greater dilution than the Super Saiyan multiplier through the way Cell was amalgamated.

**Perfect Carnage [2] - Exagitate Part 1 **

C: I just realized how strange it is that Cell wouldn't want Broly or Trunks around for added safe-guards. Every other explanation either you or Cell is given has been highly ambivalent (Taking lessons from Soren Bowie I see) I can get not wanting to wait months for the Z-Fighters to catch up, I can understand wanting free will, but what I don't understand is not taking a step to get a real, tangible safeguard. His explanation was just lazy, and not nearly as well thought as would be expected from HT Cell.

A: I'm glad you recognize how unsettling this particular aspect of Cell's plan happens to be. However, as I've said before and as I'll again say, there is a reason for everything.

**Perfect Carnage [3] - Exagitate Part 2**

C: Wait, what? They made a KFC advertisement with Goku? The fan-rage is ...Rising.

A: I was shocked when I saw it too; it's antithetical to the essence of Dragon Ball Z, and hence very much worthy of parody.

**Perfect Carnage [4] - Exagitate Part 2**

Q: How is what Raditz did illogical? It fits into his character being rash, and the Saiyan logic of punching things to get solutions.

A: Ah, but Vegeta clearly is rational and can abstain from aggression to pursue matters diplomatically if such would further his interests. It's surprising he didn't either coach Raditz to act civilly or simply accompany Raditz himself.

Q: At what rate would you say the Legendary Super Saiyan's power increases? Broly was 10,000 as a baby, and became a SSJ somwhere in his teens. At what point do you think his base surpassed Frieza's first form? I'm asking in order to figure out why Paragus never tried using Broly to kill Frieza and conquer the Galaxy.

A: It's extremely difficult to determine an exact rate, but it seems plausible that the annual gain would increase over time, with Broly's strength compounding.

**Perfect Carnage [5] - Exagitate Part 4**

Q: The SSG form is weird. The form itself lasts for a short time, but after that the power can be accessed through the regular SS forms, rendering SSG redundant. Question: Could the power of SSG used with a different level of Super Saiyan give greater power?

A: As I have not yet watched Battle of Gods, I am not yet aware of all the canonical aspects of the Super Saiyan God transformation. Because of this, I've not yet gathered enough data to be able to discern whether the Super Saiyan God "achievement bonus" that enhances the strength of a Saiyan in other forms of Super Saiyan varies depending on the form used.

C: SS4 Goku was really noble, sacrificing himself to seal the death of the abomination that was GT.

A: Perhaps one of GT's redeeming qualities is the way Goku was written for the story; despite his reversion to childhood, he maintains his adult persona and continues to act very much akin to how he was portrayed in DBZ (unlike his sons, who became generic). FUNimation's dialogue for GT Goku happens to have been an aspect of the show that I've found to be enjoyable – it conveys the essence of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z very well and helps enable Goku's characterization to be fairly consistent across the trilogy.

**Primal Chaos [1] - Exagitate Part 1**

C: And was not sure if the machines used when growing Cell could filter out that much subconscious information.

A: Although Toriyama did not go into significant detail regarding the exact manner by which Cell was amalgamated, it can be inferred based on Cell's comments and mannerisms that the machines were quite selective in various aspects.

**Primal Chaos [2] - Exagitate Part 2**

C: Now a part of me cant help but think of dr wheelo having a mustache taped in front of the brain casing.

A: And a glorious moustache it is.

**ShinyShiza [1] - Exagitate Part 1**

Q: So here's the comedy 8.5 special part 1, huh? What's with the fr*cking CAMELS?!

A: The camels were there because they're camels. Also, Lawrence of Arabia (1963). And if you recognized the quick allusion that Bills makes to this in Part 4, then your question has been further answered.

**ShinyShiza [2] - Exagitate Part 2**

C: This is such crack! Alpacas!

A: If you haven't already seen it, enter "Alpaca" and "Imperial March" into YouTube's search field, then watch the first result.

**ShinyShiza [3] - Exagitate Part 4**

C: wtf?!

A: Ferrets.

**Hoenn Master96 [1] – Exagitate Part 1 **

C: You seem to like the cluster 'F-Bombs'

A: I also like to cluster fried chicken and hot sauce.

**Hoenn Master96 [2] – Exagitate Part 2**

C: This is very random, but then again, it's supposed to be...

A: Alpacas.

**Hoenn Master96 [3] – Exagitate Part 3**

C: This makes about as much sense as a mud fence. Please continue. :B

A: What about a hot sauce fence?

**Perfection8 [1] –Exagitate Part 1 **

C: I know why Cell is refusing to allow them to train to his power level before he makes his wish for true free will! He is making himself go through the ultimate test of the measure of his goodness. He is making it so that it is a scenario that he is able to destroy the universe if he chose to and nobody would be able to stop him. If he doesn't do anything evil during the time no one is able to stop him then that means he has passed the test and that he has truly chosen righteousness out of his own free will.

A: An intriguing possibility, and thank you for sharing your thoughts. As I determined before the release of Chapter 57 the reason for why Cell is refusing to allow them to train, and as this shall be definitively revealed soon, I think you will be interested to examine how accurate your prediction is.

**Perfection8 [2] – Exagitate Part 4**

C: Camels

A: Indubitably

**The Last Z Fighter – Exagitate Part 1 **

C: Honestly though, I always felt DBZ had a severe lack of competent female fighters.

A: The Dragon Ball franchise would have been far different had Launch agreed to train with Goku and Krillin under Roshi's tutelage when she was offered. She's a great character who was severely underutilized, hence why I wanted to give her a more prominent role in Timeline IV. Had she become a Z-Fighter in Dragon Ball and continued in this tradition through DBZ … it would have been awesome.

**Goku96 –Exagitate Part 1 **

Q: Is cell stronger then a super saiyan 3 and if not how come they can't reach it in the 27 days in the time chamber when goku reached it in 7 years?

A: Cell could be stronger than a Super Saiyan 3 – it all depends on the normal state power level of the person who transformed into a Super Saiyan 3. Remember, the levels of Super Saiyan do not automatically indicate that someone in a higher-numbered form is stronger than someone in a lower-numbered form. As a stark example of this, Gohan, as a Super Saiyan 2, was weaker than Broly (Timeline IV) as a Super Saiyan because Broly's normal state power level, multiplied by the Super Saiyan power multiplier, was far greater than Gohan's normal state power level multiplied by the Super Saiyan multiplier and the Super Saiyan 2 multiplier (as the power multiplier for a Super Saiyan transformation is the same for each Saiyan that possesses the transformation, this means that Broly's normal state power level is greater than Gohan's normal state power level multiplied by the Super Saiyan 2 power multiplier). Because of this, if Cell's Super Perfect form power level at maximum is 5000 units, and he was fighting a Saiyan warrior whose normal state power level at maximum is two units, then that Saiyan's maximum Super Saiyan 3 power level would be two multiplied by the Super Saiyan multiplier (50x) then the Super Saiyan 2 multiplier (10x in Honor Trip) and then the Super Saiyan 3 multiplier, which equals 4,000 units. However, if the Saiyan's normal state power level was four units, and the fighter transforms into a Super Saiyan 3, his power level would be double because four is the double of two, so his Super Saiyan 3 power level at maximum would be 8,000 units. The normal state power level of the fighter wowuld determine whether they could be stronger or weaker than Cell as a Super Saiyan 3. With regard to training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, it seems there is a lifetime limit of training within it of two years (it is known that those who stay inside for more than two years are trapped because the door disappears, and if the Z-Fighters truly were able to exit and then return for a net lifetime experience within the chamber of more than two relative years, it is likely Vegeta and Trunks would have tried this in the 10-day wait for the Cell Games, and yet they did not do this). Also, if the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was able to be used for more than two years, it would be a broken plot device because Goku would have had absolutely no valid reason other than aging a bit (which he knows is reversible with the Dragon Balls) to train for many relative years in the chamber before the Cell Games through exiting the chamber only when necessary to prevent the doors from disappearing and then reentering. The fact this does not happen shows that logically, the room must have a lifetime limit. Also, here's a plot hole regarding the Hyperbolic Time Chamber that is not often brought up – why didn't Popo and Kami talk with the Earth's defenders about it during the year of preparation for the Saiyans? It could have made a significant difference, and yet it was never brought up!

**The Imaginatrix [1]–Exagitate Part 1 **

C: I honestly can't believe they tried to cram so much stuff into that ten-day period. I have mentioned previously that the only DBZ movie I really liked was "Cooler's Revenge", because Cooler was rather awesome in my personal opinion. Most of the other movies annoyed the ever-loving crap out of me, and I'd never heard of this particular one before now, obviously because it had never been dubbed. Perhaps that is just as well.

A: Cooler's Revenge was a great movie with a well-characterized villain. While Movie 8.5 was rather obscure for a long time, it actually happens to be one of my favorites (as you can tell, based on the fact I wrote a 40,000+ word special on it!). Dr. Raichi and Hatchiyack's storyline is one of depth, and as you know, I very much enjoy works of sociological significance.

**The Imaginatrix [2]–Exagitate Part 3 **

Q: NOOOOOOOO! How could KFC do something so terrible to all of my boys?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

A: In general, anything in too great a dose, especially fast food, can be dangerous.

C: Oh, and congratulations for reaching 1000 reviews!

A: Thanks very much!

**The Imaginatrix [3]–Exagitate Part 4 **

C: This entire special has been absolutely hilarious! xD

A: I'm glad you felt it to be so!

Q: You really , REALLY don't like DBGT, do you? Is it okay that I like it? I agree the writers could have done better, but some of the plotlines intrigued me, and one in particular has influenced part of my rather complex multiple crossover.

A: Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I respect your opinion regarding GT. As per my style of media quality assessment, which predominantly focuses on logic and story structure aspects, I happen to not enjoy GT much because it is rife with logic errors and instances of ineffective story organization. I do believe that GT has some excellent characters; it's a shame Omega Shenron wasn't in more episodes.

**Blake2020 –Exagitate Part 2**

C: great chapter looking forward to the next chapter update soon

A: I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**Davidstarlingm [1] - Kaji Special Chapter **

C: Fantastic job, Rocket, on building up a backstory for your original characters here. The presentation is spot-on and melds nicely with the DBZ feel while also adding to the universe in a way that makes sense.

A: Rocket's world developing abilities are exemplary, and I'm enthused by your enthusiasm as to how she enthusiastically displayed such enthusiastic characters enthusiastically.

**Davidstarlingm [2] - The Tree of Might [Honor Trip remake] **

C: Tree of Might was never particularly canon-compliant, which makes it difficult...but it was hard to tell whether this was a reimagining of the Tree of Might concept, or an attempt to make the original depiction more canon-compliant. Maybe it was both, but it wasn't really clear.

A: It was both. Genescritor felt that through reimagining the storyline and placing it into a different portion of continuity, it could become canon-compliant.

**Davidstarlingm [3] - Chapter 57 **

C: So far, I'm not sure whether Cell's insistence on not letting them train more and making his wish quickly is because he doesn't want a wrench thrown in his plans, or because he has other intentions he's not revealing.

A: Is it one or the other, or perhaps both? All shall be revealed.

**Davidstarlingm [4] - Chapter 58**

C: I can't shake the feeling that Cell is being disingenuous here. I wonder if this is somehow part of his plan. He certainly could have presented his idea in a less inflammatory way, and he's intelligent enough to know what responses he was going to provoke. Is he trying to agitate them?

A: Everything has a purpose. Use your powers of deduction to ascertain the truth.

**Davidstarlingm [4] - Chapter 42**

C: Necro reviewing to say: FINALLY GOOD GRACIOUS THAT DAMNABLE SON OF A BITCH IS DEAD

A: Thanks for enabling the chief chapter depicting the classic final mortal realm showdown between Cell and Future Cell to have the recognition of having been the chapter for which the story's 999th review was posted.

**Davidstarlingm [5] – Chapter 56 **

C: Let me be the first to congratulate you on achieving 1000 reviews! This is a fantastic story and I eagerly welcome you to the 1k Club.

A: **THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING HONOR TRIP'S OFFICIAL 1,000TH REVIEW, AND I WANT TO THANK ALL WHO HAVE EVER READ AND REVIEWED HONOR TRIP FOR ALL THE REVIEWS YOU'VE WRITTEN.**

C: I can't say I agree with the no-limit hypothesis. The characters in the manga spend far too much time mentioning "reaching their limit" at a particular point for this to make sense. I much prefer limitations dependent on the highest transformation which has been reached at any given time. That allows for near-synchrony with "class" or "tier" systems as well as a more precise system.

A: Humanity's potential is unlimited, and because of this, the potential of our protagonists as well is unlimited. It does not seem realistic for a well-trained fighter capable of overcoming significant adversity to suddenly and arbitrarily reach a "wall" that he cannot surpass if he does not transform. Under my system, classes and tiers indeed exist, but they are based on a combination of normal state power level degree and overall transformation capability. As you very well know, "precision" is a subjective term when evaluating models for which exact variables are unknown and for which functionality has been inferred.

**Guest (first) – Exagitate Part 2 **

C: 1000

A: Thanks!

**Guest (second) – Exagitate Part 2 **

C: hahaha

A: Emus.

**Mr. Arkham – Exagitate Part 3 **

C: Congrats on breaching the 1,000 review mark!

A: Thank you very much!

C: Also I do like the characterisation of Raichi in this special. And Hatchiyack being more than a robot brute is nice too.

A: Raichi deserved to be parodied, especially as per the fact that his plan in the original movie was inherently absurd. With regard to Hatchiyack, as I mentioned in the first part of the special, I prefer when main villains HAVE SIGNIFICANT DIALOGUE so that they can meaningfully contribute to the sociological and psychological aspects of the plot.

**PetrusMagnus – Exagitate Part 2 **

C: Trunks is gonna have nightmares about things stretching...kkkkkkkkk

A: Au contraire, he would have had nightmares if he owed taxes and the magnitude of taxes he owed was stretched, but he instead received an excellent tax refund.

**Jason9000 – Exagitate Part 4**

C: Wow...wasn't expecting GT Goku to appear. Hm...I wonder how long it'll be before people start pitting Super Saiyan God Goku against Super Saiyan 4 Goku.

A: The debate as to which is a more powerful transformation and/or which incarnation of Goku is stronger already has begun. There's a comment thread on the main dbz wiki about this subject.

**cmcwiki – Exagitate Part 4**

C: after posting this review, i tore out my eyes, ears, and tongue because of the biebatrocity you put in here.

A: I had not previously known of the term Biebatrocity, but it indeed sounds as though it describes the associated phenomenon which prompted your reaction – you truly must detest the singer to have facetiously had such a reaction. Incidentally, my favorite genre of music is heavy metal.

**fkp5 – Exagitate Part 4**

C: Great job

A: I'm glad you enjoyed the Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans comedy special!

**Alphuh – Exagitate Part 4**

C: I really enjoyed the comedy special! I was just wondering when the next  
chapters were coming out...

A: Thanks for enjoying Plan to Exagitate the Saiyans! This chapter was posted shortly after you asked when the next would be released! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

_**As always, folks, thanks very much for your comments and questions!**_

_**AV **_


	78. Honor Trip's Upcoming Final Installment

My friends,

Over the past few weeks, I have extensively thought about and reflected upon various endeavors of significant importance that I would like to pursue in the coming years, and the overall amount of time that will be required to fulfill all of these pursuits.

While I would greatly enjoy being able to pursue these new endeavors as well as all those that I have pursued up to this point in my life, there are only so many hours in a day.

It therefore is with the passing of one age, and with the beginning of another, that I have decided that Honor Trip's final installment shall soon be released.

I have ineffably enjoyed writing Honor Trip, and I shall forever cherish the many, many wonderful memories. I sought to provide you all not just with an enjoyable alternate universe scenario, but a story that explores meaningful concepts not just with regard to the world of Dragon Ball, but the real world as well.

I want to especially thank my remarkable colleagues and eternally glorious friends, my fellow members of the Honor Trip team, for the extremely impressive and thoroughly professional contributions they've made to the series. Genescritor's editing and writing have always reflected an ascended understanding of quality, and his many logical considerations, as well as the remarkable specials he has written, have enhanced the Honor Trip experience. Roketto's abundant enthusiasm and creativity, which she has devoted to each of her elements of artwork and other contributions, especially the Kaji special chapter, have enriched the series with admirable grace. Ruga-Rell's artistic contributions as well have added vibrancy and augmented exhilaration to the sagas, and his sense of aesthetics always has been a marvelous asset.

Each of you, dear readers of Honor Trip, has my everlasting respect and thanks. Many of you have been reading Honor Trip for a very long time, and I want to especially thank you for your dedication. For all who have read Honor Trip with diligence, for the many who shared their thoughts through reviews, and for those whose suggestions and other contributions were incorporated as part of the story, I shall forever be grateful. It is a blessing to have earned 1,000-plus reviews, and on behalf of the Honor Trip team, I want to thank you for all the perspectives you've shared.

After the release of the main series' Chapter 60 shall be the release of the 1,000th-review special, an Honor Trip "movie," The Enlightenment Crisis. The special, which shall be released in the near future, shall conclude the series through portraying the Z-Fighters' efforts to overpower Cell and revealing the reality and results of Cell's plan for free will. Another Dragon Ball fanfiction series I've produced and that many of you have read, Destiny's Echo, also is to be concluded in the near future.

Once again, it has been an absolutely enjoyable experience writing this series, and I've been absolutely honored that you've read it in earnest.

I'm looking forward to endeavoring to achieve the many further goals I've established, and in all the wondrous endeavors that each of you chooses to pursue in life, may you always strive to enable the world to be safer and happier for all.

Thank you so much for everything,

American Vigor


	79. LX: Terminus

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Sixty: Terminus**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, West City, Sept. 24, Age 767 ….._

In his many battles against entities he could punch, kick, and kill, he had always clearly known the appearance of his enemies and could always directly fight them.

Now, however, Cell was about to embark upon a significantly different kind of battle, one against an enemy he could not directly restrict or outright defeat with his physical combat abilities. The enemy he was about to fight was one without a face, without a self-recognized name, and without a consciousness of the horror it could inflict upon the innocent.

Humans and Saiyans were by no means the only organisms in the universe susceptible to disease, and Cell knew, based especially of the knowledge he had inherited from Frieza and King Cold, that bacterial, viral, and other types of infectious diseases were all too common across the cosmos, at least in the relatively local sector.

Based on all he had learned in the future from Bulma, and all he had been able to deduce from his inherited memories, he recognized that the diseases of Earth, in their current forms, perhaps had achieved their statuses after millions or billions of years of evolution. While organisms of greater structural complexity evolved over time, the local diseases apparently evolved with them, unconsciously attempting to fulfill the purpose of dominance over others consciously or unconsciously seeking to become the strongest of their worlds.

Cell loathed the fact that for many civilizations of low technological development, their citizens often were not afforded the proper chance to defend themselves against the infectious diseases, especially because they often could not properly identify the unseen aggressors. He knew that various cultures, unaware of the truth of the ailments, had ascribed the horrors to dark magic, manifestations of demons, and other elements of the supernatural that while real in some circumstances were not the actual causes of the overwhelming majority of the infectious ailments.

Under the principle that all innocent people should have the opportunity to fight against all that could potentially harm them, Cell wanted to do everything he could to help eradicate the heart virus that had subverted Goku in two timelines, such that Goku had not had the chance to fairly fight the virus, and such that the virus had also caused him to unfairly be denied the ability to at least attempt to fight and defeat the androids. In Timeline III, the heart virus also had almost destroyed Goku, although he had fortunately had the means with which to fight it. Trunks had provided Goku with medicine that had been able to cure the virus after its incidence, but in Timelines I and IV, especially because of the infrastructure destruction that 17 and 18 had wrought against the Earth, Bulma had not managed to synthesize a vaccine with the power to prevent incidence of active infection, such that a patient would in no way need to have the virus actively present in his or her system before it could be treated.

It had been fortunate that Goku in Timeline III, and presumably in Timeline II, had survived the heart virus through using the medicine, but because of the limitations of its design, and because it was not an outright vaccine, there had been a realistic possibility that Goku could have died, even with the medicine. It was perhaps because the virus had made the Earth of Timelines I and IV even more susceptible to the horrors of Dr. Gero as per the fact that Goku had not been able to fight the androids at all, and because 17 and 18's infrastructure devastation had been responsible for Bulma and other scientists not having the proper materials and resources to develop an outright vaccine for that virus and so many others, that Cell felt helping develop a vaccine for the virus would not only be beneficial for the world, but an additional sign of rebellion against the tyranny of Dr. Gero.

While Capsule Corporation predominantly specialized in mechanical engineering, it also endeavored to a lesser degree in medical developments. While Bulma of Timeline III indeed knew much of medical science because of her studies and certain implements she had personally developed, Bulma of Timeline IV had known far more because of how motivated she had been to develop some sort of remedy for the virus that had killed one of her best friends. With her knowledge about medical sciences now his own, Cell sought to unite the incarnations of Bulma's intuition with his own, all to enable the Earth to be safer for all.

The analytic equipment had been properly prepped, Bulma and Cell each were wearing protective gloves, and Goku was on an examination table, glancing nervously toward the nearby cabinets and drawers, which he suspected to contain various sorts of needles.

"Do we have in that cabinet over there any antiseptic solution for the contact area?" Bulma asked, while she was in the midst of using a microscope to examine remnants of the heart medicine from the container that had stored the solution Trunks had provided from the future. "It's been a while since I checked what's in there, so I'm unsure."

"Let's see," Cell said, right before using an extension of his energy to manipulate one of the cabinets, revealing that antiseptic, needles, and other medical supplies were in stock, and that they would not need to be acquired from another room, or magically materialized. "We have an ample supply of materials."

Goku saw within the cabinet the large box that said 'needles,' and upon his observation of it, his nervousness increased.

"Is there any way I won't need to get stuck with a needle?" Goku asked, while his eyes were shut.

"Open your eyes, Goku, both literally and figuratively," Cell said, as he approached the examination table. "You are the same warrior who courageously fought some of the universe's most perilous foes, including me! For you to be so timid about needles when you've experienced far greater pain is absurd."

"But … they go through your skin!" Goku said, as he opened his eyes.

"You're willing to give everything of yourself with regard to fighting for the purpose of enabling the innocent to live in peace, and this is no different with regard to achieving that overall purpose," Cell said. "Surely, you've felt greater pain when I've punched you than you would feel with these needles. You've certainly bled during combat, and you'll have less blood leave you now than when you fought Frieza."

"Cell, go right ahead and punch across the surface of my arm to make a cut there, if all you need is a bit of my blood!" Goku said.

"We need the blood sample to be as clean as possible, and so we want to acquire blood directly from your bloodstream via the needle, which will minimize exposure to contaminants," Cell said.

"Fine, then punch me in face, knock me out, and draw blood after you do that so I at least don't have to see or feel it!" Goku said.

Bulma then swiveled her chair to the right so she could look directly at her longtime friend.

"You know, Goku, I once gave Vegeta a few shots to make sure he was immune to a few nasty things on Earth," Bulma said, right before standing up from her seat and walking toward the examination table. "He took the shots without any problem. He kind of just grunted when he got them. Do you really want Vegeta to beat you when it comes to this? He's always trying to be better than you; ... are you really going to let him beat you regarding something as ridiculous as bravery about needles?"

"I'm fine with him winning this one!" Goku said.

"It will be over in less than 30 seconds, Goku! This isn't a big deal!" Bulma said.

"Could I at least transform into a Super Saiyan to reduce the pain?" Goku asked.

"The needle probably wouldn't be able to permeate your skin if you transformed," Cell said. "Also, I don't want your Super Saiyan transformation to introduce an unforeseen variable into the sample that could be present if we draw the sample from you when you're in a transformed state."

"Wait a minute … Cell, you've got some of my blood in you! Just take a sample of your own blood!" Goku said.

"Goku, if it had made sense for me to have done that, I would have, and I obviously asked you to volunteer because you're the best candidate for this," Cell said. "We need your blood instead of mine because you contracted the virus and I didn't; secondly, because you are the strongest person who has ever overcome the heart virus and your antibodies hence will be especially important to study; thirdly, our aggregate genetic material is so different that my other genetic components would prevent me from being able to use my DNA for the purpose of developing a vaccine for humans and Saiyans; and fourth, my biology prevents me from being able to fall victim to bacterial and viral infections as per my extreme regenerative capabilities. Also, this will give you the opportunity to overcome your fear of needles."

"But … they're sharp!" Goku shouted.

"And so is my stinger, but I'm not going to be piercing you with that, now am I?" Cell asked, as Goku recognized the reality of that. "The feeling of the needle is going to be well within your capacity to endure."

Cell then used his telekinetic energy to bring forth a needle, antiseptic, and a cotton ball. He poured the antiseptic onto the cotton ball, then rubbed the cotton ball on Goku's upper arm.

Goku didn't flinch, as his eyes were transfixed on the needle that then ceased to telekinetically float and then entered Cell's right hand.

"So, Goku, are you going to surpass your anxiety and help the world in yet another way, or not?" Cell asked, while the needle remained at the ready.

After feeling momentarily perplexed, Goku inhaled slowly, then exhaled.

"Alright," Goku said, and before he could blink, the needle was already in his arm, and Cell was drawing blood.

After all Cell had said, and after his personal evaluation of what had happened, Goku felt rather accomplished, and he focused on the fact that he knew it was worth it.

Seconds later, the volume of blood Cell had wanted was fully acquired.

"This is all we'll need," Cell said, right before magically materializing an adhesive bandage and placing it upon the extraction spot on Goku's arm. "I know that you, of all people, are unused to wearing such bandages, but this will help prevent other types of infection."

"So, how long will it take to develop the vaccine?" Goku asked.

"We don't know, but Cell and I are going to get to work on it right away," Bulma said, while Goku hopped off the table.

"As for you, Goku, what will you be doing while we undergo our research and development?" Cell asked, while already knowing the answer.

"Training," Goku said, right before placing his index and central fingers to his forehead, then instant transmitting from view.

* * *

_Timeline IV, Planet Earth, outskirts of North City, Age 786 ….._

Five relative days had passed after the day of Cell's departure from their timeline, and in the days since then, they had experienced significant peace and enjoyment.

While Trunks and Broly had been relatively humble about the roles they had played in Future Cell's defeat, they quite quickly after the wishes with Shenron had been recognized by the populace at large for their acts of heroism. News reporters across the Earth, some of whom had been revived by Shenron and others who had managed to otherwise survive the sieges of 17, 18, and Future Cell, had been eager to interview the two Super Saiyans. In the eight days after the day of his counterpart's defeat, which were the first eight of 13 days that had passed since that exceptionally glorious day, Cell as well had been interviewed by members of the news media, who obviously had been especially intrigued to interview him.

True to the creed of their profession, the reporters had meticulously interviewed the three warriors and had created visual and written reports about all that had happened so that all across the Earth could know of how the malevolent fighters empowered by Dr. Gero had finally been defeated. There was a mutually recognized kinship of sorts between the three warriors and many of the reporters they spoke with, as they recognized that they all had risked their lives to help the Earth in perilous situations. Cell, Trunks, and Broly had found the many tales of bravery of the reporters to be fascinating, admiring the courage they had shown on many occasions by reporting about the androids' sieges at the scene, all so that the most accurate as possible information could be disseminated to the Earth's populace so they could be empowered to act in their self-interest as best as possible. Likewise, the reporters had been amazed to learn the details of all that Cell had Trunks had done against 17 and 18, and all that they and Broly had done against Future Cell.

However, in all of their interviews, there were two key aspects of information that Cell had insisted upon not mentioning, and Trunks and Broly had agreed to avoid mentioning these aspects based on the logic Cell had presented to them. The fact that the three warriors had agreed on censoring only two aspects of the truth from the people of Earth in Timeline IV was reasonably noble, in a way, as the three warriors had in no way been obligated to extensively explain the truth at all, and yet had done so because they felt it right to do so.

Both censored aspects were such that the warriors had, true to their apparent ideals, not withheld the information primarily to advantage themselves over others, but instead to protect the innocent from potential security threats that could result from the information becoming public. Before he had departed to Timeline III, Cell had explained to Trunks and Broly that he was planning to censor slightly more information from his reintroduction broadcast to the people of Timeline III for their safety, and Trunks and Broly had accepted the additional omissions to the populace.

However, Trunks and Broly had been completely unaware of the most important omission of all – Cell's plan to achieve true moral free will. Cell had neither discussed the plan with them, nor had given them any indication that he had been intending to pursue free will upon his return to Timeline III. Indeed, Cell had known even before returning to Timeline III that he would enact his plan after his return.

With regard to the two information aspects that had been omitted from their public discussions with the media in Timeline III, the first involved withholding key aspects about the Dragon Balls, in an effort to curtail the chance of unscrupulous individuals acquiring the remaining Dragon Balls and successfully using them.

As for the second concealed aspect, the public had no information about the fact a particular individual existed, and had no reason to suspect he might.

Yesterday, Trunks had even said on television that all of the androids loyal to the Red Ribbon Army had been destroyed.

It likely wasn't an outright mistruth, but it was one meant to conceal the full truth, nevertheless. Trunks knew that he wanted to tell the truth as much as possible, but in the interest of protecting one particular individual from harm or disrespect, he did not want the populace to be biased against this particular individual.

Trunks and Broly landed at a location in the outskirts of North City, just a few meters from the entrance to Dr. Gero's former laboratory. Cell had specifically requested that they wait until the fifth day after his departure to venture to the laboratory to fulfill another specific request, and Trunks and Broly had agreed.

Broly looked upward toward the blasted ruins, while Trunks briefly checked his wristwatch.

"It's hard to imagine that so many terrors that plagued the Earth and the broader universe originated in this one location," Broly said, while noticing a few birds flying overhead.

After noting the time as 1:35 PM in the afternoon, Trunks then looked up toward the target location.

"I'd blast it away myself right now, if it wasn't for why we're here," Trunks said, as he took to the air, with Broly following closely behind.

They landed atop a portion of rock that had once been the floor of a cavern entrance that long beforehand had been blasted away by 17 and 18.

"You said that in Timeline III, Android Sixteen decided to rebel against Dr. Gero's programming all on his own, right?" Broly asked, while walking forward and observing the devastation that had been a prelude to that which had been proliferated across the Earth and the broader universe by Gero's machinations.

"His artificial mind either evolved beyond Gero's control, or never embraced the malicious programming Gero had wanted him to support," Trunks said, while lifting a giant broken and jagged piece of metal, observing that Sixteen's storage unit was not under it, and then placing the metal piece to the side. "Goku told me in the past a few days before Cell's trial that Sixteen had a predecessor of sorts, another purely mechanical android who rejected the Red Ribbon Army's programming. Android Eight even helped Goku defeat the Red Ribbon Army, and one day, perhaps we'll look for him in our timeline to see if he's still around. As for now, let's see if Sixteen's capsule is still here and wasn't destroyed."

"Is it possible that Sixteen wasn't developed in Timeline IV to the extent that he was in Timeline III, and that we might not find him simply because the exact actions that led to his creation in the form in which you knew of him in Timeline III did not also occur in Timeline IV?" Broly asked.

"I've been wondering about that," Trunks said. "It's possible that Gero did not complete Sixteen to nearly the same extent in this timeline, and that because of that, 17 and 18 of course would not have had any considerations about activating him. After all, there is no sign that Gero completed Android 19 in this timeline, and we know for sure he was completed in Timeline III. However, because Sixteen's assigned number is before that of androids I know all-too-well existed in this timeline, it seems likely that he is complete, and that he just was never activated."

"So, Gero simply might not have told 17 and 18 about him?" Broly asked.

"It's possible that 17 and 18 of this timeline could have known of Sixteen but for some reason did not care to activate him, but from what I saw of Gero interacting with Seventeen and Eighteen in Timeline III, it's clear Gero didn't trust them," Trunks said. "That probably also was true in our timeline. And, if for some reason Sixteen's storage unit wasn't located in plain sight, as it was in Timeline III when the androids were activated, then the secret of Sixteen's existence might have been further kept from them."

"My father sure didn't trust me, and it doesn't surprise me that other superweapons were denied information by their controller," Broly said, while continuing to search through the wreckage. "I remember you said that 17 and 18 knew almost nothing about their true selves, and that supposedly, Gero also didn't tell 17 and 18 at all about Cell, right?"

"Yeah, although it is unclear whether 17 and 18 of this timeline knew about Cell or not," Trunks said. "When Cell and I checked out these ruins weeks ago, it looked as though blasts had permeated into lowest levels, suggesting that 17 and 18 might have purposely been aiming that low and that Cell might have inadvertently survived their attack, although it's also possible they were unaware of him and that their attacks just happened to not kill him."

"When you and Cell were here before and you both were considering what to do with Cell from our timeline before he emerged from his development capsule, why didn't you take the opportunity to look for Sixteen then?" Broly asked.

"Right after we lamentably decided to give Cell of our timeline a chance, we decided that it would be appropriate to immediately investigate the Timeline IV version of the source of the faraway distress signal that had been observed in Timeline III right before I was revived following the accident with my time machine," Trunks said. "Cell and I recognized the value of not delaying our potential assistance further, and sure enough, we were able to be of great assistance to Planet Harfava. Because we had wanted to immediately leave Gero's laboratory to locate the source of the distress signal and then go there, we had not explored the ruins for Sixteen's storage unit before we left for Harfava. After we returned to Earth, Cell and I decided to purposely wait to search for Sixteen within the laboratory and to wait to activate him, as we at that point had wanted to maximize the chance of our timeline's Cell joining us and were unsure of how already activating Sixteen would affect him. We wanted to minimize the variables that could have potentially negatively complicated our attempt to have our timeline's Cell agree to peace; our timeline's Cell might have been negatively shocked if Sixteen of this timeline had been activated at all before his own release, a benevolent Sixteen might have been perceived by our timeline's Cell as undesirable trickery, and in the event Sixteen had shown malevolence of his own in our timeline, we hadn't wanted our timeline's Cell to know of it. After we had thought our timeline's Cell had been defeated, our priority had then been to use the Dragon Balls in our attempt to enable our friends and family to all live in peace again. I had been planning on searching for Sixteen soon after Cell's attempted departure from our timeline through a wish with Shenron, but the aftermath of that failed attempt, and the reemergence of the evil Cell, obviously prevented me from abiding by that plan. We obviously hadn't had the chance to retrieve Sixteen up through the evil Cell's defeat, and of course, you know that Cell asked us five days ago to look for Sixteen today."

"Did he share with you any reason for why he wanted us to wait five days, specifically?" Broly ask. "He didn't inform me of a reason."

"He said it seemed like an appropriate interval of time, although I didn't ask him what he meant by that," Trunks said.

"Regardless of what he meant, we're here now, and we can rescue Sixteen now, if he's even here to be rescued," Broly said.

"Sixteen of the past is so benevolent, …. I hope our timeline's incarnation of him is the same way," Trunks said.

"There's only one way to find out," Broly said, as the two warriors continued to search through the former lair of evil, endeavoring to rescue a potential friend and enable him to join them in peace.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 60__th__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next: Honor Trip's final installment and 1,000__th__ review special, The Enlightenment Crisis! With Cell on the verge of achieving true moral free will and potentially threatening existence through a return to evil, is there anything the Z-Fighters can do to safeguard Timelines III and IV? Be sure to tune in for the big finale, next, on Dragon Ball: Honor Trip! __**[Updated release date of The Enlightenment Crisis: April 18, 2013]**_

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Sixty, the final chapter of Honor Trip's main series: Completed April 9, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

* * *

**Answers to your comments and questions following the release of Chapter 59, including answers to your comments and questions following the official announcement of Honor Trip's final installment and the release of Chapter 60, shall be answered in a final message following the release of The Enlightenment Crisis "movie" on April 18, 2013 [updated release date]. **

I do want to generally address that all your support has meant so much to me. I shall always regard Honor Trip as meaningful, and I shall forever cherish all of you, dear readers.

AV


	80. Honor Trip UNCANCELLED

**Honor Trip is UNCANCELLED; New Chapters to be Released Weekly **

Folks,

After significant consideration, I've decided that instead of ending Honor Trip in the near future as previously announced, I'm going to renew weekly installments for the series, with new episodes released weekly starting Thursday, June 27, US EST.

It is not often that those who announce they are to end production of a story later decide to reverse that decision, and indeed, one should not expect such reversals to be frequent. I decided to reverse my prior decision and continue Honor Trip because, despite my earlier belief that continuing to write the series would be impractical because of the significant degree to which my responsibilities and other time commitments are intensifying, I've recognized that I will be able to pursue each of my goals outside the realm of fanfiction while devoting a bit of time each week to writing Honor Trip.

Of course, I also want to revive the series because of how fun it is to write. I am extremely pleased to announce that Genescritor, Roketto, and Ruga-Rell all have reaffirmed their commitments to the Honor Trip project, and I'm extremely looking forward to working with them again.

My workload for my profession and other aspects of life indeed has significantly increased in the time since I last wrote to you, and as such, while I will be unable to spend quite as much time writing Honor Trip as I had before, I will release shorter chapters that will be akin to their predecessors in style and that will enable the story to continue. All the content that would have been released as part of "The Enlightenment Crisis" special instead will be released in the upcoming weekly chapters (I've yet to decide what the replacement 1,000th review special will be.)

There eventually will be a time in the coming years in which my other commitments will be of such magnitude that I will need to announce a true, final end to the Honor Trip series. But until then, this trip shall enthusiastically continue.

With much thanks,

American Vigor


	81. LXI: Testament

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Sixty-One: Testament**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, West City, Sept. 25, Age 767 ….._

While many stars flickered in the nighttime sky above West City, various indicators on a screen within the Capsule Corporation compound were flickering to indicate measured aspects of the reaction he had been observing.

Cell hours beforehand had begun his analysis of the heart-virus antibodies in Goku's blood through using a microsphere nanoscope, a type of microscope with far greater visual resolution capabilities than traditional optical microscopes and most types of electron microscopes, so much so that he could clearly see details that were merely nanometers in length, which are billionths of a meter and 10-millionths of a centimeter.

He had determined, based on a structural examination of the antibodies within the sample, that Goku had produced antibodies to the heart virus that were far more durable than any antibodies he knew of humans producing. Cell hadn't been particularly surprised by this discovery, but the discovery indeed confirmed that Bulma's heart virus medicine had enabled Goku's body to have enough resilience to survive long enough to create capable antibodies that could overcome the virus. Cell hadn't been sure before the examination if the medicine merely had the power to overcome the virus on its own or if it had prompted a reaction of antibody generation.

With the antibodies available, and with the knowledge that human and Saiyan DNA was almost entirely genetically compatible and could respond to similar biologic stimuli, Cell had extracted proteins from the antibodies for his endeavor to synthesize a vaccine for the virus that could be used to safeguard potential victims from an active version of the virus before it entered their systems.

As per his acquired knowledge from "future" Bulma and the corresponding relevant memories he had acquired from her, he had known of all her unfortunately failed attempts to create a vaccine for the virus based on weakening the virus through incorporating various methods to produce a reliably weakened strain that could serve as the vaccine by being introduced into patients, not being lethal enough to kill them or seriously harm them, and yet prompting the production of antibodies that were strong enough to effectively combat the virus in its true, stronger form.

As a scientist quite knowledgeable about biological engineering, especially because he epitomized it, he planned to apply a far different method for creating the vaccine before attempting his own variations of the experiments that Bulma had performed. Cell hoped to manipulate the proteins from the antibodies with genetic material from Goku's blood to synthesize a compound that could function as a biologically programmed guard against the heart virus. He felt tempted to innovate by constructing nanobots, infinitesimally small machines, to fight the viruses, although to his knowledge, nanotechnology was still theoretical without formal application, and he wanted to avoid the lengthy time for research and development that would be required for developing them.

Cell had focused his energy and merged its application with his extensive knowledge to magically materialize a pair of microsphere-nanoscopic goggles, and after putting them on, he used the extremely precise devices within the laboratory to extract protein compounds from the antibodies and DNA from the blood for his further experimentation. The prospect of merely using his telekinesis to perform the extractions and ensuing experimental configurations of the infinitesimally small material had momentarily enthused him, but he had recognized that not even his own abilities in energy manipulation were precise enough to manipulate objects so small without involving significant risk of either damaging them or causing other objects to move in conjunction with the targeted ones.

For eight hours, he had carefully manipulated the protein and DNA components in attempts to build an effective construction that would entirely guard against the virus, and he had tested various trial constructions against a contained sample of the heart virus in an experimental dish to observe their interactions.

The interactions of the trial constructions with samples of the virus had been observed by a separate microsphere nanoscope linked to a quite macroscopic computerized window on the screen of the laboratory's main computer, and next to the live-action video feed of the interactions were various indicators of factors that Cell had programmed the systems to measure based on inputs from the experimental dish. He had seen some of the trial constructions have mild yet insufficient effects upon the virus and others have no effect at all; one had perturbingly exacerbated the virus to such an extent that Cell had personally incinerated that dish with an energy sphere between his hands to make sure this potentially stronger version of the virus was entirely eradicated.

At the moment, Cell was rather disgruntled that yet another trial compound in a replacement experimental dish proved to be ineffectual, further indicating for him the fallacies of believing oneself to be absolutely perfect. As he wanted to learn from the mistakes he had made in designing the trial constructions so that he could become more capable, he was typing extensive notes into the computer about his observations regarding the most recently tested construction, detailing structural properties of the construction that he determined through experimentation to be deficient.

His typing was not only of extreme speed but extreme accuracy, especially since his fingers were not physically touching the keyboard. Cell was well-aware that even with extreme restraint and discipline, he might inadvertently break the main computer's keyboard if he made physical contact with it, and so he was focusing his energy to telekinetically press the keys in logical progression, with the speed of the keys' movements reflective of what Cell felt was close to the maximum input speed Bulma's computer could endure.

Cell had not anticipated that Bulma would have an unavoidable prior engagement that evening; he had desired to work alongside her as much as possible to develop the vaccine, but he knew that it was inherently preferable to work on the vaccine without her than wait for her and delay a potential cure.

Cell was in the midst of the early stages of synthesizing another trial construction when Bulma walked through the door, followed closely by Gohan, Tien, and Yamcha.

He was facing away from them and didn't turn toward them immediately because he wanted to stabilize the structure of the latest trial construction before greeting them, which Gohan misinterpreted as a sign of nonchalance, as he knew quite well that Cell could sense him.

"So, have you made any progress?" Bulma asked, while she and the three fighters walked toward him.

"Indeed I have, but there is so much more to do," Cell said, right before determining the structure to be sufficiently stable.

He then turned toward them while maintaining power for the synthesizer equipment, and lifted his microsphere-nanoscope glasses so he could properly see those who had arrived.

"I don't know the first thing about vaccines, but I'm sure what you're doing must be complex," Tien said, while looking around the room at the machinery.

"I didn't know much about vaccinology either until Bulma from the future shared her knowledge with me, and even with that, I still haven't figured out how to create an effective vaccine to kick this virus' ass – not that it physically has one, mind you, … one that we know of, anyway," Cell said.

"How do we know you're actually using that blood sample you got from Goku to create a vaccine to help people, instead of making some sort of doomsday plague to kill us all?" Yamcha asked.

Cell did not particularly desire to respond to the question, and he resisted with some effort the opportunity to alarm Yamcha by pretending to throw one of his trial constructions at him and facetiously declaring that his suspicion was indeed reflective of truth.

"If I was actually endeavoring to kill you all, engineering and unleashing such a plague would be among the most boring of methods," Cell said.

"I can't believe my dad actually let you extract his blood without him fainting, or something," Gohan said.

"He understands how important this is," Bulma said, while sitting down in a chair near the main computer, just half a meter to Cell's left.

Yamcha always applauded Goku's heroism, but he did not want Goku's sentiments to be used against his ideals.

"Cell, prove to me that you're actually developing a vaccine and not something else," Yamcha said, while suddenly manifesting an energy ball by his right hand, to everyone else's apprehension.

"And what are you planning to do with that?" Cell asked.

"I'm going to launch it at the computer and destroy what you're working on unless you can show me proof that you're working on a vaccine," Yamcha said. "I refuse to let you take advantage of the little bit of trust that Goku still has in you."

"You're being an impertinent miscreant," Cell said. "But even with that, I'd gladly show you the data I've been compiling, although you almost certainly wouldn't understand any of the data because of the complexity."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Yamcha asked, with fury.

Cell would have been amused by Yamcha's apparent irrationality had he not been threatening to destroy so many hours' worth of beneficial work, and so he responded diplomatically.

"Not at all, and please calm yourself," Cell said. "I merely am suggesting that the data are so complex that only a few scientists, Bulma and myself included, can understand them."

"Bulma, please go look at the data and tell us what you think," Yamcha said.

"Yamcha, just let it go already," Bulma said.

In an act resulting from extreme misinterpretation, Yamcha threw the energy ball toward the computer.

Cell and Gohan both reacted faster than Yamcha could blink, and Cell caught the energy ball, microseconds before Gohan would have done so. Through concentration, Cell let the energy dissolve in a passive, nondestructive manner, which he was able to do because of the relatively low degree of energy that had been incorporated into the attack.

"Get out of my lab," Bulma said with subdued rage, directed entirely at Yamcha.

"But you told me to … oh," Yamcha said, in sudden recognition of what had actually transpired.

"You figured it out, huh?" Tien asked.

"When you said 'let it go already,' I – "

"You need to be careful with how you interpret data, Yamcha, especially when the safety of others is involved," Cell said, while Gohan refrained from responding to the statement. "Please trust me a bit more, alright?"

"It's unfortunately hard to know whether I can," Yamcha said. "You're making this difficult for all of us, Cell."

"Only if you perceive it as such," Cell said. "By the way, what exactly are the three of you doing here? I was of course expecting Bulma to return from the charity gala, but seeing the three of you is a surprise."

"When we walked through the door, we had just finished talking about the fact that they want me to make a few gravity machines that they can use to increase the effectiveness of their upcoming training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Bulma said. "I told them that I'm preoccupied with working on the vaccine with you and that I can't devote any attention to the gravity machines just yet, and that while my dad normally would be able to help instead, he's in South City for a major weeklong conference."

"Unlike Yamcha, I have no doubt you're making a vaccine, but I have to wonder if working with Bulma to create the vaccine is a ploy to delay her from being able to help us," Gohan said. "You might not have anticipated that we'd ask Bulma specifically for gravity machines, but still, you probably anticipated that we might ask her for some assistance that could be beneficial to us in our efforts against you."

"Paranoia is unhealthy, Gohan," Cell said. "Surely, logic should prevail."

"Indeed … it should," Gohan said, without saying anything further, hoping Cell would properly perceive the intended message.

Gohan turned from the group and started to walk toward the door to the laboratory.

"Tien, … Yamcha, … we should probably go so they can work," Gohan said.

"Fine by me," Tien said, while walking toward Gohan.

Yamcha briefly glared at Cell, then began to walk toward Gohan as well.

After the three fighters exited the room, Bulma turned to Cell with a pleasant smile.

"It's amazing how untrusting they've become, although perhaps I'm biased because you saved my life," Bulma said.

"Perhaps that's true," Cell said. "Regardless of bias, you fortunately are aware based on your ability to analyze the data on the screen that I am acting truthful to my stated purpose."

"I sure am," Bulma said. "Now, … what exactly have you determined so far?"

As Cell began to explain his observations and deductions to Bulma, the three fighters outside began to soar, venturing toward a destination that only one of them had been to before.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 61__st__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next in Chapter 62: The Z-Fighters explore a possibility that could forever affect their destinies. Stay tuned! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Sixty-One: Completed June 27, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

An additional thanks to TheCuriousReader, who identified that as per the original version of this chapter, Dr. Brief also could have promptly assisted the Z-Fighters with regard to constructing the gravity chambers, thereby decreasing the need to have Bulma assist them. The chapter was slightly adjusted so that Dr. Brief also was unavailable.

* * *

**Starting with the next chapter, because of more significant budgeting of time as per the content of the letter regarding the series' renewal, I will respond at the bottom of each chapter to up to four key elements among the reviews received for the prior chapter. **

**Thanks so much for the appreciation you have shown and for being great readers. **

**Peace be with you,**

**AV**


	82. LXII: Prospect

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Sixty-Two: Prospect**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, "Southwestern Region", Sept. 25, Age 767 ….._

She referred to it as a palace, but to many, it seemed to be an amalgamation of perilous, thematically disjointed rooms and other venues that had been hastily incorporated into their present status.

Baba did not particularly care what others thought of the various death traps scattered throughout the building, nor was she troubled by the fear visitors often experienced upon recognizing that many had fought and died at the numerous arenas throughout the palace grounds in their quest to acquire her services for free.

For her, all of these factors enabled the palace to truly be home sweet home.

She usually detested having to use her magical powers to benefit others for free – the option to pay for her services with exorbitant cash existed for this reason, despite the fact she felt this involved less fun than forcing hopefuls to combat her fighters – but Goku had visited her earlier that day and had explained the severity of the new predicament regarding Cell, with the need to act with proper haste.

They had discussed the exact reason why he wanted her to meet with the Z-Fighters, and she had readily understood that her powers had the potential to be beneficial. In addition to fortunetelling, her broader magical prowess was formidable, although she utilized her other magical talents far less often, particularly because they were not as attractive for revenue.

Goku had said that he would not be present at the meeting because of the need to attend a meeting of even greater importance, but that all the other Z-Fighters would be present, except Vegeta, who was to accompany him to the other meeting.

She was standing upon the arena floor where Yamcha had fought Invisible Man so many moons ago, and she could see the scar-faced bandit arriving from the north, with Tien and Gohan as well traveling under the stars. Piccolo and Chiaotzu had already arrived, and each had been relatively tranquil, as they were enthralled in meditation.

Yamcha landed upon the ground a second before Gohan and then Tien, and he surveyed the area for a moment before offering a greeting.

"I'm glad I can finally enjoy this place without having to fight for my life!" Yamcha said. "It's good to see you, Baba."

"As well you, but from what I hear, we all very soon might be fighting for our lives," Baba said.

"We've got to try everything we possibly can to safeguard the universe from the very real possibility that we won't be able to prevent Cell from achieving his wishes and then acting in accordance with his former ways," Gohan said. "Cell claims he wants to achieve free-will because this will enable him to be even more benevolent, but even if that's true, it's absolutely reckless and rife with the potential to be dreadfully counterproductive."

"Although I know much about magic, young warrior, it dismays me that I do not possess much knowledge about the magical properties of the Dragon Balls," Baba said. "If I knew of a way to somehow manipulate them so Cell could not achieve his potentially dangerous wishes, I'd readily act."

"I've heard you're a quite capable mage, but with all due respect, I'm not sure how beneficial your magical powers would be regarding the Dragon Balls," Tien said. "From all we've heard from Cell, it seems the Dragon Balls have far more to do with advanced science than with advanced magic."

"They are two aspects of existence that often are mistaken for each other," Baba said. "I'm curious as to what percentage of the Dragon Balls' function is magical, what percentage is scientific, and what percentage involves combined application."

"Unfortunately, the only one of us who probably knows the answer to that is Cell," Piccolo said, upon emerging from meditation, while Krillin landed nearby.

"Wow, it feels like forever ago that I was here!" Krillin said.

"It sure does," Yamcha said.

"If you manage to get to be my age, boys, you'll understand that one's experience of the flow of time is rather relative, and that events mere years ago seem increasingly close in memory," Baba said.

Within the next few minutes, Eighteen and Sixteen landed upon the arena floor, with Yajirobe landing a hovercar nearby shortly thereafter, and hopping out to join them.

"Excellent; now that you're all here, we can begin the process," Baba said.

"Actually, Baba, can we do this inside?" Gohan asked. "Out here, there's a greater risk that Cell could overhear us."

"Goku, too, insisted that we speak inside for that reason, but as he's notorious for overestimating certain things, I hadn't realized that Cell's hearing actually is that capable," Baba said.

"My genetics are to blame for much of that," Piccolo said. "His hearing range seems to be even greater than mine, although our way of hearing enables us to focus on specific elements of sound while enabling us to exclude other sounds that we could potentially hear. That's how we can focus on conversations taking place far away from us while someone right next to us is talking, and that's how we can concentrate on anything without having significant aural information overload. I've never heard from human or Saiyan ears, but I imagine that on the whole, Cell and I usually hear things similarly to how you do, as that's usually how we want to hear them."

"Well, I don't want him to hear any of this," Gohan said. "He could be focusing on our conversation right now, in fact."

"Isn't he currently inside the building we just left?" Tien asked. "Is his hearing really that strong?"

"Who knows how strong his hearing has become, with the greater power he now has," Gohan said.

"If this really means that much to you, I can concoct a simple barrier around us that will prevent him from being able to hear us," Baba said. "That way, we could stay outside and enjoy the pleasant scenery."

"You can do that?" Krillin asked.

"I would not have offered to do it if I couldn't," Baba said. "Sound waves are extremely easy to overcome with the power of magic."

Baba hopped on her crystal ball, levitated into the air, raised her hands toward the sky, then closed her eyes. After a few moments in which she was humming a tune, a blue sphere formed atop her hands. She opened her eyes, then gradually opened her right hand, causing the blue sphere to expand to its full size, with proportional increases related to the percentage by which her hand was open.

The bottom of the blue sphere was still atop her hands, but the sphere was now of greater diameter at its midsection than the arena floor was wide. Unlike a typical spherical energy attack, the sphere was not glistening, did not have a constantly changing surface because of energy waves, and did not constantly emanate sound; instead, it was a calm, rather translucent blue that had merely generated a soft sound when it had expanded to its current size.

She set the sphere downward, with the bottom moving through her, then through the others, and then through the arena floor. The sphere settled in position so that the bottom half was under the ground, while the top half was still visible and surrounding them.

"You don't see that every day," Eighteen said, while marveling upon the extreme quietness of the sphere's internal environment.

With the sphere in place, Baba's movements again were unrestricted.

"This shield is only disallowing sound from the outside reaching in, and sound from the inside reaching out," Baba said. "You can freely move from inside the sphere to outside, and vice versa."

Chiaotzu darted upward and passed through the sphere, heard the natural ambience of the environs, and then flew back inside, where the quietness persisted.

"Cool!" he shouted.

"I shudder to think of how many laws of physics this is breaking," Gohan said.

"Magical interactions and those strictly of physics have different foundations and mechanics, but both are very real," Baba said. "Physics dictates how matter and energy by default function in the universe and interact with other matter and energy, with matter able to transform into other matter, energy able to transform into other energy, and matter able to transform into energy and vice versa, but magic, my friends, enables mages to manifest phenomena that can exist, to a limited degree, without abiding by those physical laws and that often can be derived from nothingness. Of course, one could say that magic can only exist because of physics and that magic should be treated merely as an exotic branch of physics and not as its own entity, but that's a discussion for another time."

"Well, I'm impressed, and it's very hard to impress me," Yajirobe said.

"You'd be impressed by a cheese sandwich," Krillin said.

"It would have to be grilled," Yajirobe said.

"Baba, your abilities are undoubtedly impressive," Sixteen said. "As a creation purely of science, I find your ability to cast spells such as this one to be absolutely fascinating."

"I've been conjuring phenomena for a long time, and despite what it might seem, I find this to all be rather natural," Baba said. "However, I suspect that many of you might find the reasons why Goku wanted you to be here to be such that they involve seemingly unnatural progress, and that you might be hesitant to receive my help because of your pride. As true warriors, it is completely understandable that you want to achieve greatness in mind, body, and spirit without having others enable your progression to be easier than it otherwise would be, but as you all know, we are living in a time of desperation. Also, Goku has told me that many among you already have benefited from boosts in strength that were the result not of your own hard work, but of responding to a dire need."

Gohan and Krillin thought of the powers that Guru had unlocked, and Piccolo recognized all he owed to the mergers with Nail and Kami. Eighteen, however, knew that her strength had been exponentially and unnaturally heightened not to save others in desperation, but to kill them without significant resistance, although she was thoroughly proud that she had decided to refuse to use her powers for proliferating death.

"You are here so that we can determine if any among you possess a transformation yet to be unlocked and that my magic might enable you to achieve," Baba said. "It of course is possible that some of you might possess transformations that my magic cannot enable you to access, but if any of you can be helped by my efforts in this way, we must determine if that is so. Perhaps, even with another transformation in your arsenal, you still will not be able to defeat Cell if he becomes an aggressor again, but you nonetheless would be more capable than you otherwise would be, and we must do everything we can to increase our chances of success."

"Couldn't you just cast a spell to prevent Cell from being able to do anything to harm us?" Krillin asked. "I mean, we know the Dragon Balls can't be used to restrict anyone's power, but … is it possible that you can do that, Baba?"

"If I was able to do such a thing against a fighter of that strength, I would have already offered to do so," Baba said. "Even when King Piccolo was amuck upon our world, I had not possessed the power to restrain him in some form. My magic, unfortunately, has its limits."

"If one of us was to learn the magic you know, could we perhaps cast spells of greater strength?" Piccolo asked.

"It's possible, although I admit that I'm unsure," Baba said. "If any of you are interested in learning the magic that I know, you of course, in this time of desperation, would be more than welcome to learn it."

"With the possibility that you could unlock forms we're not even aware we possess, I'm surprised we never thought of asking you about this before," Gohan said. "This could have helped so many times against so many enemies."

"There is no such thing as a perfect tactician," Baba said. "Just because you never thought of it before does not mean you might not have eventually thought of it, as Goku did. Even I did not think of this possibility before Goku suggested it."

"When we learned three years ago of the then-looming threat of the androids, we knew we were in a desperate situation and needed to undertake drastic actions, but this time, the threat is comparatively so much greater than the threat the androids had posed to us then," Tien said. "With even greater desperation, yet still time to prepare to do something about the problem, it seems all of this prompted Goku to consider this possibility."

"Still, I'm unsure if magic will truly work for unlocking a transformation," Gohan said. "To unlock my Super Saiyan transformations, I needed to gain far greater strength than I'd had before, and then combine that strength with intense emotional responses to dire circumstances. It seems that magic alone wouldn't be able to do anything for me."

"We won't know for sure unless we try," Sixteen said. "It might be possible that even Eighteen and I could achieve transformations, although I doubt this is so. However, we must make sure that we can utilize everything we possibly can. Baba, I volunteer to be first among us to personally experience whether your magic can unlock a transformation."

"And so it shall be," Baba said, as her crystal ball began to float toward Sixteen, while the Z-Fighters contemplated the potential secrets of untapped strengths.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 62__nd__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next in Chapter 63: Where are Goku and Vegeta? Stay tuned! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Sixty-Two: Completed July 4, 2013 [HAPPY U.S. INDEPENDENCE DAY!]_

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

* * *

**Thanks for your reviews of the previous chapter; here are responses to selected elements from among the reviews of Chapter Sixty-One, "Testament" : **

**Q: How Strong is Cell at this point in Honor Trip? **

**A: Cell in his Super Perfect form, at this point in the story, is about 10 times as strong as his canonical counterpart had been in his Super Perfect form at the end of the canonical Cell Games. While canonical Cell's power level did not significantly change in the three months after the Cell Games because his activities were restricted in Otherworld, Honor Trip Cell's power level skyrocketed during the corresponding time because of his far more extreme endeavors and experiences. As of now, it is quite possible that Honor Trip Cell's power level is close to that of canonical Majin Buu (Good Buu), at the level of strength at which he had been before Evil Buu emerged. **

**Q: Who would win in a fight – Honor Trip Cell, or Super Saiyan 2 Gogeta? **

**A: As per the above analysis of Cell's power level, Cell would be significantly outclassed in strength by Movie 12 Gogeta as a Super Saiyan 2, as Super Saiyan 2 Gogeta is undoubtedly extremely stronger than Majin Buu. However, HT Cell possesses a plethora of abilities that Gogeta in any of his official incarnations has not been established as possessing, potentially enabling Cell to win through tactically outmaneuvering Gogeta. It is known that in Honor Trip continuity, Future Cell managed to defeat Legendary Super Saiyan Broly (Timeline IV) despite being significantly outclassed in power because of abilities he possessed and that Broly did not, especially his ability to regenerate from a single cell. The difference in power level between HT Cell and SS2 Gogeta is far greater than that of Future Cell and Broly, causing it to be less likely that HT Cell could win, although certainly not impossible. **

**Q: What is the point of using gravity chambers in the Room of Spirit and Time (Hyperbolic Time Chamber)? Doesn't gravity vary in the room already? **

**A: The gravity in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber indeed is greater than it is on Earth of the normal realm, although the maximum degree to which the gravity is greater at any point in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber is far less than that which could be provided by a gravity machine. Without the machines, the training enhancement effect would be lesser because the gravity with which to offer resistance would be lesser despite still being higher than normal gravity on Earth. **

**Q: Did you take health science, because from what I read you probably did, right? **

**A: I have pursued coursework in biology and am significantly interested in the subject, especially with regard to medicinal aspects. **

**Peace be with you,**

**AV**


	83. LXIII: Grit

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Sixty-Three: Grit**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Otherworld, King Kai's Planet, Sept. 25, Age 767 ….._

Their reluctance had been significant – one to be the master and one to be the student – but Goku had managed to convince them of the merits of his plan.

It had been unprecedented for King Kai to be asked to teach the Kaioken technique to a former aggressor against whom one of his pupils had fought while using the technique, but it seemed that the circumstances were dire enough for even this precedent to be breached.

"Years ago, if anyone had told me that I'd eventually be teaching the Kaioken, the holiest technique I possess, to someone who has violently murdered countless individuals while often deriving great satisfaction from the process, I would have called the person making that claim crazy," King Kai said. "Instead, I call that person Goku."

"There's a first time for everything, King Kai," Goku said, while Vegeta remained hesitant to fully accept the situation. "Vegeta has changed a lot since then – "

" – Of course I have," Vegeta said, interrupting his rival in sarcastic fashion. "Look, I don't need help from anyone to become stronger. A true warrior, unlike Cell, acquires greater strength through working hard to unlock the power within. To have power granted to you without having to truly work hard for it is blasphemous and undignified. It's why, right after this, I hope that Baba finds no hidden powers she can unlock within me, as I want to discover those secrets myself and unlock that strength through personal work and resolve alone."

"I hear what you're saying, but even you know we can't be so foolish as to ignore any and all opportunities to get stronger now," Goku said. "While I'm not too thrilled either about the sort of quick power-ups you were talking about, if such power-ups could help us save our loved ones, they're worth acquiring."

"And it appears this really would be a swift power-up in another sense, wouldn't it?" Vegeta asked. "Is it really only stable to use with Super Saiyan for a few seconds?"

"That's right," Goku said. "Using Kaioken while in your Super Saiyan form – I like to call it the 'Super Kaioken' technique – could give you a major power boost in the form, but your body can only handle that state for a few seconds. Super Saiyan has a larger power level multiplier than Kaioken, and so unlike me, it doesn't seem you'd ever have the need to use Kaioken by itself, although you still could do so."

"Learning the Kaioken isn't exactly easy, Vegeta," King Kai said. "You will need to achieve spiritual oneness with the universe to be able to wield its strength. This, and many other prerequisites of the technique, make it more expedient to focus on teaching you the technique without trying to teach it anyone else at the same time."

Vegeta became cross with the implications.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Vegeta asked.

"Look, there is no question that you're a warrior of extreme accomplishment," King Kai said, easing Vegeta's temperament. "However, through some additional mental and spiritual discipline, you could be an even more capable warrior."

"You think I need mental discipline, and yet you idealize Kakarot," Vegeta said. "It's true what my father said … even the gods are fools."

King Kai didn't respond for a few seconds, letting himself maintain a sense of peace before responding.

"One day, Vegeta, you might truly understand errors you've made that you refuse to truly acknowledge as errors now," King Kai said. "Until then, for the good of the universe, I shall reluctantly consider you an ally."

"Gods would do well to formally ally with Saiyans," Vegeta said. "Allying with Kakarot against Nappa and me years ago was an act of war on your part; you were an enabler of treachery then. But now, it seems we truly can work together to fight a menace greater than Frieza ever was, … not that it would likely make a difference if Cell becomes hostile, but we must do all we can."

"Yes … all we can …," King Kai said, while contemplating an option he had not contemplated in quite some time.

"Thanks much, King Kai," Goku said. "I'll be back with Vegeta in a few days. After Vegeta learns the technique, Gohan will be here with the others so they can learn it, too."

"I'm looking forward to empowering them with it," King Kai said.

"And now I'll have the opportunity to see if my preference to be a self-reliant warrior will be infringed in yet another way," Vegeta said. "Kakarot, do you really think Baba can do what you think she can?"

"Knowing Baba, it's possible, although we'll know for sure soon," Goku said, as he placed his right hand on Vegeta's left shoulder, then instant-transmitted toward Earth.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 63__rd__ chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next in Chapter 64: Will it be determined that any of the Z-Fighters have transformations that Baba can unlock? Stay tuned! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Sixty-Three: Completed July 11, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

* * *

**Thanks for your reviews of the previous chapter; here are responses to selected elements from among the reviews of Chapter Sixty-Two, "Prospect" : **

**Q: Would Cell beat Super Saiyan 3 Goku? **

**A: As per my responses to questions following Chapter Sixty-One about how strong Honor Trip Cell now is and whether he or Super Saiyan 2 Gogeta would win in a fight, Honor Trip Cell at his maximum power level in his Super Perfect form has about the power level of Good Buu before Evil Buu emerged, rendering him as weaker than Super Saiyan 3 Goku had been when he had fought Good Buu. However, unlike the percentage gap in power between HT Cell and SS2 Gogeta, which is greater than the percentage gap between Future Cell and Future Broly, the percentage gap in power level between HT Cell and SS3 Goku is lesser. As Future Cell was able to defeat Future Broly through applying the summation of his abilities despite his lower power level, it seems there is a high likelihood that Cell would be able to defeat SS3 Goku despite being outmatched with regard to power level. There of course also is a strong possibility that SS3 Goku would be able to win if he dramatically overpowers Cell in a sudden maneuver … such as using a Super Kaioken applied upon Super Saiyan 3 to intensify his power level before launching a Kamehameha wave. **

**Q: Is fusion going to appear and will Majin Buu appear? **

**A: I am expecting to at some point in the future write a saga that is Honor Trip's adaptation of the Majin Buu sagas. As for whether fusion will appear, you will have to read further to find out. The Honor Trip timelines are very different from their canonical counterparts, and as such, the exact circumstances in canon that enabled Goku to learn the fusion dance and teach it to Goten and Trunks, and the exact circumstances in canon that enabled Elder Kai to spread knowledge and practice of Potara fusion to the current generation, are not able to be present in Honor Trip's timelines. This is not to preclude the Fusion Dance or Potara Fusion from being implemented in the story, although this does preclude their introduction from happening in the exact same ways. **

**Q: Are we going to see a potential of a Super Saiyan 3 Teen Gohan? **

**A: It's an intriguing possibility. Whether or not Gohan will have a transformaton unlocked by Baba will be determined in Chapter Sixty-Four. **

**Q: If Baba can't trigger a transformation, could she at least inform them that one exists?**

**A: As I said in the response to the previous question, it's an intriguing possibility. The extent of Baba's abilities regarding detecting and empowering transformations shall be revealed in Chapter Sixty-Four.**

**Peace be with you,**

**AV**


	84. LXIV: Advancement

**Honor Trip**

**(Season IV)**

**- a Dragon Ball Z FanFiction -**

**Chapter Sixty-Four: Advancement**

_Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, the glorious franchise it is, is not in any way a property the Honor Trip team controls. Our team does, however, enjoy supplementing the mystique of the franchise with stories such as the one herein. _

_With that said, we hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

_Timeline III, Planet Earth, "Southwestern Region", Sept. 25, Age 767 ….._

Assessing whether Sixteen possessed a transformation that could be detected or unlocked through her magic had been far more difficult than Baba had anticipated.

Baba over many centuries had become increasingly adept in focusing magical forces upon living beings to determine characteristics of their soul, but as Sixteen was not a natural entity, she had needed to interact with his artificial electromagnetic field, as well as the pseudo-soul he had been granted months ago by Shenron, to perform her assessments of his potential.

The challenge of determining truth through applying magical interactions upon scientific systems had thrilled Baba, who had recognized through the course of the assessment that Sixteen, despite not being a human by birth, had an energy presence indicating far more humane qualities than true of many natural humans she had encountered over the centuries.

The white, ethereal glow that had been surrounding Sixteen while she had been examining him suddenly dissipated, while Baba relinquished her palms, which had been directed toward Sixteen.

"So, what's the verdict?" Sixteen asked, while the other Z-Fighters speculated what Baba would say.

Baba briefly looked up toward the zenith of the magical blue sphere she had generated and that was still surrounding the arena, reaffirming her confidence that she could freely speak without the possibility of Cell overhearing her.

"As I had suspected, I could not detect a transformation you latently possess and that I could help you unlock," Baba said, to the surprise of none of the warriors, and especially not Sixteen, who had not expected that he would possess such natural potential because of his unnatural origin. "However, I'd like to remind you, and each of you, for that matter, that just because I don't detect a transformation within you doesn't mean there aren't additional transformations you could achieve; it's just that I can't perceive them."

"I guess that makes this news not nearly as much of a bummer for you, right?" Gohan asked Sixteen.

"Quite right," he said. "And while the data Dr. Gero gave me regarding my systems do not confirm whether I possess the capability to undergo some sort of mechanical transformation, their silence on this matter does not preclude the possibility. Perhaps the rest of you will have greater luck with having Baba help you."

"I don't count on it," Eighteen said, as she brushed a few strands of hair that had been across her face, while Krillin was mesmerized by the action. "If Baba couldn't detect anything within you, Sixteen, then with all the crap that Gero did to me, I doubt I have the ability to transform at all."

"Let's take a look, young one," Baba said, while placing her palms toward Eighteen's face, and with the white glow returning.

After a minute of analysis, during which Goku and Vegeta emerged from Instant Transmission and joined the group, the glow faded.

"Unfortunately, I did not sense anything," Baba said, while turning in Goku's direction. "How's King Kai?"

"Corny as ever," Goku said. "Fortunately, he agreed to train with Vegeta so that he can learn the Kaioken."

"I'm absolutely overjoyed," Vegeta said, rather nonchalantly.

"Of course," Baba said, while redirecting her attention to Eighteen. "I'll tell you, though, that you have one of the most fascinating spiritual energies I've ever encountered."

"What … does that mean?" Eighteen asked.

"Well, how often does a sorceress of my caliber have the opportunity to observe the energy of someone like you?" Baba asked. "Despite the fact you actually have some natural energy components, they're almost entirely undetectable because you're an android!"

"More like a cyborg, actually," Gohan said.

"A what?" Krillin asked.

"A cyborg, which is what Gero should have called Eighteen, Seventeen, and himself," Gohan asked. "Androids are fully mechanical entities that appear to be human. Sixteen, you're probably the most 'human' a machine has ever been, and as such, you're the most advanced android that's ever existed."

"It's definitely better than being the most advanced toaster oven that's ever existed," Sixteen said. "My data indicate that Gero was working on such a thing, by the way."

"Yeah, when Trunks and I took a look at his lab, we found blueprints for a gas-powered toaster oven he'd been working on," Krillin said.

"Knowing that bastard, even that toaster oven somehow would have been a weapon of mass destruction," Eighteen said.

"Anyway, a cyborg is a human being who has been artificially enhanced or modified using artificial components," Gohan said. "It's been bothering me that we've been referring to you as an android, as that isn't entirely correct based on nuance."

"I could care less about what I technically am; all I know is that Sixteen and I hate Gero for all he'd done and all that he wanted us to do," Eighteen said.

"I had detected boldness in your soul, and you've very much demonstrated it," Baba said. "Now, who's next?"

Vegeta aggressively stepped forward, beckoning Baba to approach him.

"Let's just get this over with," Vegeta said, while Baba appeared disgruntled at the disrespect. "I already know that you're going to at least find that I can ascend to Gohan's level as well. There really is no point in even doing this."

"I might discover something of which you're entirely unaware," Baba said.

"That's highly doubtful," Vegeta said. "Go ahead."

Baba thoroughly analyzed Vegeta's essence for about two minutes, then relinquished her hands.

"Actually, it seems there are no further transformations I can detect within you," Baba said, to Vegeta's sudden shock and rage.

"What did you say!" Vegeta yelled. "How could I not have another transformation? If Gohan, at his age, could ascend to that level of Super Saiyan, then – "

Vegeta suddenly realized a key implication that he had not previously considered.

He turned to Gohan, while trying to assess the situation.

"The legends never did mention that the Super Saiyans could transform beyond the basic level … but yet Broly can … and so can we … but you have an entirely different transformation … and Trunks acquired my transformation as well as yours …," Vegeta said, in openly considering the situation.

He then became enraged.

"No, it can't be possible!" Vegeta yelled. "I refuse to believe that the true next level of the Saiyan race has been denied to me because I'm a pure-blooded Saiyan! It would be an absolute atrocity against the Saiyan race if that were true! I refuse to believe that Super Saiyan 2 is accessible only by the offspring of Saiyans and humans!"

"Relax, Vegeta; you still might be able to achieve the level you seek," Baba said. "You weren't here when I mentioned that just because I don't detect a further transformation within you that I can either help you unlock or unlock entirely doesn't mean there isn't one."

His golden aura suddenly flared into view, while the others began to step away from him.

"Try it again!" Vegeta yelled. "Maybe I need to be in this state for you to be able to detect it!"

Baba began to attempt to sense the contours of Vegeta's essence, but before she could delve to the necessary degree, a bright golden shine emitted from Vegeta, and she felt the connection forcibly sever.

"Well, what happened?" Vegeta asked, as he, too, had observed the disturbance.

"I'm … unsure," Baba said.

She then attempted to assess him again, but with the same result.

"It appears that when warriors are transformed, I can't analyze them this way," Baba said. "I hadn't before attempted analyzing someone in a transformed state, otherwise I would have known."

"Your magic seems to be rather limited," Vegeta said.

"Not quite, although what truly is limited is my tolerance of snide remarks," Baba said. "Goku, let me try analyzing you as you are now and as a Super Saiyan to see if the same thing happens."

After three minutes, Baba confirmed that her suspicion was correct.

"Nothing," she said.

"It was worth a try," Goku said, as his hair shifted from gold back to its dark coloration.

"Well, it figures that I'd be called out here just to see even Goku and Vegeta not have any transformations for you to find," Yajirobe said. "I've got better things to do with my time, you know."

"More important things to do than helping save the world?" Baba asked.

"You're all being paranoid about Cell; the guy's a changed person," Yajirobe said. "But I guess, while I'm here anyway, you might as well have a look."

"You could at least act a little more grateful," Piccolo said, while Yajirobe approached Baba.

"I just say it like it is," Yajirobe said, while Baba began to close her eyes and analyze his energy.

After about 30 seconds into the procedure, Baba swiftly opened her eyes.

"I don't believe it!" she said.

* * *

_Thanks for reading the 64th chapter of Honor Trip!_

_Up next in Chapter 65: Unlocked powers and unlocked dreams! Stay tuned! _

_In fun and fanfiction,_

_American Vigor_

_Chapter Sixty-Three: Completed July 18, 2013 _

_- The Honor Trip Team - _

_American Vigor – Author _

_Genescritor – Chief Editor; Assistant Scenarist _

_Roketto – Art Director: Visual Element Enhancement; Assistant Scenarist _

_Ruga-Rell – Art Director: Line Art Creation and Implementation_

* * *

**Thanks for your reviews of the previous chapter; here are responses to selected elements from among the reviews of Chapter Sixty-Three, "Grit" :  
**

**Q: Is there any chance of Gohan mastering the Super Saiyan 2 transformation as he did with the Super Saiyan transformation?**

**A: Fans have been speculating for decades about whether warriors can achieve "Full-Power" states in the Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3 transformations, as canon confirms can be achieved in the basic Super Saiyan transformation. If it was possible to achieve that equilibrium at one level, it seems highly likely the equilibrium can be achieved at the other levels of the "true" Super Saiyan line. **

**Q: Shouldn't Cell know the Kaioken as well? **

**A: It is highly possible that Cell knows the Kaioken. However, the degree to which he does, as well as what role this might have in this season, remain to be seen. **

**Q: Is Cell going to go back to his evil ways if he ever gets his wish?**

**A: You'll have to read further to find out! **

**Q: Wasn't Super Kaioken a filler move in the anime? About how powerful is the attack? Does a warrior wielding Full-Power Super Saiyan (1) with the Super Kaioken technique have the same power level as that warrior would have as a Super Saiyan 2? **

**A: Super Kaioken indeed was introduced in an anime saga (the Otherworld Tournament Saga) that was not in the anime, and so its canonicity has been debated. As the move has been part of official Dragon Ball franchise media for more than 20 years without being rescinded, and as there is no canonical material that contradicts its existence, I treat the move as canonical. The degree to which a Super Saiyan's power level is multiplied through using the Super Kaioken technique depends on the multiplier of Kaioken underlying the technique. Presumably, a Super Saiyan with the knowledge of how to implement the Kaioken can choose which Kaioken multiplier to implement, as would be true if the warrior used Kaioken in his normal state. As differing multipliers of Kaioken can underlie the Super Kaioken, some instances of the technique would not advance the warrior's power level above what it would be in the Super Saiyan 2 form, while other instances of the technique could be such that the warrior could exhibit a power level higher than that which the warrior would have in the Super Saiyan 2 form. **

**Peace be with you,  
**

**AV**


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